TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:29 pm

Hello all! I've been on the Samba for a number of years now, but not actively posting. Today, though, I just made it home with my next big project: a 1991 syncro. Purchased in VT, and driven to southern RI, where I'm living for the next few months.

The goal is to do a significant amount of restoration and preventative maintenance over the spring and summer and hit the trail in the early fall for an extended nation-wide road trip. I am organizing the restoration into three categories: mechanical, body/rust repair, and conversion to a livable camper. Of these, I'm most in the dark about the body work, but have learned a ton from reading (and rereading) corter's build page.

On the short trip south today the van thew the oil warning light on long hills when I was breaking while in 4th. After nearly having a heart attack, I stopped and checked the oil. After it was fine the first 3 times I just decided to live with it, and made it home without incident. Believe it to be this issue: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...ht+slowing

Also noted a fair bit of shaking, some of which I believe is from the engine (at around 40-45mph, 3rd and 4th), but some seems to be from the wheels. I'm planning on repacking the CV joints per vanagonauts.com's "things for new owners to do," but I'm worried something else might be amiss. Thoughts?

Photos are mostly of rust, more to follow.

Thanks guys, it's good to be back actively posting! Excited to learn a ton with this one!

Sun Mar 27, 2016 6:59 pm

Congrats on the syncro! Thats some pretty severe rot you got going on, the scariest is that shock tower pic. Im sure some there is more frame rot as well. Would this pass your state inspection? My advice, find a clean 2wd westy with a bad motor or trans or both for hopefully cheap, then swap all the syncro stuff over. It would be less work than dealing with that rust you got and probably the same cost wise. Just throwing it out there. Ive the done the conversion as has many people here, it is well documented. You have the syncro donor which is half the battle. Its not all that terrible of a job. I have dealt with my fair share of rust and it is the worst work of all. Requires a lot of momentum, motivation, welding, cussing, drinking etc... Good luck what ever you do, syncros are the best!

Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:15 pm

I'm back into the Syncro game after a hiatus as well. Looking forward to your build thread.

Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:46 pm

I would find yourself a clean van and convert it, that looks pretty severe

Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:49 pm

Enjoy the $yncro :wink:

Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:06 am

"$yncro" is right! I've decided to start with the Mechanical phase of the resto first, mostly because I'm still reading about paints, primers, and techniques, and so nowhere near ready to jump in there yet.

My next question is about fuel lines: I see alot of high-pressure hoses out there, for alot of different prices, even at the bus-specialty shops. What do you guys run? I'm assuming I'll have replace all as a worst-case scenario, but won't have time to investigate in detail until tomorrow. I'm assuming look for cracks, bulges, wear...anything else?

While I'm in/under there I'll also be looking at:
Coolant hoses/radiator
Vacuum line (for the diff lock decoupler. Anyone notice it missing in the photos? :? )
Belts - Just 2 of them; no AC
Fuel filter - ie, did PO put a date/mileage on it?
break lines
O2 sensor

Anything I'm forgetting that should be right up there on the list? Anything I should look for on the O2 sensor that will indicate if it's working or not? If it looks like this I'll assume it's non-op: :lol:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3...+fule+line

Much thanks as always

Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:00 am

Order a new locker shaft and bushing for the trans if you want it to work, that one is toast.
Yes the trans will need to be removed and bellhousing removed to gain access.

If you do this, pull the gas tank and replace all sealing parts as a good measure for safety.
You will need tank straps aswell, judging by the amount of rust shown.

Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:07 pm

Well, you're certainly correct about the tank straps; they're almost completely nonexistent. Will be dropping the tans' later this month to investigate the locker, and doing a bunch of work while it's out, including fuel lines and filter, select coolant lines (some look to be in very good shape, others not so much), brake lines, anything the tank needs, repacking the CV's, and rust removal and painting.

With all that in mind, 2 questions:

1) In VT it is common for vehicles to receive a hot oil spray to the undercarriage, as this vehicle has. Insyncro mentioned doing a hot steam pressure washing of the underside to remove gunk like this on the Corter build page. I'm thinking about either trying to rent equipment to do so, or seeing if I can find a shop that can do it for me. Any thoughts? I'm in the southern RI area. I plan on painting the entire underside with Por15 or comparable, pending research.

2) Considering I'll be draining the coolant anyway, should I spend the $60ish bucks on a new H2O pump, or is that cash best spent elsewhere? Engine has 150,000ish miles on it.

Thanks

Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:16 pm

do you own a body shop?

Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:29 pm

Here ya go for your fuel lines.
http://www.benplace.com/fuel_line.htm

You'll find this info and lots more up in the FAQ, the first thread at the top of the page. Do your reading there and you'll be spared from hearing "do a search" :)

Even if you decide not to keep this body the fuel lines should be your first priority. SAE 30R9 and if you get it from the local parts store make sure it is "30R9" not the older R7 line they have laying on the shelf.
Or save yourself the trouble of trying to find all the bits and go here.
http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/smartlist_1202/fuel-line-c1202

Depending on your finances for this project think about finding a 2wd and transferring the Syncro parts over to it...it will save you a lot of grief and $$$.

Do you have an accurate mileage figure for this Syncro?
The syncro parts are worth money so if you loose heart in this project the '91 gearbox alone is worth money as it has the upgrades that VW should have installed when they first produced it in '86. (look at the cost of rebuilding an earlier gearbox and having the upgrades done to it.) That is assuming the gearbox is in good condition? Pay heed to what "Insyncro" says about it-he does have a good idea of what he is saying! :D

Wed Apr 06, 2016 9:39 pm

I had portions of my east coast Syncro soda blasted. I focused on the lower 15" that needed repair. It is safe on rubber and plastic plus it took off a ton of surface rust and scale. It left powder everywhere but was a good starting point for my restoration.

Thu Apr 07, 2016 6:57 am

Congrats on the $yncro! As a fellow East Coaster, and Syncro owner, I know the rust issues you'll be dealing with well. The tank straps on my first van were also non-existent which lead to the discovery of serious rot in the rear frame cross member, which coupled with all the other rust repair it needed, lead me to scrap my first van and trade up to a much cleaner shell with less east coast rust to build upon.

Enjoy the ride, but be realistic if you come across more serious rot and damage.

Thu Apr 07, 2016 5:06 pm

Steve M. wrote:
You'll find this info and lots more up in the FAQ, the first thread at the top of the page. Do your reading there and you'll be spared from hearing "do a search"

Thanks! Who'd have thought the FAQ would be a good place to start ](*,) In all seriousness, there's so much info in there I blew the night away reading.

Thanks for the tip about soda blasting; dont know anything about it, so there's some more to read haha. My lease on the garage will be up at the end of May so I've got to hustle a little bit and get the whole rear end worked out before I move. I wrote out a workflow for all the things that need to happen - took up over a page in Word. First batch of parts is getting in any day now, so at least the motor will be tuned and have new fuel lines in a week.

I'll keep an eye out for that structural rust -- I've been under there a bunch and nothing APPEARS to go too deep on anything important. Body's going to be a pain to clean up, but I guess it's a chance to learn painting. woo.

Thu Apr 07, 2016 7:33 pm

Check the Classifieds section under "General Parts" for body parts like the metal you need to replace on the window frame that is rotted away.

Send a picture of the area you need to avoid miscommunication for the seller to cut out the bits you need.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?...words=body

Fri Apr 08, 2016 3:52 am

Steve M. wrote: ............. Do your reading there and you'll be spared from hearing "do a search" :) ..........

D

Happily, I'm seeing less and less of that obnoxious comment! ^^^ it essentially says...... "I know the answer, you don't, and I'm not going to help you at all" :roll:

It is far better to not post any answer than to post "do a search".

Dave

Fri Apr 08, 2016 7:39 am

Phoxxanator wrote:
I'll keep an eye out for that structural rust -- I've been under there a bunch and nothing APPEARS to go too deep on anything important. Body's going to be a pain to clean up, but I guess it's a chance to learn painting. woo.

Double check the 4 jacking points! Your going to hear reference to the "A, B, C and D" pillars. These are the vertical structural frames at the front windshield, behind the front seats, at the rear end of the sliding door and the rear of the Vanagon. The 4 jacking points are at the bottom of the "B & C" pillars. They can rot up inside that you will not see from the outside, you have to get down there on your back. This is unibody construction so you may think it is a simple repair to weld, it's not. It's easy for someone who has a lifetime of experience...maybe, but it can be a can of worms too.
That's what killed my '87 Syncro plans, just too much rust to repair in a short amount of time. I stripped the 4x4 parts off measuring everything as I went to do a conversion. Then scrapped the body because economics and more important to me was the time to do it.

Fri Apr 08, 2016 7:50 am

Something that is of interest is that some, if not the majority, of the panels can be glued in place. Modern sealants are a lot different now then when this was built!

Check out Ben's website where the fuel lines instructions come from! He's done this. Structural though, is welding.

Wed Apr 13, 2016 4:37 pm

I was just talking with a friend-of-a-friend about gluing panels in place! He owns a NAPA and says it's quite easy.

Fuel lines are in, as are spark plugs, dizzy cap, and rotor. I think someone had done the fuel lines at some point - the only ones that looked to be original were the short bits to the injectors. Have new belts too, but those are staying out until I do the water pump with the cooling system, which is waiting until life's less hectic in a few weeks and I can drop the trans and tank and do everything while I'm up in there. Good to be making progress.

Funny story - I'm going to have to take the motor and chain for the electric garage opener (which has never been hooked up) off the ceiling to get clearance to jack up the van. Sshhhhhhh, no one tell the landlord.

Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:24 am

Well, after moving and unsuccessfully searching for a garage it's time to start the first major repairs to the $yncro in the back parking lot of the apartment complex. We'll see if anyone says anything.

The plan is to drop the tank to inspect, and replace the nonexistant straps. This will also allow me to easily access the break lines, which are quite bad, so I will be replacing all hard and soft lines, and the rear brake cylinders. I will also take the opportunity to install the diff-lock servo with the tans out of the van, and grease the rear wheel bearings and all 4 CV's back there. If all this is going well, and the neighbors haven't complained too loudly yet, I will paint the underside with Por15 or similar before reinstalling everything. And, of course, I'll keep an eye out for structural rust.

Ok, does anyone spot an error in my ways? Or anything else I should really do while I'm in there?

Questions:
- My CV and bearing grease is Autozone all-purpose grease. Sufficient?
- Should I replace the starter while I'm in there? The one I have works fine, but may have as many as 200k on it.
- Should I drain the trans before removal, both to make it lighter and to inspect the fluid and magnet?

Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:34 am

That's not a rusty syncro. Over here in the UK we start out with far worse, I know mine is just that :shock:

Inspect your front rails, just aft of the front towers, for telltale bulges or blisters on tboth outer and inner faces (it's double skinned in there but rusts from the top down thanks to a 5/8" hole in the top of the rail, nice one VW)

The easy (hah!) repair is to stitch in 3/16" x 3" bright steel flat stock starting no lower than 9/16" from the bottom (the inner reinforcer is a U-section with generous bevels at the corners, cut too low and there will be nothing of the inner left to weld.

Good luck with it.