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GoWesty 2.4 install and suspension rebuild
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jetpoweredmonkey
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:22 am    Post subject: GoWesty 2.4 install and suspension rebuild Reply with quote

Hi everyone, I'm getting ready to install a GoWesty 2.4 rebuild and thought I'd post a thread here. Looking around the web, there's not much to read about the GW engines, I guess the DIY crowd usually goes another way. Maybe this will be useful to folks like me who are weighing their engine options and want to do most of the work themselves, but not necessarily do the rebuild. I am not affiliated with GoWesty or any of the other vendors or companies I might mention in this thread. I'm just a dude with a day job who likes to work on his old Westy in the driveway and then take it out camping whenever possible.

The back story - we bought the van three years ago and it came from the original owners, who were German and took European delivery, then shipped the Vanagon back to their home in the SF bay area. We still have the log book of their 1990 European adventure which covered most of western Europe, as well as all of their maintenance paperwork. I even found a Swedish coin in one of the dash vents! Years later, the owners were getting on in years and no longer able to use their camper, and asked their mechanic to sell it for them. That's where I came in. It is a 1991 Westfalia camper, white, in beautiful original condition. It had 130K miles when I bought it, and we've added another 20K miles of west coast adventures. I've done all of the work myself to include replacing the rubber hoses and cooling fittings and tons of other preventive maintenance, basically trying to reverse 20 years worth of age and keep things as original as possible. I even made the Dometic work, and it works pretty good!

Just before I purchased the Space Wagon, the mechanic had installed a new set of AMC heads, but the original AMC valves were not replaced. Gah, I knew that one was going to bite me. Over the last year or so, the idle has become increasingly rough, hitting on three cylinders, and everything is tuned as well as I know how to tune it. This year it failed smog and a leakdown test revealed a bad valve in #2 cylinder. Those darn AMC valves, apparently. I had considered removing the engine, rebuilding the heads with new valves and putting it back together, but last summer's adventures showed an increasing tendency toward low oil pressures on hot days. I had installed an oil pressure gauge (I call it the core charge gauge) to keep an eye on things and didn't much like what I was seeing. On several long hot hill climbs, the pressure was down to 15PSI. Yikes. Despite that, the idle low pressure warning never came on once. Kind of makes me feel like a real OP gauge is a good idea. So, feeling flush after recently selling another vehicle project, and taking advantage of the recent 10% off sale at GoWesty, I pulled the trigger on a rebuilt 2.4.

Why the GW engine? I am a good enough wrench that I feel confident I could have tackled it myself, I've built a few Type 1 engines back in my air cooled days. When you add up the cost of all of the materials, I figure the GW engine costs about $800 more than for me to buy the parts and build it myself. Call that the price of their labor and a bit of profit and it looks like a decent deal to me. The fact that I could take advantage of the 10% off sale convinced me to go big with the 2.4, without the sale I would have ordered the 2.3 as the price jump to the 2.4 is pretty large and doesn't seem worth it. On top of all of that, I'll have a pair of good heads to sell and $250 worth of GW store credit, so in my situation it will end up costing about $4250 in the end, if my core is in good shape. Did the builder do as thorough and detailed a job as I would have done? No way to know, but at least there's a warranty. I hope I don't need it.

I briefly looked at some conversions and I will be the first to agree with anyone who says the Subaru, Zetec, and VW 1.8 are all superior engine designs. But here in California our options are severely limited. I just didn't want to hassle with smog referees, and I am comfortable troubleshooting the Digifant system. It is dirt simple and I have found it easy to track down running issues with only a VOM. Plus, I just like the idea of pushrods, that WBX sound, and the darn thing is still silky smooth 20 years from new and running on three cylinders.

On the list for the project is the following.

- GW stainless exhaust manifolds (hanging in the garage now)
- new thermostatic engine oil to air cooler from Vanistan
- new engine and transmission mounts
- new stainless main cooling pipes from Bus Depot
- new radiator (just in case)
- clean and re-seal automatic transmission
- GW 2WD lifting springs
- Powerflex bushings from T3 Technique for the rear arms, front upper and lower pivots, and radius rods
- new ball joints
- new rear wheel bearings
- finish replacing the few rubber hoses I didn't already swap out (long heater hoses mainly)
- address any other issues I find along the way

I had already installed a new Dansk exhaust system when I bought the van but I have been disappointed with the fit, the rear manifold bangs on the engine carrier bar and there is no good way around it without putting dents in things. So those will go up for sale and I'll swap out the manifolds with the new GW ones which seem to be a good value, if they fit. The rest of the exhaust system is in good shape, so I'll have the cast junction and J-pipe coated and re-use the stainless cat and tail pipe.

I'm going to add a thermostatic oil cooler kit from Chris Corkins (Vanistan), I definitely think the low oil pressure condition is aggravated by high oil temperature. My engine is getting tired but it will still run at 30PSI on the freeway, until the temperature climbs. If I climb a long hill, the pressure tails off quickly but comes back up just as fast on the descent as the engine produces much less heat and the stock heat exchanger gets some colder coolant to work with. The external oil cooler seems like great insurance and I will hopefully be able to run my good working AC on hot days without worry, something I have been reluctant to do before.

I'll also swap out the Van Cafe "lifting" springs which I bought used. They improved the ride and handling over the stock springs but didn't raise the van much and I like that Syncro look (yes, I'm a poser, yes, Syncros look cooler than my 2WD, no, I can't afford one!). They also seem to have sacked out a little in the rear. I think they would be better suited to a hardtop than a Westy. I've already replaced the front sway bar with an Addco and added Powerflex swaybar end link and steering rack bushings. I can't say that the swaybar was a big improvement but the steering rack bushings only took 30 minutes to install, were cheap, and improved the feel of the steering 100%, I highly recommend them. The shocks are Bilstein HDs which I replaced not long ago, so I'll keep them to try with the new springs. They are too soft for my taste with the VC springs.

While I'm doing all that and the van is out of commission, I figured I'd replace the suspension bushings. The squeaks coming out of the front end and clunks from the rear end are driving me nuts.

OK, let's get this party started!

Step 1 - remove engine!

I spent the evening yesterday disconnecting the cooling hoses and electrical connections, drive axles, air conditioning compressor, transmission cooler (a GW air to oil cooler) and power steering pump, and drained the coolant and oil. The AC and PS pumps stayed behind in the engine compartment. Tonight I pulled out the engine and automatic transmission as a unit. I found it very easy to do - I used an ATV jack underneath the engine, disconnected the carrier bar, loosened the front transmission mount pivot bolt and lowered the whole works to the ground on the ATV jack. Then I used a floor jack to lower the nose of the transmission onto a dolly after removing the bolt. Easy! I only had to stop and raise the jackstands up slightly to get the whole plot out from under the rear of the van, and I remembered the cables on the transmission but forgot to pull the throttle cable out of the bracket. Whoops, might need a new one of those!

Now the greasy old beast is sitting in the garage awaiting a strip down. I'll save the low mileage AMC heads and have them rebuilt, then sell them off to help fund the project. Or if someone wants a good set of heads to rebuild themselves, let me know. On Monday I'll drive to Los Osos to turn in the core and collect the new engine. Hopefully it will fit in the trunk of my 190E!

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P1040961 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr
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Atadloco
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 6:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool Ural..
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a1fa
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool K75?
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Hodakaguy
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Popcorn

Hodakaguy
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RGS Paul
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good luck! One question, doesn't GoWesty void the warranty if you install it yourself? They used to which is part of the reason I didn't get one. Should be a fun install though, I really enjoyed installing my engine and being able to fix some things that had bothered me for a while.

Paul

PS Square tailpipe on the bike means a K100, right?
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dobryan
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool toys in the garage! Smile
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gl98115
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looking forward to the thread.

I bought a '87 Westy with a 2.3 GoWesty motor and it's been chugging along nicely.

I also installed their 2wd lift springs. With a 3/8" spacer in the left rear, the van leveled out at about 18" from centerline of wheel to fender lip. Great for the faux syncro look, but tough on the u joints in the back. Click, click, click on hard right hand turns. And raising the van did ding the gas mileage a touch. Easier to crawl under the van for repairs, though.
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joseph928
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 9:16 am    Post subject: GW motor Reply with quote

Blue Bay Bus Cool, have fun. I love my GW 2.3 going on 50,000 miles and no problems! Went with the 2.3, like to use regular gas it's cheaper ! At least when I got mine the 2.4 and 2.5 had to use high test gas. Very Happy
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jetpoweredmonkey
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let's see, questions to answer...the bike in the background is a K100RS, first of the BMW inline fours and a really good bulletproof road sofa. Interesting trivia, it uses a Bosch fuel injection system very similar to the Vanagon, including a mechanical AFM (air flapper). It makes do without an automatic idle control valve in favor of a cable operated "choke", works great, nothing to break! It also makes about the same rated power as the waterboxer, 90hp!

Between the K bike, the Westy and a recently acquired creampuff 190E, all in white, we're brewing up the ultimate yuppie garage, 25 years late. I love that era of vehicles - modern enough to be smooth and refined, built to last, and still simple enough to work on.

Hodakaguy, I recognize you from ADV...I think maybe you had a WR250R a few years back? I miss that bike.

As for the GW warranty, it is NOT void if you do the install yourself. However, they do demand that you have a professional shop perform the initial start-up, timing, coolant bleed, etc. My approach will be to get all of that stuff as dialed in as I can possibly make it and then haul the beast to one of the Vanagon savvy shops here in Sacramento. It kind of sucks that they make that stipulation, but on the other hand, they have no way to know if you are a no talent hack who left out the oil, and they are putting their name on the warranty. I guess it makes sense.

Good to hear some positive feedback from those with the 2.3. I do feel like the the regular vs. premium gas debate is kind of a non-issue, though. This thing gets 17MPG most of the time, it only costs about five bucks extra to put premium in an empty tank, to me, it sounds like cheap insurance, I sure as heck can't hear if it's detonating way in the back under all of our camping gear. I ran the numbers and based on the miles we put on the van in a year (7000ish, probably less), it costs me $120 extra to run premium. That's not nothing but it is a drop in the bucket next to the amount I spend filling the cooler with beer.

No photo update today, I fiddled around tearing a few bits off the longblock this afternoon, back to it in earnest tomorrow. Hey, who here has separated the automatic trans from the engine? Do you have to undo the flex plate bolts through the window at the bottom of the bellhousing?
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Mike Robinson
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice Ural

I have a '82 westy Diesel with a 1.9 td and a '10 Ural Patrol T. Sort of the same driving and maintenance vibe.

Mike
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sweet Ural!
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great start to great thread potential.

Two Questions:

1-I have considered both complete waterboxer engines and alternatively AMC heads as well. One thing that is bothering me is the SS pipes that I installed 2 years ago, and whether they would degrade the new system (the dreaded electrolyis debate). I saw that you have ordered a new SS set and was wondering whether you have considered the SS versus aluminium pros and cons?

2-You have also purchased some Vanistan items to add to the new system, but went with the GoWesty exhaust system. Did you as well consider the RMW exhaust system before making this choice?

Thanks, Chris
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike, you are right about the Ural having the same vibe as your diesel. Slow and steady. I've met more than one person who has a Westy, a Ural and an BMW airhead GS - I guess they speak to certain folks like us. Simple, effective and full of character! I don't know which machine we've enjoyed traveling in more, the Vanagon or the Ural. Folks in the know love the Westy but EVERYONE wants to talk to you about the Ural and we have met some really cool people because of it.

Fixedgear, tell me more about your stainless coolant pipes. I recall reading some time ago about possible problems with electrolysis but didn't really dig any deeper since I still had my old plastic pipes. I forgot all about that debate when I ordered these, looks like all of the main vendors sell the stainless pipes. To tell the truth I had forgotten all about RMW, darn it. Normally I don't cheap out and order from Bus Depot but they had good deal on a few spendy parts (pipes and radiator) and no tax for me. The rest of my parts will come from GW and Van Cafe. Lots of people are using the stainless pipes, I don't want to derail the thread, but please PM me if they have caused problems for you, I would like to hear about it.

As for the RMW/Vanistan exhaust system, yeah, that thing is the killer app for sure. I'm going over budget on my engine and suspension work already, though. Would love to have that setup someday. But next priority for me will probably be wheels and big brakes, I've been eyeballing those Van Cafe steelies forever.

Got some good work done today, although a lot of fellow gearheads know where I live and since I had the garage open, I spent a lot of time jawboning about cars and bikes with folks who dropped by on this beautiful sunny day. Life is good. I got the engine stripped down to the short block without any issues. No stuck or rusty fasteners, and so far I've managed to do all the work without a single skinned knuckle. I must be getting good at this stuff. Nothing much to note looking at the engine, all of the head studs look good (no rust) and no cracks in the problem spots, hopefully I will get most of the core deposit back. It looks a little greasy but the drivetrain has always been oiltight since I've had it, no drips at all. I hope it stays that way when it's back together.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040962 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

I got the automatic trans separated with no drama, it is really easy to mount and dismount compared to a manual. But it is heavy! Man. I had to get a friend to help me heave it up on a dolly so I can move it around. The hole with the plastic cap on it on the top left engine bellhousing flange is the port for removing the flex plate bolts. That fire breathing 90hp all goes through three HARD little bolts, cool! I want to take the AT and final drive apart to replace the seals while it's out. The trans isn't leaking at all but it is CRUSTY. I'll have to scrub it down well before I separate it. I don't want any grit falling into the works.

The AMC heads with 20K miles similarly look good, no pitting at the water jacket seal face, no cracks, but oh man, look at that exhaust valve!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040963 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

Holy crap! I wonder how many more miles it would have gone before the head snapped clean off. The rest of the valves look fine. I wanted to pull it out as a keepsake and to have a look at the seat, but my motorcycle valve spring compressor was not up to the challenge. I also found that the valve adjustment screw for this valve was backed out pretty far and is damaged. This valve was sitting noticeably deeper in the head than the rest of the valves, which explains the adjustment setting. I had adjusted the valves a while back trying to track down the rough idle and noticed this one was out of whack at the time. When I stopped driving it, the engine had developed a LOUD lifter tick on the #2 side, the adjuster shows the evidence of being hammered, it would always pump up when hot but it's clear to me now that it didn't have long to go before it wrecked all or part of the core.

I always wondered if the stories about crummy valves in these heads was just an internet myth but I am a believer now! I sure wouldn't run another set with stock valves after seeing this.

Got the shop all cleaned up for the night and a friend helped me load the short block into the trunk of my new-to-me 190E. I packed in in there tight with a moving blanket so it won't slide around. Spent some time detailing the interior of the Benz today too, what a gorgeous car. The seats are MB-Tex perforated vinyl and amazingly look exactly as they did when new, not a crease, crack or stain anywhere to be found. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

I think the new engine will go right in the trunk just as easily, it won't weigh too much more with the heads and intake installed. Looking forward to not going to work and taking a nice drive down the coast tomorrow.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040965 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr
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jetpoweredmonkey
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Drove the round trip to GoWesty today in the 190E to retrieve the new longblock. They have a very cool campus full of, you guessed it, one million Vanagons. And one million parts for Vanagons. You can tell you're getting close because you start seeing Vanagons on every street. You sort of feel like you're getting in deeper and deeper, like the boatride up the river in Apocalypse Now. Even a lot of driveways blocks from the shop have Campers and Dokas parked in them, I guess it is a kind of contagion and GW is ground zero. I got there right before lunch (they close up shop for lunch) and the guy in the office said no problem, just drive around back and we'll sort you out. The guys in the warehouse area made a quick job of taking away my core (goodbye old buddy) and loading up the new mill in about 30 seconds. No problem! I would have liked to hang around and check out all the goodies they were packing up but I guess I've seen it all on the website already!

I have to say, everyone I met at GW seemed like they were having a good day and they were all glad to help as soon as they saw me. You don't get that every day. The operation is just as clean and tidy as their website and so is my new engine. Obviously some thoughtful business practices going on there - closing for lunch so your hard working team can enjoy an hour to relax and hang out off the clock seems like a pretty good plan. I went to a burger shop right up the street after picking up the engine, great burgers and a bunch of the GW crew were there chowing down too, good to see.

Here's the 190 in front of some tasty Syncros, looking a little saggy in the bottom from holding up all that hot rod power.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040966 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

All packed up and ready to drive like an idiot on the PCH! The 190 could use new struts and shocks, but still rails the curves pretty good for an old timer!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040967 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

Pretty darn nice drive home. And I got into the bay area just in time not to get stuck in traffic. This was the second big long trip in the car since I've had it for two weeks, today's average was 27MPG and it did the job with style. I'm quite happy with it. Don't tell anyone, they are still dirt cheap!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040978 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

New engine out of the trunk and into the garage.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040997 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

I sat on my staring stool in the garage and looked over the engine for a while. Man, it is clean as a whistle. I don't know what they use to get the crankcases looking that nice but I want some to use on other crusty aluminum bits. I was pleased to see that all of the fasteners appear to be brand new including the head nuts, except maybe for the big fat bolt holding the crank pulley on. The photo says it all. I really was expecting a sort of crusty looking crankcase like so many other rebuilds I've seen. It's a clean job and speaks well for what might be inside. To all outward appearances, everything has been done carefully, no excess gasket sealant anywhere, nice paint on the intake parts, and the valve covers are even color coded green, just like the photo in the website! If I swap on red covers, I wonder if it will turn into a 2.5? They also included the rest of the necessary gaskets for the install as well as the alternator bracket fix kit to keep the case from cracking beneath the alternator. I note that the case I got is an older one and doesn't have the reinforcement that my 1991 did in that area. No problem, that's what the kit is for.

I also notice "52 PSI" written on the case, I assume that means that the rebuilder puts oil in it and turns it over to check for oil pressure? Nice touch. Some other small items I noticed, the oil pump cover is held on by bolts instead of a stud and nut. The washers appear to have some sealant under them. The oil galley plugs at the rear of the crankcase have also been treated with some kind of sealant, no doubt because of experience with warranty oil leaks here. What can you do, it's not like we have the luxury of buying a brand new crankcase like the Type 1 guys.

This week I will spend some time cleaning up my old parts and make a list of stuff I need to order to complete the install.
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jetpoweredmonkey
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 10:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Got some good work done this weekend. My garage looks like Christmas, lots of boxes showed up this week! I did a lot of cleaning, checking, bead blasting and painting and got most of the ancillary bits bolted back up to the engine. The plating on all of the steel brackets was tired, so everything was bead blasted and painted in high temp satin black. All of the cooling hoses were recently new, as were the fuel lines, so I am reusing those although I did buy a new set of hoses for the oil cooler as they are a pain to change once the engine is mounted up and always look a bit fragile to me. I couldn't find them locally, but I plan to replace any old grungy hose clamps with some nice stainless Gemi clamps. GW included their alternator bracket beef-up kit and it bolted on with no problem and does look like it will strengthen that area of the case very well.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040998 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

The distributor got a new cap and rotor and 20 years of grunge scrubbed off, and a new plug wire set. I also disassembled the breather tower and cleaned it really well, lots of crusty gunk came out of there. Throttle body and intake boot were cleaned well and the throttle pivots lubed, it still has very little play. The TPS was replaced with a Shoebox unit some time ago and it is going strong. Likewise the fuel injectors were cleaned about 6 months ago so I bolted them back in with new seals.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1040999 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

The power steering and A/C brackets cleaned up like new, along with most everything else - she's looking good! Bought a whole pile of shiny new fasteners to put it all together. In the mail this week came the Vanistan oil cooler, a box of miscellaneous goodies from Van Cafe, new stainless coolant pipes and radiator from Bus Depot, and I cashed out my store credit from the engine purchase at GoWesty on a new gear reduction starter and new engine mounts.

Lots of scrubbing and scraping on the crusty old transmission got it fairly clean and I'll pull it apart over the next couple of evenings to replace the back to back seals, and give it a coat of paint. I also have a set of axle seals I should probably put in. I noticed that the transmission mount was looking sketchy when I pulled out the drivetrain, so I ordered a new cheap one from Van Cafe, it looks just fine, hopefully it will hold up as well as the original.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

P1050002 by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

Easy project so far, but I had one setback today, the pulley key for the alternator disappeared, hopefully the FLAPS will have one for me. Tomorrow I will drop off the engine tin and a couple of steel parts to be blasted and powdercoated.
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1991 Westfalia 2WD
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luVWagn
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Joined: February 21, 2008
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Location: Snoqualmie (WA)
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beautiful stuff, yet another classy (but different) build thread! Applause
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'91 Syncro 16 Reimo Hightop Conversion, eTDI
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jetpoweredmonkey
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Joined: September 20, 2004
Posts: 194
Location: Sacramento, CA
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, I agree she's a classy Westy!

Ordered my needed Gemi clamps and some Oetiker fuel hose clamps here:

https://www.belmetric.com/

I also ordered a one-time use Oetiker clamp for the oil dipstick. If you haven't used them, the Gemi (or Norma) clamps are German OEM and much nicer than the clamps you can buy at your FLAPS. They are stainless with rolled edges, and the slots to engage the screw are stamped instead of punched out, so they won't cut into the hose. Very nice to use especially in places on the waterboxer (like the oil cooler hoses) that are unpleasant to work in when your cheap clamp cuts the hose and wrecks your trip.

The Oetiker clamps require a pincer tool, but can not loosen up and must be destroyed to remove, good peace of mind for your fuel hoses and they are neat and tidy with no exposed screw end to tear up your hands when working in the engine bay.

Also, I am super fussy and just kind of wanted some German clamps on there. Very Happy
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1991 Westfalia 2WD
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jetpoweredmonkey
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not much shop time tonight, but I did manage to get the transmission halves apart. I don't remember ever reading about the procedure here, but there's not much to it. Here's the inner end of the final drive.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

photo (1) by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

The outer seal is installed with the spring gaiter facing toward the automatic section. I couldn't get my seal puller to grab it, so I used a self-tapping screw. Using my Wiha screwdriver, I banged it into the seal to start it then screwed it home, and extracted the seal with a slide hammer. Like me some slide hammer. You have to be careful to start the screw perpendicular to the seal so it doesn't cut into the sealing area of the shaft or housing. I also like me some Wiha screwdriver, they have shanks that go all the way through the handle and end in a metal cap so you can hammer on them when needed and not break the handle. Nice.

The inner seal is installed with the gaiter facing the final drive and it pried right out with my seal puller. I did not have any suitably sized seal drivers so I will go to the hardware store tomorrow and see if I can find a length of pipe to install the new seals. I cleaned up the mating parts of both sections and installed a new huge o-ring on the final drive. Be careful cleaning here, you don't want any grit to fall into the works and mess up your automatic section. With this in mind, I will replace seals and put things back together before adding a coat of paint.

Here is the inner end of the automatic section.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

photo by jetpoweredmonkey, on Flickr

Not much to see here. It will get a new paper gasket. I think you could do this job with the final drive installed, but I wouldn't. I'd be concerned about cleanliness, with underbody grit potentially falling into the transmission. I cleaned the exterior REALLY well before starting and there was still some junk lurking just outside the big o-ring. The job needs a bit of care in order to preserve a good working gearbox.
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mariusstrom
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Final Drive <-> AT seal is notoriously prone to leaking. I've heard a lot of people double-up the seal and install two of them back-to-back on the Final Drive side to prevent that.

Something for you to consider.
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Marius Strom Otto: 1988 Vanagon Syncro Westy Camper
[SOLD] Felix: 1967 Deluxe Beetle
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jetpoweredmonkey
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Marius there are already two seals between the final drive and AT, do you mean the torque converter seal? It looks like there might be room for two in there although the original was still leak-free at 150K!!
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