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Wed Aug 06, 2025 9:01 pm

New tires

BFGoodrich All Terain TA KO3
215/70R16

New Tires

Sat Aug 09, 2025 4:32 pm

My van had damage from previous tow’s or extraction’s. The front loop was mangled and there is the classic can opener damage from a previous over zealous tow truck driver. So today’s project make it idiot proof! 3/8 steel shackle mounts. Two for the front, one for the receiver hitch. Plus adds to the overlander poser look :oops: :lol:

Tue Aug 12, 2025 7:13 am

Added a pair of Wing Wonders. These are meant to hold our fussy Vent Windows open at higher speeds, preventing that annoying slamming shut that they are prone to do even after you're gone into the door and tightened the screw for them inside the door.
Meant for the older Air Cooled Models by design, but with two short pieces of 5/16" ID hose added to one end, they fit pretty securely onto the thin vent glass, and the other end hooks into the window channel seal of our Vanagons.
I used Silicone Hose that I had on hand.

135mm model is the size I bought- measurement refers to the center to center of the 'arms' .
Multiple colors available in case Skills is triggered by one of the colors... :wink: :wink:

Tue Aug 12, 2025 2:24 pm

Got 2 Propex heaters and a propane tank for $75 at the last Peace Vans Garage Sale. Both heaters & thermostats work, and because the propane tank is an ASME tank no recertification is required. I did strip the paint and wire wheeled the light surface rust, treated it, then painted it with Truck Bed spray paint. I also replaced the valves and regulator.

The heater install went smoothly. I extended the enclosure under the ECU and drilled some holes in the side board to give it better ventilation, the heater output tube is underneath it, and I don't want to heat it up. I added some insulation around the output tube I had left over from a backpacking quilt project. The slanted cover under the ECU is also insulated with some Aluminum foil backed adhesive foam.

Because the factory tank is only 3.3 Gal I'm keeping my portable 3 Gal tank that fits under the seat and added the quick disconnect to the output of the tank regulator.

I tested the heater early this morning, and everything seems OK. I will need to wait until it cools off to be sure it runs for extended periods of time.

Tue Aug 12, 2025 4:26 pm

“Got 2 Propex heaters and a propane tank for $75 at the last Peace Vans Garage Sale.” WHATTTTT!!!!
What a deal…. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Tue Aug 12, 2025 5:58 pm

Yes, Peace Van's had had 2 "Garage Sales", over the past few months. Lots of great deals. I'm lucky to in Seattle.

Thu Aug 14, 2025 1:59 pm

Sold some more stuff left over from the squashed Westy, clearing more bits out the garage.

Mon Aug 18, 2025 2:26 pm

Installed my Renogy battery monitor in the heater cowl

Tue Aug 19, 2025 10:50 am

6 inches of rain from later Saturday through Monday morning, van left outside due to garage door spring failure. At least now I know I need to start looking at my rear hatch seal, since the entire rear area, with all my pillows, blankets, etc. are completely soaked. Bummed that I didn't know about it until noon today, as I am a much better behaved individual after a 45 minute rest over the lunch hour. Today, instead of resting, I set about getting everything pulled apart so it can dry out a bit, with all my house battery powered fans blowing full blast, and the sun protector on the windshield removed to allow maximum heat into the bus for the afternoon.

:-(
:-(
:-(

Wed Aug 20, 2025 8:23 am

bobbyblack wrote: 6 inches of rain from later Saturday through Monday morning, van left outside due to garage door spring failure. At least now I know I need to start looking at my rear hatch seal, since the entire rear area, with all my pillows, blankets, etc. are completely soaked. Bummed that I didn't know about it until noon today, as I am a much better behaved individual after a 45 minute rest over the lunch hour. Today, instead of resting, I set about getting everything pulled apart so it can dry out a bit, with all my house battery powered fans blowing full blast, and the sun protector on the windshield removed to allow maximum heat into the bus for the afternoon.

:-(
:-(
:-( Don't forget the cheap trick of a 8" or so long piece of paper , 2" wide , as a seal tension check tool against the closed rear hatch.
Sometimes a seal will look visually fine, but have an issue where strong water flow will get past it due to low contact tension against a door or hatch etc.
As you probably already know, drag your paper out from the hatch, feeling for a nice resistance to it being pulled out. Move all around suspect areas as needed. You only need one 1" wide spot of poor sealing to make a mess of an interior with water.... :cry: :cry: :cry:

Wed Aug 20, 2025 2:36 pm

jlrftype7 wrote: ( Don't forget the cheap trick of a 8" or so long piece of paper , 2" wide , as a seal tension check tool against the closed rear hatch.
Sometimes a seal will look visually fine, but have an issue where strong water flow will get past it due to low contact tension against a door or hatch etc.
As you probably already know, drag your paper out from the hatch, feeling for a nice resistance to it being pulled out. Move all around suspect areas as needed. You only need one 1" wide spot of poor sealing to make a mess of an interior with water.... :cry: :cry: :cry:[/quote]

I'd meant to figure that method out for a while... I used the 'trick' of inserting thin plastic tubing, like oxygen tube into all the other door rubbers a while ago, hadn't gotten to the rear on that go-round, and now I've paid. But at least I got all my bedding and sundries washed and back into a dry bus (no rain last PM)

My overhead door problem turns out to be one where a pulley came loose from the spring, and took flight. I checked the possible flight paths in my garage, but no success... So, now I get to figure out if any local hardware store will have a similar part :-(

I figured finding the lost pulley would be stupid simple, but it has hidden itself somehow in my accumulated Vanagon parts boxes and piles. I might even have looked right at it, but not seen the tree for the forest.

-bobby

Wed Aug 20, 2025 3:00 pm

bobbyblack wrote: jlrftype7 wrote: ( Don't forget the cheap trick of a 8" or so long piece of paper , 2" wide , as a seal tension check tool against the closed rear hatch.
Sometimes a seal will look visually fine, but have an issue where strong water flow will get past it due to low contact tension against a door or hatch etc.
As you probably already know, drag your paper out from the hatch, feeling for a nice resistance to it being pulled out. Move all around suspect areas as needed. You only need one 1" wide spot of poor sealing to make a mess of an interior with water.... :cry: :cry: :cry:

I'd meant to figure that method out for a while... I used the 'trick' of inserting thin plastic tubing, like oxygen tube into all the other door rubbers a while ago, hadn't gotten to the rear on that go-round, and now I've paid. But at least I got all my bedding and sundries washed and back into a dry bus (no rain last PM)

My overhead door problem turns out to be one where a pulley came loose from the spring, and took flight. I checked the possible flight paths in my garage, but no success... So, now I get to figure out if any local hardware store will have a similar part :-(

I figured finding the lost pulley would be stupid simple, but it has hidden itself somehow in my accumulated Vanagon parts boxes and piles. I might even have looked right at it, but not seen the tree for the forest.

-bobby[/quote]
For paper, copy/printer paper will work just fine, and you can make a longer piece than using paper money, which people will often do.

Ah yes, the wonders of garage doors tossing their parts as things age.
We lost a spring a few years ago, it shattered the glass window at the rear of the garage right after we'd walked past the window and closed the entrance door behind us. We literally missed being in its path.... :shock: :shock:

After that, the Garage Door Company who replaced the spring added safety wires to the insides of the springs, which in turn are attached to the front walls of the garage to act as guide stops in preventing springs flying through the air if they break.

I replaced all 4 pulleys last Fall on our door, plus the lifting cable, myself.
I had to order two of them from Amazon, Home Depot had the other two . Two different sizes, big in the front at the door/wall, and much smaller at the springs.
Now we're running into replacing the rollers, which of course are antiques in the Garage world, so their stem diameter is the older, NLA 3/8" version that many home garages once had, versus the current 7/16" that the Industry switched over to in the early 80s.
[ It's been a learning experience about Garage Doors and their hardware... :lol: :lol: ]

So, that means a new set of rollers, and new hinges that can accept the rollers with their larger diameter stems. Not a bad thing, just more time and money.

Thu Aug 21, 2025 1:44 pm

Been running on microsquirt for a good while so I decided to switch over to wasted spark.

Waiting on some VAG coil end connectors so I can mount the coil where the original was. If that doesn't work, I have a plate drawn up that kind of sandwiches between the intake tubes but stands off the case.

Today 12:55 pm

Several weeks ago I had replaced the old analogue clock (broken) with an original tachometer. Now, with a wildly flickering speedo, probably due to an imminent cable failure, I decided to fit the GoWesty PCB replacement kit and GPS speedo. All very straightforward and working well during a 40 mile test drive with zero drop outs.
The addition of a Carpuride W904 9” touch screen gives Apple CarPlay, dash and reversing cams, and hands free operation of the phone.