TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:18 pm

They are there to clear the added width of the molded plactic panels vs. the flat masonite type panels normal vans came with.

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:19 pm

I have AC so I'm just missing the one small piece on the driver side, no biggy I'll find one.

I have one cup holder in mine. I plan to paint mine black with the Krylon Fusion spray paint. It was used on my front grill and works great.

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:21 pm

you need the galvanized piece also it gets rivited to the body to suport the top of the table.

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:22 pm

I thought that's what they might be but wasn't sure, they are 1.75" each right I plan to fab something for those as I don't have the original spacers.

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:27 pm

ajdenette wrote: you need the galvanized piece also it gets rivited to the body to suport the top of the table.

Thats also for hanging the paneling too right?

Last thing and I think I'm all set to get this under way. The rear seat latch pins BIGSTEVEOB- didn't you say you fabed your out of stock pins, got a pic?

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:27 pm

Contact Insyncro for the spacers? The piece you're missing is just flat plastic, could be made from anything. I thought about painting my panels too, but didn't want to constantly deal with chipping/scratches.

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:29 pm

Quote: Thats also for hanging the paneling too right?

Nope, just the top of the table bracket. I don't have pics of the pins. If someone doesn't beat me to it, I can get some in a day or three.

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:31 pm

If you look along the top edge of the panel there is a c chanel it clips into.

(if i werent at my apartment 100 miles from my vans i would get better pictures for you.)

Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:36 pm

ajdenette wrote:
If you look along the top edge of the panel there is a c chanel it clips into.

(if i werent at my apartment 100 miles from my vans i would get better pictures for you.)

Well if you get a chance in the next week or so to get some more pics that would be awesome.

Thanks for all the help guys, I think I got a pretty good idea of what I need and what needs to be done for this conversion. I will post pics as I do things for people in the future. Should be getting started in the next week or so.

Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:52 pm

The rear latch pins were the same on Carat and non-carat models, at least on the conversion I did and the rear latch pins seem to be the same on every Z-bed non westy Vanagon. The pins themselves are the same, however on a Carat they are set about 2" closer to each other(1" per side) and set back toward the rear a little IIRC. This was achieved with a spacer welded onto the frame at the factory which the latch pin screws into. I went to my hardware store and purchased some nuts and bolts, and flat aluminum stock. I cut the stock to appropriate length and bolted it to the two bolt holes you will see where the latch pin is. I spaced it out with nuts behind the bar stock. I then drilled a hole in the stock where the pin needed to be, and held it there with a nut on the back of the stock.

-Rob

PS: I have a pic of it but it's on my phone, I can txt it to you if you PM me your number.

Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:58 am

The location of the upper pin that holds the seat when in the up position is Carat specific.
The rear seat is 2"s narrower than the GL, hence the spacers on each side.
This is due to the side panels protruding into the cabin a bit.

Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:11 am

insyncro wrote: The location of the upper pin that holds the seat when in the up position is Carat specific.

I knew they had spacers on them, but is the location different then the location of GL pins. If so is there any way you could give me a measurement. Thanks

Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:54 am

I am getting ready to xo this conversion too. I was thinking about a vinyl rap instead of painting, but I don't know how much that will cost.

Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:06 am

The Krylon Fusion paint is great on plastics, as that is what it is made for. I'll post before and after pics of mine.

Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:23 am

FYI: http://www.vanagon.com/info/years/index.htm

All Carat edition vans came with AC standard and all power features.
A true Carat is a 90 or 91 model only.
90 and 91 years also had a Carat Wolfsburg edition available and is best know because it was available in Tornado Red.
The 91 Carat Wolfsburg is the closest USDM van to the Last Limited Edition vans and Hanover Edition vans in Europe.

1991 Carat Wolfsburg Edition

This is a picture of the interior that many would call a Carat, the layout is correct but the van is a 87 Wolfsburg with all dealer options ordered.
How do you tell the difference???
The headliner is too light of a shade to be a true late model Carat van.
Trust me, I know all the little differences and have owned each of these specific models over the years.

If your van or interior parts lack AC pieces it is not from a Carat but from the 1987-1989 Wolfsburg edition vans that had the side table and rear facing seats, but all the power features and AC were options and needed to be ordered at the dealer.

The 89 Wolfsburg has the same layout as the carat but a much different fabric and pattern; diagonal stripes.
It also was the only year that had a factory wired subwoofer in the side table plastic.
I am describing hard top vans, there are numerous campers and a late model Multivan as well.
Some have this same interior layout, but with the westy top they also had a rear cabinet section.

Read Jim's descriptions on Vanagon.com for more specifics.

dylan

Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:01 pm

I missed grabbing the spacers as well...

So here's what I did. Very sturdy, worked great. 1.75" thick.

Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:19 pm

Very nice, did you fab those or were they something you found somewhere that worked?

Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:24 pm

I just drew them up and had one of the guys in the shop make them for me. 2.5" round stock. Tapped the whole way, used studs to screw them into the original holes. I also put a rubber piece in there to prevent any future rattles.

Fri Apr 15, 2011 3:19 pm

I am in the process of adding a table to my '86 L. I should have all the parts soon (my wall panel and some hardware are in Sacramento).

anyway, photos are helpful. if there are other threads with photos, please link up. thanks

Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:34 pm

This is how I solved the latch pin problems. There probably are some better ways as I had to trim the plastic panels a bit to fit around these brackets(if they were more tightly fit and the bolts were countersunk this would not have been necessary).

-Rob[/img]