What did YOU do to your van today?

[Icebox500]

LOL - my wife is an LSU grad and LSU law professor and our son was just accepted into the LSU music program.

Approval all around!

[shadetreemech]

When I bought my '88 Westy in August of '18, it had a CarQuest Group 41-2 battery in it; 650 Cold Cranking Amps, 813 Cranking Amps, Reserve of 110. That was goin' on 6 years ago. Coupla days ago, I left the slider open, with the cab interior lights on, all day. Grabbed my little NOCO boost starter (one of the best things I've ever bought for the Van) and no amount of assist was gonna get it started.

Turns out CarQuest was an Advance Auto Parts brand. Advance made the brilliant decision to buy Pep Boys parts division a year or so ago and then went out of business.

I buy motor oil and such from Autozone 'cause they're close by and there's an old guy there I get along with. They had a comparable battery for $208. After ordering and paying and getting a confirmation online, I went to the store they told me. It wasn't there, it was at the one nearest my house. Just an impromptu test of patience.

Once I had the battery installed (had to take the seat out) I turned the key. I had forgotten how the Van used to start with the previous engine. Click, boom.

Back in the saddle, again.

Dan
_________________
'84 GL 1.9
'01 Volvo V70 T5
'88 Westy - "MZDRTHY"

[4Gears4Tires]

[pbrown]

Today's work included installing a new ignition switch, fixing our tach (finally), and installing the RMW ladder.

The GoWesty foil replacement kit is nice but that tach fitting is a PITA.

We're getting ready for a big Utah road trip in the fall.
_________________
Patrick Brown

1986 Westy Syncro EJ25
Flickr --> https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQNUXEF

[buelteman]

Ever on the lookout for customizing my 1990 Westy, I increased the interior airflow dramatically by backing into the Mansfield bar corner on a parked semi.

_________________
'91 Westfalia Camper - VW BNB
1.8 Turbo courtesy Stephan's
Custom Geared 5-speed tranny with
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
H&R Progressive Rate Springs
300 Watt 13 speaker stereo
Audi Disc Brakes
LED driving and interior lights

[vanis13]

[dhaavers]

- Dave
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[RicMcK]

See my post here
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=10402449#10402449

Painting project.
_________________
Rick McK
Seattle
89 Westfalia-2.2L WBX
2006 TDI Jetta
1936 Ford Pick up
70 tin top, 700k mi when sold in 91
58 split window bug - long gone.

[82westyrabbit]

If you did that much work on the van you should have no problem putting it back together again. John

[campism]

Those self-inflicted wounds are the worst. I did a small one long ago and felt terrible about it for years until a falling hickory tree proved what a slacker at van damage I really am.

_________________
'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic, tragically crushed by a falling hickory tree in my own driveway and now gone, leaving me Vanagonless and with no plans to replace it, alas.

[jlrftype7]

Removed my Wiper Arns for some Soda Blasting and repainting. It’s been a few years since I painted them. Highway driving and knicks or knocks on the painted arms takes its toll.
Primed, then painted several coats of Satin Black once each coat was ready.
Topped it off with new wiper blades from Van Cafe and new 6mm mounting nuts for the spindles.
_________________
'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto

[Jake de Villiers]

I finally made the swap to the BMW booster I picked up years ago.

A series of delays (a move to Tsawwassen after 26 years in our house in Crescent Beach, a heart attack and bypass surgery followed by remedial surgery to close the hole they left in my chest...) meant I have had the parts kicking around for ages.

So, steering wheel out, dash out, master out, pedals out (!!!) New clutch and brake masters in on top of the 10" ATE booster and much, much bleeding.

The result? The pedal was atrocious, the diametric opposite of "confidence inspiring". Alika's description of stepping in a pile of dog poo is right on. It was mushy as hell and the travel was really excessive - like getting too close to the floor excessive.

I adjusted the pin very carefully and we have bled the brakes to the bone. When you bleed off the vacuum, the pedal is quite firm with only about an inch of travel.

So last weekend I went back in and replaced the bigger booster with the OEM part. The pedal feel is very good now, high and firm, though stopping power is still less than breathtaking.

I'm not sold on the Akebono pads and Van Cafe shoes on the van currently. It stopped a lot better with the Porterfield shoes and EBC YellowStuff pads.

I'm looking at a set of EBC Reds to get better initial bite.
_________________
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7.5 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[Jake de Villiers]

Two weeks ago I finally made the swap to the BMW booster I picked up years ago.

A series of delays (a move to Tsawwassen after 26 years in our house in Crescent Beach, a heart attack and bypass surgery followed by remedial surgery to close the hole they left in my chest...) meant I have had the parts kicking around for ages.

So, steering wheel out, dash out, master out, pedals out (Ha!). New clutch and brake masters in on top of the 10" ATE booster and much, much bleeding.
The result? The pedal was atrocious, the diametric opposite of "confidence inspiring". Alika's description of stepping in a pile of dog poo is right on. It was mushy as hell and the travel was really excessive - like getting too close to the floor excessive.
I adjusted the pin very carefully and we have bled the brakes to the bone. When you bleed off the vacuum, the pedal is quite firm with only about an inch of travel.

So last weekend I went back in and replaced the bigger booster with the OEM part. The pedal feel is very good now, high and firm, though stopping power is still less than breathtaking.

I'm not sold on the Akebono pads and Van Cafe shoes on the van currently. It stopped a lot better with the Porterfield shoes and EBC YellowStuff pads.
I'm looking at a set of EBC Reds to get better initial bite.
_________________
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7.5 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[jlrftype7]

Finally serviced the CV Joints to get rid of the weird Redline CV Grease that Id packed them with a few years ago.
4 new T3 CV boots, and 4 tubes of Sta-Bil CV grease later, it’s done.
All work done on my lift at work, so no heroics on my part needed.
Only one CV shows normal grease flow with the old grease, the other 3 mimicked what others had posted about using the Redline grease.
Just caked up and grey in color after being in service .
No abnormal wear seen on any of the CVs, so SOME lubrication must have been taking place thankfully.
_________________
'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto

[campism]

Since its departure in March I've been working around the pile of stuff I salvaged from it that I was reluctant to leave in the junked carcass. We have a neighbor named Toby who owns an '86 Weekender and I ran into him at Kroger and offered him any of it that he might be able to use. He came over last evening and got a box of goodies I had accumulated over the years, the kind of crap you gather "just in case;" coolant bottles, lenses for taillights and parking lights, replacement ignition switch, A/C expansion valve, belts, filters, the slider screen my wife had made years ago, triple-square CV bolts and grease, etc. Useful stuff if you need it.

He's doing some electrical rehab of his van and hopes to be traveling in it again soon. I told him he can send me a check for whatever he thinks it's worth but I was just glad it might be used.

I did ask for first right of refusal if/when he sells his van but don't expect him to part with it in my lifetime and probably would not take him up on it.
_________________
'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic, tragically crushed by a falling hickory tree in my own driveway and now gone, leaving me Vanagonless and with no plans to replace it, alas.

[shadetreemech]

Cindy and I are planning a Road Trip to Oregon in August. I've been going through the Van; spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, filters, etc. I came across a couple of small drops of coolant right on the seam of the coolant pressure tank. Probably ought to address that.

Searched the Forum for Aluminum Coolant Tanks, settled on VanCafe's version.

Easy install; Plug & Play on the existing bracket, connectors are provided for the (also included) Coolant Level Sensor lead and the ground wire. I bought an extra Level Sensor and Cap (it came with one) because, well, you know.

Waiting for the stars to align to install the Power Steering Rack & Pinion.

Dan
_________________
'84 GL 1.9
'01 Volvo V70 T5
'88 Westy - "MZDRTHY"

[vanis13]

Replaced sink pump. Put in a bilge pump 15? years ago because I found one in clearance for $5?... And picked up a spare at the same time for $5... Even back then the VW ones were like $50.... Had to wire the first one backwards and put in a restrictor to reduce flow. This one has low enough flow wired correctly. Both are 500gph.... Here's for another decade and a half or more for this next one!

_________________
83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace

www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make