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archicarp
Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2008
Posts: 53
Location: Seattle
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 Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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Does upsizing to 15" wheels counter the issue with ground clearance? I understand the larger wheels are desirable for handling.
I'm looking at full camping setups and 2WD.
Cheers |
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madspaniard
Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2008
Posts: 3795
Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| archicarp wrote: |
Does upsizing to 15" wheels counter the issue with ground clearance? I understand the larger wheels are desirable for handling.
I'm looking at full camping setups and 2WD.
Cheers |
there is no "issue" with ground clearance. The vanagons have great ground clearance (look at the low clearance of Eurovans and any modern car). One inch difference between years is not something you will notice. |
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morymob
Samba Member
Joined: November 09, 2007
Posts: 4683
Location: east-tn
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| Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:34 am Post subject: |
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| My recent 88-Westy buy has no air either,but i have picked up 1 and getting another "rear" ac unit out of 90s Mazda MPV .I owned a 93 4 7yrs and this i s a independent ,gutsy ,compat unit and fits under left rear side panel/3 speed fan and remote in/off control. Looks like the front "glove box" will go as there is where i plan to install front unit but still covered by box lid,havent had time to fully check out where rear is going. Keeping it simple without all the crap vw had strung out allover . |
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archicarp
Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2008
Posts: 53
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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Most current in RED
| madspaniard wrote: |
| archicarp wrote: |
| Thanks for the advice and the breakdowns. Best condition within my budget seems to be the consensus with the specific year being personal preference. The no body rust, cabinet differences, and bumper comments are especially helpful. |
Agree, especially the part about rust, avoid it like the plague, two spots are common, left panel behind the stove/sink unit and right panel behind rear hatch window washer bottle (right back panel). Look for rust in outside seams and where panel meets the undercarriage
| archicarp wrote: |
| I have heard that the engines will almost always need replacement or significant rebuilds with heads needing help almost without exception. Should I expect to have to do this if it hasn't been done already?. |
Yes, these are high mile engines. Ask for shop records and receipts, see when and who did work, if any, on the engine/heads. If done properly you might not need to do anything.
| archicarp wrote: |
| Since I'm a newbie - does the a/c unit take up all the space of that cabinet in the rear ceiling? |
Yes, and some room in the engine bay. |
Surface rust from dings seems like it would be easier to take care of (since it is happening from outside) than rust at the panel seams. How easy is it to deal with rust at the seams? This appears to be a common problem. Also on rust... I have seen a few that have rust at the air vent grate at the bottom of the frig. Is this common and what does it mean? Is there a leak somewhere? Is it something that needs to be fixed? |
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PDXWesty
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6344
Location: Portland OR
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| Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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| What part of the country are you in? That has a lot to do with rust issues. |
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madspaniard
Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2008
Posts: 3795
Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| archicarp wrote: |
Most current in RED
Surface rust from dings seems like it would be easier to take care of (since it is happening from outside) than rust at the panel seams. How easy is it to deal with rust at the seams? This appears to be a common problem. Also on rust... I have seen a few that have rust at the air vent grate at the bottom of the frig. Is this common and what does it mean? Is there a leak somewhere? Is it something that needs to be fixed? |
I have no experience fixing rust in seams but all I hear is that, depending on the extent of the rust, it can be expensive (shop) or time-consuming (DIY) and in some cases rust comes back.
About the "rust" on the air vent grate at the bottom of the fridge (inside the van, right?), more than rust is just paint chipping away. Almost every single original Westy I've seen has that vent paint chipping away. Not rust related. No leaks, just old paint, it is a cosmetic thing so no need to fix unless you feel like it, powder coat and paint using Ford engine gray color.
check out these links
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=181392
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=160752 |
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archicarp
Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2008
Posts: 53
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| PDXWesty wrote: |
| What part of the country are you in? That has a lot to do with rust issues. |
I'm in the Northwest. They don't use salt on roads here, so I am not overly worried about rust like I would be if I was still in New England. But, one of the responses to my original question was to look for one with no or very little rust because it spreads and is hard to control. |
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