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danfromsyr
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15141
Location: Syracuse, NY
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 Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:30 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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except Diesel chassis vans which had the battery in the engine compartment and no hinged or screwed battery boxes.
I've just removed the metal lid and used the carpet flap as the protective cover over the battery. sometimes a small thin rubber 'floormat' over the battery.
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32561
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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AZ Landshaper
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2009
Posts: 1698
Location: The Old Pueblo
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:16 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Is there no rhyme or reason? Dobryan sounds like his is the exact opposite of mine. My passenger screws down and the drivers side has a hinge.
BTW I was referrring to the battery cover not being held by screws. Not the actual bat (sorry). I forgot about the hinge possibility and then for a min thought maybe it was just newer vs older models.
Doesnt sound like it.
Ive got an 81 w hinge on drivers side and screws on pass side and an 84 w screws on both sides. Oh the madness!! I have a screw loose and feel Im becoming unhinged.
farfegnugen means driving pleasure.
? means wrenching pleasure.
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85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16494
Location: Brookeville, MD
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bobbyblack 
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 4348
Location: United States, Iowa
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:34 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| danfromsyr wrote: |
| except Diesel chassis vans which had the battery in the engine compartment and no hinged or screwed battery boxes. |
Dan,
Do you mean that the Diesel chassis doesn't have the box at all behind each front seat? Also the strange 2" hole that goes forward from those boxes under the seat? I'm baffled. I'd like to see how different the interior looks that way, if so.
Also, is the air intake box under the passenger side snorkel/vent really that important that the gasser engines can't have the batt back there too? Is it just a matter of difficulty installing the batt due to engine bits getting in the way (P/S pump?) ???
As for the rivnut idea/tool, that is one fine piece of work, IMHO. (Thanks Sodo)
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
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crazyvwvanman
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9913
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:38 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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The battery box vent system was butchered in by Westfalia, along with the screwed down lid assembly.
The 2 things go hand in hand, screwed down lid and vent.
Westfalia added the funky battery box abominations for compliance reasons. I prefer to remove them. So there is rhyme and reason but it doesn't really matter anymore.
Mark
| djkeev wrote: |
As an added variation, both of my battery boxes have vent systems and the short "wall" under the seat making two complete sealed boxes.
Dave |
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crazyvwvanman
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9913
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:45 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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The diesels have the same boxes under the front seats. Hinged lid style, even on factory poptop vans since no batteries came installed in them. USA/CA models.
Mark
| bobbyblack wrote: |
Dan,
Do you mean that the Diesel chassis doesn't have the box at all behind each front seat? Also the strange 2" hole that goes forward from those boxes under the seat? I'm baffled. I'd like to see how different the interior looks that way, if so...... |
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Merian
Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2014
Posts: 5212
Location: Orygun
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:07 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| Both my under seat boxes have piano hinged lids. I've never seen screw on lids |
pics??
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12114
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:22 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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This ain't my rig but you can make out the piano hinge and the little silver friction clip that rubs against the body to keep the lid closed.
All four of my Vanagons have had the hinges, as has every Vanagon I've serviced over the years. This is literally the first time I've ever seen a screw on battery compartment lid for these rigs.
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?
Last edited by Zeitgeist 13 on Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:54 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9600
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:53 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| This is literally the first time I've ever seen a screw on battery compartment lid for these rigs. |
Maybe it's Westfalia or the swivel seat?
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32561
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12114
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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My '80 Westfalia had piano hinges
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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ledogboy
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2005
Posts: 578
Location: Scappoose, OR / Oakland, CA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:04 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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My '87 tintop had the hinge, the '86 Weekender came with the screw down lid. I MUCH preferred the hinged version.
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1986 Westy Weekender
Now a full camper
1.8t Syncro conversion
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Merian
Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2014
Posts: 5212
Location: Orygun
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:56 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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'86 Westy with swivels - HAS the crappy screws
- a lip to catch a solid plastic lid with a turning ... ah .. thingie to latch it down would be a great product...
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mikemtnbike
Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2015
Posts: 2793
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Pretty sure crazyvwvanman/ Mark answers the why/ which models question in his combined posts- factory gasser poptops have screw down lids, although not necessarily all of them or on both sides. Tintops have hinges.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and trust Mark to be right again.
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2020 GTI SE manual |
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crazyvwvanman
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9913
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:16 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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3 basic lid variations came on USA/CA vans
1. Hinged, full size (for hardtop vans, mostly)
2. Hinged, small size (for boxes without battery, but with seat swivel)
3. Screw down, full size (for boxes with batteries in vans with propane, except as noted below)
Basically if the van came from the factory with a propane stove, it should have the screw down lid over the battery. 85/86 Wolfy Campers shouldn't have got them but did, both sides, fixed in late 86 and 87 Wolfy Campers which got full size hinged lids both sides. 85/86/87 Wolfy campers have no propane, no swivels, but 2 batteries.
The problem with the screw down lid is the sealing structure that was also added inside the battery box, which makes the battery a super tight fit, unreasonably so. This structure can be removed.
Mark |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9600
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 5:08 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| mikemtnbike wrote: |
| I'm going to go out on a limb here and trust Mark to be right again. |
That's a pretty strong limb.... justsayin 
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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Paulbeard
Samba Member
Joined: July 10, 2015
Posts: 2604
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:40 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| danfromsyr wrote: |
I've just removed the metal lid and used the carpet flap as the protective cover over the battery. sometimes a small thin rubber 'floormat' over the battery. |
My 87 full camper has a hinged box on the left, and screwed (now removed, a la danfromsyr) on the right.
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Currently -> Frida: 87 Tizian Red (mostly) Vanagon GL Westfalia w/ 2.0L ABA conversion
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Jamo7
Samba Member
Joined: September 25, 2014
Posts: 124
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:10 pm Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Wow. I’ve learned so much about the screw on battery lid that I took for granted. My screws still work but I’m pumped to dig into Sodo’s riv nut tool when I’m ready for a riv nut.
My driver’s side lid is hinged and with the group 44 aux battery, the factory lid latch no longer works. I like to swivel both seats every chance I get so I came up a latch system. Are you ready for shade tree?!
I harvested the clip from the hinged lid. A screw, washer, two “zippies” (as my daughters call them) and Bob’s yer uncle...
Enjoy,
James
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'84 Westy 2.1 wbx |
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WLD*WSTY
Samba Member
Joined: November 04, 2009
Posts: 438
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 12:01 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| This is literally the first time I've ever seen a screw on battery compartment lid for these rigs. |
Same here. '82 Westy diesel, '85 Westy, '86 Westy, '87? sunroof, '90 tintop
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