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1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus
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VicVan
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 9:37 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Glad to now the end is not the end. Enjoy!
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VdubVanner
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2020 8:29 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

VicVan wrote:
Glad to know the end is not the end. Enjoy!


Gotta keep you happy, Vic!

I have several episodes to add but will start with the obvious: that cool license plate, VWWESTY, that I snagged. How did I do it? Getting a personalized plate like that is like winning the Lotto. It's on a first come, first served basis and that's been going on since 1985. Now, it's quite a feat to get that plate but really a whole lotta (Lotto) luck is involved.

According to the gov't of Alberta...
A personalized licence plate can only be transferred:
* To an immediate family member, such as mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, spouse, common-law spouse and in-laws
*Between a company and the company owner, when the person is the only owner of the company
Once a personalized licence plate is issued, you don’t pay any additional fees to retain the special plate. You only pay the standard vehicle registration renewal fee.


I can almost guarantee that within minutes of the plate program opening in 1985 someone would have grabbed rights to "VWWESTY". Apparently, that Johnny-on-the-spot must have sold their Westy recently and the name came up on the free market again because it can't be transferred to the new owner. Maybe some of Lucky's luck rubbed off on me when I saw that well-travelled van last month? (Lucky87 is the plate owned by Gregor and Janice of Live.Travel.Play.)

After quickly showing the plate off at Tony's Auto, I immediately took Fritz home and set about making that plate a wee bit more difficult to take off and keep as a souvenir by a passing aficionado or a deadbeat. First, a clean-up effort after 26 years ownership without ever taking the original plate off:

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Good as new:

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By now everyone should know how much I love silicone sealant and I was thoroughly tempted to slather more of that around but decided to go whole hog with some epoxy:

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The bolt heads might look innocent and normal from that side but flip 'er down and...

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They ain't going anywhere without being drilled through.

The only other weak point was where the license plate holder attached to the body:

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Done and done!

Gosh, what if I croak and someone has to get that plate free again? I guess that's their problem. Razz ***

I've never touched my previous plate in all the time I had it on there so I can't see a reason to touch this one. BTW I still have my old plate and can re-use it if I register another vehicle. The old one weighs at least twice what the one pictured does since it's steel and the other is aluminum. In fact, I was supposed to receive TWO of those new plates and thought I got gypped until the young lady at the registry office politely pointed out that the two of them were stacked and stuck together. I couldn't believe it because even stuck together, they weighed less than the old one in my other hand.

That's the story of how I came to get that rare plate and how I plan to keep it in place. The old plate was the only thing on the rear end that looked tired and beaten and that's now been rectified.



***Now if it was me, I'd get the "Greek Windex" out again -- ie silicone sealant -- and just slap/glue a new plate on over top of VWWESTY. Nothing saying that you can't do that. Those new plates are so dang skinny that it wouldn't be a problem. Reckon the silicone would hold for 20 years. That's all that's been holding my plexiglass skylight replacement on and it's been hanging tight for years and years with more wind pressure on it than a plate would ever encounter. That way someone could deftly get around the rules about retaining the old plate, too. Not that I would ever encourage such a thing. wink, wink Fritz may decide that he doesn't want to part with it either and start peeing all over the place -- and that would not be a pretty sight. If a fella or gal didn't put too much silicone on, why I could imagine a scenario where they could pull the new plate off and showboat the old plate for special occasions when parked somewhere out of the way. Not that I would ever encourage such a thing. wink, wink Then reinstall their dreary, Plain-Jane plate back on with some more Greek Windex. The second VWWESTY plate? Something tells me that the new owners would likely end up with that for back-up, too. That way they could really glue the new Plain-Jane plate on over the old one and "lightly" silicone or affix the showboat VWWESTY spare on for those special occasions. A couple of adhesive velcro dots might even do the trick. Again, I certainly wouldn't condone or encourage such rash underhanded behaviour. wink, wink Something tells me that one way or another those Lotto plates are sticking with that van into the unforeseeable future. And that's how Fritz and I would like it.
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"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0


Last edited by VdubVanner on Fri Jun 05, 2020 9:53 pm; edited 1 time in total
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VdubVanner
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 7:58 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Speaking of the skylight replacement -- a plexiglass cover likely introduced after hail trashed the original installment -- here it is in its usual dusty configuration:

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All held on by a sturdy application of silicone sealant, added to when needed. That thick plexiglass looks like it could take a pounding in a raging hailstorm but I've never put it to the test:

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Can't say I miss a skylight since I've never had one in there but we did have a full factory crank-back skylight in our '73 passenger van and that was handy for calling moose and the like.

If you recall, I had a bit of an issue with the way Dion and bodywork crew installed the front Terrawagen fender flares.

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By rights, they should be installed on the bottom of the door so they keep mud and grit from getting on the entryway as folks enter and exit the vehicle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kZOGxJhhWU . That's the way Terrawagen instructs folks to put them on and it also stops the creation of rust issues with the wheel wells later on since you're not drilling holes there. I will confess, however, that I kind of like them this way since you can jump up on them to get to the luggage rack (or to photograph black plexiglass skylight wannabes). I also noticed that ol' Jed at Campervan Culture has his van set up with them in this fashion (see 0:52 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOtsS09k7Pw .

The interior as it currently sits:

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I ordered the stovepipe insulation from Lowes for the back of the fridge online and it was taking so long to ship that I tried to cancel the order. Miracle of miracles it shipped that day -- or so they'd like you to believe. All they did was create a shipping label with UPS to stop the cancellation. Shifty buggers! I've got the labelled parts bags waiting to go and am going to keep them all contained in a master ziploc afterwards so I don't have to go through the labelling process again:

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One of my prized possessions is the Make Love Not War graphic on the kitchen cabinet door:

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When I said I didn't like sheep I wasn't kidding. I like goats instead! They are far more personable than sheep. And that wonderful piece of artwork was done in gratitude by a couple of women goat-herders who I'd helped a couple of summers ago. They called my beater van, then nameless, the "Hippy Van" and decided to while away some hours in a lonely stretch of B.C. First Nations Reserve or ranch tending their 140-head herd by day and hand-coloring that hippy motif by night in their trailer. More on them here: https://www.vahana.ca/about-us.html (I make a guest appearance in the video).

My pals (now if only they could make a rustproofing spray that smelled like goats):

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Groovy! I got that high art laminated and stuck it on with a few velcro dots.

On the other side of that door is the nylon keep-it-from-closing-on-you thingie:

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I'd never really given it any thought at all until I took it off and saw how it was twisted upside down to get the tension on it. Really a neat little item that stops you from getting a banged head or arm. German engineering at work again. Do you take for granted all these small innovations in the van?

Since I had a small piece of Frost King foil insulation left over after doing the wall behind the fridge, I went looking for a place to use it. No sense throwing it away. Aha! I had just the place to roll it on:

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While working it on, I noticed a few patches of bare metal along the seat edge and immediately spread some grey silicone over it not thinking much of it.

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Yes, it looks sloppy but when the seat goes down you don't see it. In other words, it's invisible 98% of the time. That's good enough for me. Looking at it a day later, after the seat had been put back down, I noticed black rub marks and gazed upwards to see that the compressed seat fabric was rubbing on it. Gosh, what's a guy to do? Yup, get out the "Greek Windex" again:

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A little dab'll do ya! In that pic you can see the old cushioning foam strip where it's dirty on one corner and fresh the rest of its length. That fresh piece was due to me peeling off the protective paper that was still on it after 30+ years! That's pretty much how it would have looked off the showroom floor. Note that those foam cushion strips never took the load of the seat on from the get-go, it was the seat fabric that did. Of course, I then added another dab at the other end of the bench seat and in between near the latch:

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Much better! When people/dog sit on that seat they will no longer be bouncing around and scraping metal. It's the little touches like this that all add up to a quieter ride.

Silicone sealant comes to the rescue again!

Looking at that Frost King insulation/soundproofing got me thinking: why not do the whole dang thing while I was at it? It was cheap and would come in from Amazon ASAP. Shazaam! That's what I did. Partially to deaden sound from the engine but mostly to stop the clanging under the seat from pots, pans, tire irons etc stored under there. A cheap fix:

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Crikey! I had some leftovers again. What would I do with them? Well let's see...how 'bout the back end?

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I didn't do the engine hatch lid for a couple of reasons, the main one being that it already weighed enough on its own after adding a can or more of plastidip last fall to hold the foam together underneath. It also held the weight of the 2-metre Blazecut coil. That was enough weight for an old guy to swing around. The second reason was that we generally camp in cool climates and its nice to have a heat "radiator" warming your sleeping quarters up after a long tiring drive on wicked roads.

But, dang it if I didn't have Frost King leftovers staring me in the face again. Well, the next easiest place to apply some was the sliding door. But first I wanted to get the proper panel pop-off tools so I wouldn't crack any more ancient fiberboard:

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Cheap and they worked real slick! Source: https://www.amazon.ca/Marrywindix-Dashboard-Disman...PP4FENCVJQ .

Opening it up, I noticed I was short a batt -- and a bit -- of fiberglass.

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I'd never bothered to pop this panel before so I don't know what happened to the OEM insulation. I added the Frost King and rolled it on and then had a brilliant idea. I'd go across the street and ask a renovating crew if they had any pink stuff kicking around.

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Sure enough they did -- it was tucked away at the very front of the trailer above (great crew BTW and very neat on a jobsite). The fellow apologized that it was "only a small chunk" since they'd cleaned up the rest. Perfect for my use!

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It was so thick I ripped it in half and in it went:

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Would you believe that there was still some of that Frost King roll left over after doing the bench seat, the back end and the sliding door?!

Another place to install it came to mind after mulling it over for awhile -- but that's a story for a future episode.

I will say that even my persnickety daughter admitted that the van was running quieter on the road after all that effort. I concurred as did my wife. Every little bit counts.

Stay tuned...
_________________
"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0


Last edited by VdubVanner on Mon Jun 08, 2020 6:48 am; edited 7 times in total
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gbrandt
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:20 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Looking good! Just be careful, that Frost King will rub off on the mattress in the rear, a black smudge will appear on your mattress. Maybe cover it with something first.

Gregor
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'Lucky' our 1987 Red Westy, ASV 1.9 TDI ~130HP, Peloquin differential (had a GW 2.3 that we loved, but it died, we drove it hard!)
We've driven in 49 countries and 5 continents to date
Canada to Argentina and back, 2015 to 2017.
Canada to Europe and back (including Turkey, Morocco and Iceland), 2017 to 2019
Mexico 2022-2023
https://www.instagram.com/live.travel.play/
http://livetravelplay.ca
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:11 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

it's too late now but this (plus a washer) may have really tied the van together...

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...better than this...

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...although it's nice to see the alignment of the slot. Very Happy


I love this thread. Thanks.
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Abscate wrote:
Do not get killed, do not kill others.


Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.

Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro).
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VdubVanner
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 5:50 am    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

gbrandt wrote:
Looking good! Just be careful, that Frost King will rub off on the mattress in the rear, a black smudge will appear on your mattress. Maybe cover it with something first.

Gregor


Yeah, I've had it rub black before -- or silver bits from that bubble wrap -- so I was planning on taping 6mil plastic or something similar over it. I hadn't got that far yet since I was pulled away to sand and stain my front porch before the next rainfall swept in (it came in regardless and I was out at 4am mopping off rainwater and applying a tarp over the porch hours later!) Good advice, though, and I should have mentioned that. Something else I forgot to mention was that the Frost King edging can be sharp so be sure to wear gloves -- or have bandages at hand. Very Happy

I also used some Extreme Weather Nashua tape in places where the normal variety decided it didn't want to hold down properly: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/weather-foil-duct-tape-0676013p.html or https://www.homedepot.ca/product/nashua-tape-1-89-...1000819543 . Even that needed extra smoothing out sometimes.
_________________
"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0


Last edited by VdubVanner on Mon Jun 08, 2020 6:59 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 6:01 am    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

jimf909 wrote:
it's too late now but this (plus a washer) may have really tied the van together...

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...better than this...

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...although it's nice to see the alignment of the slot. Very Happy


I love this thread. Thanks.


Hey, would that shiny new bolt and a washer be OEM? Nope! I know it ain't half as pretty -- actually kind of butt ugly -- but them there old bolts have been with me like that for a quarter century plus and have earned their place on the van. But I did manage to remember to align both of their slots horizontally BEFORE slathering that epoxy on.

Something else to consider: that flashy VWWESTY license plate message is soooo attention-grabbing that I could have put rusted old bolts on there and most people wouldn't notice them. Laughing

And in a strange kind of way, those old dirty-looking bolts actually do match the rough bedliner look at the back-end and along the sides of the van. You have to step back to get the whole color coordination going on there -- not that I deliberately planned that, though. It just happened.

Blatant Advertisement:

Coming to a drive-in theater near you soon https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/covid-drive-in-cinemas-1.5575721 :

Chilled To The Bone: The Spine-Tingling Tale of the Insulated Updated Dometic Fridge and Its Cooler Sidekick, The Thick-skinned Engel
.

Watch for that R-rated flick right here....
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"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
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VdubVanner
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 10:33 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

gbrandt wrote:
Looking good! Just be careful, that Frost King will rub off on the mattress in the rear, a black smudge will appear on your mattress. Maybe cover it with something first.

Gregor


Well, since we seem to be getting waves of rain in and I can't get my back deck dry enough to stain -- I did manage to finish the front porch and it's beading the rain off nicely -- I turned my attention back to the black-rubbing aluminum finish under that mattress:

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I had some heavy-duty, clear contractor garbage bags laying around and snipped one up to cover the offending Frost King insulation and foil tape.

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Even though the underside of the mattress cover is pretty beat up in spots already, that should help keep the black from the aluminum away:

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Of course, while I was playing around at the back end I noticed that the engine hatch was a wee bit off kilter on one corner so I went and ordered a new seal:

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According to Van Cafe https://www.vancafe.com/251813133B-p/251813133b.htm :

This seal fits in the channel on the body around the engine compartment that the engine lid seals against. It keeps road dirt and engine and exhaust vapors out of the interior of the vehicle.
FITMENT NOTE: THIS BATCH OF SEALS FITS INCREDIBLY TIGHT... BUT TRUST US THEY FIT AND DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO DO (KEEP THE OUTSIDE FROM GETTING TO THE INSIDE). ALL OLD DEBRIS AND GLUE MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE TRACK, INSERT WITH NEW ADHESIVE, PRESS AND FIRMLY TUCK THE SEAL INTO THE TRACK, LINE UP THE TWO FORWARD GROOVES AND FIRMLY PRESS THE LID DOWN AT EACH LATCH POINT AND TURN EACH LOCK ONE AT A TIME WITH A LARGE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE DECK LID.


Sounds like I might need to rent an elephant to sit on the engine lid for a day or two to break it in. I sure hope not. I'll keep the old seal at hand and if necessary, put it back in and apply some "Greek Windex" -- in black and covered with Saran Wrap after curing for a bit -- to try to level things out if the new one doesn't settle down.

At any rate, there's no sense having a slight gap in that seal if I'm trying to keep the noise in the interior down. Not to mention the "vapors"!

You might notice a yellow adhesive when pulling the old seal off. A few good replacements: https://www.amazon.ca/3M-Weatherstrip-Adhesive-5-O...C8PDWEV0HC or https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/PRX81731 or https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/permatex-weatherstrip-adhesive-yellow-80br-59-ml-0383746p.html (if you're set on getting yellow again).

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While I was at it, I added a few more dollops of clear silicone sealant along the back seat contact line (visible as a faint dark line and marked with red arrows) to balance the seating weight load out a bit:

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That should do the trick! By morning I reckon I can put the seat back down and test 'er out.
_________________
"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 8:26 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

"Hey, the van would look even better if you painted those silver rims black to match the rest of the black trim."

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That comment by eagle-eyed "Old Bert" on the left, above, almost made my skin crawl. C'mon, gimme me a break. How did you spot that the rims in the back were silver and the ones in the front were black -- on the shady side of the vehicle no less?


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Can you spot the front to back difference here in a sunny vantage point at a quick glance? Did it pop out at you?

Maybe you could see the difference if you were almost on top of them but even then the old hubcaps cover 95% of those rims.

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Trust old experienced Bert to find a weak point and leap on it. As I mentioned previously, Fritz was all ears and I knew I was cornered. So what's a guy to do? Easy: Paint the silver rims in back to match the black front ones. Casting about in my teeny weeny garage, I spotted a can of Krylon Dual Black and put it to work:

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I'd quickly cleaned the rims and finished off with a rubbing alcohol wipe down. This was going to be a wabi-sabi operation: beauty with imperfection. There was no way I was going to remove the wheels to get at the rims. They would stay in place and get sprayed with an end result like so:

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Danged if they didn't look real good -- to my fuzzy eyesight at least. You know the drill all too well: gosh, I wonder what the front black ones look like? Answer: Tired and dirty looking! (Did you notice how I worked "tired" in there?)

Front driver's side:

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Front passenger's side:

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What I first took to be corrosion on the passenger side turned out to be caked-and-baked-on, 30-year accumulated sand/mud/dirt. Holy crap was that hard to get off. I eventually went full out with steel wool as the closer on that job.

The front driver's side almost ready to be taped for a coat of Duplicolor Trim & Bumper:

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Next ... the passenger side free of its "corrosion":

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Not bad, not bad at all. Until you looked at the two different paints front and back. The Krylon Dual was shinier than the mellow Duplicolor. Crikey!

Here's the front driver's side:

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There was no getting around it. I'd have to use the Trim & Bumper on the back "silver" rims as well to even out the look since I preferred the more mellow black up front.

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Since I'd been smelling out my adjacent neighbours with the "vapours" in the alley, I took the operation over to an empty mall parking lot to finish the switch over. A day later we had to go for a run out to the countryside to drop off the ol' Dometic fridge at an RV appliance repair shop for a once over due to a malfunctioning GoWesty retrofit fan. Here's the even-Steven look front to back:

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I kind of like that no-hubcap look. Maybe Old Bert was doing me a favour after all?! ***

Now please don't tell me that you see something else that needs doing!

A little later with the tires spiffed up with Armor All (the complete detailing package):

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*** Which look do you like better: Hubcaps or No Hubcaps??
_________________
"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 14, 2020 7:31 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

I reckon I just found my theme song for this 1989 Westy Makeover thread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z53wyiIPgDk (picked up while listening to the good tunes on the Windspeaker radio station). The band are homies no less as they hail from Edmonton, Alberta: https://canadianbeats.ca/2019/06/24/interview-the-dungarees/ . Love 'em!

The order came in from Cip1 a few days ago so it's time to seal the deal -- on the engine lid/hatch. If you recall, I was getting some niggling movement on one side of the lid.

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Let's have a look at what we're dealing with:

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That's the old seal still hanging in there after 31 years.

Let's see how the new one measures up against it:

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Hmmmm...the new one looks more squarish than the rectangular old one on the right. This will come as no surprise to anyone who's read the Brickwerks page on the difference: https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/engine-lid-seal-t3-all-models-2119.html . To sum it up: Note that these are the original profile, slightly rectangular unlike all the aftermarket seals that are square. More expensive, but 100% correct.

'Course I read that AFTER ordering the Cip1 version. Oh well, let's see how it works out. Tip: Try your local VW dealership and see if they carry the OEM rectangular seal part# 251 813 133B. UPDATE: No luck at my local dealership. West Coast Metric might be selling a rectangular version on this side of the pond: https://www.westcoastmetric.com/i-22967067-251-133b.html .

Here's what the seal looked like in places:

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So out it comes:

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And there's the ancient, dirt-ridden weatherstripping glue from yesteryear:

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This is where the fun begins. Prep work is required here to ensure that the new glue grabs hold. I used a combo of dull screwdriver tip (under a rag if possible), fingernail and kitchen scrubber to scrape the old stuff off. The section under the cabinet was especially tough to get at and was a bit of a struggle:

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Eventually, however, it was ready for the next stage of the game:

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Time for the new glue and seal:

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First run a generous bead of glue around the entire perimeter and spread with a gloved finger or other instrument of sticky doom. Then let sit for ten minutes while you're getting the seal glued up:

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The idea is to only do a small section of the seal at a time otherwise there's a chance that it'll glue to itself and create big trouble. The left side of the green tape marks where the two ends are supposed to meet.

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The home stretch:

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No worries about length. There was a full 33 inches left over: marked here by the end of the gluey section:

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Snip the end off with scissors...

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...and you have the job done:

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Or at least that's what I expected. And I didn't even need an elephant to sit on the lid to cinch the turn closures down.

But...but... the right side was still a little less snug than the left side. Maybe all that little lip needed was a session of gentle persuading to tighten up the connection:

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So out came the persuader:

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I gave Fritz the same soothing words that I get every time those lovely nurses jab a needle in me with the cancer-controlling drugs: "Oh, this won't hurt a bit. Maybe just a little bit". BANG BANG BANG and the deed was done. ***

The spells of 10 or so minutes of waiting on each section of the seal glue setting -- okay so I cheated some -- was made infinitely better by listening to the tunes on the 31-year-old OEM radio. Very Happy

After a spin around town, I honestly think it ran just a bit quieter. It all adds up.

*** Not recommended unless your van has absolute faith in your abilities. Crack that lip and you're in deep doo-doo.
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"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:32 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Nicely done. Any way you could use acetone or whatever chemical spirit to ease the goo-removal process?
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:35 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

VicVan wrote:
Nicely done. Any way you could use acetone or whatever chemical spirit to ease the goo-removal process?


Hey, a guy with cancer steers clear of as many chemicals as possible. No sense giving the Visitors the home advantage. Really, it wasn't all that time consuming and gave me an excuse to groove to The Dungarees etc. Laughing To offset the glue impact I wore a full face mask for chemicals (this pic was an accidental one while I was struggling to take photos with one hand and hold the glue-gooped seal with the other):

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BTW Buy the smallest amount of weatherstripping glue as possible since I don't think I even used an ounce of the stuff up. The photo of the Cdn Tire product upthread is a good choice: Permatex 59ml size. I went with the larger size because I have a NAPA outlet a block away and walked over instead of driving to the nearest Cdn Tire. Ask and they'll likely have that smaller size as well, though.
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"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:56 am    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Nice selfie ! Laughing

I think I already have the Permatex one somewhere. Cheers
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:54 am    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

VicVan wrote:
Nice selfie ! Laughing


Did you notice that it was a "double" selfie?

I got the obvious mask one and then the additional "aerial" shot from the reflection off the inside of the rear window. Normally, I couldn't have taken that if I'd planned it! Like I said I was trying to keep a gooey gluey finger off the shutter release while setting up for the next seal sequence shot and the camera must have gone off while I was shifting fingers.

Sweet!

I'm now finishing off the interior with the fridge reinstall. More on that R-rated adventure in the near future.

While waiting take in another Dungaree tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGv31wRyrTk . Canadian country road song -- with a slobbering dog. They even worked in a guitar session in a canoe. Does it get any better?

Very Happy

Breaking News: This just came in on the goat hotline -- the now 265-head herd will be making an appearance on the nearby bluff from July 13th to the 21st. The, um, "goat whisperer" may have to take some time off from his Makeover to lend a hand -- and prodding stick. (I use a special Mount Fuji pilgrimage hiking staff for that job https://www.japamigo.com/3692/ . Bought it for a buck at a thrift sale since I liked the look of it even though I had no idea what it was at the time. Coincidentally, it kind of ties into the old Inuit song I mentioned upthread. The Universe is speaking to me about the appreciation of rising suns.)
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 20, 2020 4:57 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Since I mentioned the appreciation of rising suns, I should also put a plug in for safety items in the van since they help increase the number of sunrises you might live to see.

I've had some reflective tape kicking around the house for a decade or more and needed a place to dump it -- I mean install it:

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It's not the fancy pointing arrow version I've seen elsewhere but if a nighttime breakdown should happen, I have this shining lid along with my flashing red LEDs on my compact digital inflator.

While rustling around the lid, I also set something right that's been bugging me for awhile: a chipped piece of laminate and the exposed plywood that can be seen from the rear hatch:

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Yup, time for some more grey "Greek Windex" aka silicone sealant:

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Problem solved!

The next safety item with high priority status -- actually much much higher than the safety tape -- is a 3-point retractable rear seatbelt. All I needed to do is go from this:

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To this:

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How hard could it be??

At least one Sambanista was claiming it was a 20 minute job -- inferring that you could almost do it in your sleep. GoWesty, as usual, downplays any touchy installation procedures and makes it sound equally easy peasy: https://www.gowesty.com/product/made-in-usa/3218/3...ight-side- + https://www.gowesty.com/files/KT122.pdf :

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Here's a smirking fellow who just installed that GW belt and appears to be pleased as Punch:

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Photo credit: Jeff and Amanda @ Vanagon Travels http://www.vanagontravels.com/2011/11/vanagon-seat-belt-installationupgrade.html

Heck, ain't nuthin' to it...unless you happen to be a Canadian, eh? We'll get to the details on that cross-border exception in a second but first I want to give you some 3-pointed advice -- as in the business end of Neptune's trident. You'll see an orange version of that trident end stuck on the belt with no explanation as to what to do with it. LEAVE IT ALONE for the time being.

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The Brickwerks spelled it out for customers in black and white instead of orange in their fine print https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/rear-seat-belts/ :

IMPORTANT!! - The belts we previously sold (now obsolete) were fitted with a foam block to stop the belt retracting too far into the body and jamming the reel. The replacements don't come with this foam block. Don't let the belt retract into the belt too far, it will jam. We suggest folding the belt a few times and securing with a clothes peg or similar whilst fitting to prevent the belt retracting.

Basically the belt is so long that the belt will retract to the point of the reel getting so thick that it will lock on the housing and they are a nightmare to undo!!

If it does retract, the belt can be teased out of the mechanism with a little patience, the belt MUST be at approximately 7 degrees towards the rear of the vehicle to do this, but with patience it will come out. Do not under any circumstances try to prise the housing open, or open the retractor mechanism in any way. Not only will this void any warranty on the belt, but could also upset the retractor mechanism making it unsafe to use.


Did you get the message there? If not, think of this trident getting jabbed up your rear end when yanking the orange thingie out too soon:

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Ahhhhh, the joys of being a Canadian: brisk spring weather, brisk summer weather with a day or three of warmth, brisk autumn weather and, well, brisker-than-an-icicle winter weather. Throw in a penalty box type currency exchange on the U.S. dollar and things couldn't be frostier. But wait...we haven't touched on the seatbelt situation yet. The GW fine print -- and I think Van Cafe doles out the same warning to those of us north of 49: • If you own a Canadian-model Vanagon, your vehicle will need a new female buckle (see related items below). Gulp! How much is that? Let's see: https://www.gowesty.com/product/seat-belts/4422/seat-belt-receiver-for-bus-vanagon-rear-seat-12-?v= . Translated into Canadian pesos we're looking at a penalty of about $44 plus extra shipping -- and extra installation time.

Twenty minute job? Hmmmm....

Now I'm not complaining. I think GoWesty has a great product here but I'm just making sure that fellow Canucks know what's what and what's different during the install. Starting with GoWesty's mathematics: they have arrows directed at three screw hole locations as illustrated above. Canadians have four to play with:

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I assume Volkswagen did that because they knew we could count higher than the typical American (a necessary skill required when doing massive, wallet-emptying currency exchanges). That's just my guess and I have absolutely no scientific proof to back it up. So let's continue. Your quest is for a black plastic bolt and washer hidden behind the fiberboard panel. If you've always wanted to play Indiana Jones and prod and explore -- minus the snakes -- here's your opportunity. Just lift up the panel and peer into the darkness to find the exact location of that black bolt and then excavate it out of there:

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I know what you're all thinking: That guy is a wabi-sabi master -- that or he's related to Jack the Ripper and better at hacking things to bits than his illustrious ancestor. It's the former. Yes, you can drill a hole but my exacto blade was closer so I used that instead. This isn't heart surgery and no one will see this mess since it's being covered over with the seatbelt reel. The damage in the centre of the bolt is from twirling the exacto knife around in hopes of peering into a sight hole to find the screw head. Oops! I found it. Out came a Roberton's screwdriver to save the day and it was extracted.

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Be sure not to stray too far to the right with that blade otherwise your butchery may show.

Next we need to stick the spacer in that open excavation:

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The lay of the land at this point (with FOUR screw holes -- one with a grey nylon cover over it -- and the single bolt hole):

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You might also get distracted from the operation with a quick tape repair to the coil on the curtain rod end:

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I forgot to mention this earlier but when drilling, hacking/ripping/tearing etc during the excavation it's a wise move to put something under the crumbling fiberboard to collect the falling debris or, well, never mind:

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Yeah I forgot that step until I'd hacked about halfway through so I pass that mistake along for you to correct during your 20-minute installation.

Then it's a simple step to install the lock washer and bolt with a 16mm:

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As you can see from the photos above, the hole for the snap for the curtain tie-back was too close to the reel excavation so it had to be moved higher to where the grey nylon cap was. Easy: I'd just pry the cap off and remove the existing screw and put the tie-back there. Did I say easy? It was until the tiny nylon cap took an unexpected bounce out the inclined back end of Fritz into -- I assumed -- the grey look-alikes scattered in the alley.

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Add another 5 minutes to the installation for searching in alleyway. No luck!

But then a thought occurred to me: if I was a tiny nylon cap where would I bounce to? Maybe it hit me on the downslope? Looking at the trajectory path with the eye of a NASA aeronautics engineer, I finally/accidentally spotted it and breathed a huge sigh of relief (I'm not sure why since that cap and the accompanying screw were going into a storage baggy at any rate):

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I guess being fumble-fingered AND feeble-minded was just too much to bear. I had to find that dang thing -- and I did. Then it went into the baggy.

This photo illustrates where the tie-back snap would have been had it been installed in its original hole. The real estate north of there was definitely better.

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Moved to the new (standard American) location:

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With the original abandoned "Canadian" hole showing here:

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That part of the, um, 20-minute operation was done with more fun to come:

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By this juncture, I was tired and hungry and decided to continue the job the next morning. But before adjourning for the evening I gathered up my courage, lifted the bench seat and had a look for the next bolt I had to oust and fiddle with:

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There it was lurking in the shadows of a very tight spot. I would need the rest overnight to tackle that. Indiana Jones' snakes were nothing in comparison.

Next morning, refreshed and with a short memory, I continued with the 20-minute operation (although I dutifully noted that my wristwatch was faulty and not recording time properly):

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Jeff of Vanagon Travels confessed that he'd almost thrown in the towel at this point and contemplated removing the entire bench seat to get at that little bugger. But by squeezing your hand in there with a 17mm wrench and loosening the reel bolt, the entire reel assembly will swing up out of the way and is easier to remove.

Now I really shouldn't spoil the fun by telling you this so you go through what he did, but it's a whole lot easier if you approach that bolt with a sneak attack from the BACK of the seat not the front. Pull the bench forward a little once you have it locked up and then go through the rear hatch with that 17mm:

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Gotcha! In went the new hardware but I didn't include the spacer since I wanted more of the bolt to sink into the side. I used both washers, old and new, to offset it instead:

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Some of the gear involved in that final assault with the telescoping magnet being a godsend -- not that I'm fumble-fingered OR feeble-minded mind you:

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Now for the last phase of the 20-minute job (we were in overtime at this point and working on the Canadian penalty ie installing an American female receiver $$ since the original will not fit the new male end of the buckle connection):

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I almost broke out in "Oh, Canada" when I compared the two seatbelt receivers side by side. I much preferred the robustness and typically polite instructions on the Canadian female receiver: "PRESS". Ah well, safety comes first. Time to get under the bench seat again:

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The above would be how I'd run a Canadian anchor... but this is what I went with instead to follow American etiquette and fashion:

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Lying at the ready:

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Buckled and ready to go:

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With a final U.S. and Canadian team meeting:

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I reckon they'll get along wonderfully as next-door neighbors/neighbours -- even if one can count to four and the other can't.

BTW That was the longest 20 minutes that I've ever endured. Must be old age or something.

One last thing: At this stage, it's safe to pull the orange trident off the belt. Very Happy
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"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:11 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Speaking of next-door neighbors/neighbours, now is not the time to think you won't get caught if you cross the border and ignore the pandemic rules for travel to Alaska:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rcmp-americans-banff-alaska-1.5621452

$1200 is a good hit for breaking the rules. And don't take it hard: Residents in Banff don't like Cowtowners either. A couple months back, members of the Banff Fire Department were turning Calgarians away from the townsite to prevent the spread of the virus.

BTW They do have grounds to worry: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1043366/novel-coronavirus-2019ncov-cases-worldwide-by-country/ + https://www.statista.com/topics/6084/coronavirus-covid-19-in-the-us/ .

Stay safe and out of trouble!
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1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 4:38 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

VdubVanner wrote:
Jake de Villiers wrote:
I'm needing a local body shop as talented as yours. Very Happy


Hey, Jake, they do work for out-of-province folks, too. If you have another set of wheels to use at home, drive the van out and drop it off. Of course, you'd have to do a photo exposition of all the rust spots prior and forward it first -- then get in line for an opening in their busy schedule. Because a job like ours always involves more than originally quoted, add on at least 50% to the original estimate to reach a good guesstimate of the final bill.

I'd even volunteer to visit ol' Dixie every day and take some photos for you. (Just an excuse to hang out with the autobody gang again!) Wink

Thanks for the offer! I'll let you know if we end up out your way for whatever reason. Cool
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 11:12 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

What a great read! I thoroughly enjoyed following along from beginning to end, and appreciate your writing style with a mix of humor & humility.

I also certainly appreciate that you cut no corners in each phase of the project! Quite a job and investment. (I’ve intentionally never added up what I’ve spent on my projects - too afraid!)

Best wishes for your health!
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:39 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Jake de Villiers wrote:
VdubVanner wrote:
Jake de Villiers wrote:
I'm needing a local body shop as talented as yours. Very Happy


Hey, Jake, they do work for out-of-province folks, too. If you have another set of wheels to use at home, drive the van out and drop it off. Of course, you'd have to do a photo exposition of all the rust spots prior and forward it first -- then get in line for an opening in their busy schedule. Because a job like ours always involves more than originally quoted, add on at least 50% to the original estimate to reach a good guesstimate of the final bill.

I'd even volunteer to visit ol' Dixie every day and take some photos for you. (Just an excuse to hang out with the autobody gang again!) Wink

Thanks for the offer! I'll let you know if we end up out your way for whatever reason. Cool


Thanks for the note, Jake. When I look back to December 16th when I posted that message -- had to look it up again for the date -- I was obviously naive and in denial about the impact that the cancer diagnosis was going to have on my life. I was still primarily focused on getting the van done before switching my mind to deal with the cancer. Now that I'm in the thick of it, I'm starting to get hit with the side effects of the two rather powerful drugs used to kick the easy cancer's butt (the nasty cancer is the stuff that mutates out of control and kills you -- how long that takes is different for each person as their physiology is unique). The latest blood test -- I have a standing order now to get one done monthly -- revealed that my white blood cell count is in the toilet thanks to the second drug they added (the one that really kicks cancer butt). That second drug has a loooong list of side effects with impacts on most body functions. It's very effective at doing what it's supposed to but, like a crazy junkyard guard dog, you have to keep your eye on it to make sure that it doesn't kill you while doing its job. In tandem with the first drug -- the one that stops testosterone production so the easy cancer can't flourish -- the two of them make it more difficult to socially interact with other folks. I have to admit, I've always been a bit of a hermit but now more so. Every time I go grocery shopping or out running errands I wear a mask and usually add gloves or avail myself of the hand sanitizer at entry points of stores. The mask is both for COVID-19 but also the low white blood cell count. I cut myself the other day working around the van's flue vent and it suddenly dawned on me that I have to start being much more careful due to the possibility of getting an infection. Ditto from picking up a cold or flu bug from someone. Then there's the high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and other nasty side effects of that drug duo to work against. I always thought my uncle was a weirdo for the number of drugs he used to ingest every day. Total pill popper! I'm in the same boat now: I take drugs to offset the side effects of the cancer drugs. And this confession is by a guy who avoided even taking an aspirin during most of his adult life. The only place I feel safe is inside my house or inside the van. I get neighbours stopping by in the alley to chat while I'm working on Fritz and have to keep a safe distance away while talking with them. I hate that.

C'est la vie. You gotta roll with the punches! If it means squeezing out an extra year with my wife and daughter so be it. BTW That second drug costs in the neighbourhood of $8000/month and is provided to me for free under "compassionate care" by the drug company. A friend of mine in B.C. with advanced bone cancer is starting a new drug that's roughly the same cost weekly. All paid for by the provincial government. Regardless of the nasty side effects of those drugs, both of us are extremely grateful for them -- and at no cost.

Now about your chances of getting into that shop for bodywork in the near future: Absolute zero. Why? The recent storm of epic proportions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85qSKkm2bSQ + https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-storm-flooding-hail-1.5611619 . There's enough work out there for the autobody shops to be busy for years. We missed most of the action since we live inner city. It seemed to nail the folks in the N.E. the hardest.

I'm still prepping Fritz in hopes of getting out on a final few road trips (and/or getting him ready for the next owner). This pandemic has thrown a real wrench into things, however. Crikey, I'm getting the (Im)perfect Storm thrown my way rivaling the size of that recent hail blitz in Cowtown. I haven't checked off Wood Buffalo National Park yet and I'd like to get there this summer or next. Gonna have to see what unfolds with the drugs, pandemic and general health. I now have to work around those required blood tests, drug deliveries and oncologist appointments. Pass me an aspirin, please, I'm getting a headache thinking about all of it. Shocked
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"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0


Last edited by VdubVanner on Thu Jun 25, 2020 3:51 pm; edited 2 times in total
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VdubVanner
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Joined: August 03, 2017
Posts: 734
Location: Cowtown AB
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:41 pm    Post subject: Re: 1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus Reply with quote

Bills85Westy wrote:
What a great read! I thoroughly enjoyed following along from beginning to end, and appreciate your writing style with a mix of humor & humility.

I also certainly appreciate that you cut no corners in each phase of the project! Quite a job and investment. (I’ve intentionally never added up what I’ve spent on my projects - too afraid!)

Best wishes for your health!
Bill


Thanks for the comment, Bill. I've still got "Chilled to the Bone" to add as the last write-up in the thread. Stay tuned!
_________________
"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
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