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msinabottle
Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2005
Posts: 3492
Location: Denver Area, Colorado
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 Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:06 pm Post subject: Round Eyes! |
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Of course there's something special about '84's! For one, Winston's one of them! Welcome to the Funny Farm.
FUEL LINES.
HEADLIGHT RELAYS
HELLA H4'S
Marvel Mystery Oil in the Gas
Castrol 20W50 and Mann Oil filters.
Cheap stuff that keeps the new ride happy and unburning.
You've made a good call, and will have a lot of fun finding that out.
Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence." |
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Spinal Tap
Samba Member
Joined: August 01, 2008
Posts: 413
Location: Chicago IL
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:47 am Post subject: |
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Congrats MSmyth!
Your new Westy looks just like ours, except slightly different seat material. And we bought ours about a month ago after looking on and off for around 9 months.
The Mrs. and I are also the 3rd owners of our '85, but alas, we have no A/C in our Auto Westy.
The previous owners, like yours, have been pretty good at keeping everything stock, and in pretty good nik overall. I have a stack of reciepts for maintannce and a little bodywork. The only "mod" I've found so far is a new radio and an really old Garage Door Opener that was wired into the radio's antenna and electrical system! Have since removed the GDO...
We just got back from our 2nd camping trip in Wisconsin, and have nothing but good things to say!
Oh, we have a British car problem too. But the Westy and the MG-B seem happy together in the garage. The Westy's door opens right over the MG's fender! No door dings! Yeah!
We've done our 5 mile, 50 mile, and (nearly) 500 mile trips since we bought her. A couple more trips, and repainting of the propane tank, and we'll be traveling much further next summer!
_________________
'85 Westy
'74 MG-B
| RCB wrote: |
| Its called tact...and tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a manner that they anticipate the trip. |
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morymob
Samba Member
Joined: November 09, 2007
Posts: 4683
Location: east-tn
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:21 am Post subject: |
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| will now say "welcome to the neverending forest,was all in jest Actually most of the people here are rather sane,as for the rest of us we DO havepaperwork saying we are! These things do grow on u and hope for a lot of enjoyable trips .Probably all situations that can be with a wbx someone here has ran into and won, and its free. (for the first 30 days and then only $19.95 plus postage). |
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MSmyth
Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2008
Posts: 39
Location: Morgantown, WV
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:02 am Post subject: |
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| wolfej1 wrote: |
I have the older brother....mine is a 82 Westy same color same everything except 67 horses...
As an aside - I will be travelling to Morgantown in a few weeks - any recommendations on where to go for some good nightlife that is not completely dominated by college students?
Also - like one of the previous folks stated - better check the rust situation out - would be terrible for it to get worse.
take care |
I do plan on doing a full interior exam when possible (see previous post). From the outside, the two rear seams are the only outward signs, and they are only a discoloration on the seam caulk. I don't think it would be noticeable on a darker color paint. Nevertheless, I hear you loud and clear. Rust is a bastard.
What type of nightlife are you looking for? Dancin', carousin' or just plain hell raisin'? We got it all, especially on a football weekend. Not to be missed. |
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MSmyth
Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2008
Posts: 39
Location: Morgantown, WV
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:56 am Post subject: |
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| foodeater wrote: |
As far as I know there are no 15" steel wheels that the stock hubcaps 14" hub caps will fit. If you go with the Passat wheels you will need to grind out the center bore quite a bit, also the offset (ET) is not ideal for the vanagon, if I remember correctly you will need spacers to correct the offset. If you want 15" steel the Van-cafe (or others) are the best way to go, that being said I think finding a cheap set of Mercedes alloys is the best way to go. For more info on wheels go to both of the "ultimate wheel" stickies or contact Loogy, he is the man when it comes to wheels and suspension here on the Samba.
Sweet Westy, by the way. It looks just like mine. Same year and color (if you ignore all the rust). |
I'd like to stay away from alloys if possible. We'd like to keep as much of the original vintage (Pat's BIG into vintage) look and feel as possible when doing our upgrades.
Rust? Gotta love it. My 87 Comanche is one West Virginia winter away from a full nature inflicted Fred Flintstone mod. |
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berge13
Samba Member
Joined: November 30, 2007
Posts: 238
Location: Claremont
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:55 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, the "Crappy Brown Carpet" is how it was described to me.... I bought it anyway...
Berge
_________________
"If someone believes in you, well that is just the greatest thing in life..."
Berge;1972
85 WBX GL
Prior:
59 Ragtop
66 Barndoor
71 TinTop Westy
69 Karmann Ghia
62 Bus
83.5 Vanagon |
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wolfej1
Samba Member
Joined: August 15, 2005
Posts: 679
Location: North Royalton, Ohio
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:50 am Post subject: |
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I have the older brother....mine is a 82 Westy same color same everything except 67 horses...
As an aside - I will be travelling to Morgantown in a few weeks - any recommendations on where to go for some good nightlife that is not completely dominated by college students?
Also - like one of the previous folks stated - better check the rust situation out - would be terrible for it to get worse.
take care
_________________
1982 Westy
2004 KDX200
2008 Kawasaki KLR 650
1979 Yamaha DT 175
1995 Toyota 4Runner |
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MSmyth
Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2008
Posts: 39
Location: Morgantown, WV
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:48 am Post subject: |
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| 8419p27 wrote: |
| Congrats on the find. I've always liked that color. Since I feel special about 84's I'd like to offer $0.02. If there is seam rust showing on the rear quarters, there might be more lurking beneath the surface of the other seams, under the window seals or at the camping utility hookups. (guess how I know) Regarding your water temp gauge reading, 1/2 - 3/4 is what most people see. At 3/4 the fan should probably be ON automatically. The 1.9 will continue to serve you 82 horsies for a long time as long as it stays cool. OK, thats it from me. Enjoy the brown carpet! |
Once the "big" garage is done next spring (did I mention we're also building/finishing a house?) I plan on gutting the interior and inspect from the inside. For now I want to put a temporary fix on the rear quarters via the techniques I've read on here. She's been garage kept most of her life so I do have hopes...
As for the water temp, I definitely have some sort of issue. This weekend I'm replacing the pressure tank and cap, fan switch and burp the system using the Westy "bong" I just made and see where that takes me. The fan does not cycle on at all, but I can jumper it (the old fan switch) and get it running. I'm betting on either the switch (doubtful), air in system (even more doubtful) or partially clogged radiator (most likely). I'll know more after this weekend. Running the heat lowered the temp a little, but running the A/C did not.
As for the brown carpet, it hides Margarita stains very well. |
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klucz
Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2006
Posts: 1062
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:23 am Post subject: |
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Congrats on the find. I've always liked that color. Since I feel special about 84's I'd like to offer $0.02. If there is seam rust showing on the rear quarters, there might be more lurking beneath the surface of the other seams, under the window seals or at the camping utility hookups. (guess how I know) Regarding your water temp gauge reading, 1/2 - 3/4 is what most people see. At 3/4 the fan should probably be ON automatically. The 1.9 will continue to serve you 82 horsies for a long time as long as it stays cool. OK, thats it from me. Enjoy the brown carpet!
_________________
84 Westy 4spd sold |
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campism
Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007
Posts: 4675
Location: Richmond VA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:16 am Post subject: |
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| We had lunch at the Purple Fiddle on that trip. Nice folks and food. |
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foodeater
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2007
Posts: 1318
Location: Newburgh, NY
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:13 am Post subject: |
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As far as I know there are no 15" steel wheels that the stock hubcaps 14" hub caps will fit. If you go with the Passat wheels you will need to grind out the center bore quite a bit, also the offset (ET) is not ideal for the vanagon, if I remember correctly you will need spacers to correct the offset. If you want 15" steel the Van-cafe (or others) are the best way to go, that being said I think finding a cheap set of Mercedes alloys is the best way to go. For more info on wheels go to both of the "ultimate wheel" stickies or contact Loogy, he is the man when it comes to wheels and suspension here on the Samba.
Sweet Westy, by the way. It looks just like mine. Same year and color (if you ignore all the rust).
_________________
89 Bluestar-2.5 Subaru Powered-RIP
'84 Westy Tiico-daily driver-sold
'82 Caddy diesel-sold
'87 Vanagon Syncro-RIP
'81 diesel rabbit-sold
'82 Vanagon auto-RIP |
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meyervw
Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2006
Posts: 470
Location: Chico, California
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:05 am Post subject: |
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| morymob wrote: |
| T ake what remaning CASH u have left put in a jar and bury it in the back yard west of the old oak tree BEFORE your wbx discovers u have some left!!!!! |
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is so true.
Congrats on the find. |
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Mathew Zelezen
Samba Member
Joined: November 04, 2004
Posts: 547
Location: Graeagle, CA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:01 am Post subject: |
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Congrats on both brother! You now have a mistress and a wife to be!
I used 15inch Passat steelies for Larz and they fit great (i had to grind out the center hub abit since the Syncro has different requirements, but it should work well for you).
The 14inch hubcaps probably won't work on a 15inch wheel though...
Do a search on "15 Passat steel". I got mine off Ebay from a gentleman in Florida for 30 a piece new.
Cheers!
_________________
87 Syncro Tintop
~Rocky J Motor
~Steedle Trans
Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been. |
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MSmyth
Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2008
Posts: 39
Location: Morgantown, WV
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:50 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for all the responses... communities like this make it all worthwhile, don't they?
Westy lean... I think the pic is a little misleading, although I do have new springs/bilsteins on my "second" list (the one Pat doesn't know about.... yet...) along with 15" tires, big brake kit, pop top shocks, rear tire carrier and ladder, Yakima rack and rocket box, second propane tank, euro spec headlghts, etc. etc. Yeah, as you can tell I've read most of the forum and archives. First things first though... safety and reliability. And the saving of the associated fundage.
I do feel very, very lucky to have found one with low miles and unmolested. She seriously starts and drives like a much newer vehicle, although with the aged shocks/springs/14" tires interstate travel leaves a little to be desired.
As for MoryMob's comments, I have graduated from two previous schools of auto insanity... first a British sports car phase where I grew to hate the name Lucas, and secondly and partially still ongoing fascination with older Jeeps.
Campism: We're down around Blackwater quite a bit (we live in Morgantown... GO MOUNTAINEERS!). If you haven't been, make sure you stop by the Purple Fiddle in Thomas http://www.purplefiddle.com/ and tell my buddy John Mike said hey. Great food and fantastic music.
For all of you out there looking for your dream Westie I would say based on our experience, don't compromise and hold out for what you want. We made a list of what we were looking for, our budget, and we stuck to it. There are lots of iffy vehicles and shady characters in the automotove world, but if you're patient you'll be rewarded in the long run. I do believe Esmerelda was a borderline steal based on her mileage and condition, but then again, it took almost a year for us to find her.
On to my first official forum question: Are there 15" steelies available out there that Ezzie's original hub caps will fit? Van Cafe has some, but no hubcap options are listed in their description.
Thanks again everyone. Sorry to be so verbose. |
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berge13
Samba Member
Joined: November 30, 2007
Posts: 238
Location: Claremont
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome aboard, the three of you and congratulations on your future wedding. Nice lookin' Westy (hope I can graduate to one soon!!!!)
That color combo rocks!!!!!!
I wonder why the gas tank replace at 50-60K miles...?
Happy Trails 
Berge
_________________
"If someone believes in you, well that is just the greatest thing in life..."
Berge;1972
85 WBX GL
Prior:
59 Ragtop
66 Barndoor
71 TinTop Westy
69 Karmann Ghia
62 Bus
83.5 Vanagon |
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RCB
Samba Member
Joined: September 05, 2005
Posts: 4143
Location: San Francisco-Bay Area
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Gosh morymob...your response is just..............well, you know. |
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tikibus
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2006
Posts: 834
Location: Rochester, NY
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome!
Good Find... There still out there...
Cheers to the three of you!
_________________
Happy Trails!
Mark
______________
Founding member of the Empire State VW Camping Club.
http://www.empirevwcamping.org/
1984 Westy - Tiki
1997 Honda Civic -The Green Hornet
1971 Volvo P-1800E- needs TLC |
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morymob
Samba Member
Joined: November 09, 2007
Posts: 4683
Location: east-tn
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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| T ake what remaning CASH u have left put in a jar and bury it in the back yard west of the old oak tree BEFORE your wbx discovers u have some left!!!!! |
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Steelhead
Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2007
Posts: 1791
Location: Kentfield, CA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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congrats! Welcome to the madness. Sweet looking vanagon (don't be afraid to pronounce it 'va-noggin' in order to throw off a few know-it-alls that will now approach you). 
Might that be a bit of the old "westy lean" visible in the rear pic? Could be the angle of the photo or driveway. If you don't know what that is from your lurker days, do a quick search and you will find plenty of info and solutions.
Nice color. Now get ready to make zillion little "investments".
_________________
'77 Bay Window / '89 Caratsburg (aka. the Stormtrooper) |
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campism
Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007
Posts: 4675
Location: Richmond VA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Nice Westy! We were camping at Blackwater Falls SP last weekend and did a lot of driving in the mountains. |
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