Abel's Restoration of a 1991 Vanagon Tintop - Pete.

[Abelabelabel]

Had Pete towed back from EuroPro.

Long story short:

Alternator mount busted and required a specialty tack welder to re-fabricate that whole part of the motor. Lots of hours of labor that I'm not going to go ahead with. $2,500 for repairs on existing high mileage motor on a tin-top base model van.

That's overkill for now. Van was towed back as is to my driveway.

Oh well.

Will continue to restore Red Van, and keep my eye out for a more worthy Vanagon/Eurovan that's worth continuing on with!
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[Abelabelabel]

I dig the look of painted stock wheels.

I got this a while ago, and put some decent Hancook tires on the Van.

I got the bare rims, and proceeded to clean, prime, and put 4 layers of paint on them. I'm really happy with the Rattle Can Restoration.

This was a while ago, but don't think I ever put photos up.

I've also decided to change the name of the van to Rusty Pete.
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[Abelabelabel]

Car got a new feature about 6 weeks ago - a buzzy right turn blinker.
I started by checking / replacing fuses, and eventually decided to investigate.

Okay, time to rewire.

Not pictured: 2 more days to figure out how to re-wire the new (two filament) front turn blinker bulb correctly.

Problem still isn't 100% solved. I believe I have a bridge, or a bad connection on my actual blinker switch. when partially engaged, it's okay, when 100% engaged, it doesn't function at all, or I have to cycle through my brights for the right blinker to blink right.

I stopped when I realized I have no idea how to remove the steering wheel yet.

Grounds are okay. Fuses + relays are okay. I switched relay out with the other van, and it worked fine in other van, and problem persisted in this one.

Oh well.
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[Abelabelabel]

Got a multimeter just in time to kill my battery trying to start again. Hah! Neighbors were asleep already, and I was parallel parked pretty tight, so to bed I went.
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[snowsyncro]

Well, assuming the new engine has good compression, and the starter is in decent shape, it can only be three things. Spark, fuel, timing.

Check the spark first; it is simplest. Get a spark plug; spare or one of the ones in the engine. Connect the plug wire, lay the plug on the engine where it can make a ground connection, crack engine, look for spark.

Check fuel next; smelling it is not enough. Check the spray pattern; Bentley describes this. You can check fuel pressure and volume too, but those will not prohibit a start.

Timing is last. We can deal with that later, when the time is right.

EDIT: And I would push it in the driveway too.

RonC

[Abelabelabel]

The Adventure Continues.

After getting a new motor, and a new shifter, Red is still being fussy, culminating in a crank-but-no-start situation last Thursday.


Took the day off work to run errands, and drove the Van around a bit on a hot day. Parked on the street, and got back in vehicle in late afternoon and suddenly no start.

Cranks and rumbles.
No change on Tach.
Doesn't start.


Fuel
Have been paying close attention to my fuel for last few tanks as I've been getting a pretty craptastic mileage, even with a lean driving style on the Manual. Had hoped for results after inflating tires. So, I know there's gas in the tank.

After doing a few starts with buddy on ignition, we're pretty sure that the fuel is getting injected. Noticed a slight fuel smell after a few false starts.

Spark.
I don't have the tools or confidence to really look in to all of this yet.
I did inspect one spark plug which looked brand new. I didn't test the gap because I didn't want to unintentionally change it and then have to match all the plugs, since I only had tools to get to 3 of the 4 plugs. The one under the air filter looked like a biyotch.

I bought a spark tester, but am moving very slowly with my ability to identify components before I shove it in there and look. Spent about 5 hours in the heat with my IPAD and my Bentley, learning the hard way.

ECU ?
This could be a possibility. Has my Digifant turned in to a Digicant?

Hall Sender ?
Haven't gotten this far yet.



Ignition Coil ?

I Tested the wire connecting from ignition coil on both vans, so this seems good. I did notice that the Ignition coil on Red Van has a thicker "spout" that the Bosch wire has an overly snug fit on. I pushed, and pushed but am not sure that the wire is "clicked" in to place. Would a faulty connection from Ignition Coil - to - center of distributor cap cause a crank-no-start?

Corroded wire(s) somewhere?
(Sigh) looking at list of rigourous tests required, I guess it's time to order myself a multi-meter.


Deadlines. . . .

Street Sweeping is tomorrow. So I have this evening to identify the issue before I either get it towed to my local mechanic. . . again. Or I push it in to the driveway awaiting selected parts order.

Anyone local have any tools I can borrow to help with diagnosis in exchange for beers?


I feel good enough to have some sort of expectation when taking the Van in. I have a slight advantage having two vans of similar year, where I can trade some of the more rigorous troubleshooting for some just-in-time mixing and matching to rule things in-or-out.

Gotta love being a VW owner.
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[chimivee]

Looking sweet. Tornado Red Carats are my fav.
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-James
86 Syncro Westy, etc

[morymob]

I sofar have had best results with woolite upholstery cleaner. A foam u work into seat cover let it set a few min (don't let dry) wipe with damp towel, usually need additional tries depending on how dirty. If turn seat upside-down, do a fast spray rinse,towel & i sit in sun for a couple days, always dried out so far. .

[newfisher]

Nice brick. Always like the red ones.

[Abelabelabel]

Got Red out of the shop about a week ago. Engine is starting to get broken in, and I'm having a blast driving stick. Took Red to the top of the parking structure for a little photoshoot during my lunch break at work today.

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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[Abelabelabel]

Pete's been my Daily Driver for about 3 months now. Running like a champ.

Red Van has since had shifter replaced, and then, thanks to a-coolant-leak-that-was-so-bad-that-not-enough-hot-liquid-was-making-it-to-the-radiator-in-the-front, it's getting a new motor rebuild wrapped up by Nyscoe Motors in beautiful Santa Ana. (Big sigh) Never a dull moment!
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[Abelabelabel]

Pete's been a solid Daily Driver.
The Second van has been in and out of the shop twice since purchasing.
I'm rethinking my relationship with my first mechanic, as the

"new car check up list was so short that I didn't bother giving it to you with your receipt" + "fee was waived since other work was done on it" still didn't keep me from returning to another mechanic to get the entire shifter assembly replaced, along with some thermostat work.

Fine that I had work to do, but I don't think I destroyed my shifter in 2 weeks.

Red van is back, and fun to drive with precise shifting.

Will post more pics soon. have been very busy, and it's hard to frame a box on wheels when it's cramped in my driveway.
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[travelteam]

[Abelabelabel]

Since my last post. Here's a list of what I've done. I'll post pics soon.

Front seats are mostly clean - This will just be a neverending process as long as I own the van. Good way to relieve stress every couple of days.

Painted Front Bumper - Hosed off, dried off, degreased, 2 coats primer, 2 coats satin black paint. Half ass job since the bumper is in bad shape.

Painted front Grill, lower and upper - Hosed off, dried off, cleaned with mineral spirits, two coats of primer, two coats of paint

Painted Steel Wheels Charcoal Gray - Used wirebrush drill bit to get rid of major rust spots, and built up gunk, used shop vac to remove debris, mineral spirits to remove remaining debris, steel wool to get whatever was left, another shopvac pass, 2 coats of primer, 3 coats of Charcoal Gray High Gloss paint. (turned out pretty good)

Installed new hatch emblem - purchased from Bus Depot

Also took another trip to the mechanic. . .

Replaced Rear Calipers
Upgraded to Bilstein Shocks (So nice)
Replaced Master Break Cylinder
Upgraded Braklines to Steel

The ride is starting to look pretty sweet. I'm starting to gather strength to begin dealing with the rust under behind the front bumper, and will start to address lot's of the small spots where paint is chipping.


A request for advice!

I've done some searching, but anyone want to recommend a good place to get replacement stock paint in small quantities? I've seen a lot of products out there, and would like to see what is good for 1991 Vanagon White?

[/list]
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[zak99B5]

You make me feel like I should be out in the driveway cleaning my less-than-factory-fresh upholstery and carpets in my new (to me) 91 tin top.

Good work.

[Abelabelabel]

Boring Seat Cleaning Update.

I've been in contact with a local Westy owner who's managed to source some parts for me. He uses a product called folex on his Upholstery.

I've started using this on my vehicle, and it has worked better than anything else I've tried at releasing dirt. The work is still stupidly tedious, as one or two "panels" of fabric on the passenger seat can require one or two clean towels to transfer a good amount of dirt. What I've been doing is wrapping the towel in a kitchen sponge with the rough green end behind the towel. This gives me a nice way to agitate the fabric. Then I just vigorously scrub until my arm gets tired.

http://www.folexcompany.com/

At about $6 a bottle, I'll take it. I'm guessing that the seats cleaning is much easier, less tedious, compared to jumping in to body work. But if it's any indication of what body work will do to my patience, I will surely be a zen master at the end of this restoration process.
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[Abelabelabel]

Rug Doctor was really nice. It's still really tedious work, and hard to get a consistent clean. I pulled a lot of dirt off of the passenger seat, and hit some problem areas on the rear jumper seats. Each section took several passes, and I ultimately used a blow dryer to get most of the moisture off, and to avoid mildew.

I'm still going to need to hit the seats again by hand to finish up the work since it's not even, and the rug doctor was only rented for 24 hours. Also the upholstery connector didn't make easy work for the crevices, or the arm rests, or the top of the seat under the headrest. Still progress was made. This is something I'd definitely use for the carpet, the bed, and the rear seat in the future. It's just so awkward on the front and jumper seats.

Someone recommended using something else to transfer dirt to a terry cloth towel. This is some anal stuff.


In other news, Here's some stuff that I also did this past week.

Replaced incandecant lights with white LEDs for instrument cluster (Gowesty)

Replaced rear side lights with fresh lenses (Gowesty)

Diagnosed front heater problem, missing little plastic tabs that keep bar thing in place

Purchased replacement rear lenses (Craigs list)

Purchased replacement rear wiper motor (Craigs List)

Purchased extra set of OEM 14" steel wheels for $20 (for all four!!!) Will power wash, prime, and paint these guys black, and then get baby moons, and spray-paint those matte black. Should look really good. (Craigslist via Vanagon blog that aggregates craigslist adds for CA/WA/Oregon: http://vwvanagons.blogspot.com/)

Purchased replacement Carat Table - Mine looks like it's jerry rigged, and installed with the wrong screws, preventing the table from sitting snug with the bar underneath (E-bay)

Purchased replacement rear passenger Carat Panel. Local guy I bought the (unsolicited response from guy I bought stuff on Craigslist from who saw my WTB ad)

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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"

[newfisher]

Sounds like the average day I have when trying to accomplish what seems to be an easy task after breakfast on a nice Saturday and ends up a complete fail with a good lunch squeezed in the middle. Hey, its better than laying on the couch watching TV! Keep at it. At least you have one to work on. I fly out in 2 days to grab mine thats a 2500 mile trip back in the snow.

[newfisher]

Sounds like the average day I have when trying to accomplish what seems to be an easy task after breakfast on a nice Saturday and ends up a complete fail with a good lunch squeezed in the middle. Hey, its better than laying on the couch watching TV! Keep at it. At least you have one to work on. I fly out in 2 days to grab mine thats a 2500 mile trip back in the snow.

[Abelabelabel]

Renting a rug doctor was harder than I thought. I used to do profresisonal carpet cleaning waaayy back when, so this would be cake compared to what I was doing before.

Problem is: Nobody had what I needed.

1st place: Local Food 4 less - all rugdoctors were checked out.

2nd place: This crappy little grocery store called Dollar General. I rented the small rugdoctor + upholstery hook up. Problem is that the device was DOA. Called tech support, they rented me a broken Rugdoctor.

3rd place: Sun was starting to go down, and I had a cold, but figured I'd give it one more shot. Another Food 4 Less. Problem with this place was that they coudln't figure out where their upholstery hook up was. Sheesh.

Will try again this weekend.

In the meantime I picked up a new rear motor assembly for my non working rear wiper, replacement tail lights that aren't cracked, and a fusebox cover for my fuses.
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1991 Vanagon GL / Carat Interior / Auto - White "Daily"
1990 Vanagon Carat / manual / Cherry Red "Bella Rouge"