What did YOU do to your van today?

[bobbyblack]

Got the EMPI 46mm hammer-off axle nut tool earlier this week. For once, I let the kid give it the first try. He started on the driver side, I watched from the front seat while I held down the brake pedal. He struggled with it a while until I asked him if there was something else he might like to try. He asked for heat.

I got the heat/cutting torch out and showed him how it worked. He opted for me to do the heating. I patiently worked around the nut for a minute and got it plenty hot, then gave it a few whacks with the tool and spun the nut easily off while he held down the brake pedal

Then, I offered to try first attempt on the passenger side. The tool seems a bit too easy to have slip off. Perhaps one strike per set/reset of the position on the nut. Each strike would have the loop end wander outward a bit, and that was what the first attempt by the kid was keeping him from success, I believe.

Anyway, my method was more akin to a blacksmith where the main strike is followed by a secondary action resulting in a 'clang-ping-ping' sort of sound: hold pressure on the breaker bar and give a good whack down on the strike surface, then tap tap tap the tool back into place on the nut and again strike and tap tap back on, repeat.

Passenger side took maybe 20 or 30 seconds of this strike/tap-to-reset/strike and it was a done deal. Both sides had previously been attempted with the 10 foot pipe over a 1" breaker bar and 1" 46MM socket. (Bought these back in the '80s for doing the axles on a Bay) I could spin the tire (grudgingly) with the kid pushing on the brake pedal with all his weight. Anyway, I bent that breaker bar pretty bad trying. I kind of felt bad, having the bar be straight all this time only to bend it trying this bone-headed move. I would be guessing around #2000 torque, as I think I can generate #200 pressure at the end of the the 10' pipe. As always, the right tool saves time, and frustration... and bending your antique breaker bar... I hope to learn my lessons before the next time I destroy something like that.
_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[sanchius]

Great story, thanks for sharing.
Both you and your son learned a lot and in a way that'll never be forgotten.
If there's one thing I've learned from TK, it's that heat works wonders on stuck fasteners.
Successfully fixing something like that, which would have stumped 95% of the US population, always feels good.
_________________
The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
Your gold star membership keeps this awesome list going!

[davevickery]

The wheel above that I just put on my van is the same design as the SA steering wheel. The only difference is it's not leather. They came on European Eurovans. I noticed they pop up on UK ebay under T4 steering wheel but there are some other cool looking wheels if you just search Ebay under MK1, like this Jetta wheel below.

There were a couple of these on ebay too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/332457701944
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/132429020156 and this one looks neat too.

[Team WorldTour]

Sometimes I miss power steering.....
_________________
1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
Click to view image
H6 Subaru Engine Swap Thread
WV2ZZZ25ZFH094138(x)/ WV2YB0257LH057308(x)/ WV2ZZZ25ZLG113270/
"Where am I going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?" -Nicodemus Jordan
When All Else Fails: Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

[ratrodthing]

Weekend we install 80L Diesel tank in stainless Steel in Syncro
Next Weekend is finish and make more pics

[Team WorldTour]

So yesterday, I FINALLY swapped out my cooling pipes with the Stainless Steel pipes!
Thought I had bled it good enough, but when I got home and shut the van off, I got 5 seconds of bubbling water. Sounded like being inside a bong!
So, it's freezing rain outside today, and I have to finish burping Him so I can take Mrs. WorldTour to the sauna.
_________________
1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
Click to view image
H6 Subaru Engine Swap Thread
WV2ZZZ25ZFH094138(x)/ WV2YB0257LH057308(x)/ WV2ZZZ25ZLG113270/
"Where am I going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?" -Nicodemus Jordan
When All Else Fails: Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

[Jamo7]

I wish it was only today that I had accomplished all of this work...
Instead it was over the last month that I did all those things for when the dash is out:
Fixed windshield wipers- new passenger wiper shaft, new wiper shaft grommets, assembly lubed, new intermittent wiper relay.
Fixed front heater box- new foam on all flaps, Jeep resistor, box cleaned out, fan motor lubrication tube.
Sound deadening- CLD tiles behind/under dash and under all front carpet, MLV+foam under front carpet. I followed the SoundDeadenerShowdown.com technique. (The MLV+foam does quiet the cabin a lot. However, applying this stuff is like sewing a suit jacket on the person one panel at at time.)
Wired fog lights, relay and switch.
Wired headlights on buzzer.
Cleaned ground stars.
Made driver's side aux battery box lid close better- I'll post a photo of this super shade-tree hack in another post!
Here's the project 3/4 of the way along.

And here's the payoff.

The front heat is still pretty meager (I think its a rear heater hose constriction issue), and while the front sound deadening is pleasantly noticeable, the wind whistling in the passenger door area is becoming more noticeable too. That's ok. My next projects just presented themselves!
Happy holidays!
James
_________________
'84 Westy 2.1 wbx

[cbcnm]

Installed my Landrover defender mirrors! SWEET upgrade.
Changed out the dash lighting to LED.
Chris
1985 Westy subaru
2000 Eurovan camper.
https://gocampcampervans.com

[WestfaliaMike]

Put my NEW Kiddie fire extinguisher in.
_________________
1981 Vanagon Westfalia
1983 Vanagon Passanger (Parts Vehicle)
2016 Passat TSI

[bobbyblack]

Axle rehab/prep for engine swap

_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[Selsk]

A lot of quality looking work on this thread.

Yesterday I changed out old spark plug and coil wires and the distributor cap and rotor. Then I went for a smog check and passed with flying colors. So that was nice. Smog guy said it was actually very clean. I new cat was installed like 3 years or so ago so that is the reason. But he also noticed the new wires etc and said that this makes a huge difference. It definitely pulls smoother on the highway. 87 GL btw.

[Steve M.]

[danfromsyr]

tigerbus runs those tanks also.
Use translate: http://www.easy2design.de/bla/tigerbus/zusatztanks/

[Steve M.]

[bobbyblack]

Salt treatment on local roads a couple days ago, so had to drag Cosmo out with a chain, and put Flossie on the floor. I'll need a kid or two to help Cosmo get backed in again.. This was as much as i could do with a chain and block of wood! Nearing install time for ej22
Perhaps by years end!

_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[ratrodthing]

Hello
My Tank ist from www.virat-mechanik.de
I have an friend how order for many euros and never becomes something from the other company

[vanis13]

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8638703#8638703

_________________
83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace

www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make

[Paulbeard]

Took my aux battery to my FLAPS to be charged after it was drained by
• either my hyperactive GPS locator which was bombarding me with false positives, or
• an aftermarket LED light kit with an RF dimmer receiver that might have been listening for a signal that was never going to come. The remote that came with it wasn't paired with it so they were never going to work.

The locator's sensitivity to vibration has been turned way down and the dimmer has been removed. I'll see if I roll my own lighting and I'll add an on/off switch or force myself to unplug each time.

Also my solar panel was not charging (which would have saved me a lot of bother) because the PowerPole connector wasn't latching here:

I pulled it out (that's a bad sign if comes out that easily) and bent it to look like the unused ones I have on hand and it latched into the connector and to the receiver on the van firmly. The controller showed it was getting power…

Recommendation for an good voltmeter/multimeter so I can see what's goong on more readily are welcome.
_________________
Currently -> Frida: 87 Tizian Red (mostly) Vanagon GL Westfalia w/ 2.0L ABA conversion
Formerly -> Steward of a 73 Super Beetle (Beater) and 67 Beetle 1300 (Little Max) both names by POs

[westydriver]

Making things pretty before the swap. High Heat Primer and Dupicolor Red. Planning to hit that 16 Valve with silver leafing pen when finished.

[ratrodthing]

Here a Pic with the Tank