What did YOU do to your van today?

[emccann86]

Got new rear view in the mail and popped it in, then started this nightmare
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=700142
Cleaned up Some of this shoddy wires and re-insulated some others.
Oh and I bent my new stove wrench trying to pull the tops off to inspect and clean them .......yup

[bobbyblack]

Today I asked my twins of 16 which vehicle to drive them to school and me to work. Flossie! Flossie! Ok so that makes it 2 weeks of every school day taking the Westy. I won't have the luxury of a nap-instead-of-lunch today tho, as the temp and humidity are going to conspire against that. Should be somewhere around 85F and 98%H, so that's out today, I guess. Makes me wish for solar panels and a super small footprint window A/C!
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[82westyrabbit]

A new set of shoes!

[dhaavers]

Utah trip prep:

New AT tires (General Grabbers, 27x8.50R14) & alignment, new gear oil (after break in miles on "new"
rebuild last fall), brake fluid flush & snugged belts since I had extra 10 minutes before beer-thirty...

(Sorry for crappy phone pic...and obviously untreated seam rust... )

- Dave
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[campism]

Yep, that photo is a gear oil job, for sure.

I got to work on the Westy's sink drain that we discovered leaking last year. Turns out the drain tubing was torn and getting it loose did more damage so the remaining piece is not long enough to reach from drain to floor, so I need more of that tubing or a substitute.

The drain itself also needed work. Took a lot of muscle to get it apart and out of the sink, and it seems that the drain spout portion is cracked and the little fixing screw was nearly rusted through. I found another screw that works and repaired the crack, so once I get new drain tubing I'll put it all back together and we'll be ready for a trip. And I'll make sure there's enough lube on everything that it can come apart again more easily next time.

Still need to reseal the tank.

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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[bobbyblack]

Got up early enough to catch the morning shade on the west side of the house and used a few quarts of "Green" degreaser and rags on the engine. It was a mediocre success. Took my boy to Solo ASWS, and I thought it was about 6.5/10, he gave it a 7. $22 and 2 hours and 15 minutes run time was about enough to allow the engine to dry out completely, then I took the rare moment that my shop bay was open (kids subi-swap in progress has been taking up the bay!) and decided that the 2 year limit had been reached on my coolant, so I pulled the drains, raised the nose and let it drool into a 5 gal bucket. changed the oil too.

Coolant fill is a work in progress: I opened both heater valves, filled coolant, put it up on my "bleeding hill" (nose is about 30% down) and filled coolant, while letting bubbles out of radiator. Noticed coolant I spilled was in the level sensor recess on the expansion tank, but didn't wipe that up yet... Probably the reason the sensor level is blinking on the dash, as the tank is full.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[vanis13]

Replaced my brake light switches on the master cylinder to stop the brtake light flickering when I pressed the brake pedal - per this good post that made it very easy with tilting the dash out of the way - https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8773883#8773883

Caution that the dash tilting can cause the main harness to partially disconnect which in my case caused a alternator to stop charging and the alt lingt not to work. I discovered the partially-disconnected harness after an unnecessary alternator replacement . (it was n Autozone Lifetime warranty so no impact on my pocket book) AND as a part of this I did also got to discover that my main and aux batteries both had a dead cell and it was month 41 of the Costco 42 month full replacement
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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

[DehlerPEB]

- fixed right turn signal indicator („Blinker“); The flexible cap has come loose, water entered and so the connections corroded. Brushed of the rust, sprayed w/ WD40, resealed the cap: indicator working again.
- fixed speedometer. Left front axle cup that holds the speedometer-cable disengaged on the highway after switching to the summer tires. So the last 500km were „driving blind“ concerning speed. New cap installed, unfortunately the pin that holds the cable was slightly to large, so doesn’t lock properly. And as always, the proper was not at hand. So for the moment i installed the not so nice locking circlip and made certain with tape that I have some time to get the correct size.
- Worst and last: my right windshield-wiper was loose. Tried to fasten it, but the whole thing needs a new thread. And that is nothing I will tackle on a Sunday afternoon. So at the moment I am driving just with one whisper .... weatherforecast is 25C and no rain for the next days, so Monday is a call ...

S0, two things out of three solved. 66% achieving rate and no stress.

Seems to be a successful weekend

Peb

[babywindow]

Dropped my fuel tank. Surprised to find there was about 5 gallons left in it, after draining at the outlet. The outlet looks to drain from the center of the tank, inside a screen...so I won't be coating the tank.

When I fill the tank ( with water now), with the tank level, it doesn't start to flow out the outlet until there's about 5 gallons in , but then it drains down to about 2 gallons (like a siphon effect?)

Anyone else have an experience like this?

Do I need a new tank?

[82westyrabbit]

I replaced my fuel tank when I had similar symptoms. The tank was full of rust. They are available and no that expensive. A pian in the but to install.

[lowbody]

Drove mine for the first time. Finally got to take a picture of it not in my driveway.

[bobbyblack]

Had chipped some bondo off last fall, and worked the dents out a bit with a hammer and dolly, and then covered it back up with the Bra. Today I took the Bra off, I think for the last time, as all the Bra's I've ever used just snadpapered down the paint under them from the grime that gets underneath. Its definitely not a good job, but compared to how the PO left it, I'd say it is an improvement. I really hadn't intended to get it to look all that good, as there is very little way to actually fix the metal, so instead of putting a bunch of mud back on, I got it 'better' and put on some lipstick. Perhaps there will be a future where everything is all straight again, and a whole paint job gets done, but for now, this little improvement is one that I can live with.

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

[Cobra88]

Took mine for a spin to Bentwaters Airbase here in UK

I'm new to this forum after years lurking.

84 Caravelle GL Auto Tintop with Full steel sunroof.

Spent 2 days getting roof unfrozen and back in use after PO sealed it up with silicone in 1998!

Regards
Rick

[dhaavers]

^^^ Beauty! Was the wood side treatment original or added later? Very retro!

For my part, yesterday I replaced the old dry-rotted screen material with fiberglass
screening for the back hatch. Also added 6" fabric "tail" at the bottom to tuck under
the cushion, hopefully to provide one more barrier between us & the black flies...



- Dave
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[Cobra88]

Hi Dave

Woody Vinyl was added by Previous owner
I removed a lot of it from front & rear panels but quite like the Station Wagon look

I will have to remove it at some point as it was fitted over the Caravelle stripes and logos

Regards
Rick
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84 (85) model year Caravelle GL 1.9 DG Auto WBX Bronze Beige Metallic w Steel Sunroof

[Paulbeard]

Drained and filled the engine oil, replaced the filter, found a very frayed O2 sensor wire from the upstream (non-cat) sensor, stripped/crimped/taped to fix.
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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

[MsTaboo]

Installed the Westylounge bits from Boxeer. https://www.boxeer.com
As I suspected my original parts were getting kinda beat up.

Would be nice if Boxeer supplied new springs for the price!
Managed to straighten out the spring well enough to reuse, but as soon as I get a chance I'll be buying a new one.

The install video shows him installing the bits with the bed in the van, but we took ours out to keep from spreading grinding grit inside. Found some stickers that had wandered while the seat was out.
Works as advertised. Also makes folding the bed/seat easier .
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Currently:
'90 Syncro Westy 3 knob w/Zetec

The information age has morphed into the age of disinformation and willful ignorance. Agnotology!
Help the fight against Truth Decay.
Defend democracy, support Ukraine.

[Jake de Villiers]

Delightful 'Woody Wagon' van!!
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'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[bobbyblack]

As it ended at 12:01 today when we finally called it quits for the night: got the EJ22 under the Cosmo/Bluebird of Happiness, and lifted it up. Got the long stud into the starter, and briefly had the other three in their holes, but the starter stud was hanging halfway into the hole. Buggared around for a long time trying to mate that engine to transaxle! Me plus two kids were sweat soaked by the end. Perhaps we will sort it later today.
Mod'd governor.
Half shafts greased and installed.
Destroyed the overflow tank.
Grease and ATF in my hair.
But, Hi-5's all around to have gotten at least as far as we did.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[elizer]

I wish I had children. Not for the fulfillment of raising them and watching them grow, but for the extra hands when I work on stuff. But nice job. That first startup will be awesome.