Poll: Long drive, did you make it? 1,000+ miles

[wecm31]

Been back for two weeks...

Eclipse 2017 was the focus of the summer for us!!

Eganville ON to Casper WY, return via the in laws farm in
Nelson BC to pick up a grafted apple tree. So yeah, hauled
an eight foot apple tree home to ON inside the bus.

Instant shade at campgrounds!!

1985 1.9 l Westy
10,000 km
Stock, many new parts. Vanistan oil cooler.

Not a tool!! Died going into Bearspaw in Calgary. I was off to
visit a millionaire alumni buddy. Bus is wealth averse?
Gave it a rest and on our way.

Crossing the continental divide in Yellowstone after the eclipse was a challenge.
Thirty mile grade had temperature at an all time high, oil presssue an all time low😳

Saw ten other Westies on the whole trip.

Loved it!!
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Gerald P
1985 Vanagon (Betty) & 1985 BMW R80RT (Wilhelm)
vintage boxers!!

Gone are the days we stopped to decide
Where we should go, we just ride:)

[E1]

Only 100 miles from Indy now.

Bus has been flawless. Getting nervous, this can't last!
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[Paulbeard]

[crazyvwvanman]

She is an original California girl we shipped over to travel around in. We've used her there for 3 summers and 20,000 European miles. Camped in her there for a total of 30 weeks. Getting ready to bring her home.

Mark

[seventyfo]

First week in June left Orlando drove to Santa Fe and checked out the Plaza. Checking the oil after arriving the end of the dipstick bent and when I tried to straighten it broke. Since my planned route north to Pagosa Springs CO was taking us through Abiquiu I contacted ed Mr Tencent. He said he had a dipstick he could spare and since I was already going to be there I figured I'd get new hoses for my oil cooler. Chris hooked us up with a couple of dipsticks and the new hoses, it was great meeting him and getting a first look at the new sliding window louvers! Headed north to Pagosa and soaked in the hot springs, then to Mesa Verde NP for three days and checked out the ruins. From there north into Utah. Stayed in Moab at some blm camps and checked out Arches , Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point SP. Travelled through Monument Valley and camped another three days at the Grand Canyon North Rim. From there down through Sedona, put my girl on a plane in Phoenix so she could get back for work. I took three days driving back. In all around 5000 miles in 18 days. I did have a leak at the big coolant hose connector which I replaced on the side of the road about 30 miles outside of Blanding UT. (Spare parts!! Other than that the van ran flawlessly, no overheating although their were some tense moments on a few of the longer grades.
BUT a couple days after I got home I changed the oil and... Metal! My Gowesty 2.2 with 55k miles, meticulously maintained and driven, toast. I had no indication of any problems, great oil pressure, no funny noises or loss of power. After pulling the engine and measuring .036 end play I pulled the flywheel and found the thrust surface of the main bearing half gone. I tore the engine down and everything in the engine was in really great shape except the one bearing and a scratch on the crank end. My shop polished up the crank and sized the rods. Everything was still within standard specs so I replaced all the bearings and new rings. Gowesty sold me the parts I asked for, the bearings seal kit and ring sets. I'm putting it back together now. Hopefully I'll get another 55k, lol.
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85 Vanagon GL Westy GW 2.2 (Rebuilt by YT)


"I don't know you well enough to care about your comments". Watkins Cravey

[BCE56]

I got my Syncro in 2012. It was in good condition- 136 K miles, original paint, no rust or major dents.
Subie swap was performed by P.O. At the same time, he had the trans rebuilt and installed a taller top gear. This probably an unnecessary change as it creates a big gap between 3rd and 4th gears and necessitates early downshifts when pulling long grades. (Maybe OK with stock dia tires.)
A couple of P-codes caused some head-scratching, mostly resolved now with assistance from Mao at SC.

Blissfully unaware of possible failures, I set out on my first road trip in 2013. There were no mechanical issues during a 1000+ mi trip thru AZ.

I found the Samba after I got home and realized how fortunate I had been.
I spent many hours reading tech. threads here to begin improvements on my Syncro. I have upgraded brakes, suspension, AC, wheels, tires, wiring, lights, cooling system and lots of other stuff.
I invested in an IronMan awning, a paint job, door and window seals, bumpers and trim items, and a bra to protect the new paint.
...And, some metric tools.

I just returned from my fourth yearly road trip, 2400 miles thru the Mtn. States, once again with no major mechanical mishaps. (Last year I lost a window molding trim clip. This year my window crank fell off.)

Van now has 176K miles on the clock. Gets 15-16 mpg in town and better than 21 mpg on the road. So far, so good.

I love my Syncro!
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=BCE56=

'86 Syncro tintop
EJ22, OBD II early SC adapter plate conversion

Side project: '69 Frankenbug "It's alive!"

[danfromsyr]

wow, feel bad I didn't report back in here from our big trip this fall.

68oo miles from Syracuse, NY to Yellowstone/Grand canyon and back.
17 states in 17days.. many 2 gas fill up days on the trip.. sideways wind in Montana and snowed in at Yellowstone..

2 VWs
my 1980 1.8T powered ASI Riviera with no issues other than breaking a coolant fitting in the driveway the night before we left.
and my buddies 1984 Subaru 2.2pII powered westfalia, he had 2 tires low on tread have belts come loose and shake/pull. but swapped in our 2 spares over the trip and no other issues..

engine upgrades and ventilated rotor brakes FTW.

Edit: Ohh I forgot the exhaust on my 1.8T popped loose/out in Durango and I tapped it back in on the roadside.. so don't really consider that a failure, just making it know that it's time to R&R the pipes before a bigger issue.
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[llilibel03]

That's what we want to hear!
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87 syncro tintop
90 gl tin top
85 westy 2.0 tiico automatic (present)

[blurat]

1987 GL with Subaru 2.2 60 miles south of Sacramento north to Poulsbo Wa via 5 visit one day back south on 5 to San Diego for a week and back home. Only casualty was my ass.

[djkeev]

New Jersey to Great Falls Montana to Crescent City California to Great Falls Montana to New Jersey.
27 Days, 7,955 miles, the new seats were GREAT! Only minor mechanical "difficulties".

November 14, 2017

Our return to Montana!!
(No Vanagon in Photo..... too frickin' cold to get out!)

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[kourt]

Austin to Salt Lake City, UT to Green River, WY and back to Austin. One week of driving time. Camped all nights in the van. Filled the propane tank again in Green River about four days in (using the Propex all night will consume more propane). All meals cooked in the van.

2,700 miles, 45,500' net elevation gained/lost. Highest elevation was 11023 at Monarch Pass on US 50 near Gunnison, CO.

The new Peloquin differential in my automatic really made the icy roads tolerable. Sometimes got into places where I should have not driven!

No mechanical problems.

kourt

[Wildthings]

Just did 1400 miles in 2 days. Had oil leaking up around the dizzy as the o-ring is rock hard, knew that before I left. Also have fuel pressure leaking off quickly after shutdown and a failing O2 sensor, but I knew those things before I hit the road as well.

[jimf909]

Last Friday we departed Seattle at 6:30 am and drove 930 miles before arriving at Pinnacles NP 17 hours later at 11:30 pm. Along the way we stopped for coffee in Seattle, breakfast in Portland (Tasty and Alder, mmm), made four gas stops and 1 or 2 rest stops. The van was a champ slogging through the Siskiyous, cruising at 80 in the CA Central Valley and then twisting its way to Pinnacles. The long day was surprisingly easy with no fatigue. I read threads about replacement seats and like the Eurovan option but we both did fine sitting in the OG Westy seats for 15.5 out of 17 hours.

Average speed for 17 hours was 55 mph, average driving speed over 15.5 hours was 60 mph. Gas consumption was about 15.4 mpg.

The reward for all that driving was waking up in Pinnacles the next day with zero driving to do. A few days later we headed down to Jalama County Park near Santa Barbara, goofed off for the week an drove up to the Bay Area (about 1,500 miles so far). After 30K trouble-free miles the Zetec inspires confidence to drive and drive and drive.

Pinnacles...

Jalama Beach Count Park (at the end of a 14 mile dead end road). Pacific Ocean in the distance in the first photo.

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- Jim

[Jake de Villiers]

[dobryan]

I am home.

This is a new to me 1991 that I bought sight unseen with the help of the samba in Chicago and Denver.

I only changed the fuel lines, checked that the oil was fresh and drove it.

1650 miles (9am Sunday leave Denver, 2pm Tuesday arrive home near Baltimore)
19.8 mpg
1/2 quart of oil burned
Only the tail pipe and muffler broke down. The rest of the bus made it just fine.
We cruised at 65-70 mph the whole way but it was very windy and in Western PA we ran into snow.

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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[joetiger]

Nice work Dave!
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[chompy]

Just finished a trip to utah and back.
3268+ miles total in 12 days. Only problem was headlight switch went out, but was able to pull it apart and clean it while camping. Saw 15 vanagons the entire trip. Got a LOT of waves from nonVWs as we drove around.
Visited bryce, kodachrome, capital reef, goblin valley, moab, arches, and canyonlands. Will definitely be back!

Arty shot from the wife(She takes all the photos...)

Capital reef

Lower bowns

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'81 Westfalia Subaru EJ22
Manual Transmission

[dhaavers]

^^^ Love it!

Could you post a trip report? I'm headed there in June & would love to hear more details!

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

[mankowski]

Two trips that I can think of were longer than 1,000 miles.

1. Summer 2004, Portland, OR to San Francisco round trip in '87 2.1 w/163K at the time. On the way back, the coolant hose from the passenger head to the coolant ring blew because it had been rubbing ever so slightly on the power steering pump mounting. Family of four with two kids (ages 1 and 6) were stuck in the dark on the side of I-5 about 30 minutes south of Yreka. My tape repair of the hose got us to the next exit where we shortly found help from a generous soul in his moving van who took us to Yreka where we got a new hose, a motel, and then a ride back to the van in a taxi the next day. Lesson learned: keep those zip ties holding the hose to the oil filler in tight order!

2. Summer 2015, Winnipeg to Portland, OR one way, after purchasing '86 2.1 Westy with 63K from original owner. Absolutely no problems!

[chompy]