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1982 T3 AHU
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 2:51 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

The system requires a thermostat. I’m assuming you are running a thermostat? It opens to allow flow from the radiator and blocks the bypass from the cylinder head to the water pump. Without it, the majority of coolant bypasses the radiator.
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valvecovergasket
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 2:57 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

it seems like he must - its a bit of a fiddly hassle to reassemble those waterpumps without one.


im sticking with my - youve got a small air pocket that prolonged freeway driving pushed - theory.

pressure test your system. check all the connections. i bet youll find something
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erste
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 3:20 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

MarkWard, As far as I know there's a thermostat, but I've never had the housing open. So I don't know if it's the stock temp or something else and was wondering if that was part of the issue since yours seems to run so much cooler.

It's also been probably 6 years since the coolant was flushed, so maybe that's a factor. I've only ever topped it off with water or water-wetter.

thanks again guys
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 3:59 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

I’ve seen the plastic impeller on a few water pumps spin on the shaft at temp. Not saying that is the problem.
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erste
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 6:12 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

MarkWard wrote:
I’ve seen the plastic impeller on a few water pumps spin on the shaft at temp. Not saying that is the problem.

This is really good to keep in mind. Thanks for mentioning it.

I'll have more time this weekend to look at the cooling system. I want to figure out why the fan isn't turning on, get the coolant reservoir hard mounted to the firewall, and wire up the coolant level sensor. And I'll pressure check it at my friend's shop, hopefully next week.

I've been looking for a way to keep stuff under the back seat more organized and searched literally for a few hours for bins that would fit. Originally I was thinking plastic, but really liked some of the wicker options and settled on these. This didn't work out exactly as I'd hoped (they're too tall to sit sideways like I was planning), but it'll do.
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Unfortunately these are only sold in sets of 3 (sm, med, large) but the small and medium also fit in the upper storage area.
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I cut the barrel down with a jigsaw and a fine wood blade. Then sprayed it with the last of the primer I had, and painted it black with a can of rubberized undercoat that I bought when I was making the intercooler duct thing. Doubt it'll hold up, but it's better than blue.
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Put the seal on it with the little bit of weatherstrip adhesive I had left. And now I just need to get some more rivets so I can attach the latches.
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It's a hassle to drop the clamshell, but there's a lot of room in this thing for spare parts. I'm pretty close to keeping all the dirty stuff outside the van (me aside).
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:29 am    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

Love the wicker. So much better looking and certainly more flexible than plastic.
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:39 am    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

Coolant needs to flow past the radiator fan switch in order to turn the fan off and on. To test it, you can unplug the switch and jumper the plug and the fan should run. The 82 diesel originally had 2 radiator switches. Low and High. Later vans had a single switch mounted low that had both speeds built into one switch.

You've described a circulation problem resulting in high temps. Headed down the highway, except in some extreme heat, I can't imagine the fan even turning on, because there is ample air flow across the radiator at speed.

I also think if you go back and read, you installed the heater valve on the wrong leg. The directions I posted specifically state it needs to be moved to the return.

When I'm servicing a vanagon cooling system. I have both grills out and I use my hand as a way of feeling the radiator warming up. The switch gets too hot to hold your hand on, the fan is not far from starting. Its also possible to mix up the main coolant lines with a conversion.
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erste
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:28 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

MarkWard wrote:
I also think if you go back and read, you installed the heater valve on the wrong leg. The directions I posted specifically state it needs to be moved to the return.

I wasn't ignoring this info, and posted a quote on the last page from the PDF which seemed to say that the valve would work in either feed or return.

I thought I was going crazy, because I remember the instructions explicitly saying it would work in both, but didn't read it in the PDF online. Sure enough, in the instructions I have printed out it says:
"It will also work on the feed side, in fact, but only when the valve is fully open and not as effectively, so these instructions describe the recommended installation in the return hose."
Chris has updated the instructions and removed that part of the sentence.

Mark, you're right and the valve is on the feed side. I checked it about 20 times with a temp gun to make sure. The heater hose that's connected to the lower side of the coolant bulb runs to the front, enters the interior, then the valve, then to the lower hose bung on the front heater core. From what I know the core isn't directional, so that location shouldn't matter.

Thanks for the info on jumpering the fan. I'll try that tomorrow and see what's going on. It definitely should have turned on the other day when it reached 245F so something isn't right.
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erste
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:54 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

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Stainless latches riveted on and I found most of the hardware to reinstall the clamshell.
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erste
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:53 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

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The radiator was replaced with the later version and so it only has the single thermo switch. 3 wires - red/white, red/black, red/blue
middle wire, red/black is constant +12V
jumping the middle to the others, the fan turns on low and high
I can hear the relay click and I'm pretty sure it's the one above the fuse panel near the ground tree.

Is there any way to check the thermo switch without pulling it?
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 3:01 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

I would just replace it with a good Wahler unit.
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erste
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 5:03 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

ok thanks. I'll get one ordered.

I've had a saved ebay search for an AHU timing belt cover since I noticed the busted cat had melted a hole in mine. Finally got this one and installed it. both are missing the metal sleeve in the mounting hole, but it seems to be okay without it.
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55 gallon drum storage is done. I painted the clamshell with the rest of the boots brown paint.
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The stock jack wouldn't quite fit, so I trimmed some more material off the bottom of the lid.
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I need to get some better hardware for the back hinges, but it fits and doesn't interfere with the steering shaft.
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The rifle box storage is now empty and I can take the stupid thing off the roof rack. Cool
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:08 am    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

If hot coolant doesn’t flow by the radiator fan switch, it won’t operate. High speed was intended as a backup to low speed. I can count on both hands how many times my van has gone to high. It’s highly unlikely you’d have a completely failed radiator switch.

If you remove it, you can test it in a boiling pot of water and an ohm meter. I would not just change the switch for the sake of changing it.

I have to emphasize, you can’t get away with overheating these engines. You may have already done some damage. Sort the circulation out. Also, not sure what’s available, but the thermostat temp and fan switch temp work together. There are different ranges for both so pay attention to what you order. You need a matched set.

Your heater valve is intended to bleed air into the heater hose return where it can end up in the expansion tank. The way you installed it, you are bleeding air into the heater core. With the valve closed, how is the air able to flow back to the engine?
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 1:54 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

MarkWard wrote:
If hot coolant doesn’t flow by the radiator fan switch, it won’t operate.

I have to emphasize, you can’t get away with overheating these engines. You may have already done some damage.

The way you installed it, you are bleeding air into the heater core. With the valve closed, how is the air able to flow back to the engine?

I read that the area near the fan switch can get clogged. I doubt that's the case since the radiator was replaced, but I'm still skeptical that with the coolant temp anywhere over 220F, that the switch still isn't reading it's minimum value to turn the fans on.

One reason that it makes sense to replace the switch is that at least I'll know what's in there. And it'd make sense to do the thermostat too, just to be sure. Right now I have no idea.

I don't know enough about coolant flow to answer the last question, but the Vanistan valve instructions seem to state that it'll work in the feed with the valve open. But I do get your point, and I was thinking about it wrong - I was thinking that the air was being bled INTO the radiator. That's backwards, and I understand now. Thank you.

Got a 5/8 to 5/8" junction and some heater hose this morning and swapped the valve to the return side. I didn't re-use the VW hose because it was a little too short for the junction. I cut a longer section and made a more gradual loop up to the heater core.
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I couldn't re-use the P-clip that holds the heater hose to the bulkhead because it either put it too far into the glovebox or too far to the driver's side and the hose was kinked. So I cut a slot in a washer and was able to use that same mounting point to hard mount the valve.
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Turning the lever to COLD put this piece right into the glove box. So I trimmed the glovebox until it cleared. Cool
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I also realized the footwell vent hasn't ever worked because the flappy thing does nothing when the lever is switched. I drilled a hole and zip tied the new heater hose in place to keep it vertical, so the glovebox will close, and so the cable for the valve won't cut through it over time. There might be some trimming needed on the cover panel, but I think this will work.
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One thing I noticed is that when I pulled the return line junction to add the valve, it didn't leak fluid like up from the heater core like I was expecting. So I'm assuming there was an air pocket there (from the radiator purging the air into the feed line and it ending up there?)
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valvecovergasket
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:06 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

You're assuming that when the gauge read what it did that it was reading coolant - as mentioned earlier, I suspect it was air
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:33 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

valvecovergasket wrote:
You're assuming that when the gauge read what it did that it was reading coolant - as mentioned earlier, I suspect it was air

Yes. That's the first I've heard of the temp sensor reading a pocket of air like that for a sustained amount of time. Hopefully that was the case. What coolant temps are you normally seeing?

Driving around town yesterday it was pretty much stuck at 188F.
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:33 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

erste wrote:
valvecovergasket wrote:
You're assuming that when the gauge read what it did that it was reading coolant - as mentioned earlier, I suspect it was air

Yes. That's the first I've heard of the temp sensor reading a pocket of air like that for a sustained amount of time. Hopefully that was the case. What coolant temps are you normally seeing?

Driving around town yesterday it was pretty much stuck at 188F.


Granted my setup may be a bit different, I've got the main gauge sensor spliced into the top radiator hose out of the front (as oriented in the fwd car) of the motor, highest point in the engine bay. Certainly a spot air could collect there.
As I recall I saw ours spike to 215 or so on the air-filled climb I mentioned earlier before pulling over to burp and fill it.

It never goes above 195 or so otherwise and I've never heard the fan come on in all our time owning the van. On the tdi motor or the 1.9D prior to that.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 5:22 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

valvecovergasket wrote:
As I recall I saw ours spike to 215 or so on the air-filled climb I mentioned earlier before pulling over to burp and fill it.

Thanks for that info.

Driving around since swapping the valve, highest I've seen is 193. I did go to my friend's shop but he doesn't have the pressure test anymore, but we got the front end up in the air and bled the radiator. It was already well bled, so hopefully the air is out. I do still want to pressure test it.

I installed a CO/LP monitor under the rear bench. I had one mounted up high at the B pillar on the driver's side, but it went off last time we were cooking in the van since the stove was right there. This location will be better.
Really quick to wire it up with the second fuse panel under the rear seat.
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Never posted a pic of the rear spare tire storage full of stuff. Not a ton of room, but every little bit of extra space is nice to have.
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Finally swapped out the trans temp sender and switched over to the speedhut gauge. There's now space for the EGT gauge and I just got tracking info for that gauge and pyrometer from speedhut, and I have a spare manifold. I plan to get it ceramic coated after the bung is welded on.
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I'm going to start commuting next week to a new job and I've been thinking about a rear view camera for a long time. It's a little tough to parallel park at night because the windows are so dark. And I figured now was a good time to have a front dash cam since I'll be driving it every day, so I ordered this mirror from Auto-Vox.
Tested it out and it worked fine, and I got it mostly installed today. Still need to tap into the reverse circuit so it turns on automatically, and there's some issue with the reverse wiring and the lights being on all the time, so I'll fix that tomorrow.
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This mirror replaces the stock mirror and came with the metal mount that gets glued to the windshield. All it needs is +12v, ACC, and ground. And I ran the wire to the rear under the front carpet, under the front seat, up the B pillar, and back along the spice rack to the rear hatch.
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I tried out every placement I could think of and this one was the best compromise. Down by the license plate was good, but I though it was too low to act as a real rear view. This view is with the camera looking all the way down, and you can swipe the display to move the field of view up, then it's right about where the stock mirror would be. If I keep it here I'll build a small cover for it so it's less noticeable. I was skeptical about an electric mirror with a touch screen, but this one is pretty nice. You can turn the display off and it's kind of mirrored, but it's not a true mirror, more like the mirror looks when the dimmer tab is flipped.
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erste
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 10:14 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

Here are my thoughts on the rear view mirror after a week of commuting and parking: The color is a bit too cool and desaturated. The view is a lot wider, which makes cars look small and further away, but the blind spot is pretty much eliminated now. For parallel parking it's really nice to have. I can parallel park just fine, but I try to be really careful not to park by feel with the tire on the swing and with the hitch. With the camera I'm 100% sure that I haven't hit anything. When it looks close, there's still 2-3 feet to go. I think it cycled through an empty 32GB micro SD card after 3 days of commuting (5hr?). It takes about 5 seconds to turn on when you switch the key to ignition on. Main downside is that it doesn't work as a vanity mirror anymore, and you can't see what's going on in the back seat (kids, friends, dogs, etc).
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This curtain project has been a long one, but it should come together pretty soon. I bought the van with grey snap in curtains. I tried to dye them tan with Ritdye but they're synthetic and it just dyed the tag. The rear hatch curtain snaps are installed in the wrong place, so you have to open the hatch to snap in the curtain. A few of the side snaps are in the wrong place too, so it pulls on the curtain. I did end up buying the pricey GW tan front curtain that snaps in, and it's fine. Adding permanent curtains on rails will free up a little more storage space, and the convenience of sliding them closed and just snapping in the front will be worth it.

1/2" x 1/8" aluminum in 6' lengths
I bent the ends like this:
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Best way I could figure to attach the slider curtain was to follow Sewfine's lead and add a rail to the slider. This way the curtain will move with the slider. I couldn't find any photos of how that rail is bent, but after some thought I landed on this. It rattles when the door is closed, so I might add a standoff to the center, like the factory rear hatch curtain, but it probably won't rattle with curtains installed.
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The pass. rear already had snaps installed, and I went ahead and used the one on the C pillar. The one on the D pillar was a little low and it would drive me nuts not to have that rod parallel with the window, so I drilled another hole higher up.
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The driver's side was a mess. The shelf I build hugged the interior dimensions and so the curtains would have to sit lower. That would mean a 1-2" difference in curtain height side-to-side. So I took the lower shelf off, trimmed about 1.5" off, mounted the rods, removed the old CO/LP alarm, and reinstalled everything.
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Getting the driver on this screw was the biggest pain in the ass. I drilled an access hole, then a bigger hole, then a bigger hole, and finally got the driver at the right angle. Then I drilled it too far forward and the curtain rod was bowed in or out because it too long. So I slotted the holes and bent some stuff and now it's pretty good. Messy, but it'll work. I also replaced some loose screws with bolts, glued the shelf together, and tidied up the wiring that runs behind it.
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I'm making insulated curtains with 3M thinsulate and bought fabric a few months ago, but it's way too thick to double up. I remembered seeing valvecovergasket used some fabric on the headliner above the front seats and he went with a pattern from Spoonflower. They print designs on a lot of different fabrics. I ordered a swatch book and it took like 3 weeks to get here, and then I just went with the cheapest option because the yardage needed for curtains adds up quick. Hopefully the pattern I chose looks good in person. I got some backer fabric from the warehouse sale at my new job and also a leather hide that kind of matches the interior so I have some new projects in mind.

Coolant temp has been a steady 190F
Commuting MPG isn't great. 22MPG? It's been realllyyyyy windy.
After reading old_man's updates to his transaxle thread, I wanted to make sure mine wasn't low (after losing a few oz. when swapping the temp sensors). I don't really know what's going on with the trans cooler lines and pump and stuff as far as true capacity goes, so I double checked and added a bit extra since the van wasn't truly level side to side. With the pump running, trans temp gets up around 100F on the commute and that's at 60-70F ambient. The fan on the trans cooler is unplugged right now so it doesn't run too cool.
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erste
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PostPosted: Sun May 23, 2021 4:25 pm    Post subject: Re: 1982 T3 AHU Reply with quote

The fabric I ordered for the curtains didn't work out. It was a "linen" texture printed on smooth cotton and it just looked SO not authentic.
That sucked and was a waste of money, but this fabric came through the upholstery department at work and there was just enough left over to do everything except the front windshield curtain.
I patterned and cut material and my gf sewed. This was kind of a lot of work. Trying to figure out a formula to calculate cut size vs. finished size, and then figuring out the 3m thinsulate and backer layers, then each curtain gets 9 magnets sewn in that all need to be poled correctly. Evil or Very Mad Made good progress last weekend though.
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1/2" x 1/8" neodymium donut magnets from RareEarth:
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Rear upper hatch curtain rod made and installed. I used some standoffs but it's too tight up against the hatch when closed for tube curtains, so I've got drapery hooks on the way that will just slide on the rod. I don't know exactly how the stock westy curtains attach, but it must be tight for them to slide at all.
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I got the leather curtain ties from gowesty but they were all too short except two. So I ordered antique brass snaps and cut up an old belt to make new ones.
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Originally I was going to use curtain wire at the bottom but decided to shorten the height and sewn magnets in instead. I think it's a lot cleaner this way.
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The slider door has a 2" flap at the front, and a 1" flap at the back so the magnets hit the metal.
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There are a few issues with fixed curtains on the slider.
1. they rub up against the dirty exterior and will get wet in the rain when the door is open
2. as is, I can't unsnap the curtain with the door closed. Easy fix, but I don't have the snaps to fix it right now.
3. the curtains are definitely going to get shut in the door at some point.
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Still have 4 curtains left. the driver and pass. rears are cut but need to be sewn. I need to measure the hatch curtains and cut the material. Last is to sew the thinsulate and backer fabric onto the front curtain (gowesty snap in, tan) and wrap this project up.
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