Sanchius and Tuna ride again...

[sanchius]

With all the recent discussion of the value and utility of the $99 NAPA awning, it was time to either rebuild and remount my old Catalina 2500 awning that was damaged in the Syncro wreck or pick up a NAPA alternative if the Catalina was too far gone to save.

The first step was to use the press to straightened out the mangled GoWesty awning mounts.

Two new endcaps were ordered from the link that dobryan posted ( $10 each (cool) + $25 shipping (OUCH!) ): https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=756631&highlight=catalina. I sure wish I had seen dobryan's post before I spent 1.5hrs on hold with Dometic just to find out the Catalina endcaps are NLA through them. Since these end caps are NLA from the manufacturer and I have a pristine set on the way, I am reaching out to some maker contacts to create a 3-D scan of them so we have the file/model to 3-D print them when they become NLA even from the aftermarket vendors.

The critical roller tube to upper vertical leg interfaces were in bad shape from when I originally acquired it. The band-aid fix I made to the top of the legs worked fine, but I wanted to restore the functionality of being able to fold and store the legs inside the awning case as it was originally designed to do, instead of carrying the legs around separately and bolting them on each time I used it.

It turns out that the 4-foot 1/16" thickness 3/4" aluminum box tube carried by Home Depot ($17) and Big R Ranch Supply ($11) are an exact match for the upper leg piece I needed to replace. In fact, the replacement piece feels stouter than the original part. The top end needs to be shaped to fit the U connector and a stop knob fitted to the bottom end.

The top of the new support legs were carefully cut and fitted...

I made the stop knob by grinding these inserts down to fit snugly in the tube without spinning. I reset the tension at each end of the big fabric roller, fitted everything together, and put 'er up.

Ahhhh, success!!!

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The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
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[dobryan]

Looks great!
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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

[sanchius]

Note to self: When rechecking the CV bolts torques a week after installation, the bolts whose threads have never-seeze and grease on them will snap long before you ever reach the 33 ft-lb tightness spec, so clean and adjust the torque spec accordingly.

As expected, the broken CV bolt end turned out easily and it was a simple fix using a spare CV bolt from the surplus fastener drawer.

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[Abscate]

I’m guessing a defective fastener. Breaking an M8 with a lubed 33 ft lbs?
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[dobryan]

[4Gears4Tires]

[dobryan]

[mikemtnbike]

I've broken bolts because as I later realized my clicker torque wrench was a POS and wasn't registering when it should. Don't use POS torque wrenches, a tool worth spending extra money for. (I know this likely does not apply to your situation Sanchius just adding here so others can learn from my mistakes).
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1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[sanchius]

If you'll notice from my posting history, I never drive my vans more than ~100 miles from home. This was because I didn't simply never trusted them to get me back home from any further away than that. This needed to change.

Inspired by the epic trip reports posted by TigerJoe and so many others here, all the work I've been doing renewing and upgrading the van over the past couple years has been focused on getting the van to a state where I trust it for long road trips.

After upgrading/renewing all the suspension bushings & bits, the radiator & all the flexible coolant lines, the entire fuel system including the tank, new pop-top tent, countless cosmetic upgrades, and, most recently, repairing the awning and rebuilding the WBX engine as a 2.2L with RJE 95.5mm pistons/cylinders, a CB 2252 cam, and MansiSpeed injectors & 1.25 rockers, it was time to put it to the test.

So I gave poor Tunes a doggy treat & a pat on the head and hit the road west.

The goal was to join my brother and a group of his automotive friends at the 2021 Monterey Motorsports Reunion vintage races at Laguna Seca in Monterey CA, a ~700 mile trip from Reno.

The first stop was to join up with my brother in San Francisco. The van, with the new engine and recently rebushed & aligned suspension, performed flawlessly heading up over the Sierra passes, with lots of power and no surprises. It definitely could use a 5th freeway-flyer gear on the long downhills and straights. As I descended into the Central Valley and into the Bay Area, the new engine LOVED the fat, cool, low-altitude air. I was extremely happy with how the rebuilt van was performing.

We stopped up on Bernal Hill for some beauty shots over the city, then headed down to his shop to get the rest of the camping gear loaded in the vans.

A long-time dream of mine has been to drive down the Pacific Coast on Route 1 in my own camper van. So on this trip I made it so; heading south and stopping in Pacifica and the many coast parks, continuing into Santa Cruz and down to Monterey.

And finally arriving at the race track a few hours later. The only problem I encountered was that during the drive down along the coast, the battery light started coming on dimly above 3500rpm, indicating worn alternator brushes, which are dead simple to change out once you find the replacement brushes or voltage regulator unit.

My brother had scored an awesome campsite overlooking Turn 5 and we set up camp. The real surprise with this race camping was how friendly everyone around us was, some of whom had been coming to these same spots for decades. Camped around us were retired racers and mechanics, vintage car collectors/restorers, and the like. Over the weekend the group on our hill-top became fast friends, sharing meals, gear, cocktails, and stories over the campfire. The old-timers around us uniformly detested the people who had been in our spot for years and made it clear how much they welcomed us new guys. Once you secure a camp spot, you have first dibs on it the following year, so we'll be making sure we lock down this spot for years to come.

It was awesome, I didn't even have to get out of bed to watch the races.

The drill at the track was the racing would start as the thick marine layer fog burned off around 8:30am, after which the morning and afternoon sessions proceeded under beautifully clear and warm conditions during the day, finishing around 5pm or so, leaving time to get dinner going and socialize until the marine layer fog rolled back in around 8pm, at which point all the camp fires would start to keep warm and one becomes very glad to be camping in a warm dry Westy instead of on the ground in a tent.

The vintage races are just one of the many automotive events in the area that weekend, such as the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and 3-4 major collector car auctions. Part of the fun is attending the other parallel events. Concours d'Elegance entrants get extra points for participating in a Thursday morning tour along the coast, so the first morning we drove down to the coast road to watch the parade of amazing classics drive by.

One of the nicest things about race-camping with friends is that everyone shares the meal duties and prepares something special. One fellow brought down his smoker and prepared a weekend's worth of delicious ribs. For Friday breakfast, our token east-coaster had shipped in her favorite Bagels and Lox from NYC and set up a complete Baltimore Bloody Mary spread. Needless to say, we (over)ate very well the entire weekend.

I hitched a ride with one of the group headed in to display his one-of-a-kind Neon-S(awzall) 2-door Cabriolet at the Concours d'Lemons in nearby Seaside. There were many "interesting" vehicles there, including a few buses.

Let's take a closer look at that sign...

Though it was the Frenchies who seemed to be having the most fun there. I asked for their very worst culturally-contemptuous Frenchy sneer and they were too busy laughing, joking, and tippling their bubbly to do any better than this.

An hour or so later, all d'Lemoned out, I caught a ride back to the race track with one of our camp neighbors to check out the vintage race cars and the afternoon sessions. The first task for me was to find the Jaguars. The driver of the white XK-120 drives it out 350 miles from Reno on the road, races it all weekend, then drives it back, saying that's how real vintage racing should be done.

The Italians and Germans were very well represented...

As well as the Americans...

And AudiSport showed up with this beast...

A stop at the flag vendor let me replace the hippy music festival awning side shade with something more appropriate for the racing venue.

Around the campground, there were perhaps more Vanagon Westies than Sprinters...

Including one Eurovan casualty we saw being hauled out of the Pebble Beach parking lot.

But mainly it was four days of extremely clean, yet highly competitive, vintage racing with beautiful cars in an awesome setting, surrounded by friends old and new. It was a delightful weekend.

Monday morning, after four glorious days at the track, it was time to strike camp and head back. Over the weekend, I had called the local parts places and they couldn't have the bushes I needed in until Tuesday, so we headed over to the Salinas Pick-n-Pull to find a replacement, which cross-references to many mid-80s to 90s Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volvos, & VWs.

The bone yard was full of big MB battlewagons with the right alternators in an easy to access location.

We pulled about four voltage regulator units and kept the best two (left) to replace my worn down original (right) and swapped the best one in. Problem solved.

Then it was time to part ways with my brother and head east back to Nevada.

The 103° drive through the south Central Valley farmland was brutal with no AC, but the new motor didn't seem to even notice it.

But soon I was out of the heat and climbing back up into the cool of the Sierras, headed for Sonora Pass on Hwy 108.

At this point in the trip, I had really begun to trust my Van just as I came across this side road, which seemed to sum up the trip at this point.

Climbing from there, the upper Sonora Pass road became extremely steep with several 25 degree grades that had me creeping along in first gear for awhile. Again, the new engine didn't miss a beat and soon I crested the top.

Then it was an exhilarating ride back down the east side of pass through a lot of burned forest areas and back home just as the sun set over Reno.

Back home, Tunes was happy to reclaim her shotgun seat, ready for new outings and adventures in a trustworthy van.

A video commentary, with a long conversation on the sport with the Jaguar XK-120 driver, James Alder, who drives it the 300 miles from Reno to Monterey to race it.


Link
--->>> Video starts at 11:21 <<<---
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The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
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[kamzcab86]

[jimf909]

All those day trips were w/in 100 miles of home? That shows how much fun can be had near home.
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- Jim

[Abscate]

[dobryan]

Awesome to get farther afield. Now you know you can go anywhere.

Thanks for the pics.

What a great weekend. I'll put that on my bucket list to join you all for that race weekend.
_________________
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

[DuncanS]

A fabulous series of photos. My favorite was the C Jag which I used to lust after when I was a kid.

[sanchius]

We went on a couple outings this weekend, one to the NW to visit a nice brewpub in the woods and another to the SE to Silver Springs.

This map also shows the tiny Lake Tahoe - Truckee River - Pyramaid Lake endorehic watershed in which we tend to play, spending a lot of time up on Donner Pass and around Donner Lake, with occasional forays east into the desert. With large forest fires in the dense woods both to the SW and NW of us, unless the winds are from straight west, we've been covered with smoke for the last month.

The first outing was an up-and-back to the wonderful Brewing Lair nestled in the big sugar pines just outside of Graeagle, CA. The drive started very clear, but strong winds from the SSW were forecast to bring smoke in from the Caldor Fire SW of Lake Tahoe into the area later in the day. Sure enough, halfway back we hit a veritable wall of heavy smoke that forced us to quickly close all the windows and turn off the vents. Without AC, that wasn't the funnest experience.

Sunday, was a trip to Carson City to transfer one of our telescopes to a new owner. The smoke was still in the Hazardous scale, so I put some retaining wires in the front air vent and installed a rolled-up MERV 10 furnace air filter element inside the intake to block the smoke. It really helped and the airflow through the vents at speed was so strong that I think I will try a finer MERV 13-16 filter next.

Then, after stopping in Dayton to chat with a new Westy owner in the area, it was a jaunt east to complete the Hwy-50 F-111 geochallenge issued by my brother to get a picture of the van with the huge derelict airframe plopped down next to the highway out by the Silver Springs airport. The normal 40-mile visability is down to just a mile or so from all the smoke.

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The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
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[BlueTwo]

"Woof", "almost WOXOS out here", said the husky

[Abscate]

Thanks for sharing the fur machine with us.

Sad panda Abscate missing one of his pups this month.
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.ssS!

[Schnippzle]

Great trip reports. Looks like some amazing times were had.

[sanchius]

Over the weekend, Tuna and I helped a newcomer to the area set the valves and check the compression on his very solid German-delivery Westy. This was his first experience wrenching on his van and, since he did all the labor while I lollygagged and "supervised", he became very competent at finding TDC, setting the valve preloads & torquing the rocker adjustment screw lock nuts, checking compression, and running the spark plugs in & out and torquing them to spec. Tuna was right at home sleeping on the back seat or sitting shotgun in her usual place

Mrs S loves her case clocks and the van handled this one easily. Yes, I know it's best to transport these vertically, but she comes from a long line of clocksmiths and supervised the careful disassembly of the internals and packing for moving.

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[sanchius]

On a more serious note, this has been a summer of intense fire and smoke around here.
From our porch we can see the huge Dixie forest fire plume to the north...

...and the Caldor Fire plume, approaching South Lake Tahoe, to the south.

When Tunes and I were hiking in that area last fall searching for an old Lockheed Constellation plane wreck site from the 1960's, that whole forest was bone dry and the hundred years of dead branches and pine needles littering the forest floor so deep that I'm not at all surprised that these burns are so ferocious and uncontainable.

To help, last night Mrs S and I were down at the SLT evacuation center in Carson City assisting with evacuee intake and placement. With the Carson City emergency facilities now full, we'll be shifting to support the Reno Convention Center overflow facility today. 20,000 people are being evacuated out of the SLT area, so we expect this to be a busy day.

If any Sambanistas impacted by these evacuations need housing or services, please contact me via PM.

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The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
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