Reviving a Syncro

[dkoesyncro]

Hey Joe,
How are you liking the iabed rear main seal? I am looking to replace my seal with one. I got my oem to seal however, now that it's out on the stand it looks like it's under attack. It looks kinda burnt or something is eating it, very strange?

[elizer]

those ronals look great on the syncro. Good luck with the sale!

[joetiger]

[sanchius]

[BavarianWrench]

Hello Joe, the Syncro looks great! Glad you're keeping the wheels.

[joetiger]

[benandmj]

Condolences Joe. I sold my brown '85 Weekender last week. All in on the Syncro now.
_________________
85 Westfalia Weekender
91 Syncro Westy

[joetiger]

The long and comprehensive Westy sale process has concluded. I've sent Tatanka off with its new owners knowing they got a great van. More on that later, but when they left yesterday, I jumped in the Syncro to go deposit the check and it really hit me:

I muttered aloud, "it's just you and me now." Strange feeling, not having my trusty Westfalia waiting in the wings. I guess I just wasn't meant for polygavanagonamy.

I'm happy that I can now dedicate much more time and energy to this van. (And to Bubbles, which needs a few things before being bestowed upon my daughter in July. But I'll save that for the New Beetle forum.)

In the spirit of commerce, I returned home and promptly lit up my laptop with orders to some, or possibly all, of our distinguished vendors. Enough to keep me busy for a good while anyway.
_________________
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

[joetiger]

After reading feedback from MSewalson, DaveVickery, and SyncroJael regarding the GoWesty doka-style driveshaft, I decided to replace my clanging, vibration-prone original with one.

Plus, they were on sale last week for $265 so why not.

I also realized that back when I replaced all of the trans and diff mounts, I'd under-ordered a reused an old one for the nose of the diff. I replaced it with a new set from RMW which put the diff angle at its proper position.

I went with the VanCafe method of alignment, keeping the front loose and driving around the 'hood for a couple of miles.

I'm happy to report that I'm driveline noise- and vibration-free. There's something to be said for refinement. Every little step makes this thing more enjoyable to drive.

I also picked up a few second hand parts last week. A nice couple in Aurora with a '91 Multivan with a 300 HP STI mated to Subaru trans sold me two jumpseats, all hardware, trays, and a rear cushion for a very, VERY fair price. All I really wanted was the rear mattress, but I'll mount the driver's side jump seat bracket so I can have another option for cabin layout.

I also replaced all interior lights with LED's. With another storm moving in this week, I think I'll remove the cluster, clean it up, and replace its lights with LED's, a nice and easy weeknight kitchen table project.
_________________
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

[raoul mitgong]

Look for feedback on those cluster LEDs. Bright is not what I like in that area but others do dig it.
-d
_________________
84 Westy with a 2.1 (Groover)
86 Tintop Syncro (Crow)
86 Tintop Syncro to Westy project (Tom Servo)
91 Westy (Only the top 12 inches of this van (a burn victim))

[joetiger]

[joetiger]

I pulled the cluster this evening and cleaned many years of filth from it with toothpicks, q-tips, and ammonia-free glass cleaner. What was the black gunk that the q-tips picked up? Congealed dust from the cluster plastic? Who knows. The cluster is in great shape though, no cracks and everything works but the clock. I added the standard blue LED's from superbrightLEDs.com.

They are not nearly as bright as these pictures would indicate. There is no glare; just soft blue light and sharp gauges, quite soothing. My usually stellar Galaxy S9 camera would not cooperate.

They are brighter than the ones in my former van, but not by much.

After tomorrow's blizzard it's supposed to be sunny and 50 degrees by Saturday; looking forward to oil leak mitigation and rear bench/bed building.
_________________
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

[dobryan]

Jus marking its territory.
_________________
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]

Prior to St Paddy's Day pints with the lads at the pub (I'm writing in this dialect because 23 and Me recently informed me that I'm 40% Irish or some such malarkey,) I had a few hours Saturday to do a few small things.

First was to replace the low-pressure oil switch that had been the source of at least one of my oil leaks.

Now I wait, part in hand, for the high pressure oil switch to start leaking...

A while back, I replaced the slider door panel with ABS. It's been loud and occasionally rattly so I removed it and added 3/4" closed-cell foam on top the the existing Dynamat. I also added some weather stripping to the raised areas to create more firm spots where the ABS touces metal.

I'm happy to report that the door is dead silent now.

I took a peak underneath the van as I do constantly just to see how things are looking, and it appears that the bomb cyclone of last week was still responsible for some ongoing shifting weirdness. Cleaned it out and re-lubed.

The vinyl B-pillar cover was ratty, torn, and coming apart, so I yanked it off exposing a bunch of nasty adhesive residue. I've never liked the vinyl B-pillar covering. I prefer the bare metal of my 2wd van.

Goo-Gone to the rescue. It took a few coats/soaks to get it cleaned up.

(3M makes a superior adhesive removal product but this is what I had in the garage.)

I'd noticed recently that my AC unit, scheduled for removal, was sagging badly on one side. I removed the plastic side pieces and was working on the brace on the passengers side when, quite suddenly, down it came. Luckily I was going at it from the bench seat so I avoided what would have been at minimum an irritating bump on my head.

I was able to remove all of the wiring and hoses without any damage to me or the van. To those who question the sanity of removing the AC, it is soon being replaced with an in-dash unit from Van-Again. I'll keep the pieces in case I decide at some later time to add a second condenser.

The panoramic view out of the back of the van is spectacular!
_________________
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

[joetiger]

With the advent of Daylight Savings, I'm happy to be working outside the garage again with plenty of room to move around and get little things done between getting dinner together and taking my daughters to their myriad weeknight obligations.

I removed everything from the cabin last night (for either the third or fourth time, not sure) so I could add some insulation, add a jump seat behind the driver's seat, and disassemble the rear bench to see if I can make it work with the BD hinges.

The seat back has phillips screws that were pretty much seized on. With glee, I grabbed one of my favorite tools, the ratcheting impact screwdriver:

This thing was a godsend on rusty undercarriage screws and made short work of these.

Once I got it all apart, I was surprised by how light the bottom bench portion is. The back section is much heavier.

(Not a very interesting post, but it's kind of dead at work today.)

Last night I also agreed to purchase an NAHT top and need to find some time to go pick it up. Then I need to find some time to install it.
_________________
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

[joetiger]

The interior panels on this van are ratty, damaged, smelly, and overall disgusting.

I looked into TMI and Sewfine, but in the end decided to save some cash, keep it utilitarian, and go with ABS.

I had bought and was satisfied with the hatch panel and slider panel from our resident ABS vendor, so I got in touch with him via email and placed an order for rear quarters, wedge pieces, the large driver's side, and the two front door panels. We agreed on price and shipping, and I Paypal'd him the money.

Four days later, my money was refunded. I inquired via email (on the same thread upon which we'd discussed the order and shipping) as to why my order was not processed, and got zero response.

Anger is a great motivator, and this thread is a great guide:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=644954&highlight=abs++panels++krylon

I called around and found Professional Plastics, a distributor about two miles from my house, and the next day was in possession of a 4x8 sheet of my very own 1/8" ABS for $80. I figured I'd start with one sheet and see how it went before getting another.

I found that using an oscillating multi-tool was a great way to make the long cuts. For the holes, I used a metal punch, a 1/8" drill bit, and finally a step bit for a clean look.

Per the referenced thread above, I used Bulldog Adhesion Promoter and Krylon Fusion Satin Khaki for paint on the wedges forward. Be warned--Bulldog is very serious stuff. You must have ventilation and a mask. It works great, though.

Second of four coats:

For the second sheet of ABS I went with white, which was $15 more expensive. I figured I'd get better coverage with less paint, and I was right. Unfortunately the color is a bit off, but the wedges will be mostly blocked by the rear bench so no big deal.

I also added USB ports to each of the wedges and will add flip-down cupholders after the bench is finished.

There's a lot of dentist office taupe going on, but I like the simplicity. We'll add some color to the interior with upholstery and seat covers.

These fasteners work really well. They're single-use and a bitch to remove, so if you're doing this and know you'll need to remove panels a time or two, order plenty.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008427D88/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Oh--I got an email back from the vendor ten days after the initial interaction. My money was refunded because I didn't include order details in my Paypal payment. In the end, I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Saved me around $200 and forced me to become much more handy with my multi-tool.
_________________
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

[joetiger]

Last night I had some spare time (while waiting for a foam shipment for the rear bench) and decided to change the oil and hunt some oil leaks, a common pastime. Some people catch up on correspondence or tend a garden; this is what I do.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that I thought one leak was coming from the oil cooler gasket. Then I looked closer, and it was staring me in the face.

The raised ring around the pipe should be behind the clip, not in front of it. No wonder it's pissing oil from that side.

Happiness for an easy fix, embarrassment for not seeing it before (and for not putting the damned thing on correctly in the first place.)

This morning, that area was leak free after the drive to work! Short lived jubilation, though, as there's a different leak on the driver's side which I noticed was mixed with some coolant. The coolant appears to be coming from a slightly weeping bolt on the head coolant distribution flange. My first guess on the oil would be the sender that's right there, but it looked clean. I'll dig deeper when I get home.

(And the guy who walked by while I was totally up under the van in a downtown Denver parking lot at 6:30 AM is probably still wondering what the hell I was doing.)

The adventure continues.
_________________
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

[Slimvest]

Nice work on the ABS panels. Thinking I'd save some money, I made my own for the rear hatch and sides too. Was as just about to order the big driver side panel due to laziness, but maybe I won't be able to get one based on your experience.
_________________
'87 GL w/ Reimo top

[tjet]

Looks good

[campism]