Reviving a Syncro

[joetiger]

A few mundane updates:

Added an LED light bar from Van Cafe. There are probably cheaper options elsewhere, but I like this one. I had two in my last van. Provides warm light, can be twisted/adjusted to point the light, and it's durable. It's super simple to mount and wire via the dome light circuit behind that side air vent. I'll probably add another above the engine bay.

Also added a Sirius XM receiver. Not everybody's cup of tea but I still dig Sirius. I was streaming from my phone previously, but I'd lose service in remote areas. I also considered a new head unit with it built-in, but I like my head unit--it took me forever to figure the damned thing out and it's compatible with my Ipod Classic. This XM receiver model is a bit antiquated but it was free with a subscription renewal.

I ran the antenna behind the dash, under the driver's side carpet, and followed the solar cables up to the roof. I also took the opportunity to tape-seal the vent fan and solar connection box.

(I should also mention that the Nostalgic Air vents are garbage. They won't stay put when I get them aimed. I plan on replacing them with Vanagon vents.)

I was on a small-project roll. Let's go ahead and install a Gene Berg Short Shift Kit.

I had some trouble aligning the shifter so that it didn't easily bump into reverse/G. Once I had it lined up well, I added some blue loctite and tightened down the the bolts.

Damn. Okay maybe we'll wait on the shift kit.

Looking forward to our annual weekend on Wellington Lake. I hope everybody has a fun and safe one.

_________________
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]

We headed up to Wellington Lake for our Labor Day weekend camping trip with a few other families (socially distanced, of course.) The lake is private and does not allow motorized watercraft. There's plenty of space to spread out and enjoy, and the Colorado Trail is nearby for good hiking.

With four inflatable SUPs, one inflatable kayak, an add-a-room, four sleeping bags, full camp kitchen, and everything else in my garage, we headed up on Friday afternoon. It was hot as hell but the van did fine, although we were painfully slow getting up the hills.

I had the AC blasting on full the whole time. The little ceiling-mounted fans to the back actually kept the girls pretty comfy.

We saw a familiar Westy off the road in Bear Creek Friday evening and stopped off to say hello. I don't think they're Samba members but they have this gorgeous '83 Westy (and a '90 Syncro TDI tin top imported from Poland.)

Rolling out the boards on the first morning. The Viair 400b inflated five paddleboards and two kayaks that morning. Love that thing.

My site was visited by a murder of crows Saturday afternoon. Kinda creepy, but I do like crows. "Russell Crowe, Sheryl Crow, Hume Cronin..."

The ARB room is very spacious and useful for long stays in one spot. The girls all slept in the van and I slept on a cot in the room. One issue with the ARB room is that the vehicle-side opening doesn't line up well with the Vanagon sliding door. As a result, there's a big gap at the bottom. That explains the tap-tap-tapping of a chipmunk running around on the floor each night. I could never catch the little f*%ker.

All in all, a great weekend of hiking, paddleboarding, and hanging out with good friends.

_________________
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]

Fun!
_________________
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]

Yesterday I repacked/replaced some rear CV's then installed an electric coolant pump as shown in this thread:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=534812

In our cold snap a few weeks ago, I found that the Vintage Air unit only blows hot air when the RPM's are up, leading me to the conclusion that the ABA water pump isn't up to the task at idle.

I added a switch next to the HVAC controls. (My daughter painted the ring around the switch with red nail polish to make it stand out a bit more.)

The pump definitely pushes the coolant. Unfortunately it's difficult to really test its effectiveness at augmenting the heater when it's 85 degrees outside.
_________________
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]

Come to Maryland. It was 39 last night. 🙀
_________________
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]

It's been a while since I've updated this thread so I figured I'd get it caught up with the limited goings on of the fall.

I ran over my bike tray with that other car and destroyed it; I probably shouldn't have left it on the floor back there. So I got a new (old) one for twenty bucks.

We got in a hike outside RMNP just before the big fires started.

In early October, I headed to Moab to meet up with a few good cats via a winding westerly trip through Colorado.

I went over Guanella Pass first.

Then over Independence pass and down to Aspen.

Pretty trees, but Aspen just sucks. The traffic is awful.

Then I made my way to Rifle Gap, which was gorgeous with the fall colors. Here's a bad photo of a fantastic trail that got darker, bumpier, and nastier the farther I went.

I ended up way, way back in the woods, and happened upon this perfect camp site. Unfortunately I didn't get to camp there because I needed cell service to deal with some stuff back home.

But I found a good spot eventually.

I think I've figured out my favorite part of these trips: waking up in a campground far from home and on the way to somewhere, with a hot cup of coffee and nothing but time. It's pure bliss.

The river road into Moab that morning, smoky but still stunning.

First guy at the site.

A small and properly distanced gaggle of Vanagons.

Shafer Trail:

(Thank you Dave!)

My eyes almost popped out of my head when this Syncro arrived at camp.

Back in the '90's, there were only four or five websites that people had dedicated to their Vanagons. This van, Sunny the Syncro, was one of them. I devoured the photos on that site back when I was put-putting around in my '85 GL. It was quite the treat to see it up close after 20-plus years.

Amazingly, the website still exists.

http://www.haywood-sullivan.com/vanagon/

We had a great time in Moab. Too short, like all great times, but man was it nice to get out there before winter.

Back in Denver, Carmine is growing into his copilot role.

I met up with three other vans a few Saturdays ago to say hello.

A few weeks back, I went up to the mothership and spent the afternoon with Mike.

I picked up this discarded roof rack from him.

...which you may recognize from here:

http://www.livethevanlife.com/van-build

Little did I know, this is a sought-after item. My van was in a pic on recently Fbook and I had two inquiries as to whether I was "keeping it" or not?

Truth is, I'm not sure if I like it. I might instead prefer the clean lines of the NAHT top.

Plus, I neither surf nor own a surf board; snowboards might fit up there though. Between the top two bars is where the solar panel fits, but it interferes with my vent fan. So, I don't know. I'm trying to figure out if it can be functional for me or not, so any advice is welcomed. I'm drawing a blank. I do like the LED lights, though.

I suppose I need to ask myself whether it brings me joy or not.

With the colder weather, I have a new water pump coolant flange leak; the flange o-ring swells in the heat and all is well, then it contracts in the cold and I get a small puddle of coolant. I might get into that this weekend.

Stay safe out there Vanagonians!
_________________
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

[Squidfish]

My favorite van on here, thanks for the updates! BBM Love the new hightop rack -- the new owner of the blue LTVL van is local here in CA now, too funny it was at RMW.
_________________
1985.5 - Vanagon Westfalia Weekender Wolfsburg Edition - LH8U - "Penny"
- 2.6i 5-Cylinder 10v (2004)

[mikemtnbike]

Looks like great times, Joe. I sure hope I get back out there more in 2021. As a frontline healthcare worker, I've been extra careful with throwing my personal air around, have kept my bubble small/local. I turn 50 next year and unless the trip to Scotland we had to cancel this year can happen in 2021 (sadly, I doubt it), I hope to finally do a trip that will more than qualify me for the 1000-miles plus thread.

Anyway, thanks for sharing.
_________________
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

[Zeitgeist 13]

Sunny is a real blast from the past. For years that was the only TDI swap detailed on the webz. I stared at it for hours back when I was planning my own swap.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[joetiger]

[dobryan]

Joe, it was awesome to hang with you and the rest of the gang in Moab. Thanks for leading me down Shafer! 🙀😀

Steve drove Sunny out from Maryland for his maiden voyage, Sunny has been sitting for ten years or so and is a little crusty. 4200 miles and no break down. Sunny is currently with us in Key West at Boyds.

_________________
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]

[joetiger]

I've been doing a few odds and ends on the van lately, getting ready for a (fingers crossed) trip out to the desert here in the next couple of months.

The cold-weather coolant leak that I mentioned above was an easy fix. With these plastic coolant system pieces, it's always best to spend the extra money and use OEM VW. Everything else seems to be low-grade crap.

You can see where it was leaking around the mating area in this pic.

(The bummer with the ABA is that you have to remove the PS pump and bracket to get to the thermostat. Kind of a hassle but not difficult.)

Both of my rear side markers were cracked and weather-beaten. I don't like the look of the chunky trailer markers that some have used but my cheapskate side was pushing back on $23/side for OEM-style replacements. But then I came across these:

https://vanguy.net/products/vanagon-led-side-marker-lights

They're LED's and a bit smaller than oem, but they fit perfectly and do the job. The pair were the price of a single OEM lens.

Next up, I noticed a drip/small puddle of fluid on the driver's floor mat. Before even looking for the source, I had myself agitated. The master and the clutch master are two years old and I was not excited about jumping into that again so soon. But thankfully, I was just a victim of my own superhuman strength:

Relief. Don't overtighten these delicate parts!

A new one is $8 or so from our friends at Van Cafe.

I've never liked the ABA power steering reservoir where I had it originally mounted, back there behind the coolant reservoir. I also didn't like the coolant bottle so low related to the engine height, nor having it mounted to a thin rim of the original hatch mount.

I re-mounted the coolant reservoir higher up, on a metal bracket that had originally come with the van. I found an aftermarket PS reservoir for a BMW of some sort and mounted it with an L bracket and a big hose clamp. Much better.

I also replaced the low-pressure PS hoses. The old ones were leaky and almost completely degraded; I could tear them with my hands--something I discovered while doing the coolant flange. What a mess.

Back to the interior, I mounted a 12v receptacle (a la Erste) and a cheap LED light on the kick panel. I think this light will be very handy when fumbling around for stuff on the floor at night.

I had an old 6-terminal fuse panel in my box of electrical discards, so I added it to the area by the batteries to run back-of-van accessories. (no pic but it's not the most exciting thing...)

I also added a couple of these pull shades from GoWesty. The front windshield one is very durable and works great, so I decided to get some for the side windows.

The way they mount on the windows, they do leave a gap. I have some adhesive-backed black vinyl that I'll probably use to fill in those spaces a bit.

One downside to removing curtains is now you can see the awful condition of the C-pillar surface. I'm going to attempt to clean it up and paint it. That dried adhesive residue is a bear to remove, though.

I've been trying to figure out a table solution for the back. I have the little Westfalia front table which works great with the Vanlife center console, so I thought it would be good if I could use it in the back, too.

Again, here comes Erste with a GREAT idea, perfectly executed:

...but alas, I am neither a carpenter nor a designer. I have one of those same front pedestal brackets, but couldn't figure out how to make it work with my limited skills. To the Samba I went, poring over ideas, night after night. Finally, I found an ancient thread about outside table mounts. This thread is full of really good ideas, and relatively few dead photos. Check it out.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;start=40

Four or five posts down, RedBeard talks about using stage lighting clamps welded to a jack as an outside table mount. Brilliant. They're five bucks each from Amazon, so I ordered a couple to see what they're about.

To my surprise, they are very heavy and well-built. I played around with a few locations and finally decided to mount them on the front of my subwoofer.

I took the sub box apart, reinforced it, added the brackets, then bolted it solidly to the kick panel. It's not going anywhere.

...And now I can use the little table in the back in a few different positions, as a galley or a worktop.

I'd rather have the newer style table and leg with the flat mounts, but this'll work! I'm very happy with it. Those lighting brackets are cheap and effective; I'll use this for a bit and see if I need to improve anything.

Yesterday it was time to face up to the fact that my brand-new right front axle had sprung a leak. The boot, a Lobro, had somehow gotten a half-inch slit in the face of it and was flinging CV grease all over the upright and wheel.

He who is without sin may cast the first stone, but yes, I cleaned the area, roughed it up, and put on a square of flex seal tape. It actually lasted for about 2000 miles--something to consider for an emergency?

I considered cleaning it up and trying Shoe-Goo. But I conferred with DO'Bryan about Shoe-Goo and he basically said "do the work."

Damnit, he's right.

I re-packed the joints and put fresh boots on both ends. It was the usual Syncro front end wrestling match and grease party, but hopefully this axle will stop giving me trouble for a minute.

I have been able to get out and play in the snow a few times this winter. I took a cold drive to Rocky Mountain Arsenal Animal Refuge on a snowy Saturday to test out the Vintage Air heater (works great!)

...and got up to Granby for NYE with our old friends who are also on a pretty standard Covid testing regimen.

Now that I've written all of this out, it's a lot more stuff than I thought I'd done.

I still want to make insulated covers for the upstairs windows and maybe figure out a different grey water solution.

Plus, my alternator is making a 'zshing!" sound. I have a spare that I may throw in.

I have a tire question but I'll find a better thread for that one.
_________________
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]

Awesome work Joe. Glad to see the continual improvement.
_________________
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

[erste]

Nice solution for mounting the rear table! I've never had a rear table until recently and it's so much more useful than the front table.

Lots of work done! PS res. looks good. What's next?

[joetiger]

[vanagonjr]

I was browsing this thread on my lunch hour and it was funny to see mention of Sunny above. My friend snapped these pictures today in Tennessee and texted them to me. Just sent to a few friends.

_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

[dobryan]

^^^^^

That is Steve (rsvp) on his way with Sunny to La Paz in Baja.
_________________
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]

Saturday I decided to get on the highway a bit to see how the van felt after recent work. It was a crisp, cold morning, and I opened the door to find a surprise puddle of brake fluid.

Clutch master looked fine.

It's coming from above.

I removed the cluster. The cap is new, as mentioned above, and was nice and snug. I looked more closely and found major seepage around the reservoir grommets (hard to see in this pic.)

It was around twenty degrees at that point so my first thought was cold weather shrinkage. The van doesn't get driven nearly enough so maybe lack of action has created a problem, similarly to my earlier coolant leak. Or, maybe I tore a grommet muscling around in there while doing the AC project.

Against what many of you would consider better judgement, I decided to clean everything up, top it off, and go for my drive.

I also ordered a couple of new grommets from Buslab (RMW is sold out.)

I headed east onto the plains and recalled that I've always wanted to visit the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic site.

https://www.nps.gov/sand/index.htm

I turned south from I-70 onto 287 in Limon and realized that this would be a long and remote trip. But, I figured I'd gone this far, might as well make a day of it.

One thing I didn't realize was that there was a high wind warning on the plains on Saturday. The wind was blowing 30-50 MPH from the north. I literally sailed down the highway, but in the back of my mind I knew I would have to return in a fierce headwind.

The site is almost to the Kansas border, about 175 road miles from my house in east Denver. I know that the plains seem boring to some but I find the expanse breathtaking.

Several well-maintained dirt roads brought me to the site.

I stopped by the ranger station and, as with all of my park ranger interactions, the rangers were friendly and gave me an informative summary of the area.

The packed parking lot.

What a solemn place it is. I didn't take photos along the trail because I felt it would be disrespectful. And I when I say I could feel it, I mean I could FEEL it. I was the only person there. A nice hiking path has description areas along the way which explain all of the details of the tragedy. I paid my respects in the relentless north wind then turned to head home.

The headwind was downright vicious on the way back. I could only muster 50-55 MPH north from Kit Carson to Limon. The highway gains 1300 feet of elevation in that 80 mile stretch as well. It was a brutal drive, holding the van on the road and dealing with semis in both directions while constantly having to downshift to third. On the plus side, the van ran great! I think my OXS fix was instrumental.

I still have one running issue though: I stopped for gas in Kit Carson after really pushing the motor. When I started it back up, it stalled immediately. I restarted and it came up to idle fine. Not sure what's causing that but it's been going on for awhile.

The master cylinder reservoir did not leak during the trip.

It was a 350 mile round trip and I really enjoyed being back on the road for the day.

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Denver so I enjoyed the sunshine by making some very rudimentary insulated upstairs window covers per Ron's idea.

I had just enough hull liner material left over and plenty of Prodex from the high top project. I used velcro for attaching.

I need to trim them up a bit but I like the concept and I'm happy to have covers for those windows.
_________________
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]

A few updates.

The plastic headrest thing looks like it'll work for holding stuff while using the sink.

My new table setup was a little unwieldy. I was having to use both clamps to rotate it, and the table leg was trying to bend the bolts on the lighting brackets. I decided to grind the arms off of the original front table mount; it slid right in and worked out really well. It's much more solid and easier to rotate.

I also wire wheeled the table leg to make it look purdy.

I took a break and ran down to Midtown Automotive in Denver, where a buddy of mine is melding an AAZ-equipped, triple-knob Syncro from Poland with a rust-free, pristine '84 body that he got for next to nothing. The Poland van has really bad undercarriage rust.

It's a nice shop with a cool owner, right in the middle of Denver. I've passed the place a million times and had no idea that they were VW guys.

Back home I was looking for something to get into, and that's usually a bad idea.

The clamshell has been bugging me. It rattles and it's all bent up. I went over a step in Moab a couple of years ago and landed on a boulder. The spare tire that was in there jammed up against the steering rod and I couldn't steer the van. The shell was jammed shut, so I had to use a hammer and a knife and pop the spare (it was ancient.) I have a spare, perfect clamshell that I've been wanting to replace it with.

The tire retainer rods SHOULD be held into the hinge with a couple of snap rings, but that's not the case on this van. They're stuck. I've tried to get them out before, but I was motivated today. I used a grinder to get the old clamshell off finally.

More like a taco shell than a clam shell.

Bad one next to the good one.

Here's what was left in the hinge. Easy, right?

Nope, not easy. Ground the ends off.

I tried to hammer them out with a punch, I tried to drill them, all futile. I can only assume that they JB welded them in there.

So, no new clamshell today. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that. I don't like that area exposed, though. Perhaps I should have left it alone, but where's the fun in that?

Since I was already down there, I added a recovery hook to the drivers side as a consolation prize.

_________________
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