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mitch5
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2019
Posts: 132
Location: phoenix
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 Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:07 pm Post subject: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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Im sure lots here saw this on the classified and wondered how a imported syncro ended up in dewey AZ from Poland without a title. Well i was a bit too curious and just happened to be driving past dewey so now im the owner.
How did it get here?
A very nice older gentleman in dewey had purchased the van about a year from a member(now banned) on the forum. There were pictures of the van, that of course hid all the rust or obscured it. The guy was excited to build a camper and when the van arrived he realized that it wasn't exactly what was advertised. Additionally he wasnt able to get the title and then came the stories from the seller that smelled of scam. Excuse after excuse came before the guy gave up on getting a proper title.
What did i Buy. A donor? Beater? Motovan?
A 1990 caravelle syncro
front and rear locker
1z TDI diesel swap(based on the garret turbo)
polyroof high top
filled in door handles w/ electric unlock
plastic bubble window
rust, lots of it
some weird cabinet, plastic.
possibly factory swingout mounts, very oem looking captive nuts on the passenger side
Current condition
its runs and drives(havent shifted all the gears) or gone fast enough to verify condition of trans
dryrotted tires
rusted break line(no brakes)
blown turbo seal i assume
crank damper wobble(2 bolts missing)
janky battery
PO tried to "stop rust" by painting every spot with rust black
My plans
Before i put anymore work into this thing i plan to get a vermont title then use that to get a clean AZ title. This is the easiest way to get a title currently. I then plan to fix the brake lines so i can drive it and verify trans condition. That will determine if this stays a parts van or becomes a truck van. This would make a perfect desert motovan.
If anyone has some more info on this van or some specifics on the diesel swap i would love to hear them. Also curious if anyone has details on the weird cabinets.
IMG_20210622_104736588 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr
IMG_20210622_104758687 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr
IMG_20210622_104806498 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr
IMG_20210622_104825661 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr
IMG_20210622_104833552 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr
IMG_20210622_105042115 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr
IMG_20210622_105009785 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr |
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valvecovergasket
Samba Member
Joined: October 10, 2018
Posts: 1491
Location: pnw
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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if youre willing to firehose it with money (and it sounds like you are) it sure looks like a decent start for a tdi syncro high top with some cool euro bits.
_________________
MegaSquirt resource - SpitfireEFI.com
gone, but not forgotten: '83 tdi westy - swap thread |
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leecat
Samba Member
Joined: September 13, 2012
Posts: 773
Location: Regina
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:41 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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'Firehose it with money' - heh, that imagery made me laugh!  |
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tjet 
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2014
Posts: 3533
Location: CA & NM
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:05 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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Nice score. I like the roof, and the locking diffs are a huge bonus. Do you know what the R&P ratio is?
Don't worry about the rust. Mine is much worse and I drive it daily.
If you need an extra diesel engine or parts, I have 2 complete AHU/1z M-TDIs in Orange County
Last edited by tjet on Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Schnippzle
Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2021
Posts: 288
Location: Swede in London, UK
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:10 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| I like it! Could be a good base for a great project as long as you have the financial lubrication to go the distance. |
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mitch5
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2019
Posts: 132
Location: phoenix
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:04 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| tjet wrote: |
Nice score. I like the roof, and the locking diffs are a huge bonus. Do you know what the R&P ratio is?
Don't worry about the rust. Mine is much worse and I drive it daily.
If you need an extra diesel engine or parts, I have 2 complete AHU/1z M-TDIs in Orange County |
Awesome to hear! I have zero plans to fix the rust, except for maybe patching the exterior panel. This is my first rodeo with a diesel, the motor seems to run good but drips oil out the exhaust. The turbo is also caked in oil. Would it be safe to assume the turbo seals went bad. Know of any good kits? |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32584
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Escorial Syncro
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2004
Posts: 437
Location: Manitou Springs, CO
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 6:15 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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Glad one of us got it! I was tempted by it for sure, but timing wasn't right. When I read the ad I was thinking for some reason it had an AAZ engine, the fact that it's a TDI makes me think you got a good value even at asking price. Congrats, please post trials/tribulations of Vermont title experience. I've never done that so I'm curious.
Regarding what to do with it, how's the rust where the syncro front subframe meets the Van unibody, at the rearmost point? That area can dictate how far gone it is.
_________________
Joel Lane
1985 Vanagon converted to syncro, ALH TDI, Reimo Primus top with Westy interior
2002 Toyota Tundra 4x4
1974 Honda CL360 Scrambler (for sale!) |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 3019
Location: MD
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 6:57 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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That steering wheel is the one I want for my e30, in red though. They go for a surprising amount of money.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265018995245?_trkparms=is...%3A2334524
_________________
'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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tjet
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2014
Posts: 3533
Location: CA & NM
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 7:42 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| mitch5 wrote: |
| tjet wrote: |
Nice score. I like the roof, and the locking diffs are a huge bonus. Do you know what the R&P ratio is?
Don't worry about the rust. Mine is much worse and I drive it daily.
If you need an extra diesel engine or parts, I have 2 complete AHU/1z M-TDIs in Orange County |
Awesome to hear! I have zero plans to fix the rust, except for maybe patching the exterior panel. This is my first rodeo with a diesel, the motor seems to run good but drips oil out the exhaust. The turbo is also caked in oil. Would it be safe to assume the turbo seals went bad. Know of any good kits? |
There's a couple of guys here that know the TDIs pretty good. I can't give you much, but I do know the big concern with a diesel is excessive oil leaking into the intake from a worn out turbo. You should take a look in the intake pipes to make sure that's not happening.
Here's where I get TDI parts for my MK4 Jetta
https://www.idparts.com/borg-warnerkkk-turbocharger-ahu-028145701j-53039880006-p-604.html |
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mitch5
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2019
Posts: 132
Location: phoenix
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:39 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| djkeev wrote: |
We haven’t banned many users.
Only one was a so called self proclaimed Syncro expert….. and we’ve banned him multiple times.
Dave |
i'm going off what the PO told me, which might not be true. |
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ScottShelley
Samba Member
Joined: October 15, 2012
Posts: 596
Location: California
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:40 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| mitch5 wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
We haven’t banned many users.
Only one was a so called self proclaimed Syncro expert….. and we’ve banned him multiple times.
Dave |
i'm going off what the PO told me, which might not be true. |
Who was the banned member? Inquiring minds want to know |
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Bills85Westy
Samba Member
Joined: August 01, 2009
Posts: 423
Location: Napa CA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:21 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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Rough, but looks like it has lots of potential and a good base to build what you want.
I’m a fan of the insulated windows! Looks like the rear is a standard though.
_________________
89 Tristar Syncro Doka - White
85 Westfalia Syncro (conversion)
SAH 1.8T Conversion - 2005 AWP
Engine Conversion Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=612144&highlight=
85 Doka L345 Grey - 1.9L |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9603
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:25 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| ScottShelley wrote: |
| mitch5 wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
We haven’t banned many users.
Only one was a so called self proclaimed Syncro expert….. and we’ve banned him multiple times.
Dave |
i'm going off what the PO told me, which might not be true. |
Who was the banned member? Inquiring minds want to know |
He had an excellent mechanic.
His wife read Samba posts over his shoulder and made dick jokes! 🤣🤣
_________________
'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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mitch5
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2019
Posts: 132
Location: phoenix
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| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:39 am Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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Whoa, Thanks! I saw made in italy on the wheel but was not expecting that kind of coin. Looks like ill be putting the stock steering wheel back on. |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 3019
Location: MD
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| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:13 am Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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Yeah, it's kind of dumb now. I've been wanting that wheel for at least a decade. 10 years I couldn't afford it, 5 years ago when they were $250 it was always the next mod, and today I can't justify it.
_________________
'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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mitch5
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2019
Posts: 132
Location: phoenix
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| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:14 am Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| 4Gears4Tires wrote: |
| Yeah, it's kind of dumb now. I've been wanting that wheel for at least a decade. 10 years I couldn't afford it, 5 years ago when they were $250 it was always the next mod, and today I can't justify it. |
I know what you mean. I was/am into e28/e24s, like every other 80's car the push to make them collectable has made them less fun to own.
The car currently in front of the syncro is my 533i on its third motor swap. A aluminum 5.3 ls w/ holset hx52 turbo and 4 speed muncie. Arguably a bigger time sink than a syncro
IMG-2438 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr
IMG-2443 by mitchell markulis, on Flickr |
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ScottShelley
Samba Member
Joined: October 15, 2012
Posts: 596
Location: California
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| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 11:05 am Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| Sodo wrote: |
| ScottShelley wrote: |
| mitch5 wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
We haven’t banned many users.
Only one was a so called self proclaimed Syncro expert….. and we’ve banned him multiple times.
Dave |
i'm going off what the PO told me, which might not be true. |
Who was the banned member? Inquiring minds want to know |
He had an excellent mechanic.
His wife read Samba posts over his shoulder and made dick jokes! 🤣🤣 |
HaHa!!! |
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candyman
Samba Trout Slayer
Joined: December 20, 2003
Posts: 2694
Location: Missoula MT
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| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| ScottShelley wrote: |
| Sodo wrote: |
| ScottShelley wrote: |
| mitch5 wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
We haven’t banned many users.
Only one was a so called self proclaimed Syncro expert….. and we’ve banned him multiple times.
Dave |
i'm going off what the PO told me, which might not be true. |
Who was the banned member? Inquiring minds want to know |
He had an excellent mechanic.
His wife read Samba posts over his shoulder and made dick jokes! 🤣🤣 |
HaHa!!! |
He also had the worlds greatest stash of nos syncro parts and loved posting about them, and really loved ending with not selling any of them
And dont think for a second he’s not still lurking here  |
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ScottShelley
Samba Member
Joined: October 15, 2012
Posts: 596
Location: California
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| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:08 pm Post subject: Re: Polish Turd: My euro Syncro |
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| candyman wrote: |
| ScottShelley wrote: |
| Sodo wrote: |
| ScottShelley wrote: |
| mitch5 wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
We haven’t banned many users.
Only one was a so called self proclaimed Syncro expert….. and we’ve banned him multiple times.
Dave |
i'm going off what the PO told me, which might not be true. |
Who was the banned member? Inquiring minds want to know |
He had an excellent mechanic.
His wife read Samba posts over his shoulder and made dick jokes! 🤣🤣 |
HaHa!!! |
He also had the worlds greatest stash of nos syncro parts and loved posting about them, and really loved ending with not selling any of them
And dont think for a second he’s not still lurking here |
Oh he's definitely still lurking. He will reappear as Syncrobator or some other name soon, telling us about the 13 vans him and his wife own along with the great mechanic who works on them. |
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