I am getting ready to tear out the entire front suspension, and quick. The trip to DC got a bit scary at points due to larger diameter and width tires.
I have procured the following parts already, and I included the brand in order to source the correct vendors for anyone closely following this part of the process:
Febi Upper Ball Joints (2)
Lennor Lower Ball Joints (2)
Lennor Inner Tie Rods (2)
Outer Tie Rods (2)
Van Cafe Radius Arm sleeves (2)
Van Cafe Radius Arm Bushings (set of 4)
Van Cafe Radius Arm cups (4)
Van Cafe Radius Arm Nuts (4)
Powerflex Upper Control Arm bushings (set)
Powerflex Lower Control Arm bushings (set)
Powerflex Steering Rack bushings (set)
Powerflex Roll Bar bushings (set)
Powerflex End link Eye bushings (set)
Powerflex End link drop bushings
Upper Control Arm bolt hardware (2 sets)
Grade 10.9 Ball joint adapter bolt kits (6)
Grade 10.9 lower control arm bolt kit (2)
Already have the springs, upper spring pads and shocks. Scratching my head to determine if I have forgotten anything?
Will need to get me some correct hardware. Searching the Bentley for sizes and grades, then the usual suspects to see who has them. Speaking of which - need to plug my source for Powerflex bushings and some of the hardware; T3 Technique out on the West Coast. Chris knows his T3's, has good parts and great customer service. When I ordered most of this stuff last summer, Van Cafe was the only source I could find for the radius arm items. Have never used Lennor, nor can I find any information on them. Guess I have to hope they are not on par with a Meyle product? (Cause they suck!)
Going to yank the front arms off the parts van, sandblast them and rebuild those for a quick turnaround on this project.
Need to contemplate the variables . . .
edit - Did order the power steering rack bellows tonight. No sense pulling it all apart to re use anything inexpensive like the rack bellows.
23 April 2013
Washington DC
So we packed up the Thingamajigger last week and headed to DC for some camping and monument hopping. Prior to this I got a couple things accomplished:
I have installed a 500 lumen LED reverse light to the rear panel. It was made by Vision X and I got it offline for around $75. It is waterproof with a waterproof electrical connector as well. I wired in to existing wiring by attaching the ground wire to the standard ground stud on drivers engine wall and the power wire to the black w/ blue chaser coming from the trans axle reverse switch in the electrical black box. Really quite slick, made backing up into camp spots in DC that much easier.
In my endless search for a decent cup holder, I bough these last winter and have just gotten around to installing them. They are stainless steel, without funny crevices (read easy to clean) and have larger arms allowing my big ass iced tea cups, the wife's Snapple bottles and appropriate sized water bottles.
I thought I needed to include this picture as its amusing to me. What it illustrates is the difference between the Weitec springs I removed (in foreground) and the Go Westy zero lift springs that replaced them. Three of them are installed, while drivers front is not yet replaced. The Weitecs are already spoken for and are going to an acquaintance in Pennsylvania.
This picture was taken after the flares were installed, but before the springs were changed out. The 18 inch AMG wheels and 255/45 tires that are on there are too big, they made the Zetec feel like a WBX. Completely robbed the power of the van. Rode well though - the Pilot Sport Michelin's are a great tire.
Going to have to order up some new tires for the other rims this week.
So what about Washington DC? Well aside from leaving on Marathon Monday, the heinous events that took place that day in Boston, and the subsequent three dozen texts and emails that ensued from co -workers, clients and friends around the country making sure we were alright; it was great. Nice to know we have good people around us who were thinking of us.
Camping weather was great. We were parked next to a nice couple from the Netherlands. They were wrapping up a year long tour of the US in a California edition Eurovan and were getting ready to ship the EV back through the Baltimore harbor at tail end of the week.
We chose the campground due to proximity to the city, my brother in law and that it was on the bus route to the Metro. We did not use the Metro though as it turned out. The first day we went to the zoo and parked on Connecticut Avenue right out side the park entrance. Allowed us to eat lunch quick and easy right in the van.
The second and third day we parked in an all day lot on K and 5th that cost only $15. We walked 10 minutes to the Natural History Museum and monuments the first day and them the Air and Space museum and Capitol building the second day.
Some weather was coming in, blustery and rainy. Ended up with storm warnings so we moved ourselves to Baltimore and grabbed a hotel for a night. Saw the aquarium and the Children's Discovery Museum the following day.
On our way out, we ran across some Confederate soldiers! Well they looked the part, and old enough to be from the Civil War. They had a precession walking down the street to the Baltimore Civil War museum. They say the south will rise again, but I am not so sure? But of course that is coming from a Bostonian whose family has been in Boston since the early 1600's.
So our final stop on the journey was to meet up with some fellow Vanagoners\ Vanagonauts in Maryland for a little camaraderie.
Dave O offered up and arranged his yard for a dozen VW's to park and do the Meet and Greet. We stayed up until 12:30 telling VW stories and called it quits. As of 7 am, we were on our way back to Massachusetts.
I have installed a 500 lumen LED reverse light to the rear panel. It was made by Vision X and I got it offline for around $75. It is waterproof with a waterproof electrical connector as well. I wired in to existing wiring by attaching the ground wire to the standard ground stud on drivers engine wall and the power wire to the black w/ blue chaser coming from the trans axle reverse switch in the electrical black box. Really quite slick, made backing up into camp spots in DC that much easier.
I thought I needed to include this picture as its amusing to me. What it illustrates is the difference between the Weitec springs I removed (in foreground) and the Go Westy zero lift springs that replaced them. Three of them are installed, while drivers front is not yet replaced. The Weitecs are already spoken for and are going to an acquaintance in Pennsylvania.
Going to have to order up some new tires for the other rims this week.
So what about Washington DC? Well aside from leaving on Marathon Monday, the heinous events that took place that day in Boston, and the subsequent three dozen texts and emails that ensued from co -workers, clients and friends around the country making sure we were alright; it was great. Nice to know we have good people around us who were thinking of us.
We chose the campground due to proximity to the city, my brother in law and that it was on the bus route to the Metro. We did not use the Metro though as it turned out. The first day we went to the zoo and parked on Connecticut Avenue right out side the park entrance. Allowed us to eat lunch quick and easy right in the van.
The second and third day we parked in an all day lot on K and 5th that cost only $15. We walked 10 minutes to the Natural History Museum and monuments the first day and them the Air and Space museum and Capitol building the second day.
Some weather was coming in, blustery and rainy. Ended up with storm warnings so we moved ourselves to Baltimore and grabbed a hotel for a night. Saw the aquarium and the Children's Discovery Museum the following day.
On our way out, we ran across some Confederate soldiers! Well they looked the part, and old enough to be from the Civil War. They had a precession walking down the street to the Baltimore Civil War museum. They say the south will rise again, but I am not so sure? But of course that is coming from a Bostonian whose family has been in Boston since the early 1600's.
So our final stop on the journey was to meet up with some fellow Vanagoners\ Vanagonauts in Maryland for a little camaraderie.
Dave O offered up and arranged his yard for a dozen VW's to park and do the Meet and Greet. We stayed up until 12:30 telling VW stories and called it quits. As of 7 am, we were on our way back to Massachusetts.
31 March 2013
Happy Easter
Getting closer to the first real trip of the season.
Today I got some time to tinker between cooking the Easter dinner and playing with my son.
Finally decided to dig in and complete the Mercedes horn installation. I had an aftermarket horn in there for the past year and I hated the anemic sound of it. Couldn't hear it at any speed. I had grabbed the pair of horns from an older Mercedes E420 I had before it went bye bye and they have been sitting in my garage mocking me since.
Installed the horns behind the grille on the passenger side of the radiator. Installed a relay right aside it and wired it up to the horn switch and got that sweet German horn sound back.
Also installed Porsche washer fluid squirters, moved to these as they slide into existing VW holes and offer two adjustable directional squirters over the Vanagon singles. While in there I replaced all the lines in the squirter system with new lines. Easy since I had the grille off and was in the dash for the horn power.
Found me a good rear bumper yesterday. Have been happy with my 4x4 piece of PT wood, but the wife was bickering about the amount of stickers I had plastered on it. So what? Well I came across a decent one, had the bumper ends and the bumper strip in the garage. Love it when silly shit comes together for free..
Also finally installed the left hand hinges in the last door on the recently installed cabinet face.
Got some new floor mats, all weather type to protect the carpet a bit better from my son. They need a little fine trimming to be perfect.
Have received a set of front fender flares that were recreated from a stock Doka. Company out west called Terrawagen is reproducing them. Awaiting the rears to show up and get them all installed. They look good and will protect the arches nicely.
I have lots on the to do list, and too little time. Pictures to follow.
Today I got some time to tinker between cooking the Easter dinner and playing with my son.
Finally decided to dig in and complete the Mercedes horn installation. I had an aftermarket horn in there for the past year and I hated the anemic sound of it. Couldn't hear it at any speed. I had grabbed the pair of horns from an older Mercedes E420 I had before it went bye bye and they have been sitting in my garage mocking me since.
Installed the horns behind the grille on the passenger side of the radiator. Installed a relay right aside it and wired it up to the horn switch and got that sweet German horn sound back.Also installed Porsche washer fluid squirters, moved to these as they slide into existing VW holes and offer two adjustable directional squirters over the Vanagon singles. While in there I replaced all the lines in the squirter system with new lines. Easy since I had the grille off and was in the dash for the horn power.
Found me a good rear bumper yesterday. Have been happy with my 4x4 piece of PT wood, but the wife was bickering about the amount of stickers I had plastered on it. So what? Well I came across a decent one, had the bumper ends and the bumper strip in the garage. Love it when silly shit comes together for free..Also finally installed the left hand hinges in the last door on the recently installed cabinet face.
Got some new floor mats, all weather type to protect the carpet a bit better from my son. They need a little fine trimming to be perfect.
Have received a set of front fender flares that were recreated from a stock Doka. Company out west called Terrawagen is reproducing them. Awaiting the rears to show up and get them all installed. They look good and will protect the arches nicely.
I have lots on the to do list, and too little time. Pictures to follow.
19 March 2013
The wheels on the bus
So my S420 is nearing the end of its usefulness for me. In searching for its replacement, I decided to find the balance between the comfort and road worthiness of the Mercedes S Class, and the utility of a soccer mom vehicle. Ended up slapping a deposit on a pre owned GL450 that has just come off a lease. That being said, the dealer wouldn't give me any more money for the AMG wheels and new Michelin Pilot Sport tires than for the stock alloys and half used Michelin MXV4's. Cool, lets see if they fit on the Thingamajigger!
The wheels are an 18x8 AMG replica. The tires are a Michelin Pilot Sport255/45 zr18 with a load rating of 99.
The good news is that they fit, with minimal adjustments. The front needs a 4 or 5 mm spacer to clear the control arm. And the rear fit right on without need of a spacer, but the track is off compared to the front, so a 10 or 12 mm spacer will correct the aesthetics.
The bad news is that with a footprint of over 9 inches, it is double the width of the stock tires. This size difference really exaggerates the need to rebuild the front end. Also need to put in the higher springs, the edge of the tire is flush with the wheel arch of the van and a good jolt to the suspension will cause a rubbing.
For now - its fun. I do not want to go staggered as it will limit my rotations and longevity of tires. I will probably put them on Flakeslist and see if I can cover the cost of some 225 or 235 tires as I foresee that size as being optimum for the gearing and the torque of the Zetec engine.
The wheels are an 18x8 AMG replica. The tires are a Michelin Pilot Sport255/45 zr18 with a load rating of 99.
The good news is that they fit, with minimal adjustments. The front needs a 4 or 5 mm spacer to clear the control arm. And the rear fit right on without need of a spacer, but the track is off compared to the front, so a 10 or 12 mm spacer will correct the aesthetics.
The bad news is that with a footprint of over 9 inches, it is double the width of the stock tires. This size difference really exaggerates the need to rebuild the front end. Also need to put in the higher springs, the edge of the tire is flush with the wheel arch of the van and a good jolt to the suspension will cause a rubbing.
For now - its fun. I do not want to go staggered as it will limit my rotations and longevity of tires. I will probably put them on Flakeslist and see if I can cover the cost of some 225 or 235 tires as I foresee that size as being optimum for the gearing and the torque of the Zetec engine.
15 January 2013
Tinkering
Got that windshield replaced yesterday. I cracked it with a halogen light when I was pulling the dash. Just plain dumb sometimes.
So I got to playing with the inverter I bought. It is a Power Bright 1100w inverter, and probably bigger than I should have gotten. Aside from some charging and maybe an occasional small culinary appliance, I cannot see needing 1100w. C'est la vie.
My dilemma was where to mount it. I do like the Westy cabinetry. Maybe its a kickback to my younger years, but the organization methods in my pea brain are accustomed to these cabinets and they work for me. I have made some minor adjustments to the cabinets though, and this is no different. I also prefer to be non cluttered. I don't like having stuff all over the place. Mise en place as we say in the kitchen; everything in its place.
The stock westy cabinetry beneath the sink / stove has a large cavity on left for the refrigerator (now removed) and on the right is a silverware drawer and a smaller cabinet door beneath. This right side is broken up a bit by the sink drain pipe running down the middle. There is a kit out there (I think its Go Westy) to have the pipe move back a bit, but I have larger fish to fry now. There is also a faucet modification whereby a later Eurovan faucet is installed in place of the earlier Vanagon piece. Mine works fine right now, and again - larger fish to fry.
As I mentioned, the right side of the cabinet has a drawer and a smaller door. Why not invert that and install it in place of the larger door and fascia? This could work. A quick measurement and voila! this is going to work nicely.
I began by pulling off the left side door assembly of my existing setup. Four screws and a rubber mallet to slide the tongue and groove joint apart. Hold on to these screws - you will need them.
I then went to my extra cabinet. The one I had thought I would make a small culinary center behind the passenger seat with, and still may do so. The idea is not original, earlier VW campers had a similar setup and some have done it before in a Vanagon. The picture on the right is explaining the concept, but I would make it not as deep and a bit taller in order to be able to use it like a prep table with a lift up hinged top. Just an idea.
Back to our current project: I took off the same left side assembly and placed that on a shelf for safe keeping. I then began examining the right side's fasteners. To begin with, I removed the 1/2 inch staples that run down the left exposed edge. Then removed the bolt and nut holding the fascia board to the bottom of the cabinet. From there, its a matter of getting the glue to let go. Some tapping in the back with a mallet, slide a screwdriver (in the back only - the laminate is brittle and old and you do not want to chip it) in and pry. My cabinet was not perfect to begin with, so the chip I have on top and the ding in the door will get touched up with a matching paint.
Now that I have it off, its time to test fit the panel. Upon placing it up against the cabinet in the Thingamajigger, I realized I needed to relieve it in a couple places. To the table saw I go. I cut a 45 degree chamfer along the right edge that will butt up against the right door assembly, and I relieved the bottom of the tongue part of its preexisting joint. We wont be needing that for reassembly. It fits nicely - with a bit of prodding. I think its about 1/16th too wide, but with the laminate I was not going back to the table saw.
From the picture, you can also see what I did with the existing drawer. I removed the 'drawer' portion from the face. Then I re utilized some hinges from the garage parts bin and attached them to the face of the drawer. The hinges slide into a groove roughly 3/4 inch deep by 1 inch wide. You will need to cut this out. I used a drill bit and some patience. When I slid the hinge in there, I put some wood glue to steady the joint, and instead of the rivets that held the hinge prior, I used a countersunk wood screws.
The result?
A drop down door for access to the smallish cubby on the bottom. From the above picture, you can see the adjustable shelves in my refrigerator replacement cabinet. And how my bottom shelf lines up perfectly with the bottom of the door opening. This gives me about 5.5 inches of height in the lower cabinet. Although the inverter is placed in there without being mounted, my immediate access to the outlets and the on/off switch is apparent. Now, although I stated I did not foresee any long term use for my inverter, if the drawer face door ever gets in the way, I can slide it off and leave the opening always accessible. This may happen if I do decide to put a Propex in the Thingamajigger as this may be the perfect place for it?
As for the end result, the upper door is propped up as I need to get to my parts van for some left hand hinges. I have never been able to get the hinges apart in decent condition. I have seen it done, but mine always look much worse. So parts van here I come.
So I got to playing with the inverter I bought. It is a Power Bright 1100w inverter, and probably bigger than I should have gotten. Aside from some charging and maybe an occasional small culinary appliance, I cannot see needing 1100w. C'est la vie.
My dilemma was where to mount it. I do like the Westy cabinetry. Maybe its a kickback to my younger years, but the organization methods in my pea brain are accustomed to these cabinets and they work for me. I have made some minor adjustments to the cabinets though, and this is no different. I also prefer to be non cluttered. I don't like having stuff all over the place. Mise en place as we say in the kitchen; everything in its place.
The stock westy cabinetry beneath the sink / stove has a large cavity on left for the refrigerator (now removed) and on the right is a silverware drawer and a smaller cabinet door beneath. This right side is broken up a bit by the sink drain pipe running down the middle. There is a kit out there (I think its Go Westy) to have the pipe move back a bit, but I have larger fish to fry now. There is also a faucet modification whereby a later Eurovan faucet is installed in place of the earlier Vanagon piece. Mine works fine right now, and again - larger fish to fry.
I started staring at the extra pieces of westy cabinets I had in the back of the garage and it hit me - like a ton of bricks. I fired up a Kristoff Ligero Criollo Churchill and pondered the idea further.
As I mentioned, the right side of the cabinet has a drawer and a smaller door. Why not invert that and install it in place of the larger door and fascia? This could work. A quick measurement and voila! this is going to work nicely.
I began by pulling off the left side door assembly of my existing setup. Four screws and a rubber mallet to slide the tongue and groove joint apart. Hold on to these screws - you will need them.
 |
| Basic idea of a culinary center |
Back to our current project: I took off the same left side assembly and placed that on a shelf for safe keeping. I then began examining the right side's fasteners. To begin with, I removed the 1/2 inch staples that run down the left exposed edge. Then removed the bolt and nut holding the fascia board to the bottom of the cabinet. From there, its a matter of getting the glue to let go. Some tapping in the back with a mallet, slide a screwdriver (in the back only - the laminate is brittle and old and you do not want to chip it) in and pry. My cabinet was not perfect to begin with, so the chip I have on top and the ding in the door will get touched up with a matching paint.
Now that I have it off, its time to test fit the panel. Upon placing it up against the cabinet in the Thingamajigger, I realized I needed to relieve it in a couple places. To the table saw I go. I cut a 45 degree chamfer along the right edge that will butt up against the right door assembly, and I relieved the bottom of the tongue part of its preexisting joint. We wont be needing that for reassembly. It fits nicely - with a bit of prodding. I think its about 1/16th too wide, but with the laminate I was not going back to the table saw.From the picture, you can also see what I did with the existing drawer. I removed the 'drawer' portion from the face. Then I re utilized some hinges from the garage parts bin and attached them to the face of the drawer. The hinges slide into a groove roughly 3/4 inch deep by 1 inch wide. You will need to cut this out. I used a drill bit and some patience. When I slid the hinge in there, I put some wood glue to steady the joint, and instead of the rivets that held the hinge prior, I used a countersunk wood screws.
The result? A drop down door for access to the smallish cubby on the bottom. From the above picture, you can see the adjustable shelves in my refrigerator replacement cabinet. And how my bottom shelf lines up perfectly with the bottom of the door opening. This gives me about 5.5 inches of height in the lower cabinet. Although the inverter is placed in there without being mounted, my immediate access to the outlets and the on/off switch is apparent. Now, although I stated I did not foresee any long term use for my inverter, if the drawer face door ever gets in the way, I can slide it off and leave the opening always accessible. This may happen if I do decide to put a Propex in the Thingamajigger as this may be the perfect place for it?
As for the end result, the upper door is propped up as I need to get to my parts van for some left hand hinges. I have never been able to get the hinges apart in decent condition. I have seen it done, but mine always look much worse. So parts van here I come.
06 December 2012
Westies at Watkins
If you are in the range of a Vanagon trip to Watkins Glen, I recommend it.
I had no idea what to expect, and as per usual this summer, it was due to rain all weekend so the wife stayed home. Was just the boy and I getting ready to have some fun. Watkins Glen NY is the home of the famous racetrack, but lesser known (at least to me) was the Gorge.
The event is put together by the folks at the Empire VW camping club, as an event for LiMBO. It was held at the Watkins Glen State Park the weekend of September 21st.
The state park is well kept, spots are far enough apart and the place was packed despite the rain.
Potluck dinner one night. Anticipating the cold September rain, I brought a couple gallons of New England style clam chowder.
Was gone in minutes!
Left only with the nasty pot to clean up, and barely a bowl for my son.
The highlight for my son was the VW's racing around the track. Honestly, it was quite the scene.
Much fun ad by all.
For $25 you got three laps. Sure there was a pace car, but YOUR IN A VW BUS! You are not going to be knocking on triple digits, and if you are, there is an 84 diesel with 49hp at the next corner that will get in your way.
After the second lap, they stop at the finish line for pictures.
High quality (not) video taken with my iPad duct taped to my dashboard can be found here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7TmGEqAkLw
My pedal rivets busted apart on lap three. Quick repair on side of the track and we finished with grins on our faces.
I had no idea what to expect, and as per usual this summer, it was due to rain all weekend so the wife stayed home. Was just the boy and I getting ready to have some fun. Watkins Glen NY is the home of the famous racetrack, but lesser known (at least to me) was the Gorge.
The event is put together by the folks at the Empire VW camping club, as an event for LiMBO. It was held at the Watkins Glen State Park the weekend of September 21st.
The state park is well kept, spots are far enough apart and the place was packed despite the rain.Potluck dinner one night. Anticipating the cold September rain, I brought a couple gallons of New England style clam chowder.
Was gone in minutes!
Left only with the nasty pot to clean up, and barely a bowl for my son.
The highlight for my son was the VW's racing around the track. Honestly, it was quite the scene.
Much fun ad by all.
For $25 you got three laps. Sure there was a pace car, but YOUR IN A VW BUS! You are not going to be knocking on triple digits, and if you are, there is an 84 diesel with 49hp at the next corner that will get in your way.
After the second lap, they stop at the finish line for pictures.
High quality (not) video taken with my iPad duct taped to my dashboard can be found here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7TmGEqAkLw
My pedal rivets busted apart on lap three. Quick repair on side of the track and we finished with grins on our faces.
October fish
Fishing in Vermont's Lewis Creek ends on October 31st. Wanting to squeeze every opportunity out of my 50 something dollar license, I headed up on the 26th for a day of fly fishing with a Chef friend who works out of Burlington, VT.
Nice ride up. Bit past leaf season, so the colors were faded but the leaf peepers who screw up traffic flow any time they can were not to be seen. Love the Vermont countryside with its mountains, farms and covered bridges. KEEP VERMONT WEIRD.
As for the fish, it was a bust. Not anything more than a half assed nibble. As for the fun and camaraderie; a great day. Got some casting practice and alot of laughs.
After changing out of our waders, we decided to track down some Switchback Ale. It was only the second week since the bottled version of this delicious libation became available and the locals were buying it up.
On our way we stumbled upon this little pizza place that does brick oven style pizza and only on fridays from 4:30 to 7. These nice folks do it because they love it, not because they need to do it.
Kicked back with our ale while we devoured our pizzas and told fish stories.
Nice ride up. Bit past leaf season, so the colors were faded but the leaf peepers who screw up traffic flow any time they can were not to be seen. Love the Vermont countryside with its mountains, farms and covered bridges. KEEP VERMONT WEIRD.
As for the fish, it was a bust. Not anything more than a half assed nibble. As for the fun and camaraderie; a great day. Got some casting practice and alot of laughs.
After changing out of our waders, we decided to track down some Switchback Ale. It was only the second week since the bottled version of this delicious libation became available and the locals were buying it up. On our way we stumbled upon this little pizza place that does brick oven style pizza and only on fridays from 4:30 to 7. These nice folks do it because they love it, not because they need to do it.
Kicked back with our ale while we devoured our pizzas and told fish stories.
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