Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 19:24:48 -0800
Reply-To: Captain Ray Nemo <busray@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Captain Ray Nemo <busray@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon in Milwaukee FS?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Michael and the list,
I've got a bus from the salty lands (Michigan)
and the vanagon seems to hold up mo' better than
earlier buses. Mine has some seam rust, but
nothing structural. Better undercoating I
believe. Anyway, you don't hear of people
needing replace the front frame, doglegs, or
suspension brackets like was often the case with
older buses.
But bodywork is expensive, and rust usually
reoccurs. If I lived in Georgia, I'd find a
rustfree southern bus and forget about the
cancer. Up north, we often have no choice. Even
if we find a rustfree bus then drive it, it will
soon feel the effects of salt.
Anyway, when you're looking for rust look VERY
closely at the seams, the area under the
connections (Westy only), look at the step areas
in the front door wells, the front bumper area,
and (ESPECIALLY) the area along the track for the
sliding door. As far as mechanicals, you'll
often get rust on the gas tank, all the cables,
and many of the zillion bolts underneath. Break
free and the Bulley method (soak-clean-tap-pray,
stop-drop-and-roll or something like that) will
be a way of life. Also look for rust on the
pipes that carry coolant from rear to front
(older vanagons only).
Happy Hunting,
Ray
--- "Michael S. Nichols"
<msnichols@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> Hello from Atlanta--wife and I want a second
> vanagon (Imagine that!!!) and
> have spotted two in NY--Conn that seem nice-one
> an '87 syncro, the other an
> '86 GL. Problem is salt rust in usual areas.
> We have no such rust here in
> Ga. Is such rust really a problem? Are all
> underside surfaces susceptible
> to the cancer, including mechanicals? I do my
> own maintenance, and I do
> not want every trip under my van to be a
> sawzall the bolts off exercise.
> Any advice for us from a vanagonaut in
> Wisconsin? Thanks in advance!
>
> Regards, Christina and Mike Nichols, '81
> Weekender with no rust and minty
> body.
>
>
>
>
=====
Ray Nemo
IXOYE
Wild, Wonderful West Virginia
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