Date:         Tue, 2 May 2000 13:50:52 -0400
Reply-To:     Lawrence Johnson <larry_avery.johnson@SYMPATICO.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Lawrence Johnson <larry_avery.johnson@SYMPATICO.CA>
Subject:      Changing Syncro Front Shocks?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

About two years ago Joel Walker showed us how to change the front shocks
on a 2WD Vanagon. No spring compressor is required and no special VW
tools are needed. I have included his procedure in case anyone missed
it.

I need a similar straight forward method for changing the front shocks
on our syncro Westfalia. Have you Joel, or anyone else, found a
procedure that I can do myself in my garage without a spring compressor
or special VW tools?

<<you do NOT need to mess with the spring!! really. you can do it
without
ever taking the springs off. the trick is, you need a FLAT level place
to
do it, some jackstands, and a jack. you get the bus up on the jackstands

(front end only), and get the wheel off. then loosen the one nut on top
(you have to hold the shaft ... it has flattened sides ... to loosen the

nut). then loosen the big nut on the big bolt at the bottom. don't take
anything out just yet.

now, put the jack under the lower a-arm (the bottom suspension part,
under
the spring), but keep the jack out of the way of the hole below the
shock.
jack up the lower a-arm a little bit. be careful ... you don't want to
take
the weight off the jackstands, you just want to compress the spring
some.

now remove the bottom shock bolt. the shock should (it might take some
coaxing) fall out the hole in the lower a-arm. and you should be able to

wiggle it out. watch where all the parts on the top of the shock go ...
the dust cover and the rubber donut and such will need to go on the new
shock.

to get the new shock up into the hole easily, it helps to compress the
shock a lot. then you can stick it all the way up and put the one nut on

the top. now you'll need to extend the shock ... you can stick a
screwdriver
between the coils of the spring and pry the bottom shock-bolt-hole
downward.
takes a while, but it can be done and beats sticking your fingers
through
the spring coils!

then coax the shock bottom into place to the holes in the lower a-arm
and
the holes in the shock line up, put the big bolt back in, and put the
big nut on it. and tighten and torque everything up. this bottom part
is usually the most time consuming ... the bottom of the new shock seems
to
never want to line up right (for me).

hope it helps. :)
joel>>