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Date:         Mon, 10 Jun 2002 12:56:39 -0700
Reply-To:     mike ingle <mikei@ANCORE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mike ingle <mikei@ANCORE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon handling.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Thanks, so it sounds like I want to scavenge my springs off my 80 westy. Did you replace the tie rod ends and ball joints and buschings yourself? How big is the job (afternoon or whole weekend ++)

Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: <wilden1@juno.com> To: <mikei@ancore.com> Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 11:03 AM Subject: Re: Vanagon handling.

> My 83 handles firmer and drives straighter than 85-87 Vanagons I've > driven.(never driven an 85-87 Westy) > I have Agilis 61 tires the 83 and they have greatly improved the > handling. > Everything else is stock with 150K on the shocks but new ball joints, tie > rod ends, control arm bushings. > Hope this helps. > 80-83 Vanagons and Westies had the stiffest springs ever installed, even > heavier than any stock syncro. > > Stan Wilder > 83 Air Cooled Westfalia > > > On Mon, 10 Jun 2002 10:48:23 -0700 "mike ingle" <mikei@ancore.com> > writes: > > I have no inherent desire to do major parts swapping, The real > > question is: > > Does the 87 w/ power steering and good shocks, and tie rod ends > > ball > > joints... handle as well as the manual steered 80? > > > > Can I just get rid of the 80 w/ confidence that good handling can > > be > > restored to the 87 using stock replacements? > > In case you can't tell I really appreciate the Vanagon handling, > > compared to > > the type ii. And the space. > > > > Mike > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: <wilden1@juno.com> > > To: <mikei@ANCORE.COM> > > Cc: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > > Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 10:34 AM > > Subject: Re: Vanagon handling. > > > > > > > The steering control arms on the later model power steering arms > > are > > > shorter, IE you'll need to change the spindles. > > > Outer wheel bearings are bigger on the later models. > > > Springs will swap. > > > Rack and pinion will swap, using old 80 spindles. > > > I think I'd be looking for a simpler solution, new shocks, front > > end > > > alignment, ball joints or such and bypass the parts swapping. > > > > > > Stan Wilder > > > > > > On Mon, 10 Jun 2002 10:08:24 -0700 mike ingle <mikei@ANCORE.COM> > > writes: > > > > I have an 80 Westfalia which I just replaced with an 87 > > weekender. I > > > > test > > > > drove it away from a highway, and didn't notice the difference > > in > > > > handling. > > > > > > > > The 87 seems to have several inches more ground clearance, and > > a > > > > much softer > > > > suspension. It also has power steering (yuck). The jist of it > > is > > > > that > > > > unlike my 80 and my old 82 diesel westy (oh how I miss that one) > > , > > > > It feels > > > > less stable than a type ii (73 to be exact). So, before I > > > > donate... the 80 > > > > Westy, Is it feasable to change out the power steering for rack > > and > > > > pinion > > > > manual steering? What about the springs etc. Visually I like > > the > > > > high > > > > clearance, and I can imagine that I would be nice for those > > rough > > > > areas. > > > > But, I really miss the good handling. > > > > > > > > Mike > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "Michael Ramer" <elvisramer@COX.NET> > > > > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > > > > Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 9:46 AM > > > > Subject: Re: Cylinder head sticking to cylinder sleeve > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes, what Ken said works great! And do both heads! You do not > > want > > > > to go > > > > > through this again. Easier to do it now. > > > > > > > > > > Regards, Mike > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > > From: "Kenneth Wilford" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET> > > > > > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > > > > > Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 5:19 AM > > > > > Subject: Re: Cylinder head sticking to cylinder sleeve > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I have found the easiest way to do this. Pull the heads > > out > > > > from the > > > > > block > > > > > > about 1/2 inch. Take the end of a screw driver and place > > it > > > > against one > > > > > of > > > > > > the little nubs that stick out at the top of the cylinder. > > Now > > > > you want > > > > > to > > > > > > hit this nub in such as way that you turn the cylinder just > > a > > > > little. > > > > You > > > > > > only want to turn it a couple of degrees. Once it turns > > (should > > > > only > > > > take > > > > > a > > > > > > couple of hits) you want to go to the nub on the opposite > > side > > > > of the > > > > > > cylinder and turn it back. Now do the same with the other > > > > cylinder. > > > > Now > > > > > > just put your screw driver between the head and one of > > these > > > > nubs and > > > > pry > > > > > > just a little. The cylinder should come right off of the > > head > > > > and then > > > > > > repeat for the other cylinder. This should not hurt the > > o-rings > > > > at the > > > > > > bottom of the cylinder since you are actually pulling the > > bottom > > > > of the > > > > > > cylinder away from the block about 1/2 inch. > > > > > > > > > > > > I did this the last head job I did and it worked like a > > charm. > > > > No > > > > damage > > > > > > done and alot less hitting, and time consumed. Hope this > > > > helps. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Ken Wilford > > > > > > John 3:16 > > > > > > http://www.vanagain.com > > > > > > Phone: (856)-327-4936 > > > > > > Fax: (856)-327-2242 > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > > From: Vanagon Mailing List > > [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On > > > > Behalf > > > > > > Of Craig Oda - Personal email > > > > > > Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 1:02 AM > > > > > > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > > > > > > Subject: Cylinder head sticking to cylinder sleeve > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm in the process of taking off my cylinder head and the > > > > sleeves are > > > > > > sticking to it. I've tried whacking the cylinder head with > > a > > > > wooden > > > > > > stick in an attempt to loosen it up. No go. I've been > > getting > > > > help > > > > > > from Dave who is having a similar adventure with his > > "Wolfy." > > > > > > > > > > > > Dave used a large screwdriver on the lip of the cylinder > > sleeve > > > > to > > > > > > break the sleeve free from the head. Is this a risky thing > > to > > > > try? > > > > > > Is there any danger with scratching or warping the cylinder > > > > sleeve? > > > > > > I notice there are two little studs at the top of the > > sleeves, > > > > near > > > > > > the center. I would love to just take a screwdriver and > > pry > > > > the > > > > > > sleeve from the head using those as the leverage point. I > > read > > > > that > > > > > > someone from Canada used a hockey stick to break the sleeve > > > > free. > > > > > > Unfortunately, I don't have one of these right now. > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm new to mechanics, but am forced to try this myself as I > > want > > > > to go > > > > > > camping this summer and the wife is balking at the cost of > > > > taking > > > > > > it to a mechanic. > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm really intimidated at having to put the sucker back > > > > together, but > > > > > > first I have to make sure that the cylinder sleeves don't > > come > > > > out. > > > > > > > > > > > > BTW, do I have to do both heads? I notice that the > > passenger > > > > side > > > > > > exhaust ports are discolored, especially on cylinder that > > is > > > > toward > > > > > > the front. I suspect that this is the only side that is > > leaking > > > > and > > > > > > causing my billowing white smoke problem. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks for any help. > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Craig > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > Craig Oda craigoda@communitybuilders.info > > > > > > VW Info: 1983 VW Westfalia, water-cooled, automatic > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! > > > Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! > > > Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: > > > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! > Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! > Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. >


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