Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 14:26:37 -0400
Reply-To: Karl M <thewestyman@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl M <thewestyman@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: Tiico and Diesel Bent Frame Rails
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Dan,
The strap VW added between the two cradles was to reduce vibration of the
cradles individually, as without they have great vibration to and fro. This
was deleted in '83 when the cradles were made without the rubber ends. The
Tiico uses one of each. According to Peter (or was it someone else?), the
reason for this was to use up VW's supply of the rubber-ended bars. Good
grief! With both solid cradles the vibration is greatly reduced, or in some
cases gone completely. AFAIK the metal thickness hasn't changed in the
mounting points, the problem likely being that Tiico hasn't insisted that
the three-bolt reinforcing plate be welded to the body as VW originally did.
Karl Mullendore
Westy Ventures
1987 Westfalia Syncro 1.9TD
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Snow" <dieselvanagon@HOTMAIL.COM>
> Matthew et al.-
>
> I was thinking about your tiico bent frame rail problem while I was under
my
> diesel yesterday. I have a few questions:
>
> 1. Are the mounts for the Tiico the same as those in the diesel?
>
> 2. Are they similar?
>
> 3. On the tiico, is there a steel strap that passes under the oil pan and
> connects the left and right mounts? (I think it is in tension, and I think
> it keeps the mounts from rotating or separating relative to each other at
> the bottom of the engine.)
>
> 4. I could draw a diagram or something. This is an easy part to toss or
> neglect--it may look like a piece of the throwaway tin, but I think it
> serves a structural purpose. Here is a poor attempt at ascii art, looking
at
> the back of the van underneath:
>
> | | | | MOTOR | | | |
> | | |_|_______________|_| | |
> | | l. mount r. mount | |
> |___| strap |___|
>
> As I said, poor art. But the two mounts have things that drop down a
little
> and the strap bolts to the drops.
>
> 5. Maybe adding the strap would be an easy fix for your Tiico woes. My
guess
> is that if this steel strap isn't in the Tiico kit, it is because the
South
> African frame rails are beefier than ours and they can handle the torsion.
> But you guys may be installing a mounting system on flimsier US model
V-gon
> frames. Just speculation.
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