Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (April 2004, week 2)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Tue, 13 Apr 2004 18:36:13 -0700
Reply-To:     Tobin Copley <tcopley@SFU.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tobin Copley <tcopley@SFU.CA>
Subject:      Protecting the westy propane tank
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

With spring in the air, I'm getting my westy ready for the upcoming camping season. One of the things I have to attend to is dealing with a propane leak emanating from some of the plumbing on the tank itself. I totally smeared the propane tank due to a rather routine ground clearance problem navigating a decommissioned logging road on the last camping trip I made last fall.

It's clear to me that the propane tank skid guard that 2WD Vanagon westies are equipped with is a bit of a joke. I bent it like a gum wrapper and I didn't even prang it *that* hard. It's pretty soft steel--so soft, in fact, that I have been able to bend it (roughly) back into shape using just basic hand tools.

I want to get a better guard in place there, because I'm certainly not going to stop taking the camper over rough roads to get to the really nice camping spots.

What do the syncro crowd have for protecting the propane tank? I can't imagine that Derek Drew, for example, has a guard as wimpy as the one on my bus. Is there a syncro-spec'd guard I can get, or do I have to fab up a guard myself? If the latter, what have folks done to protect the tank and the fittings attached to it? I'd rather have a guard strong enough that I hang up my westy on the tank guard and have to bring out the high-lift jack than have my tank inelegantly removed or have the fittings smashed.

Ideas?

T.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- Tobin Copley Vancouver, BC, Canada 49deg 23'N-123deg 19'W

'82 Westfalia 1.6L NA diesel ("Stinky") '97 son Russell ============= '99 daughter Margaret /_| |_L| |__|:| clatter SPEED KILLS! [. = .| clatter! Drive a Vanagon diesel ~-()-==----()-~ ~ ~


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.