Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 11:04:42 -0700
Reply-To: Steve Schwenk <Steve@SYNCRO.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Steve Schwenk <Steve@SYNCRO.ORG>
Subject: Saved by a Guardian Angel...Again
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Yes, it is possible to drive a syncro with no rear shocks. We did it. For
about 80 miles of rough dirt road and 50 miles of paved road. The paved
road was the scariest...due to heavy winds. Lots of rocking and rolling
and instability.
But thankfully, after all that, we pulled into the first sign of
civilization we had seen in 10 days and there waiting at that dusty Mobil
station was a pair of brand new Old Man Emu shocks, with my name on
them. We were saved!
I decided to test a set of rear shocks I bought from the south africa group
purchase some time back. They were the only high-pressure monotube shock
supposedly available for the syncro, so naturally I had to try them. And
so I took them out to our test facility, which is huge. Thousands of
square miles. We crossed over the mountains fine. Nothing remarkable to
report. Then came the long stretches of washboard on the valley
floor. After 15 miles or so, we heard a bang and pulled over. The left
rear shock had popped its top and completely separated. Oil
everywhere. The shock shaft was bent. The lower tube was hanging
free. The passenger side shock was still intact, but the cap that holds
the tube and shaft together was crooked and clearly about to blow,
too. And it did, on the next bump we hit. We were still 30+ miles of dirt
road from camp and now had no rear shocks..
The big concern, of course, was that a rear spring might now pop out of the
perches since there were no longer any shocks in place to limit the range
of travel. If the spring popped out, the suspension would collapse and the
wheel would be resting on the wheel well, making travel impossible. We
knew the tow fee to get out of there was over $1000, so we took it real
easy and thankfully made it in fine.
Once there, we met a couple who were headed out the next day. They kindly
agreed to call Peter at www.VolksCafe.com once out of the valley and in
cell phone range. Peter then had to call the Mobil station and get their
address and then ship the shocks there...all without being paid first. We
had no idea until we got out whether or not the call was successful. Had
Peter not come through for us, we would have been delayed getting home by
two days at least. Last year about this time, I called Peter from the top
of a mountain at Hollister as we were removing a snapped rear axle from a
syncro adventure wagon. He had new axles delivered to Hollister the same
day! It saved the event for the owner of the Adventurewagon. That kind of
service is above and beyond the call of duty! Volkscafe.com is now the
official guardian angel for my syncro! Thanks, Peter!
Steve
www.syncro.org
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