Date:         Thu, 3 Aug 2006 08:32:23 -0400
Reply-To:     Brien Dews <vwvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brien Dews <vwvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: alko shock report
Comments: To: Alistair Bell <albell@uvic.ca>
In-Reply-To:  <FC51E108-47D6-4DC2-984A-5C52163B413F@uvic.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

keep an eye on them Alko's. I have a buddy who installed them and within a
year they were leaking.


On 8/3/06, Alistair Bell <albell@uvic.ca> wrote:
>
> Last Thursday I replaced the front shocks on my '82 westy.  have had
> the van for 13 years and hadn't replaced any of the shocks. I don' t
> know if the previous owner had (i purchased van with 82 k miles on it).
>
> I had been unhappy with the van's susceptibility to cross winds, and
> with good tires, steering linkage check,  and a complete front ball
> joint replacement last year, I thought new shocks were in order.
> Doing the old bounce test on the van did not indicate I needed new
> shocks, FWIW.
>
> Tom Forhan's well described procedure was a great aid. The old shocks
> came off very easily, the nuts and bolts in very good (surprising)
> condition. The old shocks were Sachs original equipment and in hand,
> moved in and out fairly good. Not as stiff as the new Alkos but by no
> means completely worn out. However, one shock did have a wee bit of
> free play.
>
> The new ones were put on and next day we went on an extended weekend
> trip involving logging roads and some quite rough logging roads :)
>
> The shocks performed very well. Its hard to really quantify, but they
> "absorb" well without feeling harsh at all. On normal roads there is
> not much difference compared to the old shocks, but on logging roads
> they absorbed washboard and potholes very well.
>
> I haven't experienced severe crosswinds yet, but it seems that the
> Alkos have improved control quite a bit.
>
> I recommend them.
>
>
> Alistair
>
>
>
> '82 westy, diesel converted to gas in '94
> http://www.members.shaw.ca/albell/
>



--
Brien K Dews CC-AWCI
www.busesbythebeach.com
84 Wolfsburg Westfalia
88 Vanagon 'Carrier'
89 Vanagon 'Bluestar'