Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 22:28:43 -0800
Reply-To: Andrew Martin <campahvan@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Andrew Martin <campahvan@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Stainless Steel Coolant Pipes from Van Cafe
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Shortly after my 85 Westy’s September ’08 head reseal job, I had a big
coolant hose slip off the plastic coolant pipe and dump it’s contents in my
driveway. Fortunately I saw the clouds of steam coming off the exhaust and
shut the engine off before it could overheat. The plastic pipes are cracked
at the ends and the steel inserts have been rusting and creeping out slowly
for years. I’d been double clamping them but this time the end of one of
the pipes broke off and there wasn’t enough left in the engine compartment
to get even one clamp on. I finally broke down and ordered the two piece
stainless steel pipes from the Van Café. After I’d ordered them on-line,
Peter called me to tell me he didn’t have the pipes I needed for my ‘85 in
stock and that he would have them dropped shipped directly to me from his
supplier asap. As usual with the Van Café, they arrived when he said they
would (though the shipping company driver tried to deliver them to my
neighbor’s house).
My brother and I worked together to install them and it went pretty well. I
used a Saws-all to cut the old pipes in half and the rear sections came out
easily. The front sections took quite a bit of pulling, twisting and
swearing to get them out from over the fuel tank and make things more
interesting, I have BA6 furnace installed just behind the fuel tank. After
pushing and pulling from opposite sides we discovered there were two plastic
zip ties just out of sight and reach holding the pipes together and to the
frame rails. I clamped a fine toothed hack saw blade into a pair of vise
grips and using gentle pull strokes I was able to reach in and cut the
hidden plastic ties. After that the pipes came out with just a little more
twisting and swearing. We lined the new and old pipes together on the shop
floor and made reference marks on the new pipes so we know if we’d mated
them together correctly.
Getting front sections in over the fuel tank was difficult. We had the
van’s body up about 6 inches (on 4 jack stands) and that certainly helped
with the open space needed for manipulating the pipes. The first section
went in with some twisting and pushing but after it was in place we couldn’t
get the second section in beside it for love nor money. In the end we
pulled the first section ½ way out then gently pushed and twisted both pipes
in at the same time alternating twisting and gently pushing each pipe. Just
when we thought one side was stuck, a slight twist would more it in another
6 inches. The rear sections of the new ss pipe went in easily though one
side seemed to point a bit downward. This was confirmed after we’d finally
gotten the front section in place. The rubber connector hose would fit but
it didn’t look right.
After some pizza and a beer we decided to use the horn of my bench vice to
straighten the last two bends a little. The pipe is very stiff and it
wasn’t easy but after three trial bends ‘n’ fits we were satisfied with how
the pipes sections met. Perhaps the end of the pipe was slightly bent out
of its original shape in transit. The wire straps that held the original
plastic pipes to the underbody would not fit around the new ss pipes (except
at the end in the engine compartment) so we used 10 or so heavy plastic zip
ties through holes the frame rails to hold the new pipes to the underbody.
We also used zip ties to re bundle the heater hoses and coolant pipes
together and it look neater than original. The rubber connectors and ss
clamps that were included with the pipes were of excellent quality and fit
perfectly.
I’m very satisfied with the stainless pipes from the Van Café and their
customer service is second to none.
Andrew
Bainbridge Island WA
Ps. Since I wrote this I read (on this list) that lowering the fuel tank a
bit will make installing the front sections easier.