Date:         Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:08:15 EDT
Reply-To:     JordanVw@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         JordanVw@AOL.COM
Subject:      caulk your westy fill ports/hookups!!!   or this will happen...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

ever wondered why your westy has bad rust on the drivers rocker seam
directly under the fill ports/hookups  and none of the passenger vans have  this
problem?

water leaks in around the fill ports on the drivers side..and causes  this:

_http://picasaweb.google.com/ScottGulyas/VanagonPictures?feat=embedwebsite#5
367249631571635362_
(http://picasaweb.google.com/ScottGulyas/VanagonPictures?feat=embedwebsite#5367249631571635362)

when westfalia did the camper conversion, they simply cut three square
holes in the drivers side sheetmetal and slapped a foam gasket around the  fill
doors and screwed them to the side of the van.

20 years later these foam gaskets have long since been reduced to dust, and
 everytime it rains or your wash your van, water pours in around these
ports and  soaks the insulation behind your kitchen unit.   it never dries out
and usually seeps thru the drivers rocker seam..causing rust thru at the
rocker  seam/floor level.

the pics above are what happens when the insulation gets soaked, and there
is a horizontal frame member there, and it literally rusts a hole in the
side of  your van under the fill ports where this metal frame member is.

caulk your fill ports. its so easy to do...  can save you a lot of  money
and work in the long run..