Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 14:28:57 -0800
Reply-To: Oxroad <oxroad@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Oxroad <oxroad@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: "A" Pillar Grab Handle was Advice, questions, help request
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2010120602373839@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
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This is all great information you guys shared.
If I can risk beating this dead horse... I'm a guy that
drilled through the wires performing this mod a few years
back. So as Al and Bill say, try to avoid that.
My haste added about a day to a job that could have taken an hour.
As long as I had to take out the headliner to rewire everything
I did add a dome light
to the passenger side of the Westy like the one on the driver's side.
That's a modification I like as well.
So now with grab handles and lights on both driver's and passenger
side the bus is completely balanced. And by "completely balanced"
I mean it's about 4 inches lower on the driver's side. ;)
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA, CA
On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 11:35 PM, Bill Glenn <idahobill@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 5 Dec 2010 16:59:49 -0800, Al Knoll <anasasi@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> >...Then you will take off the one on the passenger side (B pillar),
> >and put masking tape over the holes thus revealed making sure the tape is
> >long enough to make it to some particular reference above the grabit...The
> >needed size for the final holes is that which just fits into the now
> >vacant holes on the B pillar. Reattach the B pillar grabit and then
> >attach the A pillar grabit.
>
> Al,
> Those are good tips with respect to installing a grab handle on the
> driver's-side "A" pillar, but I would ad the following: 1) Consider the use
> of proper bit stops that attach to the drill bits by way of a hex-head set
> screw; bit stops eliminate the possiblilty of the drill bit being rapidly
> drawn into the hole and possibly damaging the wires if the drill bit hooks
> the hole as it exits the back side. 2) Consider drilling successively
> larger holes in three or four steps, rather than just a pilot hole and the
> final hole for each of the two holes required. The final holes are a half
> inch in diameter IIRC, and located on the convex corner of the pillar,
> so increasing the hole size incrementally may be advised. 3) Take the time
> to thoroughly cover the carpet; the metal chips that result from drilling
> the holes are a bugger to get out of the carpet, even with a good vacuum.
>
> Lastly, your pillar nomenclature may confuse someone. The pillars on both
> the driver's side and the passenger side of the windshield are designated
> as "A" pillars, while the "B" pillars are located just aft
> of the front doors.
>
> Bill
>
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