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Date:         Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:15:48 -0500
Reply-To:     Jarrett Kupcinski <kupcinski@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jarrett Kupcinski <kupcinski@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Various reportings
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

My world has become curiously Vanagon-shaped of late. Here's the latest doings:

New wheels and tires! In the interest of improving Oly's handling, I've upgraded to 15" rims via a wheel/tire package available through VanCafe. Got their Eurolook 15's with Nokian Entyre 207/70/15's to replace the Hankook RA08's I had on there. Even had a blustery rainy day on Friday to test them out on wet windy roads and I can say that they do provide better traction and driving experience, which is good considering I'm currently teaching the wife how to handle the beast. That being said, I really liked the RA08's (195/14's) and would have gotten a new set of them if I was staying on the 14" rims.

Floorpan rust treated! You should pull your carpet up. And while doing that, pull up the padding as well. I was quite surprised at how much surface rust had begun on the floorpans. There were even a few small spots of rust through. Using POR-15's floorpan repair kit, I cleaned and treated the whole thing. Then I top coated with a color matched can of paint (bushed) I got at the local auto paint supply store. Ultimately the van will become a heap of ferric oxide, but this effort will hopefully keep entropy at bay for another day. And it was quite easy. Easy enough that there's no excuse for driving around with rusty floorpans.

Sound deadening material added! Since the floor panels were exposed from the above treatment, I discovered that they rattle and resonate like a pair of steel drums. I ordered and used some materials fromsounddeadenershowdown.com (yes, that's the site) and started to make the van a little quieter. For what it's worth, I completely recommend the sounddeadenershowdown guy. He's got good info on his site, and reasonably priced materials, if that's on your vanagenda.

Poptop interior flocking cleaned! For the past 7 years that I've owned the van, I've cleaned it up pretty well. One thing that I haven't touched (until this past weekend) was the flocking on the poptop. Our last camping trip made me resolve to tackle this. The wife and I decided to sleep (for a change) in the top bunk. The weekend was rainy and humid, and in the morning, I saw all this brown-colored condensation on inside of the roof. At first I thought it was some kind of chemical breakdown, but then I realized that it was just the water condensation picking up twenty-something years of dirt and then dripping down onto us. Ew. So, back at home I decided to spot test some Resolve carpet cleaner. Worked wonders. Used a soft toothbrush to work it in around corners, and a couple of microfiber cleaning rags to blot the cleaner out. A little bit of sprayed bleach addressed the worst stains. Wow, what a difference. I was afraid that the flocking would come off, but it's actually quite resilient.

Engine replacement decided! I've decided (with full support from wife) to upgrade/replace the wbx engine with a Bostig conversion. Lots of reasons for deciding to go that route, and I'm really excited about it. If all goes well, I should have the engine in by mid-July, ready for a drive to Nebraska for my 20 year reunion (what better way to show up than in my 80's van?) and then (more importantly) onwards to Colorado for MOUNTAINS!

I have pictures for proof, and will post them eventually.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled ramblings.

-Jarrett 89 Westy


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