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Date:         Mon, 14 Nov 1994 08:56:43 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         cchubb@ida.org (Chris Chubb)
Subject:      Tips, Tricks, etc.

Hi yall.

I just spent the weekend working on the old Bus, Vroomhilde. I have some tips and tricks for general edification and archival. I dont gaurantee these for any car, and some may be applicable for 71 Busses only. YMMV.

Brakes, Rear, adjusting stars: the stars that you are turning are standard thread, and you are turning the nut around the bolt. Use this fact in calculating which way to turn them. To get a stuck star out of its little cup, you can wither chew them up with vice-grips, or use a longer 17mm bolt, like the shock absorber bolt, and turn it into the center, and it will bottom out, pushing the star out of the cup. Use HIGH TEMP anti-seize when putting it back in, but not too much.

Rear axle nut: Douse this puppy with liquid wrench (or kin) about 5 times over the week preceeding the removal. Makes taking it off a dream. Also, have a helper stand on the brakes (therefore, loosen the nut before you back off the shoes) when turning this nut. Putting all that torque on the e-brake and the CVs and spider gears is not nice. By my estimate, it took about 800 foot lbs (180lbs 5 feet from the nut) to break this loose. I dont think even my bus, with beefed tranny and CVs generates 800 lbs of torque when driving. When putting it back on, dont go over the reccommended torque. You should go close to it, then calculate which cotter keyhole you need. Over torquing does noone any good, but can eat a bearing in a 1000 miles.

Rear wheel bearings: You cant get these out of the races to grease them, so follow this little trick: Get an inflator needle for a baskteball. Get a spare grease gun nozzle. Put the needle in the nozzle (sounds like a kids song) and cut the end of it off at a 45 degree angle, down near the tip. (Or just buy a grease needle) When you have the hub off just stick this between to roller bearings, and pump in a good layer of grease. (You dont even have to take the grease seal off for this.) If you needle is more than an inch long, you should be behind all the old grease, pushing it out of the hub. This worked well for me. Investigate the grease for metal shavings, water, discoloration, and think about getting bread and having someone else change the bearings some time in the future.

Brake hardware: Most FLAPS dont carry the right hardware for the 71-76 Bus. Bendix and others have the wrong shoes in the computers. (Mabye just at Trak Auto) Bendix does not have the large spring hole, and the e-brake pivot hole in Wagner is too small. I had to use old hardware, buffed back to life with some sandpaper. Also, if you get the hold-down hardware (pins, springs, cups) get the whole set, as the new cups wont go over the old pins.

Thats it for now, I may write some more tips and tricks for the archives if I can remeber them. (All that short term memory loss is really anoyying)

BTW, my favorite local garage, the Buggy Barn, just moved from 25 miles away to a mile away, and they are investing in a full machine shop. Ferdinand is smiling down on me.

--- Chris Chubb (cchubb@ida.org) __________________________________________________________________________ \All opinions expressed or implied may not reflect those of the Institute \ \for Defense Analyses, the US Government, or anyone else. \ --------------------------------------------------------------------------


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