Date:         Mon, 2 Jan 1995 07:46:09 -0600
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu (John Gladu)
Subject:      Re: Belly Pans, Bus Grand Tour, Names

>First, on Sat, 31 Dec 1994, John Gladu wrote:
>
>> ...The entire cargo section is sealed.
>
>This sounds like an after-market addition to me, but I am not sure. John,
>(or anyone else) do you know if these were VW-issue?

I'm as sure as I can be - I'm the second owner, and the previous owner (the
Rice U. Campus Store) wasn't the tinkering type.

>I liked the idea a lot
>the first time I read it, but five minutes pause leaves me confused.
>-First, I wouldn't weld anything to the belly, I need access too often.

I haven't needed to access anything in there in the 16 years that I've
owned him.  I *do* need to replace the rocker panels as well as the
door-latch-hole-plate-things and I worry about the unprotected areas inside
where I will have welded but been unable to paint...

>Screws would be OK tho.
>-Second, the mid-section rust problems on breadloaves (my only experience)
>appear in the rocker panels, floor, and behind the front seats at the
>corner with the floor.  This belly pan sounds like it might (a) protect
>the floor and rocker panels from salt spray or (b) trap the salt spray
>against them for year-round rusting.

I haven't had too much exposure to salt (other than driving in the ocean),
but I know that the pans have only light rust spots on them now, and can
only imagine that the mid-section floor is still solid underneath.  I know
that the top is still solid, albeit dented to hell.  I did have a
rust-through where the floor meets the seat behind the driver's-side front
tire.  This one caught me by surprise - I found that the floor was soggy
and couldn't find the leak.  I plugged it with an enormous amount of
silicone-seal.

>-Third, the pan would definitely help with heating, IMHO, as there would be
>a "dead air" space established around the heater tube and under the floor.
>Any other opinions on this?

I'd agree - the long piece of duct is in its own little toaster-oven.

>Second Subject:
>
>...Thence we
>procede down 101 to LA, hang a left and back via Albuqueque, Houston, New
>Orleans and Atlanta.  I figure this for May 25-June ??...

I *do* hope that the tour personnel will let me know about when you'll be
coming through Houston - I've *got* to meet up with you for a bit...


bcnu - G (John Gladu)  .Opinions are just that.
Systems Support Center -- Baylor College of Medicine
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