Date:         Thu, 28 Dec 1995 04:14:45 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         djones@sam.i3.net (Doug Jones)
Subject:      Re: coil over springs / V6anagon chronicles

>
>On 27 Dec 1995, David Schwarze forwarded and wrote:
>
>>> So where did you find them and how much did they go for? Steve Maher told
>>> me he couldn't find them anywhere.
>>
>>I got lucky.  They came on Schneiter's 72 Westy.  :)
>
>
>Damn. Any manufacturers' markings on them? Part numbers? Etc.?
>Might they even be modified "ordinary" shocks? If so, can you tell what
>mods were made?
>
>Steve Maher   smaher@gi.com

>I fabricated a woven-steel flexible cable in a nylon-tube housing, to
>go from above the left rear axle up to the carb. But I forgot what happens
>to the nylon tube when heated and stressed simultaneously-- it now looks
>like Teddy Kennedy's path from the party to the Chappaquiddick bridge, and
>it won't uncurl. Great design, Steve-- one for the archives.   :(
>
>Back to the drawing board...
>
Howdy folks,
  Maybe I can be of (a) little help.  I manage a FLAPS down here in sunny
Florida and I was looking for a pair of coil over shocks for my '72
Sportmobile camper and came to the sad conclusion that nobody wanted to make
me any.  So being the ever determined (albeit very lazy) parts person that I
am I started to look a little harder.  I found a pair with only a few minor
problems.   The holes at the top and bottom are 1/2"(I think) instead of
12mm.  Easy to solve with a couple sleeves.  The shock, completely extended
measures approx. 3/8" shorter.  No problem at all if you're not jumping over
burning buildings.  The third, bigger but not major, is that the diameter of
the shock is larger so  it won't clear the body at the top mount.  A spacer
at the mounts to keep the shock away from the body should handle that.  Well
now to the lazy part.  I left the shocks at work and don't go back until
saturday.  I'll post the part# and results if I get around to trying them on. 
     For the accelerator cable I used the cables from a 10 speed bicycle
shifter and fabricated a couple brackets.  It works great and i've had no
trouble yet.  Hope I helped.  
                        Doug