Date: 04 Mar 1996 13:50:13 EST
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Tom Forhan" <TFORHAN@hr.house.gov>
Subject: Disassembling the DOA 87 Syncro (long)
Yesterday we bid adieu to the DOA 87 GL Syncro.
I had been cited by the the city fathers for an "inoperable vehicle",
and indeed it was, just like the 7 other (uncited) inoperable vehicles
I have seen in a two block radius of my house.
I wanted to put the DOA in a garage, but first I had to build one. The
County said I needed a Historic Area Work Permit before I could get a
Building Permit , and the Historic Preservation Commission said I
needed to get a Tree Impact Plan approved by the City before I could
apply for the Historic Area Work Permit. The City tree guy came by to
inspect the proposed garage site, and the next day a different
inspector came by to give me the "inoperable vehicle" citation.
Hmmmm....
Always quick on the uptake, I realized a new garage was not in my
immediate future. A close examination of the DOA Syncro showed major
bondo work on the right rear side, two other areas of unrepaired
collision damge,and rust well underway in several other locations.
All that and a hole poked through the crankcase by a thrown rod. The
decision was made.
In the wee hours of Sunday morning, a cold front passed through. At
8am I started taking out the interior. My six year old son, Colin,
armed with his trusty Black and Decker electric screwdriver, took out
the lights, lenses, and the grills.
At 9:45 listmember Patrick Eagan arrived, with his buddy Jason.
Temperatures were in the mid-thirties, and a gusty wind was making us
all miserable. Patrick and Jason started at the rear, working to
remove the engine and transmission as a unit.
Mike Spiers, a friend from the Quattro list, arrived, and we started
taking out the dash and cooling system, followed by all the doors and
the hatch. We broke for lunch, and while enjoying big hot bowls of
chili, there was a knock on the door, and we welcomed another
listmember, Rick Koller.
Back outside, the day continued to get colder; and the engine and
trans were soon out. Patrick and Jason, deciding the best place to
stay out of the wind was under the bus, continued down below to do
the forward differential, steering rack and all the CVs. Rick, Mike
and I scurried around topside, removing anything that we could get to.
The DOA Syncro resembled but a shell of its former self.
Special bonus points were awarded for anything with "AUSTRIA" marked
next to the part number; the Syncros were built in Austria by
Steyr-Daimler-Puch (not VW!) and so Austrian parts are the Syncro
specific ones. These are the keepers, for me, the parts that will
keep me driving the Syncro Westie forever.
Finally Rich and Mike started the real epic task, removing the Syncro
fuel tank. With everything disconnected it would not budge. Bentley
was useless. There was some movement, but finally we decided it was
just not going to come. I called Derek Drew, a fellow Syncro
disassembler, and he said it was the worst part of the whole process,
and suggested useing maximum leverage. We started with a crow bar,
moved to a 2x4, then a 2x8, and finally,an eightfoot long 3x6. Over
another hour, it slowly came out.
This tank is plastic, and is stuffed in above the transmission. This
setup was not designed for recycling, folks. The Bentley says to
take out the transmission before removingthe fuel tank, but I cannot
imagine attempting it with the engine in place. I suppose if a tank
fails, you could cut it out with the trans out, but pulling it out
whole....what a job. In terms of man-hours, it was the single
component that took the most time. On a safety note, it is the most
well protected gas tank location I have ever seen.
Once the gas tank was out, (and the sun set) things started winding
down. I put it back on four wheels`cause I didn't want it unattended
on jackstands. Rick Koller is going to pick a few things this
afternoon, and my wife is out there picking some little items as I
write. I called a scrap metal place, and it should be off the
premises by tomorrow. We took lots of photos, and I am sure one will
be suitable for Thom's new page.
Patrick headed back to Baltimore with the "door prize". His crew cab
looks great,but the prior owner did a poor job of repairing bullet
damage on the drivers side, and now Patrick can replace it with the
door from the DOA Syncro - even the color is correct!
By the way, I am willing to sell the non-syncro parts that I have.
This is a white 87 GL with air. I'll post someting on Dworkin's Used
Bus Bits Page, but right now, don't expect an item by item listing.
Syncro items I'll be keeping, if I change my mind about any of these,
I'll post.
Thanks again to all who helped and advised. Joel, please change the
stats.
Tom F.
90 Syncro Westie
90 Audi 200 TQW
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