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