Date:         Fri, 27 Jun 1997 21:32:27 +0000
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         vwbus@netbiz.net
Subject:      HEAT EXCHANGERS ARRIVE

Well here's my official report, Nick Sinoeitz (sp?) came on over 
with the exchangers for the '77 tonight.  I had already removed the 
good ones on it and had an old nasty pair and a nasty pair of flapper 
valves to provide him.  Nick is a real good guy, he doesn't know much 
or care much about the asbestos recall thing but I'd say VW is paying 
him handsomely in his retirement to go all over the east coast and do 
this thing, I feel the pictures he takes are for his benefit as much 
as the companies, good guy, VW since the 50's, in the US since 63, 
knows his shit needless to say.  Nick was quite happy to allow me to 
do all the work myself, couldn't care less whether he or I ripped the 
old stuff out.  He considers his role as active or advisory or 
neither depending on what the situation warrants.  Well got the new 
stuff, BSed he went on his way.
     OK the new stuff is of course Dansk, made in Denmark as one 
would expect.  The exchangers that is, the new bellows tubes are 
German and slightly changed with red silicone grommets, ala Vanagon.  
The flapper boxes are the current ones available, who knows the 
origion probably OEM just like origional except no asbestos on the up 
flapper.  An important and distressing note for '78 and '79 owners, 
the flappers will not have the correct off takes for the tubes that 
scrub the heat off below the engine.  I don't like this but what can 
one do.  Also 4 gaskets and a bunch of M8 hardware.  SO AN IMPORTANT 
NOTE, no gaskets for the little covers over the joint between the fan 
housing and exchanger (mine disintegrated and are also probably 
asbestos, I may call LeCoz in terror to try to nab some replacements) 
And no new hardware for the flapper valves or heater tubes, only the 
valves themselves, Nick will give you bolts out of his stash but not 
the correct sort, you know what I mean.  Also no hose clamps for the 
bellows, mine oddly were the crimp style on the '77 so I had to cut 
and could not reuse.  Now I'm not knitpicking here I'm just telling 
you people what you better get if you want to be prepared to do this 
right.
     OK installation so far, fit is fair, Dansk stuff is fair not 
great, I'm not saying new German would be any better but the Dansk 
are a bit thin as well and don't have as big of aluminum exchanger 
castings inside.  Some quick tips, make sure you trial fit all the 
heat tube metal to metal connection before you get them mounted, 
particularly the output joint between heater box and tube that goes 
up to the valves, these will need a bit of reconfiguring with a 
hammer to get so they slip on nicely once you get them up there.  
Other than that standard stuff make sure to leave everything a bit 
loose till the muffler or crossover pipe or whatever you are using is 
on.  And here's a neat one, that little cover plate over the fan 
housing to exchanger joint, those SOB's are slightly different side 
to side, never noticed it before.  The difference is important and 
worth noting before you remove or you have to figure it out later 
like me.
     All in all pretty happy, felt like Christmas, could have called 
him St. Nick.  He is having difficulty finding the '81 parts 
apparently but they and the set for the '78 will be coming shortly.

John
vwbus@netbiz.net