Date:         Tue, 15 Sep 1998 09:15:35 -0700
Reply-To:     Malcolm Holser <mholser@ADOBE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Malcolm Holser <mholser@ADOBE.COM>
Subject:      Re: SLIDING DOOR
Comments: To: "Small,
          Eric (Y2K).SDWARREN/SOPORTLAND/EricS at M ERICS - SDWCMAIL"
          <USSDWUFW@IBMMAIL.COM>, Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
In-Reply-To:  <Vanagon%1998091507082245@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>I experienced this problem with my '86GL some years back.  The door began
>opening while traveling -usually when I would hit a bump or something.  I
>realized that it started shortly after -while in a fit of rage- I had
>slammed the door.

Fits of rage are bad for Vanagon sliding doors.

A couple of years ago, we drove our '80 Westy (different door mechanism, I
know) to Alaska.  In the Alaska summer, there are basically no nights, and
the roads are really long.  Thus, we were driving a _lot_.  Three kids in the
back, always fighting.  Dad up front getting increasingly short tempered.
A long climb (a really long climb) up a grade between Anchorage and Tok.
Too much.  I pulled off at a spectatular view of the glacier way down
below us.  I did not look -- I charged around the van, yanked the damned
door open to yell at the $!@!# kids.  Ripped the door right off the van.

My wife was *real* happy.  "Great -- we're hundreds of miles from anywhere
in Alaska, and you tear the door off!"

Well, I got it back together.  Funny thing is that the door had never really
worked well anyway.  Afterwards, it fit *much* better -- closing almost as
easily as our later Vanagons, and opening really nice, too.  I guess I had
needed to take the door off and rework it a bit.

Halfway between nothing and nowhere in a fit of rage is *not* the time.

Malcolm