Upper Control Arm fix

I've had a few Vanagons now and I'm quite privy to upper control arm bushing failure.  It's an obvious sound and feeling when these little $20 parts go bad and they pretty easy to fix, so I wasn't alarmed when I heard and felt mine rattling around down there on the passenger side.

Because they can really throw off your alignment, it's good to nip them in the bud and swap them out.  I ordered up the parts from VanCafe because I was craving big cookie and I needed the parts the next day (they are only a few hours away), and decided to knock it out the next morning.  

As soon as I got the van jacked up and had the wheel off the ground, I realized that I had a bit more going on down there. The bushings were snug, but the oval sleeve used mount that the upper control arm bolts to, was separated from the frame mount.  Not something I had expected, or seen before.

So, I took a few pics with my phone up in the wheel-well to get a better look (because you can't see the back side of the shock tower) and was baffled as to how I was going to remedy the situation. The area up inside the wheel well is too narrow to get in there with a mig welder and being able to get a good solid weld on there would not be possible even if you could.

So, I called a good friend, also a Vanagon geek like myself, who has a ton more experience with bigger jobs like this, not to mention he's an amazing welder and mechanic.  I shared some pics and he decided to come over and take a look.

As soon as he arrived, we agreed the best course of action would be to get it to his house and cut open the floor under the passenger seat so that we can create an access to the shock tower and upper control arm mount.

So, we removed the seat, drilled some holes and carefully cut a 12"x12" opening under the seat with a sawsall.

We were lucky that the mount/sleeve broke off pretty cleanly and we could see exactly where it was supposed to go.  We then cleaned up the metal and welded the part back in, but not before adding an extra piece of metal to reinforce the sleeve in the inboard side.

After that, a quick re-install of the control arm and we were done.  We eyeballed the alignment and pretty much nailed it, but I'll be getting it aligned pretty soon when I install new suspension components.

All said and done, it was about 6 hours of work, 2 sub sandwiches and the existing bushings didn't even need to be replaced.  

We welded the access port back in and cleaned it up with some good Rustoleum pain and you could hardly even tell we were there.

Rocker Panel Protection

When I purchased my first Vanagon, I was looking for ways to dress it up and personalize it a bit.  I had a short list of things I could do to make it look "better than stock" without spending tons of money.

One of the first things that I did, was to add a bedliner product to the lower rocker panels of the van.  I like the look of it because it breaks up the huge body panels a little and makes the van appear a bit taller than it is.  I've always liked my vans to look a little more "rugged" and this is a quick way to accomplish this.  It also adds a fair amount of protection to the lower section of the body to protect from rock ships, scrapes and eventually rust.

I did some research and asked around about various products and then decided to try out Rustoleum's Bedliner that is available in a spray can. I figured that for the price, I can go wrong and I could always touch it up should it chip, flake, crack, etc.   This is available at most hardware stores, I purchased mine at the local Ace Hardware for about $9/can.  The lower rocker panels on my van took about 3 cans total (one per side, then less than one for the front and rear sections).

Now, for any project that involved paint, you have to know that prep time is usually about 3-4x longer than actual application time. The masking, paint prep and "figuring it out" is always the longest part of the project.

Parts list:
2 Rolls of thin (1") Blue masking tape
1 Roll of the thicker (3") Blue masking tape
1 Roll of masking paper (about 10" wide)
1000 grit sandpaper
Paint Thinner
Clean rag
Piece of cardboard (to use as a shield)
Old towel or cardboard (or something to throw over wheels to avoid overspray)

my '86 Westy with undercoating

The first part if figuring out your masking line.  Do you want it go over the wheel wells or stay below and follow the body line.  Do you want to do the area inside the door and step? do you want to continue it on the front and rear of the van and if so, where?  All things you'll want to consider.  The easiest option is to go online and Google "Vanagon rocker panel undercoating" or something along those lines and start seeing how other people tackled theirs.  You can always add more later, but you don't want to go overboard and then think that less would've been better.  Think it through.

Next, mask off your area with the thin tape and make sure your paintable edge is clean and that the tape is pressed down tight, otherwise you'll get paint under the tape and it'll look bad.

Then, once your happy with the line, use the thicker tape and masking paper to mask off the area/s that could potentially get overspray on them.  This product doesn't put off too much mist, but it will end up finding its way onto the rest of the van.  I usually mask up about 12" or so above the line and just be careful when I paint.  I use the cardboard as a shield for anything else and I keep a rag hand with some paint thinner on it to remove any accidental overspray.

I've used this product on 3 different vehicles now and I love it.  It's strong, looks good, goes on easy and it's affordable.

My '82 before

My '82 after

I unfortunately lost a few photos from this project, but I'll try to dig up what I can and add them into the post.

Sound and Temperature Insulation

When I picked up "Ferdinand" the '82 Diesel, I wanted to strip it down and check everything out before committing to the project.  I did an inspection of the undercarriage/drivetrain and managed to get the motor running pretty good after sitting for a few years.  I then began to tear apart the interior to inspect the panels for rust and corrosion.  My end goal is to modify the existing cabinets slightly to be a bit more comfortable when camping.  At any rate, to my surprise, there wasn't much cancer taking place aside from the driver's side seam behind the door.  I wire-wheeled it down to bare metal, applied some Ospho and some rust control paint to stop the process and I think that'll hold her. The yellow stuff on the panel in the photo is the glue that is used at the factory to hold the fiberglass insulation in place.

Anyhow, since I had most of the panels out, I decided to take the time and replace the old fiberglass insulation with something new and add some sound dampening as well.  I did a little research and decided to use a knock-off dampening material similar to Dynamat or Fatmat. Luckily, a good friend of mine had a bunch left over from doing his van and it cost me $0.  It's a peel and stick application and it helps keep the panels from vibrating and gives the panels a bit more thickness to help keep the resonance down.  I put pieces where my hands could fit: doors, firewall, side panels, etc. I put more detail into the footwell area with both the dampening and insulation to keep our feet a bit cooler when driving on hot days as well as wind noise.  I also added some of the dampening material behind the front grill on the exterior and then sprayed over it with a rubberized undercoating to keep down wind and road noise.

Then using some peel and stick foil type insulation from Home Depot,

 I spread that over the same panels, getting it wherever I could.  The end result so far has been great.  I'm still formulating my plan for re-furbing the panels themselves, but I'll tackle that in a new post.  I also am going to add a thin layer of insulation under the cargo area when I put in my new floor. I still have the headliner over the driver and passenger seat to tend to, but I'll re-insulate that when I pull the panel for refurb.

I notice a big difference in the way the van sounds and feels on the inside.  When It been sitting in the sun for a while, I don't feel like I'm sitting in a steel box.  Furthermore, the sound dampening material really make the doors sound solid upon closure.  Pretty easy, cheap and satisfying project.  If you haven't taken the time to pull your interior panels and inspect your "shell", I highly recommend doing so... You never know what might be lurking in there.

Welcome to Vanagon Geek!

Welcome to the new Vanagon Geek blog, where I will do my best to post pertinent info, product reviews, links, repairs, and pics about Vanagons and their nuances.   I don't claim to be an expert on these wonderful creatures, but I've owned a few (3 Vanagons and Split-window) and am learning more each day. Together with my mechanic/nephew Trent (and his Subaru powered Bay window project), we'll be tackling various Vanagon topics and I'll post some trials and tribulations along the way.

My passion for these quirky vehicles began when I was just a few days old... so I'm told.  An early model bay-window bus (1969) was the first vehicle I ever rode in as my parents brought me home from the hospital after entering the world.  We camped and traveled around in this bus for quite a few years growing up, most of which I don't remember.  As I grew, my father got involved with customizing vans, mostly Ford and Dodge, but it gave me some insight into how the interior of a box on wheels can be turned into a home and rolling sanctuary.  It intrigued me and I began to really appreciate the potential of a "van".

Many years later, I joined the Navy and at some point, began to obsess over VW busses.  I saved my money and one month after I was honorable discharged, I purchase my first bus, a 1967 21-window, nearly all original and beautiful.  I loved that bus and drove it everywhere as my daily driver and even to this day, still get a little emotional over it.  A few years later, I made the silly decision to sell it off (for profit of course) to get something that would get me up into the hills quickly for hiking, biking and recreation.  I purchased a Landcruiser and started down of a path of obsession over those creatures as well, however I never lost my lust for the bus.

In 2012, I began to re-obsess over the VW line of cars, in particular the Vanagon.  I wanted one, and I wanted one bad.   I sold my incredibly reliable Honda Element and purchased "Blanca", a 1986 Weekender Westy from a dealer in the Bay Area.  She was beautiful and nearly completely rebuilt and clean.  She cost me a pretty penny, and I took her a bit further by adding trick little add-ons, upgrades and niceties.  Not long after that, I experienced a financial hardship as I was forced to close my business that I'd operated for 8 years.  At this point, I had no "plan B" for a while, so I simply just lived the Vanagon lifestyle and we traveled and used it frequently.  My wife and I discussed many career options, and I eventually decided on a career as a professional mariner and I needed to sell my van to pay for schooling.  It was heartbreak, but the short-term loss would lead to a long-term gain. 

So, off I went to a 2-year school out of town and landed a Coast Guard license which would allow me to drive tugboats on the West Coast (see my other blog on that career change).   http://backtoseawithme.blogspot.com

Anyhow, I have now completed the needed schooling to be a licensed Mariner and am picking up where I left off with regards to my passion for Vanagons and VW's in general.

During the 2 years in school,  I purchased a 1984 Westy with the intention of keeping it and fixing it up, but then flipped it for some more school money.

About 3 months ago, I did some trading and picked up "Ferdinand", a 1982 Diesel Westfalia that needed a ton of work, but had great potential.  He is my current project and he will most likely be the focus of my blog, but I'll be working on some other Vanagons over time and will highlight those repairs and modifications as well.

Ferdinand is up and running (before and current pics below), but he is far from being finished.  Future plans include suspension upgrade, interior mods and engine swap as well as many other add-ons and upgrades.

June 2016

August 2016

I will also be committing a fair amount of my blog time to doing product reviews, Vanagon hacks, tips, tricks and modifications.  I love to tinker and my job allows me huge chunks of home time in between work trips to get big projects completed.