1986 Vw Syncro Westfalia Vanagon on 2040-cars
Owasso, Oklahoma, United States
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It is with a heavy heart that I must part with my beloved “Great Big Daddy Van”, a 1986 Full Westfalia Syncro. It has been my daily driver since 2004. Here’s the good, bad, and the pretty darn cool:
The good: Runs strong on the original engine! I haven’t hesitated to drive it from Tulsa to Denver and back at least once a year. New(ish) cv joints all the way around. The front half-shafts were replaced earlier this year, the rears were done a few years ago. No vibrations in the drive-shaft! New(ish) canvas up top. Interior is in nice shape for the age, no rips or tears in the upholstery, no major dings in the cabinets. I have both of the tables and stands in good shape, as well as an upper bunk step. which fits in the front table bracket. Still the best way to spend the night away from home! A/C works well, although it needs charging at the beginning of the hot season. Recently replaced coolant downpipe, the one that always rusts out. Recently replaced exhaust system. The bad: The rear diff locker quit working after I had the transmission rebuilt. I suspect they didn’t reconnect the vacuum line and if so, this ought to be an easy fix for a better mechanic than me. The odometer quit working at 140,000 miles, I am unsure of the actual current milage. Crack in the windshield. Hole in the rear passenger quarter panel, it was there when I bought it. Bullet? Rebar? Ski pole? Whatever caused it, it makes for a good story. Rust bubbles in the usual places, some rust through at the bottom same passenger rear quarter panel mentioned above, should be eliminated if you were to replace it. There is also some rust through in the passenger step in under the rubber mat. I couldn't budge the mat on the driver's side, it was too well glued down. I looked underneath but didn't see any rust through. Please see the photobucket link for close-ups of the affected areas. Blown propane tank. I have a replacement, and will try to have one of them cleaned/repaired and functionally installed by the purchase date. Front washer switch has burned out, but I have a spare which leads me to the cool bits: The pretty darn cool: I have purchased over the years add-on’s that I never got around to installing, all are original factory items unless otherwise noted: A nearly complete factory cruise control set, including the turn signal stalk controls, and lacking only vacuum tubing and a second pedal switch. (it came from an automatic transmission vanagon) Seat heater controls, including the switch, housing and wiring, but not the heater itself. Power door lock set including actuators and wiring, for all five doors including the sliding door interlocks. Power window set including motors and switches. Two sliding center seats, one a single on a swivel base with a locking box in the base, the other is a double, both with matching upholstery. I have used these, and they’re awesome. I will include floor dollies for both, they make them much easier to move around the garage when not in the van. External thermal wrap by Fanchers.com for the canvas around the upper bunk. Custom made Gary Lee rack for the back hatch with a spare tire mount and a shelf for carrying a wheelbarrow. One of my neighbors backed into it while it was mounted on the hatch and as a result, one of the legs is slightly out of alignment. It should be easy to negotiate back into place. Two cargo carriers that I built, one covers the entire length of the extended rear bed and has rope handles for ease of carrying, the other can either go in the rear with the seat up or on the floor, or use them both at the same time, and save your interior! I am selling for a few reasons: we have brand new twins and to make my wife happy, I need a different vehicle to transport them. (with factory installed shoulder belts, headrests, and latch points) I never took it off-roading like I thought I would, although I sure was happy to have its amazing abilities when the snow and ice hit! We also didn’t camp in it as much as I thought I was going to, Oklahoma weather is either too darn cold or too dang hot. And the kicker, none of the mechanics around here know what to do with it. We are minutes away from Tulsa international airport, we will cheerfully pick up the winning bidder to drive it home! Here's a photobucket link with all the pics, if there's anything you want to see but don't, please ask, and I'll get it posted too! |
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Auto Services in Oklahoma
T & W Tire Co. ★★★★★
Swanson Tire Co. ★★★★★
Stillwater Automotive ★★★★★
Standard Machine ★★★★★
Sooner Fiberglass ★★★★★
Ron`s Tire & Lube ★★★★★
Auto blog
Next-gen Volkswagen Golf R spied while running the 'Ring
Tue, 16 Apr 2013The launch of a new Volkswagen Golf is never a small thing, and things are already looking up for the subcompact hatchback after it was named 2013 World Car of the Year. While we've already seen the base and GTI versions of the next-generation Golf, now we're getting our first look at the sportier Golf R.
Although this prototype wears GTI lettering on the front fenders, it's more than just the roll cage and Sparco racing seat hinting that this is something a little more serious. Unlike the Golf and GTI, this car shows that the Golf R will continue to flaunt massive air intakes on each side of the fascia, and the rear of the car (though it's hard to see) has quadruple exhaust outlets. We still don't have an official word on power, but rumors indicate that the next Golf R could be pushing close to 300 horsepower, making it the most powerful production Golf ever. As much fun as we had during our first drive of the Golf R Cabriolet in the cold, snowy French Riviera last month, more power is a warming idea.
IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013
Wed, 02 Jan 2013The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed its annual list of Top Safety Picks, an award that highlights automobiles it says offer "superior crash protection." A new and still more significant award, the Top Safety Pick+ honor, is given to those vehicles that earn good ratings for occupant protection in four out of five areas of measure. And while some 117 vehicles were given the TSP seal of approval for 2013, just 13 passed muster for TSP+.
To be fair, IIHS only evaluated 29 vehicles with its new testing procedures for TSP+ (we'd expect that the number of qualified cars will rise substantially for 2014). Luxury and Near Luxury midsize cars were the first groups evaluated, followed by midsizers in the Moderately Priced Cars category - unsurprisingly, it's only midsize cars that you'll find among the class this year.
Only two luxury sedans made the list of 13 for 2013: the Acura TL and Volvo S60. The other 11 cars on the list included entries from domestic, Japanese and German car makers: Dodge Avenger, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Kia Optima (but not its close kin, the Hyundai Sonata, strangely), Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Suzuki Kizashi and the Volkswagen Passat all made the grade.
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The UAW has instituted a major push at the Chattanooga plant to represent the 2,500 hourly laborers that build the VW Passat by using what's called a card-check process. The tactic is opposed by the National Right to Work Legal Defense foundation, the group representing the workers. The card-check process demands that a company recognize a union that obtains the signatures of more than half its workforce, according to The Tennessean. This tactic is in contrast to the more traditional route, which sees employees vote on union representation.
The workers filing the complaint claim that the UAW told them the cards merely called for a secret ballot, rather than an outright demand for union representation. Workers also allege that the UAW has made it overly difficult to reclaim their signed cards, some of which were signed so long ago that they have been rendered invalid. Although the cards can force a company's hand, federal law still allows the company to ask for a secret ballot before yielding to unionized workers.