Weekend Update... actually a couple of weeks condensed.
New (rebuilt) power steering rack, new lines from Frank Condelli, new German Meyle tie rod ends. Finished it off with a set of poly bushings from Chris (Loogy). Note relocated resevoir in engine compartment; the tank bracket was originally welded in place right over the diesel engine bar mount holes, and had to be ground off so I could fit the mounts to the van. Cast around a bit for a new location; ended up tucking it into the corner; accessible, and a straight shot to the ps pump inlet.
Coolant system is finally all in place & ready to go. The silicone DV engine hose set, which I played a part in creating, is available from Justin at Greaseworks. Apparently, the diesel body hoses run longer than the gasser hoses, I came up about a foot short, and had to splice in some hose to reach my original body tubes. I got the front silicone hose set directly from GeeBee, he's producing them and they will fit any watercooled vanagon except early diesel unless you update the radiator...
***in' coolant tank bracket from Greaseworks as well, with a new 1.9L tank. Note also the spliced water pump outlet hose; I can't find the correct angled thermostat cover that the hose set was designed to use, I ended up using the nice compact 90-deg section from an original front radiator hose.
Air intake system is under heavy revision. I have a Donaldson air cleaner that was recommended to me; I simply could not get it to fit/work with the Syncro snorkel as originally configured, with both in & out on one side. I had planned to put it behind the pass. side tail light, but this location is also where the fuel filler tube comes in, further decreasing space. I gave up, and moved it to the other side, but again, outlet config prevented hooking up the snorkel, the intake would not clear the lip of the side vent, could not get the unit in far enough... I couldn't let it go, I want my snorkel, dammit. :wink: So I proceeded to re-engineer the Donaldson. Sliced off the offending outlet tube and blanked off the endcap, reversed the filter element (cylindrical, with one end open and the other closed), and put a new outlet flange on the removeable cap, effectively reversing the flow thru the filter. This allowed me to push the unit all the way into the cavity, and I got the intake tube and the snorkel to line up. Used a new length of accordian 3" hose down the side vent, and attched it to the filter with a vinyl adaptor/clamp that came with the hose, one end "screws" onto the hose, the other got zip-tied to the filter. Bloody cramped quarters to work in, very frustrating job, but it's in. The gotcha here was that it went in so far, that the drain tube now hits the frame. :roll: Hence the sideways drain in the pics... I'll figure this out later. I probably should have just ordered a different filter, one that fits, but I'm kinda dumb that way...
This is how it came originally; with moveable 90-deg outlet.
During modification, outlet-ectomy, kind of a filter sex-change...
After installation and snorkel hook-up. Note incorrect drain orientation... hard to find a position where I could get all 3 latches shut. Nightmare project all around, especially getting that snorkel secured tightly to the filter intake, not much room for man hands in there...
Syncro snorkel, transferred to the drivers side. It still fits on the mount prongs, but it's reversed so the openings face forward. If I encounter water ingress issues, I'll just spin it around and use zip ties.
Miscellaneous stuff...
Replaced the crumbling throttle cable tube with new nylon 3/8" tubing, leftover from the fuel line feed. I encountered frozen gas pedal syndrome a few times from water getting into the cable run in winter, now it's all sealed up.
Oil dipstick; I ground out a divot in the pump bracket, and tied down with a SS zip-tie.
Corrosion control: every fastener, clamp, and component that goes into the van gets soaked with this stuff, high penetration and dries to a waxy red shine. Freebie from work...
Fuel filter; Lucas unit with built-in prime pump, bowl heater & water drain. Left-to-right flow necessitated the crossed fuel lines. Turns out filters don't really exist here, so I just ordered 6 of them from the UK.
I'm having difficulty getting enough motion from the gas pedal to make full throttle on the injection pump. I cut off the stop flange on the plastic gas pedal, so floored is really on the floor, and I'm still about 1/4 -5/16" shy of WOT on the pump. I'm thinking of re-drilling the bellcrank under the pedal and the cable attach point on the pump to gain some lever action... anyone have ideas or ??