In a message dated 4/12/00 6:56:38 PM, barfield@GTE.NET writes:

<< I'm looking at a '84 Westy and it has the beginnings of some rust along
one of
the seams. There's no rust-thru or holes, etc. just a little surface rust and
some dis-coloration. Should I run away from this deal or is it a small/easy
thing to fix?

Mike Barfield
barfield@gte.net
 >>

Mike,
When it concerns the panel seams on a Vanagon, there is no such thing as
surface rust.  These seams are joined with weld-through sealant between the
flanges.  When that sealant becomes compromised by any of several conditions,
moisture is wicked into and held within the seam.  A lot can be done to slow
the visible rusting but, it will still be in the body seam doing its thing.

Vanagons seem to fair quite well even in the Rust Belt where I live.  I know
a fellow Vanagon owner who lives near me and has one of the nicest '84's I
have seen.  He bought it rust-free and keeps it that way by washing and
waxing faithfully.  Another thing he does, which may be the key to seam rust
prevention, is to spray LPS-1 into all the seams after he washes it.

I, on the other hand, am not so diligent.  My beater Syncro came to me 4
years ago by way of Hawaii.  It was rust-free at the time but, my neglect is
starting to show.  There is still no rusting on 3/4 of the seaming; the
remaining seams are in an area which had some body work so the sealant was
compromised and they are starting to rust.

My '90 Syncro came from Oregon.  It is totally rust-free and, although I
didn't tell the seller, I bought it on the merits of its body alone.  I spent
much more for it than the usual going price in these parts.  This was money
well spent.

So, if it is selling for a fair price, buy it.  Just do not delude yourself
into thinking that a little work with a wire wheel is going to purge this van
of its seam rust.
Rich