Last year, on our way to Transporters by the Tunnel, our gas tank strap
snapped on the filler side and we leaked gas from the tank where the
filler pipe joins the tank. I reported it to the List and I thought that
I was just unlucky. So being a cautious type, I crawled under our new
'86 Syncro Doublecab. The straps were snapped there too/two (on both
sides this time).

Now I know it wasn't just my bad luck. This is obviously a design flaw.
A dangerous design flaw. I suggest that if your Syncro has spent any
time in the rust belt, crawl under and take a look. It may be worth your
life.

No, you don't have to remove the transmission to fix the straps. What
you need is a strong tolerance to dirt in your eyes, a high tolerance to
dirt in general and a couple of full days to devote to devising a "good
enough" strap.

Sorry for the bad news. Hey, its a Volkswagen.
Larry