OK. Here is the first list report on the special heavy duty 16" rear axels
available for Vanagon.

BACKGROUND

Most all Vanagons in the world use axels that are 27mm thick and have 100mm
Lobro CV joints stuck on the ends.

In the rear of the vehicle only, the factory offered a rare option for a
special axel that is 30mm thick and had 108mm Lobro CV joints on the ends.

These heavy duty rear axels were offered primarily on the 16" version of
the syncro on the rear axel only.

The part number for these heavy duty axels is:

VW: 251 501 203 G; LOBRO: A 153 15 01 13 010

This part number yields a Lobro axel just like the regular 14" axel, except
that it looks mighty beefy.

In order to install a pair of the 108mm rear CV joint axels it is
neccessary to install a special flange on the transmission and at the drive
axel at the wheel.

These two parts are 094 517 285A and 251 501 265, respectively
(Gelenkflansch and Radwelle). No other parts except the Gelenkflansch and
Radwelle need to be changed to install the beffy rear axels and
installation is not difficult.

The factory cost to order an axel is something like $1,000 a pair, but
non-factory sourcing of these Lobro parts should bring the cost down
considerably from this silly figure.

Likely, there are only one or two Vanagons in North America with these
108mm oversize rear axels, (possibly one that hit our shores in the last
couple of weeks if I read this list correctly).

 From the emotional reaction I had while looking at these axels, I know
that if I had them on I would go around proudly saying "Check out my big
axels!" to anyone who would care to listen, until such time as I lost all
my friends.

The oversize axels are the same length as the factory axels.

The part number for the 108mm CV joints, which are the same on either end, is:

VW: 443 407 331D, LOBRO: 4988

At this time, we do not have any data suggesting that the above heavy duty
axels provide any increase in angle of operation. For syncro folks desiring
to lift the vehicle a better choice in rear CV joints might be the smaller
Porsche 930 joints sold by Weddle, which do promise increased range of
articulation and to not require a swap of Gelenkflansch and Radwelle so far
as I know.

I happen to have one of these oversize Lobro axels in my garage in
Washington DC, but have not decided on a course of action pending more
investigation of the question of maximum operating angle. If it were not
for this question, it would seem that at replacement time, and with
suitably inexpensive supply of parts, that the list might want to begin
installing 108mm rear axels from now on when their 100mm CV joint axels
wear out.

Rumor had it (unconfirmed) that the South African vans have the 108mm rear
setup as standard, in which case they have already moved to this sensible
position and can therefore kick sand in our faces.

As to the mystery of the axels being in my garage, basically a set got
mixed into regular 100mm CV'd rear axels in a shipment to Bus Depot of all
places. Bus Depot never knew about this. A list member bought this set but
never installed it, and eventually sold it on ebay for whatever the market
would bear. The new owner went to install them, and hit a brick wall over
the lack of the proper Gelenkflansch and Radwelle to which to affix the
axels. This member contacted me with his problem and we met at the
Mid-Atlantic year-end meeting in DC a couple of weeks ago, where I assumed
the burden of having them around.

________________________________________________________
Derek Drew                              New York, NY & Washington, DC
derekdrew@rcn.com
Email me for Viscous Couplings
'90 Syncro Westfalia...
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