Vanagon fans,

     For those who may have missed any of the postings about the 1984 VW Vanagon
     GL that I rescued from the woods and from certain dilapidation (based on
     the huge amount of pignut hickory nuts I'm still finding in any recess you
     could possibly imagine, and forced upon it by some resourceful squirrels &
     mice, and it sat for four years this way.) here is the latest.

     The van has been dubbed "Ol' Hickory" in honor of it's surviving this
     attempted re-zoning, against it's will, by furry little tree creatures and
     into Hotel Rodentia.

     After routine maintenance parts were changed out & a rotted feed pipe
     replaced, new coolant, oil & clean gasoline were added. The van started on
     the first attempt & has been going strong ever since.

     I've since fixed the speedometer (cable disconnected behind the
     console...hmmmm) but have yet to resolve the non-functioning coolant
     temperage & gas tank level gauges. Oh and a broken spade connector I found
     last night hooked to a wire in the engine compartment that must go
     somewhere.

     I told one list-member about my owners manual being chewed into mouse
     bedding, but the cover and the edge of the spine is still there and held on
     by the staples. Otherwise, I've yet to find a single chewed wire or cable.
     Some of the braided hose in the engine compartment had been chewed, but
     that's all. They've since been replaced.

     I now have a lot of carpet, hood liner  & seat cleaning to do. Any ideas? I
     have a steam cleaner I will use on anything flat, and thought I would use
     Woolite on the seats & a vaccuum cleaner to remove the loosened dirt.
     Everything vinyl, rubber or plastic will get ArmorAll-ed. The windows
     receive the Windex treatment.

     The outside paint was preserved in tree sap. It has no oxidation and only
     one bit of rust where the wheel well dinged a fire hydrant. It proved to be
     interesting scrubbing the sap off.

     The windshield is cracked on the passenger side & will soon be replaced.

     Oh, and I paid $350 for the whole thing (nuts included).

     Truley a labor of love. I'll have $1000 when it's all said & done.

     A few questions:

     What size & profile of tires were standard on this van?

     I have only two hubcaps left, one of those badly damaged. The good one I
     have left has the raised little black VW logo cap in the center. It looks
     like it has a cut-out spoke design, not the flat with the vents in it that
     I commonly see. Is there a name for the style of hubcap I have? Are any
     available for sale? (I need three.) I also see that the old stye VW chrome
     hubcaps fit too. Is this acceptable?

     Can anyone tell me where the front windshield washer solution cap is. I can
     see the tanks under the front wheel wells, but casually looking for the cap
     hasn't produced the location. Pretty engenious where the brake fluid
     reservoir is, I wouldn't have looked for it there. Also, how do I make the
     rear wiper work. I can get the washer to work, but not the wiper. (Did I
     mention I lack a manual?)

     I think I will order the Bentley & Haynes manuals this
     Friday...I...just...can't ...wait...any...longer! BusDepot, here I come!

     Thanks again to all who helped me by answering my previous posts
     (especially Joel & Sam), and thanks to all who will be there for future
     ones! I've always felt the best use of the Internet was for the sharing of
     informatioin & wisdom.

     Thanks also to Steve for contacting me and for coordinating this springs
     Vanagon get-together in central Ohio...I'll be there!

     Michael Lincicome

     '73 Beetle "Buggy" - deceased - organs donated to five others on waiting
     lists

     '84 Vanagon GL "Ol' Hickory"

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