Along with the upper A-Arm bushings and shocks, I'd suggest upper ball
joints and the tie-rod ends.  You might as well also repack and/or replace
your wheel bearings too.

Bill Knight
Raleigh, NC

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Keith Adams
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 1:03 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Front Ends and Bushings - 86 2WD

Well, after living with the "screek-scronk" of the front end of our 86
Westy ever since we bought it a year and a half ago, and then taking our
87 Syncro for it's first drive and it being blissfully quiet, my wife
shot me a glance that said "Can't you do something about the camper?".

So I have Bilsteins on order, I'm going to put the Air Lifts in the back
and do the upper A-arm bushings.  My question to the collective list
wisdom is:  if I'm going to this length to fix the noises in the night,
what other bushings / parts should I give the hairy eyeball to and
replace if they look at all dodgy?  Are there ones that need to be
replaced irregardless?  Cheap insurance?  I'm thinking like ball joints,
link bushings, etc.

Cheers for a good long weekend
(not here though - all our parks and forests are closed due to forest
fire risk - $1000 fine if you're caught out there!  So much for going
for a mountain bike ride!)
Keith Adams
Calgary, AB, CA
86 Westy "Roxy" / 87 Syncro "Hugh"