Lets see, these aren't all Vanagon-specific but usefull none the less.
Mostly from my four-wheeling days:

*Made a gasket for a power-steering gearbox out of a mudflap while on a
4wd trail. Actually had to make several to get out. Suprisingly enough,
mudflap gaskets have a very short service life. (but are much better than
no gasket at all!!)

*Used soda/beer cans & hose clamps to patch exhaust header leaks

*Devcon'd a fuel tank puncture wound

*ViceGrips to clamp off a broken brake line

Hmm... those are some of the good ones that come to mind.

Cheers,

JD Foster
'86 Westy
Mariposa, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: don spence <dspence@OANET.COM>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 13:14:25 -0700
Subject: Re: [VANAGON] " you fixed it with what?!"

> As travel season is approaching and there has already been a fair bit
> of discussion re: what spare parts to carry I'd like to invite one and
> all to contribute to a " you fixed it with what?!" list.
> Who knows, tales of other's creative fixes may get one of us out of a
> jam.
>
> For example, a friend and his family (wife, two young girls) were
> heading up a remote highway in northern Alberta for a Christmas visit
> with grandma in a Hyundai. Thirty miles from nowhere, -20 C, the fan
> belt pops.  No spare. No tools. What to do?
> For some unknown reason, the wife, whom I have never known to wear a
> dress, was carrying a pair of pantyhose in her luggage. Yup, stretched
> and tied the panty hose around the pulleys and limped slowly into the
> next settlement.  I've also heard of it being done with duct tape
> (don't leave home without it). I have wrapped up burst rad hoses
> successfully with Gaffer tape. (better than duct tape-used in the film
> biz)
>
> Anybody else made emergency repairs with "available" materials?