>most of you know about the mod that lets you open the rear hatch from the
>inside...if you dont, here is a quickie.. at the bottom center of
>your rear hatch
>panel, on the later 85 up vans there was hole in the metal behind the hatch
>panel..this was a finger hole to acess the lock plunger tab..on the base model
>transporters there was a hole in the hatch panel to acess this..on the GL
>passenger vans and campers, the hatch panel covers this hole.  just locate the
>hole, and trim a hole in the bottom of your hatch panel..viola..you
>can open your
>hatch from the inside..   for those with earlier vans, you will have to drill
>a finger hole, or just drill a small hole and attach a little string or cable
>to the lock plunger (like a pull cord) and have that protrude from your hatch
>panel..less conspicuous that way.
>
>so now that  you can open your hatch from inside the van, how can you close
>it from inside the van?  kinda hard to close it without getting out of the
>van..  unless you do this..
>on the 93 up Eurovans there is a large assist strap tha hangs down from the
>hatch panel, right underneath the rear glass..this allows you to
>close the rear
>hatch without getting out of the van, or is also an idea way of closing the
>rear hatch for short people..   anyway on the '87-'91 wolfsburgs and carats,
>there were these black assist straps that were mounted inside , by the coat
>hooks, on the window pillars.   what i did is to install one of these assist
>straps at the top of the hatch panel..there is plenty of metal behind there to
>drill into, and its a clean install, looks stock, and is something
>VW should have
>done..

72 & later T2 vans (Bays) had a finger-catch inside too. In theory
with T2s & T3s it should be possible to fit a T-handle with a cam or
bellcrank on the shaft to actuate the catch, which would give you the
necessary closing grip. Unfortunately I don't think it would be
possible to recess the handle (of course Japanese vans have recessed
T-handles stock... Japanese ingenuity... they can see what Germans
won't).
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut