Mike, you need to lube all the moving parts of Mellow's slider with "The
Miracle of Fluid Film" after which your slider will glide with ease.

Don't forget to wipe all the accumulated dirt, sand, rocks & pine cones out
of the bottom rail first!   8)

On 6/14/07, Mike Rocket J Squirrel Elliott <camping.elliott@gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> On 6/14/2007 11:13 AM Old Volks Home wrote:
>
> > Mine's horizontal, the way it was when I got it in 1997.  Maybe not the
> > factory position, but it sure helps in closing the door when sitting on
> > the bench seat or laying down in bed.  Certainly a lot easier to close
> > the door there than trying to reach the front handle.
>
> You must be da man, then. To close Mellow Yellow's door one must haul it
> forward mightily in order to build up enough momentum to get it to
> latch. SssssssSSSSSHHHHHH-THWUNK!!!!
>
> There's no way I can do that with the rear, horizontal, handle. With the
> door closed so much that the handle is exposed and grabable, there's not
> enough distance to get that door up to speed to latch.
>
> >
> > At the VW Classic in Irvine last weekend, every 80-91 Westy (about a 1/2
> > dozen or so in the Car Show area) I saw had one in either the vertical
> > or horizontal position.  Who cares?  Some things are best left to be
> > mysterious ;-)
> > --
>
> I know, I know. I have studied this handle from every which way since I
> got the van a few years ago. I was on the brink of asking about it more
> than one, but always pulled back before hitting the "send" button. I was
> almost able to just leave this as a mystery. But as you can see, I
> faltered.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR
>

--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
www.crescentbeachguitar.com