My Bad...
  When I wrote no "Power Brakes" I had in mind an Anti-lock brake system..which takes control of your wheels and automatically brakes em to try to maintain traction.
   My van *does* indeed have a vacuum boosted brake assist.
   Sorry for the slip in terms...
  I  looked carefully to be sure that nothing much is remote controlled or electrically powered in this 84.  I carefully chose the most basic van I could find.  After owning a couple of Porsche's "Flagship" luxo-GT 928s, with power every-effing-thing, and always broken every-effing-time you went anywhere, I looked to avoid power windows, power locks, power AC, auto trannies, etc etc.
  I can easily reach across the cab and roll down the window when I get too warm, or with a flick of the wrist, select the correct gear.   I can push down a button on the door, and/or find my keys and turn my wrist, rather than poking a button on a remote...Of couse, with my big doggie, it is about the same as having "power locks"
  I recall the last 928 had some odd locking protocol where if you locked the hatch with the key, but then opened the door, the alarm would go off and the windows would start going up and down, the lights would flash and you couldn't get inside to the hatch area to disable the battery...Oddball crap like that...always happening...
  Don Hanson
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Greg Potts 
  To: Don Hanson 
  Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
  Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 8:12 AM
  Subject: Re: rear brakes ?

  Hi Volks,

  No-one's hit on this yet, so I'll bite: Since when was there a Vanagon made without power brakes? AFAIK they have been standard equipment on every Type2 made since 1971, the same year that front disks and 5x112 wheels were introduced.

  Or are we talking about a failed/removed brake booster in a van that originally came with power brakes?

  Happy Trails,

  Greg Potts
  1973/74/77/79 Westfakia "Bob The Tomato
  www.pottsfamily.ca
  www.busesofthecorn.com

  On 14-Jun-07, at 11:35 AM, Don Hanson wrote:

    Hi,  "84 van, no power brakes"