My '84 was the same way.  Running in North Dakota, I used the
truckers
trick.  A large piece of cardboard covered the radiator.  Later on, I
bought
a "bra" for it and had zippered panels added over the top of the
screen.
When it was so cold I needed the panels closed, I didn't have to
worry about
removing it.  It was frozen to the van.

I used Silicon for the bushings.  Seemed to work till the first major
rain
storm, then a quick shot on each one would take care of them again.

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
Behalf Of
Geza Polony
Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 8:06 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Underheating and squeaks/groans

Replacing the thermostat may help. My '84 has always run cold, even
with new
thermostats, a real PITA when up in the mountains in winter...

It sometimes helps to spray lithium grease or other lubricant into
the
bushings in the front end for the squeaking. Not a permanent fix, but
makes
it easier on the ears.

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