On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 1:00 PM, Mike <mbucchino@charter.net> wrote:
>  The poor folks whose van never came with stock doorlocks; it would very
> much more difficult to add.  Particularly, the long run through to rear
> hatch mechanism, and the lack of slider door contacts and its associated
> wiring.

 I found the two front doors were a snap. Two long 6-32 screws easily
mounted the usual "gun" type actuators in vertical positions where the
linkage rod only required a slight dogleg. The hardest part about the
slider was the contacts, which took some laborious Dremeling. The
actuator was easy to mount, and the door mechanism only had to have
one hole drilled in it to attach the linkage (requiring complete
removal and reinstallation, of course!).
 The rear hatch is definitely the major pain. The mechanical-only lock
is completely different than the power one, so you either have to find
a factory power lock mechanism, or find some way of rigging a solenoid
to release the mechanical one.
 I suppose the wiring wasn't too easy either, but I had already run a
double run of 4-pair wire everywhere I thought I might want to install
something. Fishing up the A-column to the B-column is nigh-impossible
without cutting the headliner to access the blank hole for the right
hand dome light that isn't there. I used the opportunity to install a
light there, so no big deal...

--
John Bange
'90 Vanagon - "Lastwagen"
'90 Vanagon GL - "Wiesel"