almost without exception I find all projects have a way of expanding - 
just how it goes on these 20ish year old wonderuful vanagons.

Of course you could always grind down a normal small pair of vice gribs 
to make a very narrow nose one.
I don't think I could function fixing cars without a basic bench 
grinder.  I must use it 5 times a day at least.
one really handy tool I don't see for sale too often - a really small 
vice grips, like a 3 inch one, or maybe 4 inch ..........but smaller 
than the usual small ones - fantastic little tool.
  And while Americans only excell in some areas - like truck building ( 
certainly not their cars ! ) and Boeing's aircraft say...........
one great device, and likely an american invention is the good ole vice 
grips !
  Worked on Citroen cars with a Swiss guy in the 70's - he said he had 
never seen a pair of vice grips until he came to the US.
And rust - oh yes.........just got to treat and permanently stop any 
tiny spot of it ..........left alone it can only get worse.
Treated, which doesn't have to take long even- rust can be stopped 
totally. And easily.

scott
www.turbovans.com

J Stewart wrote:
> You could just back up a couple of hours and not have started a "project". That was me yesterday. At 2:00 pm I had just a floppy vent wing window. At 3:30 the whole drivers side door is torn apart. I thought this would be an "easy fix", not so. I now have the vent window completely removed, the rubber gasket off, and it's been sanded and repainted. But, as for tightening the tension itself, what a needless PITA! The head on the tension screw faces outward, and there is absolutely no way to get any type of screwdriver in there to tighten it. IIRC correctly, on my old Bays this WAS a simple job. I did check the archives AFTER I was in way too deep, and did see a good suggestion about using a pair of vice grips (would have to be needle nose) to get it there and tighten the screw. I couldn't get enough grip with just a regular pair of needle nose, and I don't have any needle nose vice grips-yet, I will soon. I just love it when what you think is going to be 15-20 minute jobs turns into
>  hours. Oh well, the frame was starting to rust slightly, so at least thats some consolation that that is taken care of!        Jeff
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