At 07:42 AM 3/5/96 -0600, you wrote:
>Back when the list was just starting, Derek Drew posted modified
>specifications required for proper alignment of the Syncro.
>
>Last night I tried to find it in the archives, but the archives
>don't have the information from the early days of the list.
>
>If anyone has this info, would they please forward it to me. 
>(Haven't heard from Derek for a while so I don't know if he still 
>monitoring the list.)
>
>TIA
>
>Drew Jenkins  86 Syncro
>djenkins@foxboro.com

This material was actually never posted to the list so far as I recall but
for posterity perhaps it should have been. Enjoy ye syncronaughts:

Dear Friends,

The VW service manual for the Vanagon was updated in 1990 to include a
different method for calculating the proper alignment specs for the Syncro
Vanagon. Owners of the earlier service manuals for the vanagon will miss these
new specs. The specs are contained on page 44.3a of the service manual. If your
manual does not contain this page and these specs, you will not have the
updated information on how to correctly align your syncro.

If you rely on someone else to select the proper specs for the Vanagon Syncro,
you have a problem as well. This is because the company that makes almost all
alignment machines in the country, the Hunter company, put in the wrong specs
for the front of the Vanagon Syncro. I actually located the clerk in Hunter who
misinterpreted a symbol in the Vanagon repair microfiche and who admitted he
made a mistake. Over time--a very long time--he said he would try to get the
specs on the Hunter machines corrected, but he admitted that in the mean time
repair mechanics around the country would be setting the Vanagon Syncros in
their shop to the improper alignment specs.

I recalculated all values and came up with the following specs, which are
proper for the Camper model. If you don't have the camper model, you should
obtain page 44.3a of the service manual and perform your own calculations as
your specs will be slightly less aggressive than these due to the lighter
weight of your vehicle.

If you take your Vanagon Syncro into an alignment shop and say, "give me an
alignment," there is a 5% chance you will get a proper alignment, and a 95%
chance the mechanic will use either: a) the faulty specs in many Hunter
alignment machines or b) the earlier, easier to figure, alignment specs used
before page 44.3a was issued.

As a matter of fact, the guy at the Hunter alignment company told me that the
methodology in page 44.3a was too difficult to input into the standard format
of the Hunter alignment machine computer systems, and so the proper procedure
would never appear on those machines. The proper procedure involves measuring
the ride height of the vehicle and calculating the proper alignment spec based
on that. The measurement is taken by measuring the distance between the
wheelwell and the center of the wheel.

Once you are able to obtain the proper specs, there is another problem in
forcing your mechanic to follow your specs and not those in the Hunter
machines. You have to tell the mechanic that the vehicle has been modified or
make up some story or he will simply ignore your specs and use those in the
machine. One way to force the mechanic to be honest is to insist on a print out
from the Hunter machine showing your actual alignment specs after the
operation. You can then compare these specs to those you provide him to check
whether he has done the job right.

The alignment is difficult enough on a Vanagon Syncro that there is a strong
possibility the mechanic will use either, a) the hunter specs, or b) your
specs, whichever he is able to achieve first, unless you beat him up to not do
so.

The following specs should be read with a proportional font text reader in
order for the columns to line up correctly. Again, the following is for the
camper model, or other very heavy model vanagons. The rest of you will have to
make up your own chart after consultiing page 44.3a.

The material in this document is copywrite 1994 by Derek Drew, 487 Columbus
Ave. #3R, New York, NY 10024 (212)-580-4459. It may be reproduced and
redistributed for any non-commercial purpose provided proper credit is given to
the author. Contact the author for permission to reproduce in a commercial
work.

Before giving you the specs, a disussion of how to lift the van is in order.
Since I regularly drive my Vanagon Syncro Camper on rough terrible roads and
bash the underside, I have undertaken to lift it a bit. I lifted it about 1" by
buying BF Goodrich Radial All-Terrain tires, in light truck size 27 x 8.50 for
the 14" alloy rims. (I love these bigger tires, and they provide excellent
handling because the sidewalls are relatively stiff, but they kill the
performance of the motor due to their effect on the gearing. You will feel like
you are in a 1970s era bus again, but I feel the tradeoff is well worth it for
my application).

Another method I used to raise the van is to raise the rear end. I did this as
follows: in between the rear springs and the body of the vehicle there is a
small doughnut sized wedge of about 3/4 inch thickness. I went to the dealer
and bought a pile of these little wedges and put 2 or 3 more on each side of
the rear of the vehicle. I am still puzzling over how to lift the front of the
vehicle so right now it tilts down at the front a bit. Any ideas on how to
easily lift the front of a Syncro Vanagon, guys?

------------BELOW IS WHAT YOU GIVE THE ALIGNMENT MECHANIC----------------

VANAGON SYNCRO --'86-'91
ALIGNMENT SPECS FOR CAMPER MODEL WITH DUAL BATTERIES UP FRONT

[Proper specifications for camper are NOT INCLUDED on Hunter
machines.  Use the following.]

                  ORDER OF WORK
Alignments MUST be performed in the following order to avoid
one adjustment from changing other adjustments:

    1st  Castor
    2nd  Camber
    3rd  Toe

                SPECIFICATIONS -- 30-40% laden

      Left Front                      Right Front
--------------------               -----------------------
Min         Max.                    Min.          Max.
--------------------               -----------------------
-0.27      +0.40        Camber     -0.27         +0.40

+3.8       +4.4         Caster     +3.8          +4.4

-0.033     +0.033       Toe        -0.033        +0.033
(-0.017") (+0.017")  Toe (inches) (-0.017")     (+0.017")

                              Front
                         -----------------
                          Min.      Max.
                         -----------------
  Cross Camber            0         0.3
  Cross Caster            0         0.5
  Total Toe              -0.07     +0.07
      Toe in inches:  (-0.033")  (+0.033")
  Setback                 0         0.5

     Left Rear                          Right Rear
--------------------                -----------------------
Min.        Max.                    Min.          Max.
--------------------                -----------------------
-0.67       0.00       Camber        -0.67         0.00

-0.08      +0.26       Toe (each)    -0.08"       +0.26
(-0.04")  +(0.13")     (in inches)  (-0.04")     +(0.13")
-----------------------------------------------------------
                              Rear
                         -----------------
                          Min.      Max.
                         -----------------       FINAL
  Cross Camber            0         0.3          This page
  Total Toe              -0.16     +0.52         based on
   total toe in inches: (-0.08")  +(0.26")       measurement
  Thrust angle           -0.10     +0.10         page 44.3a

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes on calculations (for your own use/reference)

1. Calculating front camber spec:

   Notes:  The front camber spec for the regular Vanagon
           peaks in the middle and then comes back down.
           However, for the Syncro the spec seems to drop
           directly.  My figure should probably be centered
           around zero.   Thus:

           +5' +- 20' is a good compromise
           Range in degrees is 0.7*.

           This translates into:

           +0.0825* +/-0.334

           This translates into:

           +0.4165      -0.2515

2.  Calculating the front castor spec:

           Set arbitrarily at halfway between published spec
           and halfway point.

3. Calculating the rear camber spec:

           Empty               Full
           +0.25    Max       -0.50
           -0.25    Nominal   -1.17*
           -0.42    Min.      -1.84

   Has a 0.67* spread.

   So, set this at -0.00 max.
                   -0.67 min.

4. Calculating the rear toe spec:

        Empty       Full
       +0.125"
       -0.041"

WEIGHT INFORMATION:

Premise:  The empty non-camper syncro weighs in at between
3,641 and 4,000 lbs. depending on the model.  The max weight
is 5512.  The halfway point is therefore between 4577 and
4894 lbs.

My vehicle weighs in at about the halfway point, since I
weigh 4680 empty.  Being conservative, I will produce a set
of alignment specs for a vehicle 33% laden.

RANDOM WEIGHT STATISTICS:

               TOTAL    Front Axel  Rear Axel

             Syncro Camper

GVWR           5512       2866       3042
Empty          3950
Actual         4620?      2310?      2310?
Pub. curb R&T  4000       1972       2028
Pub. curb C&D  4000
Extrapo camper 4350

             Non-Syncro Camper

Empty          3960
Full           5280
Cargo weight   1320

             Non-Camper Syncro 2.1 litre

Empty          3661 (3689) 1793       1867
Observed empty 4045 (4109) 1982       2063
Cargo weight   1929
Implied GVWR*  5590

(*meaning empty + cargo)

             Non-Syncro, Non-Camper

Empty          3670

Road and Track states that Syncro adds 330 lbs to the 3670
non syncro Vanagon and the camper adds 350 lbs as well.

TRANSLATING DEGREES, MINUTES, AND INCHES:

   Degrees    Minutes      Inches
    0.01*   =   0.6'    =   0.005"
    0.0165* =   1'      =   0.00825"
    0.025*  =   1.5'    =   0.0125"
    0.05*   =   3'      =   0.025"
    0.10*   =   6'      =   0.05"
    0.167*  =   10'     =   0.0825"
    0.25*   =   15'     =   0.125"
    0.5*    =   30'     =   0.25"
    0.75*   =   45'     =   0.375"
    1*      =   60'     =   0.50"

Degrees devided by 2 = inches
    2* = 1.00"
    3* = 1.50"
    4* = 2.00"
    5* = 2.50"

Inches to Minutes
    1.00" = 15'

Derek Drew
487 Columbus Ave. #3R
New York, NY 10024
212-580-4459
Internet: derekdrew@aol.com

Subj:       vanagon alignment