At 02:45 PM 1/18/97 -0600, Sean Bartnik wrote:
>Hey all,
>I'm posting this to both lists because these are relatively general
>questions.
>
>First:  A few days ago I noticed a screeching sound (low-pitched, like a
>metal on metal sound) coming from the engine somewhere when I first
>started it up.  This is an '81 Vanagon, 2000cc air-cooled engine.  Today
>I investigated further and I've isolated the sound as coming from the
>alternator.  I can't tell if it's the pulley rubbing on the housing or
>if it's inside the alternator.  The sound disappears when the engine
>warms up.  So is it alt. bearings or something?  Is my alternator on the
>way out or is the very cold weather lately (single digits last night)
>having an effect on the grease (or whatever lube) in the alternator?
>The alternator has been charging normally, no red light on or anything
>like that.  Any ideas?
>
>Next, I need to get a real CB antenna.  I had one of those clip-on rain
>gutter mount jobbies from Wal-Mart because I couldn't find a place to
>mount a real one.  Well, the Wal-Mart jobby is rusting all to hell
>already (only been on there a couple months) so i removed it before the
>rust spread to my raingutter.  The problem is that I still haven't been
>able to think of a good place to mount a CB antenna.  If this were a
>regular Vanagon I'd just use a magnet-mount antenna on the roof but this
>is a Westy.  No magnet mount here.  I was looking at mounting it on the
>rear bumper but there's no way to mount it so that it doesn't interfere
>with the rear hatch.  I would have to mount it on the plastic end cap if
>I wanted to get in the back of the van without removing the antenna.
>
>In short, I'm out of ideas.  I know a lot of you Westy drivers have CBs
>so where did you mount the antenna?

I put a permanent mount on the exterior right read panel of my van.  I have
a quick-release mount screwed into the permanent mount.  The antenna runs
up about 4" from the rear of the pop-top, and sticks about a foot over the
top of the van.  Since it's a top-loaded antenna, that works pretty well.

I had to think a bit about adding a permanent hole to my van, but this was
the cleanest solution I could come up with.  And it does look pretty good.

Ron

--                                       
Ron 'Coyote' Lussier         /\_/\      ____             Chaco Communications
(408) 865-0657              (     )     \ _/__        10164 Parkwood Drive #8
coyote@chaco.com             \   /       \X  /       Cupertino, CA 95014-1533
(1990 VW Westfalia Camper)    \_/          \/    http://www.chaco.com/~coyote