Maggie:
If it was me, given the same circumstances,  I would first:
1> Put the van up on jacks .
2>Remove all the tires. Have them checked and balanced.
3>Remove all the drums. Mike them.
4>Check out the the brakes. (87.49% probability you will need front and
rear brakes and rear wheel cylinders. 
5>Remove rear axles w/CV joints. Repair, Repack or Replace CV's.Replace
boots.
6>Remove axle stubs with wheel bearings. Also R,R or R.
7>Drain tranny, check for chunks. Refill.
8>Reassemble and enjoy for another sixteen years.
Good Luck
Ken Lewis
86 VW crewcab 
60 356 coupe

On Tue, 25 Mar 1997 10:38:41 -0600 majekal1@earthlink.net (Maggie Adams)
writes:
>Hello all-
>
>When turning right I notice a clunking/cow bell type sound coming from 
>the
>driver's side tire.  Any ideas what it could be?  I notice more on 
>slow
>turns but that maybe due to less road noise. In gereral there is a 
>fair
>amount of creaking from both sides when going over bumps. She's an 81 
>and
>was driven infrequently before I purchased her.
>
>Also before I attempt to run the air conditioning do I need to get it
>checked and "recharged"  (whatever that means).
>
>Thanks for the help.
>
>Maggie
>
>
>