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We got the new pop-top canvas for the van on Tuesday. This weekend I installed it (disassembly on Thurs afternoon, cleaning area on Fri morning, assembly on Sat). If you want to know how to install a pop-top canvas, jump on youtube and there are lots of videos explaining how easy it is to do. One of the early steps is taking the top off the van and putting it down where you can work on it. To do that you need 4 tall friends who can each lift a corner of the top when it's on the van without risk of dropping it. If you have less than four people, short people, people who don't normally lift weights, or people on weight restrictions, well, you're screwed.

I started out changing the top by the common instructions, but realized there was no way we were actually going to get the top off the van without breaking the top or one of the humans, so I resorted to the hard way, changing the canvas with the top still on the van. I did it that way on previous van that way, so I knew I could do it, but I was younger then. I was feeling a bit under the weather and possibly as a result I screwed up everything that could be screwed up and everything took way longer than it would have normally. Working upside down in cramped space, standing with arms stretched overhead, or sitting balanced on the luggage rack for hours, it was a slow process putting a million screws in at just the right angle for each. I bumped my head many times. One of those times I unknowingly produced a gusher. A few minutes later I looked down and said "Where am I bleeding from?" So in short, more fun than anyone should have.

I did get the job basically done (one screw still isn't in place) and the canvas looks good, mostly smooth and tight, no real bunching.

I'm not as pleased with the new Go Westy tent as I was with the one I got for the first van (an early 3 window canvas tent with rounded front window and ribbon ties for holding the unzip windows). The canvas looks considerably thinner on this one. The window setup for the front window isn't as good with cheaper feeling zippers and velcro in some places. The fit in the back was tight enough that I'm worried stitches might pull, but I think I had that concern on the prior one and it lasted for many years.

I'm curious if any of the other vendors canvas tents are better, but I'm not going to go through this again just to find out.

When we were at the hardware store the other day

derien wanted a puck light for the closet upstairs. They attach with velcro, but unlike many of the puck lights out there, you can change the batteries without pulling the base off the wall. Many of the other ones the screws to open the battery compartment are underneath the place to mount it. They are fairly small (2 3/4" dia) and have two settings neither of which is overwhelming, which is good in a small space. For reference Westek LPL592 MFG Link Available online

( They come in a two pack and when we got home I started puzzling over if I could use the other one in the van. )

I noticed a hole in the dash of the van where there wan't anything in our prior van. Some research revealed that in some models there was a map light in the dash. Apparently, a previous owner had ripped it out and not covered the hole. These days people are always filling in spaces on the vans with new accessories, so it didn't take long to find a USB kit to fill in the space.

( Cut for pic spam and project details. )

I have been trying to figure out what to do as far as wheel and tire combination on the new van. It currently has 14" VW stock rims and 215x70R14 tires. The tires aren't rated for the weight of the vehicle and are probably too wide fo the rims. That combination also precludes larger brakes.

The appropriate rim and tire is a religious war in the vanagon community. There is a camp of people who will not go with anything that isn't rated the way Volkswagen originally spec'd the vans. There is a camp of people who say tire technology has evolved in 30 years and if you use a larger rim then you can use a lesser rated tire. Vendors don't document what they are selling. They cherry pick stats and ignore deficiencies. It doesn't help at all that tire vendors have discountinued many of the tires they used to offer in vanagon appropriate sizes.

So I spent a couple of weeks struggling to bring all the pieces together so I could make an informed decision.

( If you're interested in the details of how wheels and tires interact on VW vans, read on. )

( Rambling about van repairs )

After much cleaning and replacing of parts, the back part of the shift linkage is laying on the ground and the front portion is sitting at the bottom of the shift box.

I'm so glad I'm not using this vehicle as my daily driver!

Back when we first moved into our current house, the engine in my '84 vanagon blew. What with new house, lots of expenses, longer commute, the thought of paying for another engine rebuild and another paint job to battle the rust was just too much to justify. I sold off the van "as is". I knew I'd miss it, but at the time I just couldn't deal with it.

Fast forward five years: We've got two reliable economy cars for commuting. We have the mortgage paid down a bit, so we're not as stressed about money. And we miss not being able to run away to the mountains easily.

Late last month,

Derien and I went down to NH and bought an '84 VW Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Edition. It is in good shape for its age, but has been mostly garaged for the last 20 years, had little use and little maintenance. It is pretty much stock as it came off the assembly line, which in a vanagon means you should only drive it if you have plenty of life insurance and just left confession thinking only pure thoughts. I will be doing extensive mechanical work on this van. There is a new engine in its future. There is a paint job in its future. I'm not sure which of those will come first, but neither of those will be by me. I'll be doing all the other stuff: clean everything in and out, pop-top canvas, carpet, brakes, suspension, electrical improvements/troubleshooting, awning(s), auxillary battery, headlight upgrade, horn upgrade, wheels/tires, led interior lighting, and lots of misc bits.

If we make it to retirement, this will be our retirement home. But right now, it's a project or a series of projects or a van sized black hole that money gets sucked into and disappears.