Skool_B the 82 Vanagon Build and Adventure Prep

[Osmo79]

Hi all! I'm Kim and I have vehicular ADD....

I've built a few different vehicles over the years and have gathered tons of great info from this site, so I figured it was past time to do a build thread for at least one of them. I figured I'd share some of what I've shared over on TheSamba.

I figured theres no better time than now to start documenting our adventures in getting our beloved Skool_B road worthy and ready for family adventures. Eventually we would like to do an extended trip around the country with the long term goal being an Alaska to Argentina trip. I've got 16 months left on my current work contract and figure shortly there after we could be on the road, with enough funds to comfortably take a two year trip.

I found Skool_B on The Samba and drove from Florida to Maryland last October to bring her home. She was in decent condition overall, a little rust in the normal places, but surprisingly clean for a northern van. There was no interior (was a Westy originally) except the front seats, and the radiator was leaking. The little 1.6 diesel makes for a slow ride and tops out at about 55, much past that is pushing it.

We've done a lot in the last few months and after our first shakedown camping trip have added a few more things to the list wants/needs.

By no means all inclusive, but we've already done the following:

-SS Brake hoses
-Brake shoes, pads, rotors, calipers were all new at purchase.
-General Grabber AT2 tires on stock steel wheels
-New Radiator Installed.
-Replaced rubber fuel lines
-Timing belt done before purchase
-Front seats from parts van
-Z-Bed from passenger van
-Dual 6-volt, 215AH Aux Battery system, with Iota charger, Solar to come Later
-Blue Sea dual USB 4.8A plugs front and rear
-Dometic Fridge/ Freezer combo.
-Peel and seal, and reflectix insulation
-ABS interior panels
-Bamboo flooring
-Land Rover Mirrors
-Three window canvas
-Painted and resealed pop-top
-ARB awning

The following are proposed mods and repairs we want to complete before our trip:

-Replace CV boots and differential seals- have the boots, grease and new hardware waiting to install
-Replace all suspension bushings
-lift springs and alignment - either GoWesty or Schwenk
-Additional recovery gear - Maxtrax etc
-Build interior cabinets for kitchen and rear overhead, while keeping full width rear seat/bed.
-Window tint
-Replace all window and door seals. - have the seals just need some dry weather to pull windows and install
-Roof Rack
-Pop top lift assist struts - have struts and hardware waiting to install
-Solar Panels
-Vanagonlife Locking center console - http://www.vanagonlife.com/theshop/locking-steel-center-console
-Air Conditioning- either from smallcar performance or a mix of parts from my parts van
-Propex or webasto heater
-Rebuilt transmission
-Engine swap - Would love to do an MTdi, but also could go Bostig using the engine carrier, transmission etc. from my parts van. The 1.6 is strong and in great shape and can push a solid 55mph on the flat, but add any elevation change and the struggles begin. Not sure I can put my family or the others on the road through second gear 15mph (or slower) runs over the mountain passes as we head out west.

I bought the van for $3500 and have put about got about $4000 in parts, and repairs either completed or ready to be completed. My rough budget for the vehicle and mods is $25k which leaves me roughly $17.5k for the remainder of our build.

My work contract is up at the end of December 2018, and our son has school until mid May, so out tentative plan is to have the house cleaned out, stuff in storage, extra vehicles sold and be on the road by June or July at the latest.


Heres a few photos of our progress.

 

[Cummins_expo]

Beautiful work! Looking forward to more pictures

 

[Colby Jack]

Updates????

 

[Osmo79]

Not too much in the way of updates just yet! The last few months have been busy with outage projects (7x12's) at work and the holidays. I have been busy planning for the next round of upgrades. The first being a better setup for interior storage.

I did manage to build a frame for a kitchen cabinet setup for the van but once we put it in to test fit, decided its takes up too much space to be a permanent setup. So, we're re-thinking the built in storage and back to thinking about something like a Kanz field kitchen and pantry that can be taken out at camp and set up outside providing both the interior space we want and a more organized exterior cooking setup. Currently using action packers for cooking and food storage, which work OK, but leaves some room for improvement. Looking at some wooden chuck box options as well. I also envision at a minimum moving the batteries from under the bench seat. Thinking of building a tray to keep them up front under the van where the spare tire went. Will build a small tray to hold the batteries and skid plate to cover. I wont be able to run a spare there anyway so might as well make use of the space.

Second and more exciting is that we decided that the old 1.6na had to go. We knew that if we were to keep the van long term a modern power plant was a must. After much deliberation and research we decided to stay with a diesel engine rather than convert to gas and that we would do the conversion ourselves versus purchasing a kit. As such I have recently purchased a 1.9L AHU TDI engine that will be the heart of an M-TDI conversion. Still anxiously waiting for it to arrive so I can dig in and get started prepping it for the swap. I have a list of parts to secure, and have to get the old engine out and trans ready to ship out for rebuild.

My next round of outages at work start the end of February and run till early May, so time will be limited but not as bad as during the fall, no 7x12's this go round. My goal is to have the conversion done and on the road come early to mid May and be ready for camping when our son is out of school for the summer. I'll start posting photos and a brief build write up in the coming weeks. May try to get the old engine and trans out this weekend...

Kim

 

[mtnbike28]

Nice work!

 

[Osmo79]

So I have a minor update. The deal with the AHU fell through, but happened upon a 01 ALH with 70K miles for $736 shipped. After weighing the pros and cons of the ALH vs AHU, I decided to go for it.

Still thinking MTDI using the Rover pump, which should actually be pretty easy to get mounted using the ALH bracket and pulley/ hub assembly. Hardest part is really going to be engine mounts and oil pan. Seriously considering throwing down for the FAS inline conversion kit. This would save the fab time for the oil pan and mounts, and would keep it below the deck lid. I could then use the gasser trans from my parts van and be able to sell off all of the diesel parts from the 82 to recoup some cash.

Any way, I managed to get it on the stand and cleaned a bit of the northeastern road grime off of it. I started striping it down to give the block a new coat of paint. Will finish next weekend and be waiting on parts again. Overall it looks pretty good, has a little more rust flaking on the block then I would like, but looks mostly cosmetic. Timing belt looks great, no cracks or dry rot. Will still be doing a full replacement of timing belt, water pump, gaskets and seals before putting it in the van. One thing that always stands out on egr equipped engines is the amount of soot in the intake runners. While probably no big deal, it bugs me to no end when I rip into a motor and see so much gunk in the intake. I will likely just leave the head alone and clean the intake, but man its tempting to pull the head and clean/ port the runners a bit.

 

[luthj]

The alh is a great engine. Smooth, great power, better economy, and excellent cold start performance. Hard to beat without the complexities of common rail. A good intercooler is critical for vanagons installs. So make sure you plan around one. Several good options including water cooled intercoolers. Does the FAS setup let you use the ALH dual mass flywheel? If so, that would be a big bonus.

 

[Osmo79]

We’re really looking forward to the boost in power over the 1.6 na.

The FAS kit uses an adapter plate mated to a water boxer transmission. They provide a single mass flywheel and input shaft for use with a water boxer clutch.

Really nice looking kit, has awesome billet oil pan too. Pricey, but top quality. http://www.foreignautosupply.com/pa...nversion-basic-install-kit/#.Wm-dw2JOmaN[/url

 

[luthj]

Don't forget a regear, the alh is going to double your power, and the stock diesel gearing is crazy low.

 

[Osmo79]

Absolutely a must to regear! We don’t need to cruise at 85, but 65-70 should be no problem with the taller gears. Will be replacing 3rd and 4th gear as part of trans rebuild.

Crazy part of all this work is that transmission rebuild will cost more than we paid for the van!

Love it though and can’t wait to get the kids out in the woods for more adventures.

Luthj, you guys have an awesome sprinter build! Can I ask how your paint has held up? Thinking of a Monstaliner job when we get done with all the mechanical work on the van.

 

[vintageracer]

Neat build.

We have a 1985 Wolfsburg Edition Westfalia Weekender to build that is my 16 year old daughter's dream.

 

[luthj]

I would suggest leaving your gears alone, and just change to the highest ring and pinion available. The gears themselves are a good spread. At most a DK code trans gearing would be the highest you want. You can always put bigger tires on if you need a bit extra.

The monstaliner has been solid. It fends off tree branches and rocks alike. I don't even bother trying to dodge small.branches on the trail. I have a few chips on the hood, but that's mostly due to the vans crap factory paint and lots of dirt roads in AUS. It has a little bit of fade in the last three years, but it's pretty minor. If you need application tips let me know.s a

 

[Raul]

The monstaliner has been solid. It fends off tree branches and rocks alike. I don't even bother trying to dodge small.branches on the trail. I have a few chips on the hood, but that's mostly due to the vans crap factory paint and lots of dirt roads in AUS. It has a little bit of fade in the last three years, but it's pretty minor. If you need application tips let me know.s a

I am quite pleased with Monstaliner also. I only have it for less than a year and not a lot of branch pushing, but I like how it looks and seems quite durable. To me, the best advice for the application I wish i had is to imagine worst case scenario how many foam rollers you need and order twice as many. They disintegrate fast. Line-X and some other spray on liners may look more "refined", but they will cost you a lot more.