Very open question

[G Dub52]

Hi All,

At the end of the month I will be moving into my new house with my first garage! wooo! and a large drive, I am looking forward to getting stuck in to working on the van now I have space.

Question - What modifications would you do or do you do to your vans first? Handling enhancements (power flex bushes etc)? Suspension, lights, engine mods etc etc...

For example every time I buy a van I service it and change all ignition parts and fuel lines so I know it is done when moving forward.

I am just looking for some inspiration for things to do that will actually make the difference instead of things that would just be a waste of money. I want to develop my skills so am happy to try most fixes myself.

What do you recommend?

[Dazco]

How about over hauling the brakes? Strip and clean everything. Replace rear cylinders and lines etc

[G Dub52]

Good idea, and as we have a little dubber on the way I think this would be wise to be fair

[tforturton]

Replacing all the fuel lines is a very sensible idea.

[itchyfeet]

I concentrate on preventative maintenance.
fix anything that looks like it is going to fail soon, go looking for cracked pipes and coolant leaks, rusty body work and bolts, poor electrical connections, overhaul brakes, fuel lines and check unfused wiring is top priority as said.

then go to work on engine maintenance , gearbox oil and gear linkage.

Modifications are low on my list, to be honest I rarely have time to consider them because there is usuallg some basic maintenance that needs doing.

How often do you see a rusty junk heap thats been lowered with shiny alloys

[what2do]

Make sure that all the bolts/nuts on the brakes, steering, suspension are free to undo then grease them and retorque. At some point you'll need to replace components and will be grateful that you've overcome the biggest hurdle in advance. I'm slowly replacing all fasteners underneath with stainless ones because.... I can and it causes Itchyfeet to roll his eyes!

[itchyfeet]

^^^his van looks better from underneath then it does from above

[what2do]

Ain't that the truth. Even better today as I've fitted new poly bushes to the front radius rods, fitted shiny new push rod covers and those bits of tinware on each side of the engine, all with stainless fasteners of course!

Greasing the side rollers and cleaning the track isn't a bad job for starters either.

[itchyfeet]

^^ who else would fit stainless m18 locknuts to their radius rods when they haven't had a rear bumper in 3 years

[kevtherev]

I remember doing all this preventative and tidying up..
11 years on and I'm starting all over again.

[what2do]

Exactly Kev, your van is still around after all these years, possibly because of that time spent on it.

[G Dub52]

Brilliant guys, that's the kind of thing I wanted. And I would not have thought of approaching it from that angle. That's some good food for thought and I can start buying the parts now ready to stock the garage

[itchyfeet]

no harm in adding bling if it floats ya boat but if funds are tight money is much better spent on functinal and safety maintenance.

A set of shiny 60 quid push rod covers may look good when viewed from the breakdown truck but a replacement waterpump if it has play is the same price and means you get to enjoy your holiday, or drive home when you want to.

[kevtherev]

Exactly Kev, your van is still around after all these years, possibly because of that time spent on it.

Well almost, you have to have two wives, where one of them doesn't know about the other.

[Bubble Meister]

Yep, I agree with the recommendations. I follow the service schedule in the Haynes manual thus the focus is on preventative maintenance. Over the last 12 years I have then kept on top of corrective maintenance. My van looks stock as I like to keep that original look. I try, where possible to use VW stuff. My philosophy is that it's lasted this long so it must be worth investing in the same quality again.