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New and some questions

Posted: 04 May 2011, 11:12
by schroe
Hello there,

I'm a young bloke from Belgium and I have just purchased a nice T25 which I'd like to gradually transform into a camper.
I came across it while searching the net and I went to see it yesterday and immediately fell in love :D
first some general info concerning the van:
Year of build: '91
Engine type: DG (so that's a 1.9)
Type N°.: 251 / 061
4 speed gearbox.
It was used as an ambulance of some kind but has been repainted 3-4 years ago (owner couldn't exactly say, he bought it 2 years ago), paintwork looks professional no blisters or anything, everything nice and smooth, only disadvantage is that the window rubbers (driver and passenger window) have not been replaced by new ones after the paintjob so they are quite stiff and not holding on very good (I'll definitely replace them).
has done 136.931 km (that's around 85000 miles)
Owner (or should I say, ex-owner :-) ) bought it 2 years ago but has only driven it 1000km (he is a collector, owned multiple T2's, and stuff like that). He always kept it dry in a garage (which is getting too small that's why he was getting rid of it)
Having no experience with this type of car I judged completely by information I got from browsing the net (including this site and the wiki...) and from a friend that has experience with beetle's and T2's (so yes, it was partially a leap of faith); there was no rust whatsoever on the usual places (wheelarches, beneath the floor mats, suspension, seams, beneath the window rubbers, -as far as I could tell- gastank,...) of course there was some corrosion on some spots (actually only a bit on the roof gutter) but overall I was very pleased with the rust-free state it was in.
Engine started immediately and ran ok (it's hard to say if you're not an expert but it sounded fine without any hesitations or misfires -as far as I can tell-), gears worked.

and now some questions/remarks:
1. The gears all worked fine but the gear shifter is kind of slobby, there is quite a lot of slack and when changing into gear it's more guessing than knowing you got it correct. Is this just because I'm unexperienced or is it a known problem?
2. As you can see in the image below there is a separation wall the front and the back of the van. Because I want to be able to turn my chairs and use them in the 'living' area as well I'd like to cut this out, can I just do this? (i.e. is it supporting my high roof?)
3. There is no rust right now, but I want to make sure I can keep it that way, is it a good idea to clean all the 'danger' area's and then paint them with some anti-corrosion paint? if so, how and with what should I do this?

thx,

Pieter

Image
Image

(note that these are the pictures that were used for the ad, I haven't had the time to take some of my own, will do so next week when I move the van to it's new location/workarea)

Re: New and some questions

Posted: 04 May 2011, 12:24
by Ralf85
With regard to the gears it sounds like you need a new kit of bits that fit at the bottom of the gear stick/lever. They are made of nylon and wear out eventually. They are available over here. Although you may be able to get the kit from VW where you are.
:wink:
Patrick

Re: New and some questions

Posted: 04 May 2011, 16:40
by kevtherev
That bulkhead can be removed no problem.
Wax Oyl or similar, the entire underneath and inside the doors and cavities.... not only will it prevent rust it will stop any already started

Re: New and some questions

Posted: 04 May 2011, 16:56
by Hacksawbob
Take a look at the rust section on the wiki
https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Main_Page#Rust" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: New and some questions

Posted: 04 May 2011, 21:46
by Ian Hulley
schroe wrote: 1. The gears all worked fine but the gear shifter is kind of slobby, there is quite a lot of slack and when changing into gear it's more guessing than knowing you got it correct. Is this just because I'm unexperienced or is it a known problem?

Hiya Pieter, you can get the parts you need for the gear lever and linkage from here ... http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/shop?page=s ... gory_id=99 The yellow plastic bush is for the gearbox end of the linkage, the clear plastic one for near the fuel tank, they are sandwiched between the steel flanges and guide the shift rod reducing lateral movement. Once it's all nice and tight and working fine fit this .. http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/shop?page=s ... gory_id=99 which reduces the lever movement at the driver's hand.

Welcome to Club 80-90, hope you have fun with your new investment :ok

Ian

Re: New and some questions

Posted: 06 May 2011, 10:21
by schroe
Thanks for the replies guys.
I'll get my hands dirty this weekend :-)