Andy's Syncro Projects
Volkswagen Transporter Syncro
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BEFORE: 'The brick' as purchased in July 2003 |
After: August Bank Holidy 2004 IOW |
(Click here for info on this example.)
Improvements and other work carried out to date
Other work planned
15" steel rims, BFG All-Terrains
At time of purchase the van was on the original 6Jx14 rims, and very worn
Michelin X tyres of some kind. The van had a rather wallowing ride quality,
which was attributed to the tyres (which did not appear to be LT-rated),
and perhaps worn dampers (likely at ~94,000 miles). New OEM dampers at
each corner were procured, and rim/tyre alternatives investigated. It soon
became clear that there was a very limited choice of suitable LT or off-road
tyres for 14" rims. Research showed that a popular upgrade on 14" Syncros
is to 15" rims, which provides the benefits of wider tyre choice and greater
ground clearance, whilst not requiring the bodywork modifications needed
to fit 16" rims and tyres. It was also noted that many Syncronauts choose
the BFG A/T and it appears these provide an excellent combination of performance,
long life, and lower road-noise than some competitors.
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5 off Mercedes 6.5Jx15H2 ET37 rim, pn: 210 400
02020
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5 off BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A 215/75R15 (LT-rated)
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2 off aerosol cans Hammerite metal paint, smooth silver
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20 off chrome-plated closed-head wheel nut
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Fitted with ~96,000 miles on the odometer, will use ~3,000 miles rotation
interval to ensure even wear
Replace Viscous Coupling
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Temporary removal of propshaft to reduce effects on front trans. of 'tight'
VC
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Obtain spare worn-out VC to send for refurb - thx. to Jake Stevens
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Dorfbrunnen Garage refurbished VC
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My own installation procedure
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Parts list:
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Refurbished Viscous Coupler VW pn: 094 409 435
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Loctite liquid gasket thinned with alcohol
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Loctite blue nut-lock
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2 litres GL5 synthetic gear oil
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Parts to renew front diff. mountings (if needed):
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6 off Bonded rubber mounting VW pn:183 199 381 A
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5 off M10 large penny washer (10.6x65x5) VW pn: 903 371 01
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4 off M10x100 bolt
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1 off M10x90 bolt
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5 off M10 Nyloc nut
LT Mirrors
The stock T3 mirrors are mounted on a ball-joint which is notorious for
coming loose and flopping about. There is no 'detent' position so if moved,
returning the mirror to its correct position is time-consuming. Syncro
16's are commonly fitted with a 'truck-style' arrangement using a larger
mirror unit fitted to a D-shaped metal arm supported by pivots at top and
bottom. These are available from Europe at about £80 each, but a
cheaper alternative is to use units from the LT, which are very similar
(indeed the mirrors themselves are the same part number).
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Pair LT mirror arms including upper/lower brackets and plastic gaskets,
from 'Just LT's' breakers.
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Pair LT mirrors, VW pn: 281 857 547 B
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Pair plastic bush, VW pn: 281 857 532 A
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Pair steel retaining clip, VW pn: 281 857 533 A
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2 off M6x50 stainless steel cap head screw
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2 off M6x20 stainless steel c/sunk socket head screw
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8 off M5x25 stainless steel c/sunk socket head screw
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8 off M5 steel 'Riv-Nuts' and insertion tool
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~12cm length 25 x 3mm self-adhesive closed-cell foam
SA Grilles and driving lamps
Partly functional, partly cosmetic, the grilles fitted to South-African
'Microbus' give a distinctive, business-like look to the Syncro and set
it apart from regular old camper-vans. Pic
1, Pic 2.
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Upper SA grille kit, including trim, badge, H4 driving lamps. Justkampers
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Lower SA grille, Justkampers
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2 off double 40A relay ( £1.50 each from trade stand at a show)
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Wire, insulated spare terminals, sleeving etc.
Saab heated leather seats
Installing the seats
Alleged by JK listees to be a simple bolt-on operation, but after obtaining
the seats it was clear that the Saab 'rails' were wider apart than the
existing mountings on the body of the van. After some deliberations with
my brother (thanks Ed !), it was realised that we could re-mount the Saab
rails on the inside of the seat frame, and thus ensure they have the desired
spacing to bolt right onto the VW mountings. The only loss is the driver-side
height adjuster, which we don't need as the resulting position of the seats
is about as high as you'd want 'em. (Very short drivers shouldn't consider
this upgrade.) Pic 1, Pic
2, Pic 3.
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Pair leather front seats from 1990 four-door Saab 9000
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2 off heating control unit for above, with wiring loom connector
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8 off M8x50mm bolts
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8 off M8x20mm screws
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16 off M8 nuts
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~26cm. thick-walled steel tube >8mm internal diameter.
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A quantity of 15mm plywood
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A quantity of black vinyl material
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Angle-grinder, hacksaw, files, drill & bits, jig-saw, staple gun and
staples etc.
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Remove seat-belt latches and associated wiring
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Remove plastic trims and rails from seat frames
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Remove passengers' side rails from seat frame. 2 star head screws per side.
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Remove drivers side rails from seat frame. Angle-grinder required, as height-adjuster
is securely fixed
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Fabricate spacers from robust steel tube w. ID ~8mm. length ~ 30mm (measure
to get precise size).
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Re-attach rails onto inside of seat frame using M8x50 bolts and spacers.
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Check alignment with VW rails, adjust spacer length if necessary
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Drill 8mm hole at rear of VW rail, widen slot toward front at suitable
spacing for Saab bolt holes.
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Insert M8 nut at front and rear of VW rails, they will be held captive
by the rail
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Position seat and bolt front and rear down through VW rail using M8x20
screws into M8 nut
Wiring the seats
The heating elements are thermostatically controlled by the special
control units, using sensors fitted inside the seats. The controls units
have four positions, off and three heat levels, and they have the following
connections (from a message on a Saab Forum):
2: +12V from the fuse box - Yellow wire
6: Thermostat - Blue wire
7: Illumination - White/brown wire
9: Ground - Black wire
10: Heating element - White/yellow wire
The wiring coming from the seat is as follows:
Thermostat - Blue x2 (one to control switch
, one to ground)
Heating element - Yellow x2 (one to control switch, one to ground)
Trim panels
It was decided to fabricate a suitably-shaped trim to conceal the seat
frame and slider rails at each side of the seat. Some 15mm plywood was
procured, profiled to suit with an electric jig-saw, the edges were radiused,
and they were covered in a flexible vinyl-coated material held in place
with a staple-gun. These were bolted in place using tubular spacers to
achieve the desired alignment. The trim panels also served as a convenient
mounting for the heater control switches.
Replace worn-out front and rear dampers
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2 off OEM equiv. of VW 251 413 031 C front damper, Sachs 110 337 or Boge
32-180-0
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2 off OEM equiv. of VW 251 513 031 D rear damper, Sachs 110 338 or Boge
32-181-0
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2 off M14x1,5x80 bolt, VW pn: N 040 165 2 OR
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2 off M14x1,5x100 bolt VW pn: N 010 200 2
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2 off M14 penny washer (15x28x2.5) VW pn: N 011 534 1
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2 off Inner sleeve VW pn: 251 413 097 A
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2 off Outer sleeve VW pn: 251 413 097 B
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2 off M14x1,5 Nut
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4 off M10x16 socket-head bolt
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Rear installation - very straightforward
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Front installation - more complex, follow Bentley procedure
Renew front suspension components
When the front dampers are being replaced, an inspection will be made of
the front suspension ball-joints and bushings. Those parts that appear
worn will be replaced.
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4 off Upper control arm bush, VW pn: 251 407 077
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2 off Lower front A-arm bushing, VW pn: 251 407 183
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2 off Upper ball-joint, VW pn: 251 407 361
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2 off Lower ball-joint, VW pn: 251 407 187
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2 off Radius rod rubber mounting inner, VW pn: 251 407 179
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2 off Radius rod rubber mounting outer, VW pn: 251 407 175
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2 off M18 Nyloc nut
VDO oil pressure, oil temperature and voltage guages
T3's had none of the sophistications of later cars such as the Golf GTi
'MFA', which provides useful engine-monitoring functions. Further, as the
engine is rear-mounted the driver is somewhat distanced and less 'in-tune'
with the state of the engine. It was therefore decided to add oil pressure
and temperature guages.
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Set of VDO guages from mid-eighties Audi Quattro
in original angled plastic binnacle
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VDO combined 5-bar oil pressure / 0.5-bar low pressure
switch sender
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VDO sump-plug 150 degree C oil temperature sender
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M10 fine-thread male-female extender tube for VDO pressure sender
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Strip of aluminium to fabricate large P-clip to mount sender
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Strip of steel to fabricate mounting bracket for guages
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~6m. multicore 'caravan' cable
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Crimp spade terminals, sleeving, screws, etc.
Propex heater
These things retail for ~£400. I was fortunate to come across a second-hand
but unused 'Compact 1600' unit on Loot and got it for £200. It's
a complete system, but is missing the thermostat and mounting brackets.
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Propex thermostat, mounting brackets
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8mm copper gas pipe, fittings
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Tools needed: Drill, hole saw, etc
Service rear differential lock
Adjust gearshift linkage
Baulky shifting can be alleviated by overhauling the linkages at the front (base
of the gear lever), and rear (at the gearbox input arm). After gaining access,
I greased these parts liberally with molybdenum disulphide grease. After reassembly,
I found a noticable improvement, particluarly in selecting fist and second. The
second phase of this work will involve renewing the bushes, and one of the protective
rubber boots at the rear which has perished.
Stainless Steel screw kit
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Replace all exterior self-tapping screws with rust-free ones. Only £5
from IOM Si !
Dashboard Trim
The metal dashboard had suffered somewhat at the hands of one or more PO's,
it had several holes drilled in it, and had had some vile wood decorative
trim super-glued to it. When I pulled off this trim, some paint came away
too leaving a rather tatty result. Several functional and cosmetic upgrades
were therefore installed, which subtly transformed the cockpit:
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RHD Carat rubber dashboard trim (252 857 171 01C) from Gunzl Classic-Parts
at Vanfest, only £15. Very lucky to find this !
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Added Justkampers 'dashboard tidy' in moulded ABS
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Also added rubber 'grab-handle' in front of passenger seat, believed to
be an inner door handle from an old Beetle. £1.50 at Vanfest.
Anti-rust treatment inside body panels
Treat rust around rear windows
Install Fire-extinguisher
Essential tools
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Toolboxes x 2. (Socket sets, spanners, torque wrench, pliers etc. etc.
etc.)
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Dremel
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Power drill
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Jigsaw
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Angle-grinder
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Multimeter
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Axle-stands
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Trolley-jack
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Bentley Vanagon service handbook
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Overalls
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Box of latex gloves
Suppliers
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BF Goodrich tyres - Dartford Tyre & Accessories Ltd, 99 Burnham Road,
Dartford, DA1 5AZ
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Sachs/Boge dampers, tools, paint etc. - Northwoods Motor Factors, 87 Newington
Causeway, London SE1 6DH
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Refurbished Viscous Coupler - CAV16,
agent for Dorfbrunnen Garage - http://www.dorfbrunnen-garage.ch
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VDO senders - http://www.machine7.co.uk/Cart/Instruments_and_Gauges.htm
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Saab seats, VDO guages - Ebay.co.uk
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Fasteners - Clerkenwell Screws, London
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Propex spare parts - Propex Heatsource - http://www.propexheatsource.co.uk
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Replacement offside middle window, seals - Van Window Specialists, Castleford,
West Yorkshire.
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Vinyl trim material for seat upgrade - Woolies for Trim - http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk
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LT breaker - 'Just LT's' Unit 6, Beeches Farm, Whetstone, Leicester. Tony
07860 635 543
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VW breaker - Sanburn VW