NOTE: Many of these future links are not yet functioning, but are COMING SOON!
		If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. Henry Ford (1863-1947)
		A Mobile Anachronism Truth be told, it is no mean feat to keep a 20-year-old van running. Especially one with the added complexity of the Westfalia Camper package. Especially if you expect it to withstand the rigors of everything from long-distance, non-stop thru-trips to unpaved backwoods camping forays.     In all likelihood, the previous owner neglected or abused the poor beast, and there may be any number of hidden components just waiting to fail, leaving you stranded. Probably far from home. On your vacation.     The good news is that although those with cold hearts may have let the old gal slip into a sad state of decline, that maintenance curve can be reversed, and with proper care she can be brought back into her full functionality and former glory.     In the coming weeks I will be adding additional topics here, how-to procedures for general repairs I've documented, maintenance checklists, accessories I've added to my own Westy, and much more. In the meantime, I offer the following suggestions: MANUALS You will need a good workshop book, the best of which is the Official Factory Repair Manual, published by Robert Bentley. The same manual used by the wrenchers at your local VW dealership, it is the final authority in accuracy and precision, providing the proper sequences, torque values, and tolerances for most repairs. It may—and SHOULD—be purchased from any number of local bookstores or VW dealers, or from a variety of online vendors, including those listed on the Vanthology links page.       While the venerable Bentley is always my first source for maintenance information, many backyard mechanics, myself included, find it sometimes lacking. As its title implies, it often presumes I am an "Official VW Repair" technician. So it often omits the most basic and preliminary steps of any given procedure, sometimes leaving me standing beneath the proverbial shadetree, scratching my proverbial head.     Enter the Haynes manual. Whereas the Bentley figures I am a seasoned wrencher, surrounded by a staff of fellow VW technicians with years of collective experience with whom I can confer, the Haynes manual assumes I'm just a lonely guy with a good socket set and a sloppy balljoint, and gives me what I need to fix it. Step-by-step instructions, accompanied by concise photos where needed, walk me right through most repairs. For someone doing their first brake job, these sequential steps (engage parking brake, loosen lug nuts, raise car on jack, remove roadwheel, ...), while admittedly redundant, can inspire a rookie—even me—to proceed with some confidence.     The Haynes manual is available from many of the same booksellers and parts vendors as the Bentley, and I suggest you obtain both. If each manual has its strengths, I'd say go to the Bentley for accuracy; go to the Haynes for thoroughness. I always consult the Bentley first, especially for any sort of tolerance, torque, dimension, etc., and although I've never found a blatant inaccuracy in the Haynes, I will always defer to the Bentley in a case of conflicting data.     Personally, I can never have enough manuals, and I have amassed a small collection of workshop books which even remotely pertain to my van. Often, where one manual leaves you wondering, another will provide a 'eureka'-inspiring photo or description. Print off helpful tips or techniques you find online and keep them in a binder among your other manuals. TOOLS A helpful manual (or two) does you little good without the proper tools to get the job done. The VW Vanagon will require few special tools, and most work can be performed with conventional tools available to the average home mechanic. The following is by NO means a complete listing, but should be enough to get any home mechanic started: Complete metric socket set: in 3/8" or 1/2" drive, with sizes ranging from 7mm to 17mm, in a variety of depths. Plus an assortment of extensions and universal-joint drive adaptors for those hard-to-reach applications Complete metric wrench set: combination (open on one end, hex or 12-point box on the other), in sizes ranging from 7mm to 17mm Adjustable wrenches: a couple of sizes to accomodate the above ranges Allen wrenches, sometimes called hex keys: 1.5mm to 8mm, plus a 17mm socket-driven Allen key for the transaxle drain plug Torque wrench: measuring fastener torque from 20 to 150 lbs. Screwdrivers: variety of sizes, in both slotted (flat blade) and Phillips-head Pliers: in a variety of sizes from needle-nose, standard, to larger slip-joint Wire cutters: diagonal and end-cutters Hammers: listed last here due to their frequent overruse, you'll want ball-peen or mechanic's hammers in a variety of sizes from small 'tappers', medium 'persuaders', to a 2-lb. 'BFH' (Big Freakin' Hammer) Optional Tools I have also found the following tools helpful in certain instances: Metric ratchet wrenches: same sizes as above, allow wrenching in tight spots Complete metric crowsfoot wrenches: same sizes as above, allow wrenching in tight spots. NOTE: when used with a torque wrench, torque values must be re-calculated according to specs included with the crowsfoot wrenches Vice-Grips: listed last here due to its frequent overruse, a brand name of some of the best locking pliers available, allow astronomical clamping forces on hardware and other parts. I've seen old Type-2 Busses sailing down the highway with certain engine parts held in place by such pliers—possible but not recommended Tool Brands Sears/Craftsman, Snap-On, Mac, Armstrong, Master Mechanics, Stanley; all make good quality tools at reasonable prices. Many offer 'lifetime' warranties on their tools, but sometimes weasel out when you break one. As with most things in life, spend the most you can afford, plus a little more. There are few things more frustrating or foolish than watching your lousy 89-cent wrench hopelessly strip an expensive or irreplaceable bolt or part. To paraphrase super-salesman Zig Ziglar, "The bitter taste of an inferior product long outlasts the sweetness of a good price." PARTS The vast majority of replacement parts for your Vanagon are still available from Volkswagen and a variety of aftermarket suppliers. Again, see the Vanthology vendors. Most Vanagon- or VW-specific parts vendors will be infinitely better stocked and more knowledgeable than your FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store), and certainly more reasonably priced than the VW dealer. Thanks to Volkswagen's famous penchant for parts standardization, many components on your Vanagon are also used on other VW cars of that era—Rabbits, Jettas, Sciroccos, etc.—so parts should continue to be available for some time.