This is the best video I have ever watched on youtube. What a description of how its done. Not even a pro could have done this better. A job for me in the very near future. Thanks for this...
You poor bastard, having to deal with all that rust. - It's why I left UK & came to Southern California. My 88 Vanagon doesn't have a spot of rust - praise be to the sun god Ra! thanks for all the good coverage here & the editing is awesome, really makes the process move along.
Absolutely brilliant. What an engineer. It was interesting to see the vertical slots on the hanger brackets, that allow the camber to be adjusted, thanks 👍👍👍🏆.
Wow. First class tutorial video. For an exploratory procedure, unbelievably high quality of video and clarity of instruction - that also includes any challenges you get from inexperience of doing the job. Due to this insight, it's actually better than a Haynes or AutoDoc video. Absolutely well done, sir.
Thanks for your detailed information! What a perfect work experience with such "common" tools. Almost got me excited to change the bushings on my 82' T3 Westfalia!
Thank you James. Excellent video , just about to do the same to my transporter syncro , hidden gems in video in the form of Built Hamber products. Well done!! purchased powerflex bushes for entire vehicle so i will be watching all your bush replacement videos, thank you again.
This was a thorough guide which was really helpful to me. I'm hoping to post video of my van as I restore it, and I will be linking your video instead or simply repeating what you did.
Thanks so much! I so appreciate your care and complete explanation. This is a job I'll be doing and I really wasn't looking forward to it..I'm still not looking forward to it, but I have a much better understanding why--and a small sense that I can accomplish it thanks to your video. Cheers.
Halfords Professional ratchet ring spanners are required for those rear backplate flange brackets. Get a fixed ring on it first with a wooden hammer to break em loose, and then slip on the ratchet spanner. They're awesome for speeding up jobs like that.
Thanks u a lot. Wad desesperated triyg to fit oem ones. And all they broke. Got some pain on hands and very nervius. I decided to put powerflex ones like on ur video. Job done. No pain on hands and head.
Well done sir. Always comforting to watch others encounter similar problems on big jobs. Made me smile when you had to re assemble the wheel hub so you could take off the castle nut. It’s a learning process. You won’t make That mistake again, I bet. I’ve Certainly been there before. You’re so calm under fire. Must be a British thing. Snapping off a bleed screw, ugh. That’s when I start throwing wrenches. My only comment would be, I’d probably take my van to my local mechanic afterward and have them double check the torque for me on the castle nuts. Well done and keep up the good work. Cheers! Eric from Oregon.
Thanks Eric. Agree that would be wise. Although it's a mathematical calculation so *should* be about right it's hard to to trust it without seeing it with my own eyes!
also learned about the adjustment of the trailing arm with those two bolts...makes sense now in hindsight... love painting on the hardwood floor - Wife must be out of the house !!!
FYI the Poly bushings will be stiffer and help with improved handling however they will not last anywhere near as long as the oem rubber bushings. So you may be looking at a bushing swap in another 5 or 6 years depending on your environment and usage.
Nice video with all the info-Just renewed my own nearside jacking point-not for the faint hearted! Luckily the sills were goodstill but alignment test will tell how accurate my 'jig' was. One tip if you keep brake pedal depressed with a wood batten under steering wheel no more fluid will drip from rear brake hoses.Not sure on your torque guesstimate!
I'm reading up as much as possible to plan out how to address the mount points, the overlapping panels look a right pain. What did you use for the jig? For the torque - it not a guesstimate, its science!
as i found the cross member had also wasted to less than a mm i measured from back face of mount to a bit of strip tacked vertically toward centre of van both sides of outrigger-then measured how much front to rear the mount protruded either side of cross member-As i didnt have a rotted out sill area i was lucky but still had to cut a access 'panel' in the centre sill so i could plug weld the new Brickyard mount (other suppliers are available :) ) Worst part was fabricating a 'u' shape section of cross member welding it and then the new mount I used the replacement arm to check i was in the correct position too but think drain hole position is too fartoward centre of van . Passed its MOT last week so i must have done something correct. I was suprised how the outside of the mount and inner part of cross member rot away like you. Just other side to tackle in a year or two after i recover:)
Awesome, detailed video. I really, really appreciate your efforts! I just had to replace my cv joints and bushes so your timing could be better on my part. Cheers
I wish I had seen this vid before I replaced my CV joint.. but still need to do the other side (preventative) so this video will still come in to use (like the other ones did :) )
@@GetMoreMellow If you want it done right and pay for only the parts then do it yourself. Books and youtube are a good source of repair instructions. I also enjoy the work and the knowledge gained.
@@richrocketlll Yes I also do try to do as much as possible, problem is place to work, undisturbed, I've been having to do jobs in front of my house where people are forever passing by, friendly but I need to learn how to say sorry, but right now I am busy - without upsetting them. Seeing how this guy did the job, I realised the guy in the garage, didn't tackle it too cleverly, I mean to burn out the rubber, no wonder his boss was pissed off even if he did that under an extractor it must have been awful. I would not have done that, I think I would have done what this guy did, it's logical, pretty easy too with drilling. Bit of a big job for me though, I couldn't have got my head around all that and done it here on the street. I have d one lots of other jobs though on the street, here it is a pretty unconventional area, all kinds of nationalities, but in a fancy area, I think nosey parkers would call the environmental inspectors, or police. I improvised today to make a tent over my VW camper rear door, as it was raining and has been, all the time, and I need to get on, so I fixed this waterproof material right around and stuck it in between my car's hatch back rear door. It was pouring down but I managed to be able to work comfortably, lying on the ground on a piece of foam, fixing the push rod tubes seals. Really satisfying to not let weather or anything else beat you and still do what you want and need to do, and do it right (I pray). Tomorrow dry all day, and doing the other side.
like the plug idea on the brake line..did you use a cold galvanizing compound on the trailing arms, the paint seems to change color like cold galvanizing...sometimes it helps to cut the back off the bolts -maintenance guys at the acid plant did that on every bolt...like the brake bleeder as my kids complain when they are employed, up, down, up, down...I should probably do this job on my van...but first, coolant lines and get it running (again).. great video !
Nicely done, explained, and produced video...but PLEASE, your setting yourself up for needles misery in the future!...do yourself a favor an use Anti-Seize on ALL threads, bolts through sleeves, brake fitting, bleeding nipple, even on threads of brake adjuster, etc. ...just about all the difficulties you encountered would not have occurred if AS had been used last time these items were apart...so use AS, especially if YOU are going to be the one having to take them apart next service. Cheers
I watched the amazing video again and I noticed that you forget to put some anti seize grease on bleeding screw and oil pipe connecters and the brake shoes edges for easy movement. Also can you put link for the grey/black paint you have used . Thank you.
My future self is going to hate me. Wish i'd added anti-seize at the time! For the paint I used Bilt Hamber Electrox which is a high Zinc primer, then Rustoleum Combi-color in black.
Thanks for the video. I'm about to replace the bushings on my own van. I'm wondering, is it necessary to remove the hub, brake and drive assembly just to replace the bushings? That adds a huge amount of work and potential to brake things to my job if that's the case. What do you think?
Hi Kirt. No, you could just undo the brake line and driveshaft. I only did it because there was a hole in my brake backplate so needed to replace that.
@@JamesAkers Thanks! Sad we don't have rustoleum here. We do have something called hammerite. Which is really good stuff against rust, but it also fights primer layers or anything else that is underneath or on top. Anything else paint wise, probably doesn't come close to rustoleum
Hi James. Will be consulting your vids on work coming up. If I can ask? Where did you get the plugs from when you separated the brake lines. Cheers Maz
Hi James, excellent video and very helpful for me as I needed to remove the brake drum backplates on my van, but what was the reason for you to split the hubs off the trailing arms to replace the bushes? apart from making it easier to paint of course. Keep up the good work thank you.
Hi David, thank you. I wanted to give them a full inspection and make it easier to paint. Also, just curious how it all fitted together! You're right, anyone doing this job could just undo the CV joint from the gearbox and take it all off together.
This is the best video I have ever watched on youtube. What a description of how its done. Not even a pro could have done this better. A job for me in the very near future. Thanks for this...
You poor bastard, having to deal with all that rust. - It's why I left UK & came to Southern California. My 88 Vanagon doesn't have a spot of rust - praise be to the sun god Ra!
thanks for all the good coverage here & the editing is awesome, really makes the process move along.
Absolutely brilliant. What an engineer. It was interesting to see the vertical slots on the hanger brackets, that allow the camber to be adjusted, thanks 👍👍👍🏆.
Wow. First class tutorial video. For an exploratory procedure, unbelievably high quality of video and clarity of instruction - that also includes any challenges you get from inexperience of doing the job. Due to this insight, it's actually better than a Haynes or AutoDoc video. Absolutely well done, sir.
What an excellent video. Just the right level of detail needed, as well as flagging some of the pitfalls to watch out for. Great work!
Thanks for your detailed information! What a perfect work experience with such "common" tools. Almost got me excited to change the bushings on my 82' T3 Westfalia!
Thank you. I don't have access to specialist tools so trying with what i've got! Good luck with yours!
wish i saw this video in the 70's as i young kid. now i know how the brake system work. thank you! but then again where was you tube in 1979?
I really admire your efforts. Things don’t go smoothly when I DIY, and they don’t always go smoothly for you apparently. Thank you for sharing!
Haha, I love a challenge!
Thank you James. Excellent video , just about to do the same to my transporter syncro , hidden gems in video in the form of Built Hamber products. Well done!! purchased powerflex bushes for entire vehicle so i will be watching all your bush replacement videos, thank you again.
Thank you! Hope it all goes well!
This was a thorough guide which was really helpful to me.
I'm hoping to post video of my van as I restore it, and I will be linking your video instead or simply repeating what you did.
Thanks so much! I so appreciate your care and complete explanation. This is a job I'll be doing and I really wasn't looking forward to it..I'm still not looking forward to it, but I have a much better understanding why--and a small sense that I can accomplish it thanks to your video. Cheers.
Hope it goes well!
Your videos are excellent, thank you !
THANK YOU for all your videos. They are AWESOME.
Really helpful video to work on my 91 VW Vanagon GT. Thanks
Halfords Professional ratchet ring spanners are required for those rear backplate flange brackets. Get a fixed ring on it first with a wooden hammer to break em loose, and then slip on the ratchet spanner. They're awesome for speeding up jobs like that.
Great video. Very glad to live in an arid climate.
Thanks u a lot. Wad desesperated triyg to fit oem ones. And all they broke. Got some pain on hands and very nervius. I decided to put powerflex ones like on ur video. Job done. No pain on hands and head.
Well done sir.
Always comforting to watch others encounter similar problems on big jobs.
Made me smile when you had to re assemble the wheel hub so you could take off the castle nut.
It’s a learning process. You won’t make That mistake again, I bet.
I’ve Certainly been there before.
You’re so calm under fire.
Must be a British thing.
Snapping off a bleed screw, ugh.
That’s when I start throwing wrenches.
My only comment would be, I’d probably take my van to my local mechanic afterward and have them double check the torque for me on the castle nuts.
Well done and keep up the good work.
Cheers!
Eric from Oregon.
Thanks Eric. Agree that would be wise. Although it's a mathematical calculation so *should* be about right it's hard to to trust it without seeing it with my own eyes!
Great video, I can only imagine how satisfying it must have felt as those bushes popped into position!
Haha! An obscene amount of pleasure.
I love all your shade tree mechanic techniques
thanks so much for also recording and posting such a big job!
also learned about the adjustment of the trailing arm with those two bolts...makes sense now in hindsight... love painting on the hardwood floor - Wife must be out of the house !!!
So right haha
Thanks for the video, I have this job to do myself, certainly feel more confident doing it now thankyou.
Let us know how you get on. It's not fun, but very satisfying when done!
I am doing brakes and rear bearing ,this is a great video
Great explanation James thanks, I'm about to tackle this and the sub frame lol
Another excellent segment thank you.
A very helpful video, thanks for sharing
Excellent video and explanation.
FYI the Poly bushings will be stiffer and help with improved handling however they will not last anywhere near as long as the oem rubber bushings. So you may be looking at a bushing swap in another 5 or 6 years depending on your environment and usage.
Nice video with all the info-Just renewed my own nearside jacking point-not for the faint hearted! Luckily the sills were goodstill but alignment test will tell how accurate my 'jig' was. One tip if you keep brake pedal depressed with a wood batten under steering wheel no more fluid will drip from rear brake hoses.Not sure on your torque guesstimate!
I'm reading up as much as possible to plan out how to address the mount points, the overlapping panels look a right pain. What did you use for the jig? For the torque - it not a guesstimate, its science!
Good tip on the brakes. It was my first time touching any type of brake system. The first drive after I refitted it was hair-raising!
as i found the cross member had also wasted to less than a mm i measured from back face of mount to a bit of strip tacked vertically toward centre of van both sides of outrigger-then measured how much front to rear the mount protruded either side of cross member-As i didnt have a rotted out sill area i was lucky but still had to cut a access 'panel' in the centre sill so i could plug weld the new Brickyard mount (other suppliers are available :) ) Worst part was fabricating a 'u' shape section of cross member welding it and then the new mount I used the replacement arm to check i was in the correct position too but think drain hole position is too fartoward centre of van . Passed its MOT last week so i must have done something correct. I was suprised how the outside of the mount and inner part of cross member rot away like you. Just other side to tackle in a year or two after i recover:)
Excellent vid ... really well explained .. thank you
Thanks for the vid. Looking forward to getting this done on my T4.
Thank you for the great video mate!!
Your videos are amazing, thank you! :D
Thank you!
Awesome, detailed video. I really, really appreciate your efforts!
I just had to replace my cv joints and bushes so your timing could be better on my part.
Cheers
Thanks man, let me know how it all goes.
I wish I had seen this vid before I replaced my CV joint.. but still need to do the other side (preventative) so this video will still come in to use (like the other ones did :) )
Very good vid. I find cursing helpful.
amazing video. loved it thanks mate
very good job, and detailed...thank you for the efforts...
thanks for the video my friend,good job.
Thanks, Video covers what I needed to know.
Is to know, to let someone else do the job?
@@GetMoreMellow If you want it done right and pay for only the parts then do it yourself. Books and youtube are a good source of repair instructions. I also enjoy the work and the knowledge gained.
@@richrocketlll Yes I also do try to do as much as possible, problem is place to work, undisturbed, I've been having to do jobs in front of my house where people are forever passing by, friendly but I need to learn how to say sorry, but right now I am busy - without upsetting them. Seeing how this guy did the job, I realised the guy in the garage, didn't tackle it too cleverly, I mean to burn out the rubber, no wonder his boss was pissed off even if he did that under an extractor it must have been awful. I would not have done that, I think I would have done what this guy did, it's logical, pretty easy too with drilling. Bit of a big job for me though, I couldn't have got my head around all that and done it here on the street. I have d one lots of other jobs though on the street, here it is a pretty unconventional area, all kinds of nationalities, but in a fancy area, I think nosey parkers would call the environmental inspectors, or police. I improvised today to make a tent over my VW camper rear door, as it was raining and has been, all the time, and I need to get on, so I fixed this waterproof material right around and stuck it in between my car's hatch back rear door. It was pouring down but I managed to be able to work comfortably, lying on the ground on a piece of foam, fixing the push rod tubes seals. Really satisfying to not let weather or anything else beat you and still do what you want and need to do, and do it right (I pray). Tomorrow dry all day, and doing the other side.
Brilliant 👍
Good job.
Well done
Great job.
Amazing very helpfull thanks!
Hello from Ukraine! I have t3 bus too! :)
like the plug idea on the brake line..did you use a cold galvanizing compound on the trailing arms, the paint seems to change color like cold galvanizing...sometimes it helps to cut the back off the bolts -maintenance guys at the acid plant did that on every bolt...like the brake bleeder as my kids complain when they are employed, up, down, up, down...I should probably do this job on my van...but first, coolant lines and get it running (again).. great video !
Thanks Dan. I used Bilt Hamber Electrox which is a high Zinc primer, seems to work really well!
Great video. Did you need get the camber etc adjusted.
Hey, thanks for you handy video. What size thread is are brake line bolts please?
Good and obviously a hard job :)
Hi, Nice work,🛠👍🏻🇳🇴.HCS
Thank you for the clear organised video never seen like this before good job, can you make video on how to renew rear cv joint ?
Thank you. Yes, i'll eventually get round to that job so will film it when I do.
Nicely done, explained, and produced video...but PLEASE, your setting yourself up for needles misery in the future!...do yourself a favor an use Anti-Seize on ALL threads, bolts through sleeves, brake fitting, bleeding nipple, even on threads of brake adjuster, etc. ...just about all the difficulties you encountered would not have occurred if AS had been used last time these items were apart...so use AS, especially if YOU are going to be the one having to take them apart next service. Cheers
I have been well and truly told! Thanks Ron, i'll definitely be following your advice on using Anti-Seize for any further work I do on the van.
I watched the amazing video again and I noticed that you forget to put some anti seize grease on bleeding screw and oil pipe connecters and the brake shoes edges for easy movement. Also can you put link for the grey/black paint you have used . Thank you.
My future self is going to hate me. Wish i'd added anti-seize at the time! For the paint I used Bilt Hamber Electrox which is a high Zinc primer, then Rustoleum Combi-color in black.
Thanks for the video. I'm about to replace the bushings on my own van. I'm wondering, is it necessary to remove the hub, brake and drive assembly just to replace the bushings? That adds a huge amount of work and potential to brake things to my job if that's the case. What do you think?
Hi Kirt. No, you could just undo the brake line and driveshaft. I only did it because there was a hole in my brake backplate so needed to replace that.
How are the trailing arms now? My guess is they are rusting again? Which black paint did you use after primer?
They're great, no rust at all yet. I used Rustoleum Combicolor on top of the zinc primer.
@@JamesAkers Thanks! Sad we don't have rustoleum here. We do have something called hammerite. Which is really good stuff against rust, but it also fights primer layers or anything else that is underneath or on top. Anything else paint wise, probably doesn't come close to rustoleum
Hi James. Will be consulting your vids on work coming up. If I can ask? Where did you get the plugs from when you separated the brake lines. Cheers Maz
Hi Maz. I got them off eBay for a few pounds each. Search for "Brass M10 x 1 Male Brake Blanking Plug"
@@JamesAkers Thanks James. Your a star.
Very indeed. Best wishes
If you were to buy again
Would you have a 4x4
Or two wheel drive t3
If I had the money i'd love a Syncro. Way out of my price range though!
why didn’t you clean the rusty bolts before trying to loose them?
Hi James, excellent video and very helpful for me as I needed to remove the brake drum backplates on my van, but what was the reason for you to split the hubs off the trailing arms to replace the bushes? apart from making it easier to paint of course. Keep up the good work thank you.
Hi David, thank you. I wanted to give them a full inspection and make it easier to paint. Also, just curious how it all fitted together! You're right, anyone doing this job could just undo the CV joint from the gearbox and take it all off together.
@@JamesAkers cheers James, definitely made my day much easier. Thanks
Hi what year model is your bus?
What size of the planking pieces male/female? can you put a link ? Thanks.
You just need the male. It's M10 x 1. I got mine from here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282165406700
Hello! What type or Rust Oleum do you use?
I used Rust-Oleum CombiColor Black RAL 9005 Gloss on the trailing arms.
@@JamesAkers Thanks! Nice and really good videos! Keep em coming ;)
@@JamesAkers And the grey before rust oleum, is it zink spray?
@@hauba1 Yes, it's Bilt Hamber Electrox Zinc spray.
What size washers?
For the threaded rod
I don't have the size to hand but the part number is Radius Rod Bush Washer 251407069
I need a book
get the Bentley manual like James has -- mandatory if you own one of these vanagons
im luckz ,mz van is prettz drz,hanst even surface rust
Where do you live? This poor van has no hope as i'm in the North West of England.
@@JamesAkers greece
Needs more fluid film
Great video man 👌