Albert the Vanagon full suspension upgrades!
Today we upgrade the suspension on my 1984 VW Vanagon. This Bus was overdue from having the springs replaced. Now we have full Bilstein Shocks, Schwenk springs, and poly bushings in the right places!
I hope you enjoy, I finally got this video put together and released. I hope the voice over audio is of better quality than previous videos.
Video index:
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Disassembly of driver step by step
6:10 - Emperor Orange Press
7:20 - Disassembly of Passenger side with just music
13:30 - New parts time! Step by Step assembly
17:50 - Assembly timelapse
20:50 - Thankyou!
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Mark all the camber settings before taking things apart! It makes it easier to drive to the alignment shop. Safety note: use the stock jack location for the jack stands. Have the floor jack under the steering brace. If the jack stands fail, you will have time to get out.
I know nothing about cars, nor even drive, but for some reason this shit is entertaining
Same here. This person has good vibes and the topic is really well explained.
Great content! Wandered around the internet for why a car might lean to one side, ended up here and found a trove of interesting stuff. Thanks for providing inspiration and stoke!
This is the reason I make these videos! Thanks for the love!
Thanks for that video friend! The Bentley is a big help but you and other people like you taking time to share are an absolute treasure. That's what the intertubes were supposed to be, a tool for sharing knowledge! My advice to you is to get an impact wrench, 20 bucks on Harbor Freight will save you a LOT of time and make your life so much easier!
Great video, i'm about to embark on this very task today. Very helpful
What a perfect reference! Thanks for the last part of complete assembly in full speed. I'm doing all this with big brakes and helping me a lot.
Thank you for a detailed video showing how to replace the rubber bushings. I own a 1996 model T25 with a VW factory fitted 2.6i five cylinder engine. The suspension of my vehicle differs slightly from the video footage you posted. Here in South Africa VW discontinued the T25 Bus in 2003. Ever since it is a struggle to acquire new OEM replacement spares. Because the 5-cylinder version T25 was only produced in South Africa, workshop manuals also was never published. It is very helpful though to see videos such as yours to make maintenance easier to do yourself.
wonderful video, I bookmarked it for future use in spring 2021 thanks a lot !!!
I don’t understand much of what you’re talking about but when i do I’m typically laughing at the few little dry jokes you pop in there. 🤣 bfh, cigarette, peckerhead, and sweet little nothings caught my attention. Makes learning new things more interesting. Thank you!
Great stuff! Was looking for a full suspension rework like this. Prefer to do it all then just a bushing here and there.
Appreciate the tips and suggestive press name/description! My Vanagon needs this too. I’m going to to start this week with penetrant oil. Maybe try next week.
thank you ... have been thinking of replacing my suspensions.....good reference video ..thank you
great video! I'm going to reassemble my front suspension later today and being as I disassembled it over a year ago I couldn't exactly remember how it all went together so your video has been a huge help :)
Nice doogie, watching while I’m working in shop late tonight
as a noob about to jump down this rabbit hole of mechancis work... I truly appreciate this video. Thank you for posting it and for being pretty much straight up entertaining ... props to your work ... and may your projects always be a success . Stay awesome
Great commentary! 😂 I have a UK Vanagon, the T25. It's a 1987 DG Petrol. I've had one previously and I may end up buying another soon as a project. Such good fun!
I read somewhere that one should never use heat on suspension components due to metal weakening concerns? Also great video and explanation, thank you!
Good video demo!
GOOD VIDEO!!! Thanks for the tutorial. I am now aware of potential pitfalls and will be prepared prior to taking on this project myself.
Love the commentary reminds me of either a cooking or holiday show. Its all correct accurate and uses the correct terms. How did you do it with out praising engineers or using curse words? Not sure if this is meant to be a bit of a satire ! Hmm I almost want to dub over it with my best bogan Voice and curse words ! Using more correct words describing how awesome engineers are!
your commentary is funny
gotta love that commentary ;)
thank you for your effort. You rock!
Awesome video... Thanks for making this. I do all the work on my 86 westy and while everything is a challenge its always fun to do it yourself and learn. This is one job I will be doing in the near future. I have dreaded this a little and watching your video helps confirm the dread somewhat LOL but also makes me more confident in tackling it. Great job and Thanks!
If you have your own press, you'll find it much easier to get those PITA balljoint bolts out. If you have any questions when you go to tackle all of that please let me know!
This is completely nuts. That's why I pay the $$$ to have pros do this.
T3 has an excellent anti-sway bar replacement and hd-links. That will make your ride even better. And BMS upper control arms have better bushings and are easier to get the wheels in alignment.
We bought a set of GW 16 inch rims for our westy last year, but I wanted to replace all the front end bushings first as well as the springs before we installed the new wheels. After watching this video, I appreciate even more the time and skill necessary to get those old bolts off. On second thought, maybe I'll just take it to someone who knows what they're doing and pay them. Great video and resource!
Thanks! If you have a shop press on hand like I used later on in the video that is the immediate go to solution and always replace with new hardware, that is the ideal solution I think for those three bolts.
This is a great how to video for suspension upgrades. Thank you! Looking to do this on my own camper with the GoWesty lift springs. Curious, did you have to use a special tool to press the tie rod end or steering knuckle ball joint out?
Get a 2lb. copper hammer, it will become your best friend.
where do i buy all these upgrade parts?
The small round metal bushing one that slides on the damper that came with the Bilstein shock out of the box, where did you use it in the reassembly? Did you leave it on and force it into the bottom of the bumper. You will see the metal sleeve bushing on the new shock at Timestamp 6:57
I asked my vendor Gowesty the same question here is their response - "That spacer needs to be inserted up into the bump stop. If you are having issues getting it into the underside of the bump stop, you can use a little lithium grease on it. It is necessary to use it as without it the top nut will run out of threads, and the shock won’t fully tighten down"
BFH😂😂
what is a vanagon?
The polygon of vans!