For those of you with weak or dead rear hatch struts, there is a fix
which costs less than $2.  If you share with someone, even less.  You
take a piece of 3/4" diameter PVC pipe and put an 8 3/16" piece on one
of the struts and it falls into place when you raise the hatch, holding
it in place until you slightly raise the hatch and then let the pipe
slide around the large part of the strut as the hatch closes.  I didn't
think of this.   Don't know who did, but the now defunct website of Karl
Bloss had an Adobe file explaining how to do it and showing a picture.

I have it on both my 84 and 85 Vanagons.  I'd rather have good struts,
as does my Syncro, but this will work.  Is best done when the struts are
weakening, not when they are dead so the door won't drop extremely
fast.   I still have enough pipe for lots of vans as I had to buy an 8
foot piece.

I have the file and will email it to all who request it by mid afternoon
Friday.

Sam

--
Sam Walters
Baltimore, MD

89 Syncro GL
85 Westy Weekender
84 Vanagon, original owner, soon to be retired, just too many problems

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