So I finally got the two new radiator hoses installed and I was able to use the original spring clamps instead of the supplied screw clamps, but one was a bit difficult to get on, even using the special clamp pliers I purchased for the job. ?

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The radiator mount is back in place and I hope I’m done with that.

What’s important for me now is that I am actually installing parts instead of taking things off, so that’s turning a corner in my book. ?Although I still have a few things to remove in the engine area and need to install new boots on the shift lever at the transmission, I’m putting it back together, piece by piece, component by component. ?

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

Totally agree it’s so nice to get stuff out of boxes on to the van?

Nice work?

I have a question about the RMW stainless coolant pipes (I’ll call them tomorrow, but for now any advice would be helpful). ?Their directions show that what they call the bleeder hose (I’m assuming the lower radiator hose) connects to the outer (passenger side) stainless pipe. ?Is this correct? ?If so, the inner bleeder hose and the passenger side return hose have to cross over one another. ?I must be missing something here. ?If you look at the photos, it appears the dirty brown hose in Figure 7 is attached to the outside (passenger side) pipe and the dark (new) upper radiator hose is connected to the inside pipe. ?They have to cross over in order to do this, which does not make sense to me. ?I must be getting something confused here. ?

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89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

Subaru coolant manifold out goes to rad in (horizontal). Rad out (down and out) goes to thermostat housing.

I spoke with Mike at RMW this morning. ?Those front radiator hoses in fact cross over one another. ?The upper straight hose connects to the inner stainless pipe, whereas the lower hook-shaped radiator hose crosses over to the outside (passenger side) pipe. This is because the thermostat on the 2.1 was on the driver’s side, but the thermostat on the Subie engine is on the passenger side, hence the need to cross over. ?That had me puzzled for sure. ? I will post photos after I get them back on. ?

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

I got those hoses attached to the stainless pipes the way RMW shows. ?But getting the metal spring clip back on has proven to be impossible (after many attempts). ?So I am going to get some stainless strapping material and create something that will work. ?One would think that of all the companies that offer these stainless pipes, someone would think to design replacement spring clips (or some alternative) to hold the pipes in place. ?

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The cross over. ?The upper radiator hose attaches to the inside pipe while the lower hose goes to the outside pipe. ?

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Getting this clip back on, even after straightening it considerably, was is impossible for me. ?There has to be a better way. ?

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

Zipties. Plus this: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=658081&highlight=stainless+steel+coolant+line+hangers

Thanks, Wayne. I see from that thread that I am not alone with my RMW coolant pipe issues. I will purchase some stainless steel zip ties and give it a go. But as was mentioned that samba thread, I will wait to tighten all my clamps until the fuel tank is reinstalled to verify that there are no shift rod issues. ?What a pain.?

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

I’m making a pipe hanger to which I can affix a stainless steel zip tie. ?I’ll drill a hole in the bit of steel where the straps normally go, then I’ll use a bolt with a smooth portion near the head and reverse a nut on one side of the metal and a nut and washer on the opposite side.

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The hole is not centered exactly as it is a tight space and the drill bit wandered around quite a bit before I finally got a hole drilled. ?I tried to start with a smaller bit to drill a pilot hole but the bit was too short and would not reach the cross member. ?I believe that when I reconnect the hoses and get this rigged up it might just be a solution. ?I will likely use two stainless zip ties instead of one.

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

That’s good to know. I’ll pick one of those up before I start on the rear hanger.?

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

I read on the samba where someone had relocated the heater hoses to the tunnel at the center of the fuel tank. Have any of you done that? ?It sure would free up some space in the opening where the coolant pipes go.?

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

Today I disconnected my heaters hoses at the front of the bus, taking an antifreeze shower in the process. ?I ordered new heater hose from gowesty (25 feet) and I plan to route it through the large opening above the fuel tank. ?That will make it easier to get the stainless coolant pipes through the smaller opening on the passenger side of the bus. ?Those pipes, together with heater hoses, is a bit too tight for my liking, so I’m going to plan B (longer hoses but above the fuel tank). ?We’ll see how that works out.

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I also removed the coolant overflow tank and gave it a good cleaning. ?As I removed the power steering reservoir one of the retaining clips broke off, so I found an OEM replacement from Vanagain. ?

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I was also able to get new rubber boots on the shift mechanism on the transmission . ?I’m finding piddly things to do because until I get heater hoses installed I cannot install the stainless coolant pipes, and until I get the stainless coolant pipes installed I cannot install the fuel tank, etc. ?

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Patience is a virtue. ?

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy

Yesterday I installed the RMW throttle cable that for some unknown reason I thought would be difficult to do but it was pretty straightforward. ?I also cut out the portion of the firewall in order to use the RMW kit. ?It was noisy as hell using snips, a grinder, and dremel to clean up the sharp edges. ?Because I’m waiting on the heater hose from Gowesty, I’m kinda stuck.

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I decided not to use the RMW fuel tank send in unit and instead continue to use my original. ?However, RMW is going to allow me to return it but they charge either a 10 percent restocking fee if you take a store credit or a 15 percent restocking fee if you want a refund. ?It seems that after spending thousands and thousands of dollars with them that they would be a tiny bit more accommodating on a return of an unused item. ?I guess business is business.

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Being a bit frustrated with RMW and also at a standstill on my conversion, I decided to shake it off by driving my 1970 Westy (Tumbleweed) for a bit. It’s always good to have outlets and driving this one makes me smile. ?Apologies for the non-subaruvanagon content!

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Warren

89 Westy?

88 Tintop

70 Westy