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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 1:19 pm Post subject: My First Vanagon (T3) Ride |
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Way back in the early 1990's, when I was still a young(er) lad in the USAF, I had my first ride in a T3. I was deployed to Gilze-Rijen Air Base in the south of The Netherlands for three weeks with the F-117 Stealth Fighter. We had both Transporters and Dokas on the flightline.
I thought they were pretty cool back then (still do). I also liked the Mercedes vans...
Here's a still taken from one of the 10,000 onlookers that came to the air base to take pictures.
A couple of videos that were uploaded to Youtube:
Link
(10:55)
Link
(18:45)
Thought I'd share that. I'm sure it had an influence on my purchase of this last Summer:
Cheers! |
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newfisher Samba Member
Joined: January 05, 2012 Posts: 1764 Location: The wet spot--Oregon
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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Thats great!
Van looks good, are you running stock axles , longer splines and what rear shocks? |
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Mellow Yellow 74 Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2014 Posts: 1615 Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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So unusual looking, all those abrupt angles... and the plane is weird looking too! _________________ 1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon) |
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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 1:53 pm Post subject: |
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newfisher wrote: |
Thats great!
Van looks good, are you running stock axles , longer splines and what rear shocks? |
Stock axles. 19.0" from wheel center to lip, so they should be OK. I used the Bilsteins. |
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newfisher Samba Member
Joined: January 05, 2012 Posts: 1764 Location: The wet spot--Oregon
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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Mellow Yellow 74 wrote: |
So unusual looking, all those abrupt angles... and the plane is weird looking too! |
Hahaha |
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newfisher Samba Member
Joined: January 05, 2012 Posts: 1764 Location: The wet spot--Oregon
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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Forthwithtx wrote: |
newfisher wrote: |
Thats great!
Van looks good, are you running stock axles , longer splines and what rear shocks? |
Stock axles. 19.0" from wheel center to lip, so they should be OK. I used the Bilsteins. |
Thanks!
Im assuming you used the GoWesty 1.5 lift springs and ball joint spacers too? |
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tjet Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2014 Posts: 3533 Location: CA & NM
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 4:18 pm Post subject: Re: My First Vanagon (T3) Ride |
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Forthwithtx wrote: |
...
Cheers! |
Nice looking van.
What size are the wheels / tires & brand?
Mellow Yellow 74 wrote: |
So unusual looking, all those abrupt angles... and the plane is weird looking too! |
That's the elimination of the 90* radar reflecting angles.... |
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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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newfisher wrote: |
Forthwithtx wrote: |
newfisher wrote: |
Thats great!
Van looks good, are you running stock axles , longer splines and what rear shocks? |
Stock axles. 19.0" from wheel center to lip, so they should be OK. I used the Bilsteins. |
Thanks!
Im assuming you used the GoWesty 1.5 lift springs and ball joint spacers too? |
GoWesty 2" lift. Got them second hand. Yes, it has the ball joint spacers. The tires are 215/70R16 BFG AT's on the GoWesty Mefro style wheels. |
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Mark70baja Samba Member
Joined: August 13, 2008 Posts: 152 Location: Heron, MT
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 9:19 am Post subject: |
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Boy that brings back memories. I spent the a good part of the 80s and almost all of the 90s in the Air Force working on those lovely green VWs over in Germany. Who would have ever figured I'd be driving one of them today. I hadn't really thought about Forrest Green as a color for ours, until now. _________________ Try talking yours ideas up, without talking other peoples ideas down. Everyone stays much happier that way.
82 Vanagon with ASI Full Camper Conversion, 2010 Jeep Rubicon |
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flomulgator Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2013 Posts: 951 Location: Leavenworth, WA
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 1:20 pm Post subject: Re: My First Vanagon (T3) Ride |
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tjet wrote: |
That's the elimination of the 90* radar reflecting angles.... |
It's a well known fact that Vanagons are almost immune to speeding tickets. It's probably because the fuzz can't get a radar lock, right? _________________ She's built like a steakhouse, but she handles like a bistro! |
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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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oldhuldy67 Samba Member
Joined: November 25, 2008 Posts: 506 Location: somewhere with a southern exposure
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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Observe carefully at 19min on the video and you can clearly see the ultra top secret shape rolling down onto the Tarmac, the vehicle that won the Cold War...or, was that the air- cooled war..😳 |
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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 3:24 pm Post subject: Re: My First Vanagon (T3) Ride |
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11:47
Link
_________________ Cheers!
-Karl
'84 GL with 2001/2004 Subaru 2.5L |
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