Date:         Fri, 21 Jul 2000 18:49:24 -0700
Reply-To:     Rennie Wible <volksdragon@earthlink.net>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rennie Wible <volksdragon@earthlink.net>
Subject:      Re: Engine conversions
Comments: To: =David-M= <dmc@cyburban.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

There is a guy in town that rents out Westies for camping and such.  These are all Diesel Vanagons that have been converted
to gas Rabbit/Golf engines.  I have yet to see one, but he swears by them.  He says they have more than enough torque and
are quite reliable, enough so that he can rent them out without worry.

I look at this whole conversion thing as a nightmare, and I own one!  I have this 61 crew cab with a 911 conversion.
Everytime something breaks, I have to figure out what the part came off of and then find one, modify it, and hope that it
works.

I really love this car.  Plenty of power, fast, stops on a dime, etc.  But I would never try this conversion.  People ask
me about it all the time, especially on the lists.  It takes an hour of typing (at 30wpm) to describe and tell what part is
used where and so on.

The person who did the conversion claims he spent in excess of $25,000 doing it and I can see how.  Special trailing arms,
special hubs, special shifter box, special shift rod, the list goes on and on.

I wanted to do this ever since I drove my first conversion in the mid 80s.  Now that I see it done, I'm glad I never
attempted it.  It would still be sitting in my driveway, and I've moved 4 times since then!

Rennie
VolksDragon@earthlink.net
Los Angeles

61 crew cab (911 conversion)
65 convertible
84 vanagon
93 fox