Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (December 2001, week 1)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Thu, 6 Dec 2001 09:43:18 -0800
Reply-To:     developtrust <developtrust@HOME.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         developtrust <developtrust@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: converting to 4 wheel drive
Comments: To: Mick Kalber <hotlava@INTERPAC.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Mick, Thanks for the sage advice. That's what I love about this group. We can learn from the experience of others.

Right now my vanagon is running so well and it has a new transmission (well, 30K miles) and I don't plan on doing any off roading. But if the tranny goes in the future your option sounds great.

I've gone a lot of places with a 2 wheel drive. A lot of places a sane person would not go and got stuck and out of there with relatively little trouble. So may be I'll just stay on the roads and enjoy being a regular tourist. For now, upgrading for ordinary creature comforts is a real treat. Putting in those Thin-Lite kitchen lights this week. My third brake light works like a charm and it is so nice to know that people following close will still see me braking when the freeways are stop and go-- which seems a lot lately in S. California.

Love and cooperation to you all, Seasons greetings, William P.

> Well, yes, if you have the $$$, syncros are wonderful cars... I love mine. > And buying a syncro is certainly less headache than building one. But they > are kind of expensive to buy and also expensive to maintain. However, like > I said, you can get almost as much off road mobility (unless you really want > to do some wild 4 wheeling, which most people do not) by just installing a > syncro tranny with a locker (about $3K). Forget the front wheel drive. You > don't need it. And then do the half-lilley to the engine (about $1K) and > you will have almost the most powerful WBX you can get with almost as much > traction as a syncro. And the 2wd's can be found much, much cheaper. You > can even find one with a blown tranny. > > With a syncro you have to concern yourself with a viscous coupling ($850 to > replace when... not if... it goes bad), two differentials, and a drive shaft > that, as you have seen the posts recently, is often out of alignment. Also, > you must ALWAYS run tires with almost exactly the same amount of tread (at > least so they are all the same diameter), or risk damaging the vc. A fifth > tire purchased at the same time as the other four and rotated in every 5K > miles is also a necessity. If, god forbid, one of your tires gets ruined, > you will still have four that match that way. If you somehow only end up > with three, you must find a fourth tire that matches almost exactly the > other three in order to keep the vc healthy. All this in addition to the > fact that syncros go for about twice as much as 2WD vanagons. > > So, as you can see, it is an expensive proposition to own a syncro. That > said, when they are together, they are wonderful cars. I love my syncro > westy. It will take me almost anywhere on this island and I'm ready to camp > when I get there. But I have dumped a ton of $$$ into it. It's > embarrassing to admit how much, but let's just say I'm well over $30K. Of > course I have done several upgrades and she's in fantastic shape with only > 55K miles on her. But for that price you can buy a new eurovan! Not that I > would want one, but a new car as opposed to a 13 year old one, well... you > do the math. > > As I said, if I had it to do all over again... I might choose differently. > > No flames please, just my .02. > > Mick Kalber > 89 Syncro Westy "Daddeo" > Tropical Visions Video, Inc. > 62 Halaulani Place > Hilo, Hawaii 96720 > 808-935-5557 > 808-935-0066 (fax) > hotlava@interpac.net > http://www.volcanoscapes.com/ > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: developtrust <developtrust@home.com> > To: Mick Kalber <hotlava@INTERPAC.NET>; <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 1:21 PM > Subject: Re: Re: converting to 4 wheel drive > > > > I had one of those positraction chevey also but what I am getting from the > > list is to just choose to buy a syncro instead. Less headache. And maybe > > pass on the current 2 wheeler to a relative or (ouch) sell it? Seems like > a > > never now. > > > > William P. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Mick Kalber" <hotlava@INTERPAC.NET> > > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > > Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 12:31 PM > > Subject: Re: converting to 4 wheel drive > > > > > > > can be, but there are a lot of things in the syncro that are different. > > > what I would do if I had a 2wd and wanted better traction is to put a > > syncro > > > locking transmission in. not cheap, about two grand, but you end up > being > > > able to lock the two back wheels together which is a great advantage. I > > > once had a 65 ch*vy van with posi-traction (same thing essentially) that > > > would go anywhere... it was amazing. > > > > > > good luck. > > > > > > mick > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: developtrust <developtrust@HOME.COM> > > > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > > > Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 10:21 AM > > > Subject: converting to 4 wheel drive > > > > > > > > > Does anyone know if a vanagon can be converted to a 4 wheel drive > syncro? > > > > > > William P. > > > >


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.