Date:         Wed, 28 Aug 2002 09:01:22 -0400
Reply-To:     David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Subject:      Re: New Vanagon owner needs some help
Comments: To: Clay Perry <Cmpbiker@AOL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <10d.1724b659.2a9da342@aol.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Tue, 27 Aug 2002, Clay Perry wrote:

> This so called lack of power. After owning a string of 70's busses my opinion
> is that this thing hauls butt. I may become jaded later and start coveting a
> transplant but compared to a 1600 camper with a canoe on top its a Ferrari.

Interesting you'd mention that.  I used to drive a 1975 Campmobile, and I
recently purchased a 1982 Vanagon Diesel Westfalia.  I'd heard many
comments about how terribly slow the diesels are, and was prepared for
that, but it's not nearly as bad as I'd been lead to believe.  Yes, the
top speed is low (~65 mph instead of 80) but up to that point the
accelleration doesn't seem much worse than on my '75.  I think the low
final drive ratio and the torque of the diesel make up for the lower
horsepower, maybe.

> What's with the clock? Is this a monument to Teutonic Punctuality? That spot
> begs for a tach. At least the earlier models left a hole for a tach, where is
> the best mounting place?

Does your clock work?  Mine just sits there and twitches slightly, like
a bug that's just been stomped.

There's some info floating around on reworking the gauge cluster to put in
a tach from another VW model, I think.  If you're handy enough to do that
it should look very stock.  If you do, can I have your working clock? ;)

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "The VW camper is a brilliant invention -- it's like a
 |___/             Swiss army knife for the road... It's the stealth RV."
                                                        -- Wayne Curtis