Date:         Wed, 14 Jan 2004 20:56:54 -0500
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Opinions on tranny rebuilds from Long Enterprises?
Comments: To: george packard <georgepackard@MCTTELECOM.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <EA9BD1F1-46FA-11D8-B4BE-000A9576D0D0@mcttelecom.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Unless someone finds some old stock somewhere, all the replacement hubs
are the new designs. I think VW started using it in production in '90.
If that price includes replacing the ring and pinion, then it is a deal.
The ring/pinion set and the input gear shaft are both expensive parts
that say the trans is not worth repairing. Replacing the gear carrier
housing also costs $$.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of george packard
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 8:34 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Opinions on tranny rebuilds from Long Enterprises?

Anybody had experience with a rebuilt vanagon tranny from Long
Enterprises in Sebastopol, CA?

I had a long phone chat with Mr. Long (I think his first name was Bob),
and came away pretty much sold on what he knows and what he says he
does,  but he wants $1200 for his rebuilds, and so I want some
independent opinions about his work.

His URL is http://www.longenterprises.com/index.html.  Also, in
reference to a recent thread on trannys, here's the info on design
problems and fixes with the 3rd/4th gear hub.
http://volksweb.relitech.com/091trans.htm

  (Long uses the new design hub in his rebuilds.)

I've got an '86 Westy Weekender (200K miles) stored in Los Altos (SF
Bay area) which I bought knowing it had a bad pinion bearing in the
tranny.

I have heard bad stories about sloppy rebuilds, and didn't really want
to buy a used tranny unless I knew its history, and since I'm planning
on keeping this Weekender for a long time, I only want to fool around
with the tranny once.

Feel free to email me off-list at  george@parrotcreek.com

George in NH
'82 Westy, '86 Westy Weekender, '87 Vanagon GL