Date:         Sun, 17 Oct 2004 18:28:47 -0700
Reply-To:     mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      junkyard tales, change those fuel lines!
In-Reply-To:  <001301c4b4ab$e2b61e90$6701a8c0@DaDell>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

The major self serve junkyards in SoCal had their half price sales this
weekend. I made it to 3 yards and bought too much Vanagon stuff. The
first yard had an 84 with a new German  radiator so I bought the
radiator for about $25. They also had an early 1980 Westy that I picked
a few parts off. I use that model of tranny (DK) on my TD conversions so
$60 was a pretty sweet deal. The 80 was built in July 79, Westy serial #
1200. I have never seen one that old. It  looked like most other  Westys
except for the outside water tank filler door which had no provision for
any locking device. Never seen that before. Most of the kitchen was
missing before I arrived. I bought the front luggage rack and the bed
assembly.

The next yard had a couple vanagons but nothing I needed was left on them.

The 3rd yard was a gold mine. The first Vanagon I came to was a
waterboxer Westy that had burned up in an engine fire. The worst Westy
fire I have seen. Almost everything was still there as the damage made
99.9% of the parts useless. The steering wheel was just a thin metal
ring and the dash was just metal remains. The glovebox was ashes on the
floor and the front seats just wires and springs. The utility doors on
the outside were melted but I saved the fridge flue vent assembly. The
front table had burned to nothing but the metal support so I bought the
badly tarnished arm for $2. The only other parts I could fine still good
were the shelves, etc from inside the fridge. The fridge control panel
was melted as were the stove knobs I could stand up with the top still
down as the entire fiberglass section over the roof opening was just
threads of fiberglass dangling. The previous owner had clearly invested
a ton of money in the sound system as the 10 burned up high end speakers
were still visible in various spots as was the CD jukebox and massive
amp under the rear bench. Perhaps some of that money should have gone
toward preventative maintenance of the fuel lines.

There were 5 more Vanagons but only the last one interested me. A 1990
with jumpseats and all engine parts still there. I bought some of the
rubber floor mats and the passenger side jump seat bracket and seatbelt.
The ECU was the coveted 022D so I grabbed it and the ICU, distributor,
and headed for the cashier. Too much junk really, but why let it go to
the crusher.

Mark