Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 16:30:43 -0500
Reply-To: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: Total restoration cost!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
""""mechanicly sound""""
définition please of a mechanicly sound Westy? just curious....
I'm resoring this van for one main purpose, a trip to Mexico next December,
that said, i have been there 4 years ago (already 4 years...ouffff) and i
had a lot of mechanical problems with my old 73, stressssfull. Now i want NO
problem, at least, less possible. I owned a shop, i fix Vanagon, so, not
good!!! every parts i had to replace on all those Vans are being replace on
mine... that mean everything that moves! So, mechanicly sound! how much?
of course it all depend on yearly millage, how far you go... but me, i have
Westy to go far... i drive 600 to 800 miles a day. Last year, i restored 4
vans (1 bus) to different level, all 3 vanagons had a lot of parts replace,
the last one, an 85, had the most mechanical work done on it, close to the
one i'm doing now, the couple who bought it went to Mexcico last summer,
everything i didn't replace/change broke on that trip (smll stuff but
still)... The white one, the 83.5, i went with this one to Everybus last
year, when i got close back to home, one of the main pipe (long metal
coolant pipe) broke (rust hole/under tank) 5 miles from home....
So, again, what do i tell to my customers / friends that want a safe and
reliable Vanagon, as far as how much they have to invest to be in a very
good nd safe condition?
You canno't believe how many "roadtrip dream" i have shattered after people
came in for an inspection. (take a plane ticket instead and go to....)
Don't get me wrong, i love westy, so i became a Westy mechanic! i will only
travel in a fully mechanicly restored van, by me! When i'm gonna be done
with my westy "trip", i will restored, fix something else... boat i think,
sail boat, old one....
I'm not a gadget guy, or neither an esthetic one, i couldn't care less about
a crasy paint job, detailed trims, mag wheel, bla bla bla, i do so now
because my customers are like that, they couldn't care less about the
mechanic side of the van... well, most of them... and that, i don't understand!
The Tornado Red project is a show van and a trade mark... i may paint this
one brown with rust spot for my Mexico trip, hey hey hey.
For the sake of a nice discussion.
Ben
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I try to remember that vehicle is for transport,point a to point
b...mechanicly sound...restoration is all about pride of ownership?
Mike90260
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