Date:         Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:32:47 -0400
Reply-To:     Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Subject:      Re: Video guides - Timing belts - Subie engines
Comments: To: Matt Roberds <mattroberds@COX.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.LNX.4.64.0706201309290.3118@birdbird.example.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Being able to see a video in a mobile situation
requires hardware that not everyone has; reading dead tree slices can be
done for free half of the time and with hardware you probably already
own the other half of the time.


> The videos are for assembly of the sub-kits onto the engine, not for an
owners guide etc... so you shouldn't need to actually take it anywhere, just
where you are assembling your conversion.

For something that's going to get me to work every day, though, simple
is better.

> Exactly, the whole KISS principle. The fewer the wires, hoses,
connections, belts, connectors, moving parts, wearable parts, the better.

If I was going to do something like swap a 2.1 l for a 1.9 l
in a van, or go from fuel injection to carbs, I probably wouldn't mind
rolling my own.  But for putting in a Subaru or Ford (or whatever)
conversion, IMHO it's well worth the money to buy the kit from somebody
who has been there and done that.  The money savings comes from doing
the labor of pulling the old engine, swapping parts over, and installing
the new engine, not from spending lots of time figuring out which clutch
you need or where to re-drill the motor mounts or whatever.  You still
get plenty of opportunity to drop bolts on your nose, but you aren't
re-inventing the wheel.

> not only are you not re-inventing the wheel, but you *should* be getting
better value from the money you're using to buy the kit than if you were to
do it yourself. One of our central philosophies is to provide what is best
given our expertise, and not simply what a customer may be asking for. In
this way it's possible to gain in areas that the customer may not appreciate
yet, or are even aware of.  The customer knows best about their own needs
and goals, but shouldn't be expected to need to understand the low level
view that makes the goals possible, or keep current with an industry they
may not want to in order to give them the greatest success.  This is part of
the value that's provided.  It doesn't matter to them exactly how we achieve
everything, even though it most definitely does.

Jim Akiba