Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:00:12 -0400
Reply-To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Engine Removal
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
I once rebuilt an ACVW engine for a good friend to 1776cc, using all
customer-supplied parts. He had some kind of a problem with the engine, and
instead of asking me to look at it, he took it to another shop. They tore
it down and said that all the internals were used old junk, and that it
wasn't 1776 with a counter-weighted crank, which is what I actually
assembled. I wish I had taken pics of the rebuild in progress. He never
would speak to me again after that, and our friendship of many years was
destroyed forever. He believed the CROOK that took his high performance
parts, told him that the last rebuilder had cheated him, and then charged
him to "build a real 1776". I felt bad about it, but he wouldn't tell me
who the shop was, nor any more of the details. I don't even know what the
problem was, nor was I able to make it right for him. Originally, I never
even charged him for the rebuild labor, as we had a horse-trading deal
going, which he reneged on after this incident. I lost all, and felt really
badly, but there was no talking to him about it, he was so pissed off about
the whole thing. Sometimes helping people just gets you screwed. I have so
many stories of people taking advantage of a nice guy, you'd wonder how I
keep going. I've stopped working for people altogether. I now just buy old
VW's, fix what's wrong with them and sell them to strangers (no family or
friends). It's the only way I can find not to get burned (so far). Yes,
even family and 'friends' take advantage sometimes. I still love my hobby
and enjoy restoring and overhauling VW's of all types. Nothing will ever
take that away from me.
Mike B.
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Kao" <dtkao0205@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 5:49 PM
Subject: Re: Engine Removal
> When I was much younger and inexperienced I sent a BMW 2002 head to a
> machine shop for a valve job. They called me the next day and told me
> that I had a crack on the head. I rushed back to the shop and saw
> a head that I could not recognize and it had a severe crack. My head
> did not have a crack like that before I sent it in. I could not do
> anything to prove that it wasn't the one I sent in. I swallowed the loss.
>
> A few years passed by and I saw on the news that the machine shop was
> busted by police. The district attorney received many complaints about
> the shop and launched an investigation. The shop owner was indicted
> and the shop was closed. My BMW was not smog compliant and I eventually
> gave it up to charity. The incident of the head prevented me getting too
> deep into rebuilding it. I am glad that I gave it up.
>
> But I have since developed a fear of going into a machine shop. I am
> not trying to say all machine shops are run by crooks. What will you
> do to avoid being victimized by machine shops? Of course I am now
> much more experienced and I probably can avoid it by natural gut
> feeling about a machine shop. But I am not sure how to identify a
> good one from a bad one without getting some business done first.
>
> David
>
>
>
>
> --- Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>
>> Craig, send your heads out to a machine shop. They will do a valve job
>> for you and also repair the exhaust studs no problems for not much
>> money. They will also clean the heads and when you get them back you
>> won't recognize them. Have fun and if you need anything please feel
>> free to give me an email or call.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Ken Wilford
>> John 3:16
>> www.vanagain.com
>>
>>
>> craig cowan wrote:
>> > Hey Gang. As some of you may know, i've had nothing but engine troubles
>> > for
>> > about....a year and a half now. I just gave up. Something needed to be
>> > done...
>> > So i made arrangements with local Vanagon Guy Walt Spak to buy a good
>> > running 1.9 from him. I still have dreams of a conversion someday, and
>> > still
>> > hope to do one eventually, maybe on my next van. But i need to get this
>> > van
>> > running for the summer, and i am home from college on spring break
>> > after my
>> > spring break plans fell through, so i thought "What better time than
>> > now?".
>> > Yesterday i got down and dirty with it, and successfully removed the
>> > engine
>> > for the first time! I was supprised as to how smoothly everything went,
>> > and
>> > it was so nice having the engine out! I had every intention on
>> > replacing my
>> > engine and all the components, as i have vaccuum leaks, everythings
>> > rusty
>> > beyond use, and my fuel injection system just SUCKS. In addition, after
>> > last
>> > summers exhaust issues ($500 in labor to have them screw up and 'fix'
>> > their
>> > screwup after breaking a drillbit off inside my head...all in order to
>> > replace a single $2.50 exhaust gasket...), i had no intention on EVER
>> > reusing that head.
>> > With signs of headgasket leakage immenant, and a clutch that was too
>> > weak to
>> > make it out of the driveway... it was time to do something.
>> >
>> > A single college student with little mechanical background can remove a
>> > vanagon engine with only an assistant for the latter portions of the
>> > engine
>> > removal. To go a few steps further, today i pulled the entire intake,
>> > exhaust, fuel injection, and cooling systems, reducing my engine to a
>> > block.
>> > For curiosity's sake....i pulled the heads (some trouble with the
>> > cylinders
>> > trying to come out with the heads....). With the heads off it was
>> > obvious
>> > that this really IS a low milege engine (Supposedly a canadian rebuild)
>> > as i
>> > was told by the previous owner! Not a single crack between the valves,
>> > minor
>> > pitting, and everything looks as if its been working well! Long story
>> > short,
>> > it looks like i'll be reusing this engine and just replacing everything
>> > around it! Aside from a few broken bolts, and some concerns about
>> > fixing my
>> > one exhaust port "propperly", i think this should be a good candidate
>> > to
>> > make my van run and run well!
>> >
>> > Tommorow, I'll be dropping the gas tank (to revise my resealing of last
>> > year), and replacing the rusted out coolant pipes using a good used
>> > set.
>> > This should be quite a wrestling match, i have NO idea how well these
>> > will
>> > go in, as they were plently hard to get out of the parts car...
>> > Any tips for this?
>> >
>> > Once the engine's back in with a bunch of good new and good used parts,
>> > i
>> > can start on the body : )
>> >
>> > Thanks for all the help and advice from so many of you! I've learned so
>> > much, and i'm confident now more than ever in my abilities to work on
>> > vanagons!
>> >
>> > -Craig
>> > '85GL
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>
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