Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:39:03 -0700
Reply-To: David Kao <dtkao0205@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Kao <dtkao0205@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Engine Removal
In-Reply-To: <111001c88882$a89b3890$0a00a8c0@OWNERMIKE>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Something like that happens from time to time. Many years ago a friend
refused my offer to buy his automatic super beetle. I was crazy about it
but he refused to let me buy it. He sold it to a stranger. I totally
understood the reason so I did not blame him. FOr the same reason I
seldom bother my cousin to work on my cars. He is a good mechanic. But
it's better to not involved in car repairs with him. I am sure if he somehow
screwed up I would blame him.
David
--- Mike <mbucchino@charter.net> wrote:
> 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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>
>
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