Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:20:53 -0400
Reply-To: Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: My Aftermarket Wish List
In-Reply-To: <018f01c8d87a$0f112250$0b00a8c0@Scott>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Scott, I have been working on and selling parts for these Vanagons for
about 10 years now. Here is a list of items that I wish where in the
aftermarket and that I think there would be a good market for.
1. Shifter bushings for early Vanagons! These have been NLA for over 10
years. I get almost one call per week on them and I am sure the other
vendors would probably concur.
2. Intake air boots for Air Cooled and Diesel Vanagons. I sent Jim an
air boot from an air cooled Vanagon four years ago so that you folks
could look into reproducing them. Where are they?
3. Anything to do with the diesel Vanagon! Diesel Vanagons were only
sold for a couple of years in the US so many of their parts are being
phazed out or have been. Coolant system hoses, expansion tanks, shifter
bushings, radiators, all of these are long since NLA with no source.
And the diesel Vanagon is becoming a desirable vehicle again thanks to
the advent of biodiesel.
4. Parts for Vanagon huge sunroof. The seals for this and crank
mechanism parts are long since gone.
5. Interior plastic trim parts in brown (Nuff said!)
6. Good quality window crank handles in brown or black with the little
chrome trim ring on it. The OE ones are NLA and the aftermarket and OE
ones have never been that hot. Wouldn't take much to make an upgraded
version of this simple part.
7. Plastic coolant parts and hoses for 1.9l Vanagon. These parts are
all NLA now. The plastic parts have been replaced with good quality
metal ones but the prices are 10 times what they were in plastic. Also
coolant hoses for the 1.9l are over and there is no aftermarket for
several critical ones.
That is my wish list. If you want I can give you more detailed
descriptions of these parts and I may be able to supply samples if I am
promised the samples back and an inside track to getting some of these
things.
Welcome to the Vanagon List!
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com
Scott Dempster wrote:
> Nicely said there Mr. Felder. (Any relation to Don?)
>
> I just came over from the only list I knew (Karmann Ghia) and Jim
> Felder's
> description of things here makes me wish I would have checked it out
> sooner.
>
> I purchased a 90 weekender a couple of months ago and love it. For the
> past
> 20 years I've been in the business of supplying parts for vintage VWs
> through Airheadparts and Karmann Ghia Parts and Restoration Now, with my
> Vanagon I have a little fire stirring, like I did when I first got into
> Ghias. (I know there will be acquisitions of "Two Timing" from some on
> the
> Ghia list, so let's keep this between us).
>
> With the help of this group, I hope to accomplish two things.
> 1. Get a better feel for my new fancy.
> 2. Help with anything that is currently; hard to find, of poor
> quality, or
> over priced. (I manufacture about 800 parts currently, mostly Bug and
> Ghia).
>
> Thanks,
> Scott Dempster
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim Felder" <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 9:47 AM
> Subject: Re: The Energy Non-Crisis
>
>
>> Well, it was on youtube, so it must be true. There have been so many
>> opportunities recently to discuss all of the big issues of our day--like
>> energy and and climate change--and every so often one of these
>> opportunities
>> makes it to this list, where the request comes from Jim the Moderator to
>> take it off. And so it should be.
>> I am as bad as anyone and worse than most about getting sucked into
>> these
>> discussions. Shooting down liars and hypocrites is easy and fun. It's
>> one
>> of
>> my most enjoyable pastimes. And I love discussing things with this group
>> not
>> because I expect agreement, but because it's the only list I've ever
>> been
>> involved in where virtually everyone is civil and more-than-less mature.
>> So
>> naturally it's more fun to discuss, say, peak oil here than elsewhere.
>>
>> But, it just doesn't belong. There's nothing in this about vanagons
>> whatsoever, except in a very derivative way that doesn't come close to
>> passing the so-what test. So, with the arrogance of a reformed crack
>> addict
>> telling other people not to do crack, I'm writing to say that however
>> tempting, we shouldn't discuss this here.
>>
>> If anyone wants to start a discussion group for such topics, and invite
>> only
>> vanagonauts to it, I'll be the second one to join.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> On Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 10:56 AM, The Westy man <zolo@foxinternet.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Let's see what the List says about this
>>>
>>> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3340274697167011147
>>>
>
