Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 17:02:38 -0500
Reply-To: Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET>
Subject: Re: Syncro buyers love rust?
In-Reply-To: <037001c8f780$f7ca1630$6401a8c0@PROSPERITY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Guess I'll chime in finallyu!! I'm in the process of buying BuD
Premack's old 86 Syncro and to the naked eye, it looks like a basket
cas4e, The dirver's side is really rusty and even been bond-ed over
to do a little cosmetic work, but I digress. The left front wheel
arch is gone all the way up to the door and a foot forward of
that. The panel tot the rear of it is pretty much toast. The lower
rear corners are pretty much gone, and the rear and front glass will
need some surgery for sure.
The good news is that underneath, the van is fairly clean. All 4
jacking points are intact, no holes in the floorpan, not much surface
rust, and the passenger side of the van looks to be in fine shape,
although not perfect. Bud's thinking was that the reason the Syncro
rusts on the driver's side so badly is that the gas tank isn't up
there to deflect all that winter salt spray, and therefore the salt
gets what it can get it's NaCl on.
If I wanted a cherry Syncro, I wouldn't be driving it in the winter
anyway, so why not fix a beater and just keep up with the rustiness
as time and money will allow? for my winter car needs, a semi-solid
and repaired Syncro is JUST what the doctor ordered.
DM&FS
w2At 11:57 PM 8/5/2008, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>there's surface rust.
>there's body cancer,
>and there's extensive body cancer due to rust.
>Unless you are willing to have a hopeless rust bucket forever.......
>where there is extensive body cancer rust......it's a parts donor van - all
>there is to it.
>Not new news, this, either.
>Perhaps many of us have purchased something we shouldn't have, in the heat
>of the moment.
>We eventually learn not to, hopefuly .
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Karl Mullendore" <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
>To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 8:52 PM
>Subject: Re: Syncro buyers love rust?
>
>
>>Ha, I love reading the comments. Photos lie, really folks, this Syncro had
>>holes in unrepairable places. Holes under the back seat, holes under the
>>rear mattress, the slider door track rusted off at the front, footwells
>>gone, rockers shot, rear lid and slider both rusted out on the inner
>>shells,
>>nose like swiss cheese...nah, this one ain't restorable unless someone has
>>nothing better to do that weld rust for the next year. Guess I'm just
>>weirded out because a sound body would be far easier to add a poptop than
>>to
>>fix up this old horrible wreck.
>>
>>Karl
>>
>>On Tue, 5 Aug 2008 15:24:46 -0400, craig cowan <phishman068@GMAIL.COM>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>I'll say it again....
>>>"That syncro didn't look THAT bad!" It really didn't! Maybe it's just
>>>because i live in the rust belt.....but that's what's going to happen to
>>>all
>>>of them eventually. I put 3 days of effort into trying to get my rust in
>>>check......and it came through in 3 months. I have, as a result, signed a
>>>peace treaty with the rust based upon the terms that i get 5 years of
>>>dignified service, at which time the rust is allowed to claim the vehicle.
>>>It's a fair deal i think. It becomes a parts car, i win, the rust wins,
>>>the
>>>vehicle.....well who knows.
>>>You can throw money at it, or you can sign a peace treaty and enjoy it!
>>>And if you need to cut that little hole in your headliner but everyone
>>>tells
>>>you "NO NO NO", just remember the holes growing benieth the floors......
>>>
>>>-Craig
>>>Gutted '85
>>>Dead '80
>>>1 garage with most of 2 vanagons in it.
>>>
>>>On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 8:57 AM, Doug Fitz-Randolph
>>><fitzr@suscom-maine.net>wrote:
>>>
>>>>Not that I don't hate rust - maybe more than most - but...
>>>>
>>>>My syncro passenger van had some rust when I bought it - not quite as
>>>>bad
>>>>as
>>>>the blue syncro on Detroit Craigslist, but enough to make a Californian
>>>>cringe for sure. That was in 1998. It does take some periodic effort to
>>>>keep
>>>>the rust in check, and ultimate defeat is inevitable, but I have no
>>>>doubt
>>>>it
>>>>will last at least another 10 years.
>>>>
>>>>Also, until I got my '82 Westy last summer, I had no idea what I was
>>>>missing! It was after eating a lovely dinner for 4 in a Westy at Watkins
>>>>Glen two years ago that I really saw the light. IMO the pop-top makes a
>>>>huge
>>>>difference and really transforms the vehicle. Sure you could "just add a
>>>>pop-top", but, realistically, how many people are capable of or willing
>>>>to
>>>>undertake a project like that?
>>>>
>>>>I think if you can get 10 years out of a $4,000 syncro Westy compared to
>>>>not
>>>>being able to afford a $20,000 showpiece, you should go for it. 10 years
>>>>from now we'll all be gliding silently along in hydrogen-powered
>>>>hovercrafts
>>>>anyhow, right? :)
>>>>
>>>>Rust sucks, but it isn't always the end of the world.
>>>>
>>>>Doug Fitz-Randolph
>>>>Freeport, ME
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