Date: Sun, 7 Dec 2008 14:12:22 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: junk yards for Vanagon parts.
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2008120603564940@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Some years ago down on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, out from the town
of Kenai along a place called Kalifonsky Beach Road, there was a
fabulous auto bone yard that had a huge collection of VW Busses that had
gone north and died. This boneyard provided some choice picken's for the
residents on the Kenai for many years. I used them a lot, and bought
beetle parts as well as Jeep parts - I was into jeeps before I was into
Vanagons - and I got parts for my '68 loaf, I had cruised those early
bus carcasses many times, marveling at how easily they could be rebuilt,
if only someone would come and see them who was able to do that sort of
thing. There was one - a Safari model I think it was called, that had
the individual front windows that swung out and up. and there was one
that had more windows in a bus than I have ever seen, before or since,
even in magazines. I don't remember the count, but there were the main
side windows, the door windows, the front windows - and these swung out
and up also, and then oval windows along the roof line from front to
back and a huge window in the rear hatch door. It was blue on the bottom
with a white top. Most of these vehicles had died years ago when the
engines died or the axle gearing failed and the hippies traveling in
them didn't have the money to fix them. I was always amazed at the
number count on these buses. After one winter - sometime in the early
'90's - after the snow had melted off and the land had thawed, I had
need of some parts. I had not been out there since the last fall, so
decided to drive out.to the bone yard. It was a beautiful day in June,
so I sort of just lollygagged along the way, thinking of the stuff I
needed to get. When I turned in to go up the road to the house and
garage, I stopped - stunned!!! The entire boneyard was gone! Cleared
completely out. Not a junker left anywhere. I pulled on up to where
there was a fellow working on a little tractor, as asked him what
happened. he told me the owner had sold the entire lot to the Japanese.
Someone had come and offered to buy, he sold, and a portable crusher was
brought in and all the vehicles crushed, taken to a port and shipped out
to Japan. It made me sick. I could understand the economics of it, but I
didn't have to like it. And even now I think with sadness about all
those buses..........
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
dj wrote:
> I thought I saw a list of junk yards for Vanagon parts. Does anyone know of
> such a list or have any good ones. I am just starting on all this and need
> some good resources for parts. Thanks, dj
>
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