Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:21:56 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: New Westy owner with a few questions
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hi Tyler,
congrats on your fine new van ~ !
re 'forget the engine conversion route' ..
that's endlessly debatable of course.
Mainly, I think it's safe to say people replace the waterboxer engine with
something else primarily due to wanting more power , and somewhat about the
head gasket issue that waterboxers have, not that some other engines, such
as Subaru, don't sometimes need head gaskets too.
But after a while..
when you find it won't accelerate easily on a hill a 65 mph ..
and depending on where you are, people might be flying by you at 75+ on that
long grade...
eventually, many vanagon owners think about more power ..
or ....diesel enthusiasts start thinking about better fuel economy in a
vanagon.
re
-My scissor jack doesn't work for one corner because the inside jack port
rusted to the point of failure. So I'm thinking a 2X4 across the frame
Very scary. I've seen many rusted vanagons ..
but never a jacking point rusted to the point of failure.
The van didn't come with a scissors jack originally of course ..
they come with a quite good veridical screw jack that plugs into the
jacking ports in the four corners.
you might start checking into the infamous seem rust., particularly the left
side, on that horizontal seem about a foot from the bottom of the driver's
side of the van.
welcome !
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Johnson" <sjohnso2000@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 9:44 AM
Subject: Re: New Westy owner with a few questions
> You would do well (IMHO) to add a backup heating system e.g. Propex or
> other..... as well as to keep the factory one in top condition which
> includes the entire cooling system. Leave no coolant hose, water pump or
> thermostat to chance....
>
> The popular choice for awnings and the easiest to get by with is a regular
> easy-up.
>
> Steven
> 91 Westy
>
> On Apr 28, 2011 1:13 AM, "Tyler Dann" <tylerdann@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Greetings!
>
> I bought a 1986 Vanagon Weekender (fridge removed) from the original owner
> about a month ago. Dave is a great guy and only sold his van because he
> couldn't fit all the grandkids in any more. He gave me a great deal and,
> since he had taken his van to my neighbor (also my mechanic), I knew it
> was
> a solid van.
>
> The 2.1 L Wasserboxer had the head gasket resealed in 2003, a casualty of
> our Anchorage winter climate. The same happened the next winter, after
> which
> Dave didn't run the van below 20 F. He had original records from his first
> drive down the Alcan (~ 22 mpg, I only get ~14 in town) and lots of great
> stories. The van is gold, has a hint of rear rust but is otherwise cherry,
> and came with good vibes.
>
> So I am trying to learn as much as I can about my family's new ticket to
> summer road trips and am impressed by this listserve! You guys know your
> stuff! I've been bombarded for a week or so and have already learned a lot
> (e.g., no light oil). I have a copy of Bentley's en route but have a few
> questions for this group:
>
> -What do other arctic/sub-arctic Wasserboxer owners do? Garage all winter?
> Conversion? A mechanic friend of mine with a Eurovan says the conversion
> route is foolish, and that instead of swapping the engine and everything
> downstream I should simply have a rebuilt stock engine ready to swap out.
> The uncertainty of future engine failure in a remote spot leaves me a bad
> taste, but so does the cost/time of a conversion. I'll probably go back to
> my bike next winter, but would love to learn about other options/opinions.
> Canadians? Other Alaskans?
>
> -What do you keep handy for road trips? I've ordered a belt, some fuses
> and
> spark plugs, other ideas?
>
> -Awning preferences? I'd like something robust to winds, those I've seen
> seem pretty flimsy. I don't care about shade but am thinking about rain
> protection to cook under.
>
> -My scissor jack doesn't work for one corner because the inside jack port
> rusted to the point of failure. So I'm thinking a 2X4 across the frame
> members above the jack port with a standard jack for future tire changes.
> Better ideas?
>
> -Which battery powers what? The battery under the passenger seat is much
> newer, Dave had it replaced three years ago, so I assume that powers the
> starter. But what is the very old-looking battery under my seat power? Are
> both recharged by the alternator? I look forward to Bentley for this one,
> but would appreciate any words of wisdom.
>
> That's all I can think of now, pretty late for me. I can appreciate that
> these are amateur questions for this group, so if you want to reply to
> just
> me, cool. Thanks for your time.
>
> Cheers,
> Tyler
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