Date: Mon, 11 Apr 94 21:18:51 EDT
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: derekdrew@aol.com
Subject: Re: Sportsvans (sic)
Comments on these threads:
1. The Vanagon was the last of the great VW bus type vehicles.
The eurovan and the other new vehicles cannot compete for the
reasons others have mentioned here. It is hard to think that a vw
station wagon thing should even belong to this list as vw parts and
service are so poor it would not make sense to buy a vw unless it
were an absolutely unique vehicle and there were no other way out.
This is true for Vanagon/Bus/Split Window van, not for Eurovan or
the new thing with Ford.
2. Seems kind of a heavy request to ask someone how to replace
the water pump when information on this is readily available in the
manual. Seems like a better question for this list would be to ask if
there is anything that the manual left out...or if someone has any
special tricks to add to what is in the manual.
3. All this talk about the motor for the Vanagon seems to ignore the
fact that this problem has been solved already. MSDS in California
sells fine kits to get a Porsche 911 motor into the Vanagon. And
Oettinger makes two fine 6 cylinder motors for Vanagon, one in 130hp
trim, and the other in 190hp trim. These motors fit and were designed
and built for Volkswagen. Volkswagen never sold them through their
dealer network because by then they were becoming tired of the Vanagon,
or Transporter/Caravelle as they are called over there. But Oettinger has
been offering drive in drive out service to switch from 4 to 6 cylinder
motors. In
Europe it is also a regular service at engine rebuild time to increase
the size of the stock 4 banger from 2.1 litres to 2.5. There is at least
one Vanagon (a syncro westfalia) driving around California with one of these
2.5
litre motors. What we have to do is to induce some USA motor shop
like FAT or some place to develop an expertise in making 2.5 litre
Vanagon motors out of 2.1. If a group of us would get together at
rebuild time and give someone an order for 5 or 10 such rebuilds, then
it could induce them to acquire the technical knowledge to do the deed
efficiently at at a reasonable cost. I have an extra Vanagon motor waiting
in the garage and I plan to bring it up to 2.5 litres before I put it in the
vehicle.