Date:         Fri, 29 Dec 95 15:33 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Danke <JDANKE@macc.wisc.edu>
Subject:      Re: Why do we all love our "bricks" so much?

Howdy.
 
Why do I love my VW so much? It's sure not the ride, or the comfort of
the cabin. I guess it's partly good looks (although these northern
winters are beginning to take their toll).
 
It's hard to describe my feelings more accurately than "they are nifty."
By this I mean that they are simple, straightforward machines. Their
engineering is straightforward and easily understood by the common Volk.
 
The no-frills approach lends itself to first-time mechanics' problem-
solving (although certain things remain baffling to old-timers, too). In
this sense, they are self-sustainable. (Self meaning "me" self, not "self"
as in Christine, though I have done enough pushing of my bus to expect
a little bit of bodywork in return.)
 
Their basic, straightforward construction is also unpretentious. A bus
fulfills the need to get around, and to move stuff around, with few
accoutrements. Their is no posturing with a bus (well, at least with mine).
 
The bus is a total being, and the same feelings of niftiness I hold toward
the bus in general also apply to its beating powerplant of a heart (run
with my metaphor for a second). Sure, a basic V6 is not a mystery machine
either. It, too, is simple. I appreciate its design. But for me, to love
my bus is to also love its engine.
 
slight digression -- My pop drives a '66 Chevy pickup, just like Clint
  Eastwood in those "Every Which Way..." movies. Actually, that was the
  other GM, and my dad's is a shortbox, but you get the picture. Anyway,
  that's the same deal: basic transport. Metal insides, driver's side
  sunvisor only, small rear window, etc. When the engine died, he put
  one in which he salvaged from a combine. And when the water pump failed,
  he hiked it to Fleet Farm, and installed it on the roadside with a
  screwdriver and a 1/2" wrench. OK, maybe 9/16". For you psych*sts out
  there, maybe he and his Ford 8N & 9N tractors had something to do
  with my development.
 
I run a 2L type IV, which I rebuilt upon purchasing my bus. My very first
complete rebuild (my only other experience was a ring & bearing job on a
Rabbit Diesel that needed a head gasket). (rebuild experience).
I took as much care as I knew how, following Bentley, Muir, and the Wilson
books. After the initial dread upon hearing the engine break-in rattling
passed, I am super-pleased with the reliability.
 
I used to have a 72 bug which kept running until after the body rusted away.
In sub-zero F temps, the little guy would fire at the first hit of the key.
Best $125 I ever spent.
 
Anyway, my point is this: For ME, transplanting a different engine into my
bus would not make me love it any more. The addition of heat, YES, but a
new engine, no.
 
I don't feel the same way about, say, putting a gas-powered VW engine into
a diesel Vangon. In fact, as soon as I get my head above water, I would
like to 'save my pennies and save my dimes' until I could get a diesel
Vanagon w/ or w/o camper stuff, and w/ or w/o diesel. I used to have a
rabbit diesel, well, still have. I also still have what's left of that bug.
And a coupla squarebacks to keep it company... You folks know how THAT goes.
 
 
Joel D.
 
P.S. For Christmas, my pop got me some of those there LaCrosse Iceman boots.
Good down to -80 degrees F. My feet still got cold during the 3 hour drive
home. And this is after insulating the cab and separating it from the rear.