Ok, I'll buy the economics thing regarding engines.  I guess VW just got
lucky there.  The 3.2 flat 6 WB would probably have just as many problems as
the 4.

I can rebuild a 2.3 motor in about 2 days with no special tools, no stud
extraction, no special German goop to seal the beast, and no expensive
overhaul parts.

My conversion could be rolling in one week if I completely devoted myself to
it.

I work 50 hours a week and usually help friends with their cars on the
weekend, plus I am fixing up an Audi for resale and trying to buy a house.
That leaves little time for the vanagon.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wolfvan88@aol.com [mailto:Wolfvan88@aol.com]
> Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2000 5:49 PM
> To: pdooley@gte.net
> Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
> Subject: Re: Gotta Be a Wasserboxer!
>
>
> Pat,
>
> <<<
> Really, where is the WB advantage?
> Look, even VW gave up on the WB.  The SA Vanagons don't use them. >>>
>
> It is not because of the design it is simply due to economics.
>
>  VW had a 3.2 flat 6 Wasserboxer ready to go in the Vanagon but
> was scraped
> because the Eurovan came out, you can get a 3.2L F6 today from Germany.
>
>  The VW shifted to the pressure of the car market demands for front wheel
> drive thus changing the engine to an inline. It is cheaper for VW
> to use the
> inline four engine, because it is cheaper to make AND ALMOST all
> their cars
> use them...
>
> VWs move to the inline in the SA Vanagons is a cost saving move...
>
> With a few proven T1 (the WBX is based of the T1 engine) changes
> the engine
> can make more power and have DOUBLE the engine life.
> The average life is @150,000 miles new engine @300,000.
>
>
> <<<My conversion started 2 years ago and is still not done.  I
> have never even
> driven a vanagon because of this.>>>
>
> Rebuilding the engine takes about two months (if you send out for machine
> work and do it your self)
> If you had simply fixed to WBX problematic areas you could have
> been driving
> around in and enjoying the Vanagon ... rather than looking at it.
>
>
>
>