i second this!
bob donalds is the man!  he produces quality motors and his technical
support is equally great.  he has competitive prices with an exceptional
warranty.  i recently installed a 2.1 in my 90gl, and me not being a
mechanic nor ever doing a job this big before, i was able to accomplish it
(with a snag here and there) with the help of a list member and bobs
technical support.  i was pretty much on the phone with him daily and he
never got tired of my stupid questions.  every problem i encountered, he has
seen a hundred times and was patiently able to walk my limited experienced
mind through it.  i now have a great engine that i will get many, many miles
out of and most importantly, i gained experience that will stay with me even
after i have to get my next rebuild from him.  i am now more confident with
my abilities and have a stronger bond with my van.  if you are considering a
rebuild, take my advice and go with boston engine--you won't regret it!!
jason
90 gl

>From: KENWILFY@AOL.COM
>Reply-To: KENWILFY@AOL.COM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: (costs)happenings with home engine repair: The big picture
>          (par...
>Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 18:36:54 EST
>
>I always encourage folks to get their engines rebuilt by Bob for this very
>reason.  I sat down when I was thinking about replacing the engine in my
>'91
>Carat Vanagon and tallied up all the costs of the new parts that I would
>going to need to do the job right.  It came to close to $1500.  Or I could
>get a rebuilt engine from Bob with a warranty for around $2200 (with
>shipping).  So by doing it yourself you only really "save" $700 and you
>have
>to factor in how much time and running around you are going to do and your
>down time in the vehicle (my van is our primary car so I could only have it
>down for a couple of days at the most).  Also you have to think about the
>experience factor.  Bob does these rebuilds all day long and has done it
>for
>years.  So of course he is going to know secrets and tricks that I am not
>going to know (rod bolts, etc) that are going to make my van more reliable
>in
>the future (he doesn't want engines coming back).
>
>So it makes no monetary sense in my book not to buy an already rebuilt
>engine
>vs rebuilding it yourself.  The only reason I would find valid for someone
>rebuilding their engine themselves is if they know that it will actually be
>more expensive, but don't care and want to do it to learn the internal
>workings of the internal combustion engine.
>
>I have rebuilt an engine or two in my day.  It just makes me appreciate
>what
>people like Bob do, but it doesn't make me want to rebuild more engines (it
>is really specialized work that I feel should be left to the pros).
>
>Just my opinion,
>Ken Wilford
>Van-Again
>John 3:16
>http://www.vanagain.com
>Office: (856)-765-1583
>Fax: (856)-327-2242

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