>The slave cylinder bracket is perfect example of Micky Mouse "engineering"
that
>went into many other areas of Vanagons...

Actually what a lot of you might not realize is the slave cylinder install on
a waterboxer is a joke.  I'd do em all day long.  The real PITA is doing it
on an aircooled van where the firewall stops you from using any wrench
of any type whatsoever.  The real keys in either case though are a 1/4"
drive socket and a regular ole 10/13mm Hazet wrench out of a tool kit
with the 10mm ground off to make a nice stubby little wrench.  To make
it really nice you can magnetize the resulting wrench.

But on a waterboxer it really is a joke folks you can reach that infernal
rear bolt from inside the engine compartment, start it, go under to finish
the job.  One person.  The air cooled van has to be one person done
totally blind by feel alone from below (and the key on those is to pull
the hot air accordion tube at least for better access.)

As to Mickey, well I think the Vanagon has proven to be a real solidly
engineered car in the long run, but I will give it that the Germans weren't
and still aren't much for ergonomics or industrial engineering, but that is
pansy stuff for wimps anyway.  Wait till you all try to get the slave out of
an EV, talk about learning nothing...  In both cases I wonder why they
couldn't have just kept using a good ole reliable cable.

John
jander14@wvu.edu