Mick,
Thanks for the sage advice. That's what I love about this group. We can
learn from the experience of others.

Right now my vanagon is running so well and it has a new transmission (well,
30K miles) and I don't plan on doing any off roading. But if the tranny goes
in the future your option sounds great.

I've gone a lot of places with a 2 wheel drive. A lot of places a sane
person would not go and got stuck and out of there with relatively little
trouble. So may be I'll just stay on the roads and enjoy being a regular
tourist. For now, upgrading for ordinary creature comforts is a real treat.
Putting in those Thin-Lite kitchen lights this week. My third brake light
works like a charm and it is so nice to know that people following close
will still see me braking when the freeways are stop and go-- which seems a
lot lately in S. California.

Love and cooperation to you all,
Seasons greetings,
William P.

> Well, yes, if you have the $$$, syncros are wonderful cars... I love mine.
> And buying a syncro is certainly less headache than building one.  But
they
> are kind of expensive to buy and also expensive to maintain.  However,
like
> I said, you can get almost as much off road mobility (unless you really
want
> to do some wild 4 wheeling, which most people do not) by just installing a
> syncro tranny with a locker (about $3K).  Forget the front wheel drive.
You
> don't need it.  And then do the half-lilley to the engine (about $1K) and
> you will have almost the most powerful WBX you can get with almost as much
> traction as a syncro.  And the 2wd's can be found much, much cheaper.  You
> can even find one with a blown tranny.
>
> With a syncro you have to concern yourself with a viscous coupling ($850
to
> replace when... not if... it goes bad), two differentials, and a drive
shaft
> that, as you have seen the posts recently, is often out of alignment.
Also,
> you must ALWAYS run tires with almost exactly the same amount of tread (at
> least so they are all the same diameter), or risk damaging the vc.  A
fifth
> tire purchased at the same time as the other four and rotated in every 5K
> miles is also a necessity.  If, god forbid, one of your tires gets ruined,
> you will still have four that match that way.  If you somehow only end up
> with three, you must find a fourth tire that matches almost exactly the
> other three in order to keep the vc healthy.  All this in addition to the
> fact that syncros go for about twice as much as 2WD vanagons.
>
> So, as you can see, it is an expensive proposition to own a syncro.  That
> said, when they are together, they are wonderful cars.  I love my syncro
> westy.  It will take me almost anywhere on this island and I'm ready to
camp
> when I get there.  But I have dumped a ton of $$$ into it.  It's
> embarrassing to admit how much, but let's just say I'm well over $30K.  Of
> course I have done several upgrades and she's in fantastic shape with only
> 55K miles on her.  But for that price you can buy a new eurovan!  Not that
I
> would want one, but a new car as opposed to a 13 year old one, well... you
> do the math.
>
> As I said, if I had it to do all over again... I might choose differently.
>
> No flames please, just my .02.
>
> Mick Kalber
> 89 Syncro Westy "Daddeo"
> Tropical Visions Video, Inc.
> 62 Halaulani Place
> Hilo, Hawaii 96720
> 808-935-5557
> 808-935-0066 (fax)
> hotlava@interpac.net
> http://www.volcanoscapes.com/
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: developtrust <developtrust@home.com>
> To: Mick Kalber <hotlava@INTERPAC.NET>; <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 1:21 PM
> Subject: Re: Re: converting to 4 wheel drive
>
>
> > I had one of those positraction chevey also but what I am getting from
the
> > list is to just choose to buy a syncro instead. Less headache. And maybe
> > pass on the current 2 wheeler to a relative or (ouch) sell it? Seems
like
> a
> > never now.
> >
> > William P.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Mick Kalber" <hotlava@INTERPAC.NET>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 12:31 PM
> > Subject: Re: converting to 4 wheel drive
> >
> >
> > > can be, but there are a lot of things in the syncro that are
different.
> > > what I would do if I had a 2wd and wanted better traction is to put a
> > syncro
> > > locking transmission in.  not cheap, about two grand, but you end up
> being
> > > able to lock the two back wheels together which is a great advantage.
I
> > > once had a 65 ch*vy van with posi-traction (same thing essentially)
that
> > > would go anywhere... it was amazing.
> > >
> > > good luck.
> > >
> > > mick
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: developtrust <developtrust@HOME.COM>
> > > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > > Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 10:21 AM
> > > Subject: converting to 4 wheel drive
> > >
> > >
> > > Does anyone know if a vanagon can be converted to a 4 wheel drive
> syncro?
> > >
> > > William P.
> >
> >