John,

When the valve seat dropped, the van had a noticeable loss of power.  I
recall that I was trying to get back on the roadway after being down near
the Colorado River at a BLM camping area.  It struggled to get back on the
road, but it did not leave me totally stranded.  I was able to drive it to
Tom-Tom's back in Moab.  He did not do the work himself, but he ordered the
parts and had a friend of his do it.  I was pleased, but being in Moab and
with only one VW mechanic in town, I paid a hefty price.

Tom must be 80 years old, but he easily looks 20 years younger.  The
Tom-Tom's Volkswagen Museum is really a junkyard packed full of busses
(splitties, bays, and a few Vanagons), but he does not show much interest in
selling them.  Guess he does not need the money or whatever.  I think the
reason he calls it a museum is to keep the city at bay - his neighbors are
wanting the yard closed down.  He does sell parts and he can order parts for
you.  He is located on the south end of town on east side of HWY 191 (I
think).  Just ask the locals.

Warren

-----Original Message-----
From: jbrush@aros.net [mailto:jbrush@aros.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2005 11:59 AM
To: Warren Lail; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Recent Trip - FWIW

>>>If I could get past the phobia of the dropped valve seat that has been
>threatened many times here, I would certainly sleep better :-)<<

>

>Although I drove my 81 Air-cooled Westy more than 200,000 miles over 13
>years I was only stranded once. Yep, you guessed it.  It dropped a valve
>seat while I was on vacation in Moab, Utah.  It happens.  I don't know
>what I would have done without Tom Arnold at Tom-Tom's Volkswagen Museum
>(junk yard).

Oh gee, thanks for that little tidbit :-) Moab/Canyonlands is one of my
favorite destinations. Tell me more about Tom Arnold? Might come in handy.

>(I remember being told by Leonard at AVP that on his rebuilds he
>strengthens the valve seat.  I never had a problem after I installed the
>AVP engine.)

AVP is on my list, but cash is not available. I have read about heads that
have been  modified to eliminate the dropped valve seat (whatever elminate
means <shrug>) and would not go any other way.

A long time ago, I became convinced that I would need a new engine one
day, so I stopped being concerned about the longevity of this one and just
enjoyed it. I figured that if it gave up on me, I would just buy a rebuilt
engine and carry on. Not that expensive overall. Where I got to being
concerned was to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, or very far from and
VW qualified help. That made me get the AAA+ RV for the extended mileage,
and I avoid extended travel when the temps get way up there (I hate the
heat anyway, so its a good excuse <g>)

The dropped valve seat bothers me in that I don't know if it would hang me
out to dry, or if I could limp it back to a place to get some help. I
guess it depends on how bad it is, but in my mind, its one of the more
likely scenarios that would stop me dead where I was, which doesn't sit
well with me.....

Anyway, interesting story. I hope its not repeated <g>

Thanks,

John