cheers.. www.hoodride.com

Peace,
Joe

-----Original Message-----
>From: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
>Sent: Feb 1, 2007 1:30 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Total restoration cost!
>
>""""mechanicly sound""""
>définition please of a mechanicly sound Westy? just curious....
>
>I'm resoring this van for one main purpose, a trip to Mexico next December,
>that said, i have been there 4 years ago (already 4 years...ouffff) and i
>had a lot of mechanical problems with my old 73, stressssfull. Now i want NO
>problem, at least, less possible. I owned a shop, i fix Vanagon, so, not
>good!!! every parts i had to replace on all those Vans are being replace on
>mine... that mean everything that moves! So, mechanicly sound! how much?
>of course it all depend on yearly millage, how far you go... but me, i have
>Westy to go far... i drive 600 to 800 miles a day. Last year, i restored 4
>vans (1 bus) to different level, all 3 vanagons had a lot of parts replace,
>the last one, an 85, had the most mechanical work done on it, close to the
>one i'm doing now, the couple who bought it went to Mexcico last summer,
>everything i didn't replace/change broke on that trip (smll stuff but
>still)... The white one, the 83.5, i went with this one to Everybus last
>year, when i got close back to home, one of the main pipe (long metal
>coolant pipe) broke (rust hole/under tank) 5 miles from home....
>
>So, again, what do i tell to my customers / friends that want a safe and
>reliable Vanagon, as far as how much they have to invest to be in a very
>good nd safe condition?
>
>You canno't believe how many "roadtrip dream" i have shattered after people
>came in for an inspection. (take a plane ticket instead and go to....)
>
>Don't get me wrong, i love westy, so i became a Westy mechanic! i will only
>travel in a fully mechanicly restored van, by me! When i'm gonna be done
>with my westy "trip", i will restored, fix something else... boat i think,
>sail boat, old one....
>
>I'm not a gadget guy, or neither an esthetic one, i couldn't care less about
>a crasy paint job, detailed trims, mag wheel, bla bla bla, i do so now
>because my customers are like that, they couldn't care less about the
>mechanic side of the van... well, most of them... and that, i don't understand!
>
>The Tornado Red project is a show van and a trade mark... i may paint this
>one brown with rust spot for my Mexico trip, hey hey hey.
>
>For the sake of a nice discussion.
>
>Ben
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>I try to remember that vehicle is for transport,point a to point
>b...mechanicly sound...restoration is all about pride of ownership?
>Mike90260