You're probably best served by a '68 -- '71 Bay window, with the upright
type 1 engine, since they used to be all over down there.  I once had a '70
van that was given to me just prior to a trip down the West coast of
Mexico.  It had over 350k on the chassis.  The tranny began losing gears
about 300 miles South of Acapulco.  I limped it back with just 2nd and 4th
(I think? or maybe it was 1st and 3rd) and was able to locate a tinroof
shack on the outskirts of town where some guy on the side of the road was
able to pull the tranny and cobble together enough spare parts to get me
back up and running in a couple days.  Pretty cool

On Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 1:03 PM, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> In those parts, a Bay bus is possibly more common than a Vanagon. So
> parts may be easier, and/or quicker, to get. FWIW, IIRC, the air
> cooled engine used in the Vanagon is similar or the same as engines in
> late model Bays.
>
>
--
Casey
'87 300TD
'94 100CSQ Avant
'89 Bluestar