A 1982 1.6L diesel will be slow pulling grades. Maybe slower than your
Peregrine. But a 2.1L 86-91 Vanagon if well-tuned will handle it fine,
not at 80 MPH but also not at 25 MPH in 3rd gear. Take it from a
recent Bus -> Vanagon convert, it's love all over again. Of course, I
haven't had time yet to practice garage profanity on my Vanagon like I
did on my bus so ask me again when I've got an eyeful of some leaking
fluid and I'm up to my britches in parts that don't seem to fit right
when I try to put them back together...

Best,
Peter

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 4:01 PM, Mark Hineline <hineline@helix.ucsd.edu> wrote:
> Okay, a couple of points to consider.
>
> First, I had a '76 bus named Peregrine. Greg mentioned my trials and
> tribulations with Peregrine.
>
> Second, and this is really the kicker, my number one destination is
> the Colorado Plateau -- Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Cedar Mesa. From San
> Diego thats' 500 to 600 miles and an 8000 foot gain in elevation. In
> my GTI I can do it in 7 hours. I'm guessing that in a watercooled
> Vanagon I'm looking at 10 to 12 hours for the same trip.
>
> Sound right? Are Vanagons slow pulling long grades?
>
> Mark
>
>
> On Nov 19, 2009, at 3:52 PM, neil n wrote:
>
>>
>> I was about to ask what your wants and needs were in a van. (in part
>> involving a possible SO) But since that's not a factor.....
>