Sorry for you misfortune back then.
A similar story from my past.
Met a woman ( who became my daughter's mother ) with a 1963 Bus ..
trans was seized up , and the van was  about 150 miles from where I lived.
I forget how I got it to my shop in Russian River area , Gurneville, Ca.
if anyone knows where that is ... a pretty triply place in under redwood
trees  by the Russian River in northern Ca.

anyway ...I take the trans all apart ( this is about 1977 ) ...
bought all the syncro's and bearings and seals.
Then I cut the side out of another trans case, by hand with a drill and
hacksaw ....so I could set up the shifting forks in the trans I was
building.
   Had things 'just right' ..but it just would not shift consistently on
the workbench ..
finally I decided it would shift fine when things were turning .
  They did ....and we drove that Bus for quite a while with a fine
working transaxle.
Sold it to a guy a couple years later ..
he managed to wrap it around a tree sideways. Just can not imagine how
he did that. I don't think I could do that driving blindfolded, be he
did somehow.
  But  that trans was fine the whole time..
I probably spend under $ 125 on parts .
maybe much less than that even.
Them's was the days !

scott
www.turbovans.com

On 5/27/2012 9:00 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
> On Syncros it is quite easy to crack the low gear housing so the oil leaks
> out and then have the gears blow out the bottom. The ring and pinion also
> weld themselves after this.
>
> My first experience with a reverse locking differential was on a 70 Bus that
> I owned. That was back around 1980 or so. As I had no resources for tranny
> repairs I brought it to the dealer. Showed me the damage and convinced me to
> buy a "factory" rebuild. I think it was about $1,200 or so installed with a
> new clutch. That was painful for me as I paid about that much for the Bus
> and put a motor in it. I was making about $6/hr back then so this was like a
> month's pay.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Scott Daniel - Turbovans
> Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2012 7:57 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Brake locks up in reverse
>
> Perhaps they just behave better around me..
> I've seen  two seized up VW manual trans ..
> a ton of noisy ones ..
> can't think of any with parts blown out the sides, starting from the 60's.
>
>
>
> On 5/26/2012 9:05 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>> Bearings can fail quickly and with little warning. Once a cage breaks
>> or debris jams the rollers to prevent rolling things can self-destruct
>> very quickly. I've seen more than one VW tranny blow parts out of the
> case.
>> Dennis
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> Behalf Of Scott Daniel - Turbovans
>> Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2012 7:51 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Brake locks up in reverse
>>
>> all right ..
>> thanks for the info Daryl.
>> I see ..about the pinion getting out of place badly.
>>
>> that's from extreme up-down lateral displacement  play on the pinion shaft
> ?
>> seems like one would have to be very noisy for years for that to happen.
>>
>> good to see your post.
>> Scott
>>
>>
>> On 5/25/2012 9:36 PM, Daryl Christensen wrote:
>>> Definitely possible Scott...
>>> I have one here that feels like it hits a brick wall when the clutch
>>> is disengaged while in Reverse. See several a year.
>>> The pinion bearing gets almost 1/2" of slop and it slams the pinion
>>> teeth into the differential housing only in reverse. Going forwards,
>>> the shaft is pushed away from the diff and bass ackwards in reverse...
>>>
>>> Daryl of AA Transaxle
>>> 425-788-4070
>>> "On the cutting edge of Old technology"
>>> 86 Syncro Westy w/Turbo Zetec in the trunk
>>> 90 Doka Tristar w/2.5 Subie
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>> Behalf Of Scott Daniel - Turbovans
>>> Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 9:13 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: Brake locks up in reverse
>>>
>>> I see.
>>> I have been dealing with VW transaxles since the 60's ..
>>> and have never seen one , of the many thousands I've driven or been
>>> around, that would lock up in reverse only ..
>>> though of course that does not mean it's not impossible.
>>>
>>> On 5/23/2012 10:17 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>>>> This Vanagon thing is just s side line for me. In my years of
>>>> industrial experience I have seen my share of bearings fail in such
>>>> a way that they would only turn in one direction effectively making
>>>> a one way clutch. I have seen ball, roller, and even taper roller
>>>> bearing fail this way. Often all it takes is some debris or the
>>>> bearing material failing. I have also seen my share of VW
>>>> transmissions
>>> fail this way.
>>>> Dennis
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>>> Behalf Of Scott Daniel - Turbovans
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 6:55 PM
>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>> Subject: Re: Brake locks up in reverse
>>>>
>>>> I'll sure go along with that if it's an automatic.
>>>> I've had it happen ..on a very tired automatic that sat for two
>>>> years...then I installed it.
>>>>
>>>> manual trans though ..possible but very unlikely I would think.
>>>>
>>>> are the parts, like the adjuster rod, swapped from side to side by
>>>> any chance ? ..
>>>> not that I especially think that would cause this problem.
>>>>
>>>> scott
>>>>
>>>> On 5/22/2012 3:50 AM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>>>>> Are you sure it is the brakes? A bad ring and pinion in the
>>>>> transmission can cause that nasty effect. If an automatic so can a
>>>>> bad
>>>> sprag clutch.
>>>>> Brakes will feel more like a gradual drag. If it is a sudden snap
>>>>> type hard lock up look into the tranny.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dennis
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>>>> Behalf Of HotelWestfalia
>>>>> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 11:03 PM
>>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>>> Subject: Brake locks up in reverse
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi to all,
>>>>> I have no idea why, but when I put it in reverse it soon locks up.
>>>>> What is it?
>>>>> I took them apart on both sides and all is great other than the
>>>>> drums are 20 thou oversized already and having deep ridges both sides.
>>>>> Anyone has an idea?
>>>>> Thanks God to the Vanagon List,
>>>>> Zoltan
>>>>>