Dear Listers,

I got a crazy call yesterday from this guy in Maine.  He starts telling me
that he wants to do an engine conversion on his Vanagon.  I get calls like
this all the time so nothing new here.  However then he starts telling me
about his van which is a 1999 Transporter from South Africa with a 5
cylinder engine and Automatic Transmission!  He wanted to replace the
"unreliable" 5 cylinder with an ABA 4 cylinder and the automatic
transmission with a manual.

I stopped him.  If this is truly a SA Vanagon (Transporter) then it is the
only one I have ever heard of in the US.  He claims that his parents bought
it new when they were living in Greece, then shipped it to Canada, then he
brought it over the border to the US a few years ago.  He got it registered
and titled as a 99, but when he went to get insurance on it, they changed
his year to 91 just to put it in their computer (there is no 99 Vanagon
after all).

Then he goes on to tell me about other vans they have owned in the past
including an Ottinger 6 cylinder powered Vanagon and a Porsche factory
converted Vanagon that was used as a support vehicle during some rally
races back in the 80s and 90s.

That started me thinking that this guy was pulling my leg.  I mean he is
owning all of these super rare vans.  I believe they were living in Europe
at the time, but still.  Maybe one of you guys who is trying to have an
early April Fools joke on me?

I tried to change his mind about the engine conversion and transmission
change.  I told him to send the transmission out to German Transaxle to be
rebuilt and get a replacement engine from a 93 Eurovan.  That should be way
easier than doing an engine conversion even if there are some differences
between the SA 5-cylinder and the EV 5-cylinder (which I am sure there are).

Finally I asked the guy to take some pictures of the van and forward them
to me.  If he does I will post them on Google+ and post a link here on the
list.

It never gets boring :-)

--
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com