Of course they did many things right in the overall design of the Vanagon;
otherwise we would not be so devoted to them.  However,anyone who has
fooled around with these vehicles for 20 years or so has sometimes asked
themselves "What were they thinking?"
  A few things come to mind easily, the most serious in my mind being the
idea that you could just wrap a cooling jacket around an air cooled
engine.  Then we have an oddly shaped fuel tank with about 10 openings,
many electrical and ground connections placed where they are exposed to
leaks from the corner of the windshield, a byzantine and difficult to bleed
cooling system with its "tower" and unique and troublesome pressure cap,
etc.
  Of course hindsight is always easier, and as someone already said, many
of these and other problems resulted from cost driven compromises.
But...we cannot assume that any given "feature" is present just because the
VW engineers were more wise and knowing than us.

Larry A.

On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 8:00 PM OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@comcast.net> wrote:

>                 RK
>
>         Just to clarify > My Bogus response was not pointed @ VW
> Engineering,,
>
> It was an answer to David McNeelys question >
>
> > “is my thinking that the VW engineers might know more than the rest of
> us completely bogus?”
>
> & I purposely left out the word “completely” because He used the word
> “might”
>
> & I was not trying to imply that We might know more than the VW Engineers ~
>
> But Indeed Some Of Us Actually Just Might ~
>
>         Also, I DanNs answer was well said ~
>
>
>
> > On 3 Feb , 2021, at 4:55 PM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
> wrote:
> >
> > In my opinion, the original Vanagon engineers did FAR more right than
> they did wrong.  It's like any occupation...you make mistakes, you learn,
> you correct.  That is why on the bottom right corner of every engineering
> drawing or document on the planet....you will see a Block titled as "REV".
> It starts out, once released, as "A".  Then it proceeds to revision "B".
> And so on. I have seen it go to multiple letters.
> >
> > Yes...I am an engineer.  Now retired.
> >
> > Of course, the other saying "Hindsight is 20/20" is also very valid.
> Just the way it goes.  Hence, our forum here.
> >
> > But, do you want to drive a Model T?  Or fly in a DC-3?  It's all about
> progress.  One learns far more from their mistakes than from their
> successes.  Experience builds.
> > Those Vanagon Engineers did a pretty cool job.  In my opinion, with all
> the constraints they had to deal with.  Most of the time, they were
> correct.  Not always though.  And so, we all slug along.
> >
> > Rich
> > San Diego
> >
> >
> >    On Tuesday, February 2, 2021, 9:50:47 PM PST, OlRivrRat <
> olrivrrat@comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> >         You asked the ? >
> >
> > “is my thinking that the VW engineers might know more than the rest of
> us completely bogus?”
> >
> > I Answered > Bogus ~
> >
> >> On 2 Feb , 2021, at 10:19 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hmmm.... .  Meaning?  You seem pretty sure of SOMETHING.  What are you
> >> saying is bogus?
> >>
> >> On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 9:05 PM OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@comcast.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>>         Bogus !!
> >>>
> >>>> On 1 Feb , 2021, at 12:10 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Am I stupid, or is my thinking that the VW engineers might know more
> than
> >>>> the rest of us completely bogus?
> >
> >
>