John,

Increasing the stance of your Westy would probably NOT help if, like most 2nd
hand Vanagons, yours has passenger car tyres on it.  A much better solution is
to replace the, more than likely P205/70-14 load range B tyres with the proper
185-14C tyres.  What you are after is to increase the sidewall stiffness.  A
load range C or D tyre will make a world of difference.  If the archives are
up, you might search on tires for brand suggestions. (http://vanagon.com)

Regarding the reliability of the wasserboxer engine;  Yes, they are more
fragile than the VW I-4s. However, if you are reasonably adept at things
mechanical, resealing them is a weekend job.  I have close to 200k on my '83.5
and have resealed it once.  If one religiously changes the coolant bi-yearly
(every two years) and maintains a 50-50 mixture, they seem live much longer.
An engine swap is an expen$ive option that, IMHO, does nothing to increase the
value of the van.

You will need to purchase the Bentley service manual if you haven't already
done so.  Also, the Haynes manual is reputed to be a good investment.  Either
are available from one of the many list vendors.

YMMV

Jim Arnott
WetWesties
Union, OR USA

> John Langowski wrote:
<snip>
> First of all I'm wondering if anyone
> has any recommendations on changing the footprint of the van to make
> it handle a bit better, especially in windy weather. Also I understand
> that the standard water-boxer engine in the vehicle is not to
> reliable.