Hi all,

My wife and I recently bought our first van--an 83 Waterboxer, and we
have our first big problem on our hands: The coolant pipes (long,
straightish Vinyl-coated metal ones that pass above the gas tank) have
rotted, and one is now leaking massive amounts of coolant. I expect I'll
want to replace some other hoses as well. To save some money, my
mechanic (a VW specialist w/whom I have no experience) is suggesting a
combination of hoses and copper pipes, which he says are "used on
trucks." Sounds strong, but makes me nervous. I've been tempted to buy
the "Coolant Hose-engine to radiator" advertized at the www.busdepot.com
($119), the catch being that they're too long to ship, and I'd have to
drive 12 hours round trip to get them--in an '87 Chevy Nova w/ no tape
deck, no less.  I'll do the time if it's clear I'm getting a better
product. Your thoughts?

BTW, our van is the one on the right at:
http://www.geocities.com:80/Athens/Oracle/2469/van43081.jpg

Anybody out there buy the one on the left? Nice vehicle, that--only
60,000 miles!

-George
83-1/2 Westy EPA Superfund site