Air-Cooled!  Air-Cooled!  Air-Cooled!  Air-Cooled!  Air-Cooled!  Air-Cooled!
Air-Cooled!  Air-Cooled!

    I know I'm out-numbered on this list, but why destroy such a beautiful
thing as an air-cooled westy vanagon.  When I was looking for my first bus,
I specifically looked for an 80-83 westy, for oh so many reasons.  First
off, air-cooled vehicles are so simple.  No radiator, fewer belts, fewer
fluids to deal with, routine maintenance is much simpler.  And with the
right amount of TLC your air-cooled vanagon will give you as much joy as is
volkswagenly possible.
    You have a westfalia.  You should never need to be in a hurry.  If you
get tired, what do you do?  Cook a meal, drink a cold one, or go to sleep
(you've got 2 beds to choose from).  Thus, in your westy, any disadvantages
of an air-cooled vehicle are rendered null and void.
    Maintenance of your air-cooled vehicle will also be much cheaper.  Check
out the following run down:

                                          Air-cooled    Vs.    Water-cooled
- Engines                             cheaper                not as cheap as
air-cooled
- Radiators                          free                        not as
cheap as air-cooled
- All those radiator hoses  free                        not as cheap as
air-cooled
- $ spent on fluids like
  coolant (not oil)                 cheaper                not as cheap as
air-cooled
- $ spent on gas                  equal                    equal (lucky for
you guys)
- $ spent on oil                    expensive            cheaper
                                    (Hey oil is cheap)
- All the parts that are
  common to all vanagons     equal                    equal (again lucky for
you guys)

    I could go on and on, it might take a while for me to think of more, but
I could.  So, please whatever you do David, don't drown your 82 westy with
all kinds of fluids.
    Think of it this way:  It's cheaper and certainly more enjoyable to
drive with the window open and you hair flowing in that comforting breeze
then it is to bottle yourself up in a vehicle with the air conditioning on.
There's a sense of freedom that comes with having that window open.  Don't
take that same freedom away from your engine.  Let it keep the window open
and keep cool in that comforting breeze instead of bottling it up and
forcing it to keep cool with some toxic green stuff.
    Don't forget your engine provides you with that comforting breeze.  You
don't want to make it unhappy, or it may make you unhappy.

Peace and a Plethora of Good Grooves,
Aaron (=
'80 westy named Sunshine

P.S.  Thinking about changing that to Breezy Sunshine.

P.S.S.  For all you water-cooled drivers, your engines aren't unhappy.  They
just never knew what it was like to have the window open. (=