TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:45 am

I apologize for my intensity or to anyone who became offended by my point blank statements.

That said, the new breed of Bus owner I am talking about isn't what you guys have been describing. Today the majority of people who are stepping up to the CS aren't younger folks. They are guys with families that want to take those families, or their grandchildren on trips and not have to worry about the vehicle they'll be driving.

I understand these people because I consult with EVERY engine kit purchaser and deal with each turn key client directly from start to finish. I always listen to their stories and try to design my part of their vehicle to meet their application.

The majority of this "new group" isn't new to the ACVW, most of them had one when they were in college and now that they have reached retirement or near retirement age they want to experience what they remember and most want to share that with their families. What they do not want is problems, high maintenance or the inability to keep up with traffic. These people aren't about life in the fast lane, most would choose the center lane of a 3 lane highway.

Recently we've had a rash of Bus owners who bought their vehicles brand new and have stepped up to the CS combo. You'll be seeing one of these in my Hot VWs ad campaign coming up in the spring. The guys who bought their bus new are the ones that I really like to equip with CS power as they can offer the best critique for what the engine really offers inn comparison to factory,(and other "engine alternatives") in the same vehicle.

Last year a CS engine kit made it from Amsterdam to Beijing, nearly half way around the world. That same engine and bus is now going to travel completely across Africa. Those are tests that I love to participate in and wish I had the time to do something similar myself.. Maybe one day.

Over the past 12 years the CS has been continually developed. Back then we were happy if we made as little as 75HP from the engine while maintaining cool head and oil temps with stockish MPG. That version of the CS made people happy, it made them really happy and the desires of others wanting something similar, or even better is what found the CS currently making 100 HP and 130 lb/ft of torque with even cooler head and oil temps than before.

Some hate it, some love it but I haven't had anyone of the 400 purchasers of a CS ever "go back".... I believe that such a discerning group of purchasers expending a notable amount of money on an aircooled engine and having their expectations both met and often times exceeded makes a huge statement. The CS has many friends, most of them are those who have bought one.

Yet again, no disrespect intended to those who are happy with their bus with a stock engine. What I have created isn't for everyone.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:42 pm

Once you start driving a VW bus you'll never be in a hurry again. I prefer to not keep up with traffic, hang my arm out the window, climb the hills and passes in 2nd and 3rd gear, and enjoy the scenery. To each their own. My bus is slow, fat and proud!

Sun Feb 07, 2010 1:36 pm

The bay transporter with just a driver does pretty well on a stock motor and fully functional FI setup. A Westfalia on it's own is already quite a bit heavier. When it is loaded with gear, the wife and a couple of kids it's another story when the van comes up to any kind of grade in the road. That's my issue, now I just have to get off of my ass and finish the install of my CS kit to replace the 1800 in my bus that has a rod knock and a cracked head.

I'm 43 with a decent job, wife and 3 kids, and bought my 78 Westy in 1987. Not blond or blue eyed.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 1:44 pm

Ooo la la, testimonials.

I've been driving a Cali 78 bone stocker with a header and single quiet muffler for just about 10 yrs. Life in the slow lane permits easy driving with out road rage. Sometimes on those long third gear hill climbs the wife and I play a little pinochle to pass the time. Yeah, I wish it had more oomph. Someday it'll get some.

As for age, I'm still, old enuff to know and too young to resist

Sun Feb 07, 2010 2:05 pm

RIOMX wrote: Jake Raby wrote:
Not every bay or it's owner has the desire to drive their bus like a modern vehicle.
The number of people who appreciate their Bus enough to give it the engine that it needs has grown.

this is some of the most ridiculous, smug garbage you've ever written.

Do you honestly believe what you wrote? Do you really, truly think people don't want those benefits that you're describing?

Oh my goodness. I do feel better now, having been the recipient of some emotional venting of my own . . .

This VW Buses And Their Engines argument has, like most of the public conversation in America these days, a lot of emotional heat that doesn't belong.

If you have driven a Raby engine (I have driven several), you know instantly that it is worth the price of admission. Not so much for the power hullabaloo (many of us have other cars in the stable that can kick its ass), but for the quality and the thought that have gone into its construction. It is a comprehensive powerplant that is beautifully crafted. You can tell instantly. Just rev it up and drive it. Beautiful. If you want it and can afford it, go for it. I do not think you will be disappointed if mechanical artistry registers in your brain.

Just don't make wild claims for it, and don't make disparaging claims against those who choose stock. Buy and drive it and enjoy it for yourself. Do not attempt to justify it for anyone but yourself. I would buy a Raby engine just for the balance and that gorgeous sound of a thoroughly matched engine that I could trust to get me there.

As Jake would say about any of his engines, if it is put together correctly, it will run. The same is true for a stock Type 4. I can't deny my personal experience of driving 70-75 mph all across the country for thirty years and 588,238 miles of anywhere I wanted to go in any climate with an engine that just did not mind in the slightest. I got 100,000 miles between pre-emptive rebuilds, and it was only at the very end that junky replacement parts started dogging me (lifters), and indifferent machine shops made some unforgiveable errors (see: left cylinder head .060 copper sealing rings). So, I won't make any crazy claims for a stock engine, but I am not going to listen to people tell me that the original engines were fragile and prone to overheating and valve drops and seizures. No way. That happens to people who do not pay attention. I pay attention. Jake pays attention. Stock is good when well cared-for. Camper Specials are good out of the box.

What you need under you is up to you. What others need under them is none of your damn business. As a 67 hp VW bus owner, yes, I am very polite on the road when climbing a hill. If someone wants to hate on me for my slow progress, that is truly their problem and I would hate to be so stressed out like that. Perhaps their Expedition is what was in my way when I blew past them in my Lexus LS400 in my own hurry last week or my BMW 5 Series last year, or the Porsche 911 back when I had a real job.

I do not need or want a Camper Special in my 1978 bus with 39,000 miles on it. But if you talk to me about what you want, and I see that you want to interact with traffic in ways that I refuse to in my own VW bus experience, a Raby engine is a true quality product based on knowledge that is getting harder to find through the thick swarm of flying bullsh*t.

Meanwhile, I love the fact that a VW bus slows my day down enough to appreciate the more reflective side of life, like watching the dandelions open as I climb to the Beartooth Pass.
Colin (brown-eyed NativeAmericanMexi-DutchEnglish mutt)

Sun Feb 07, 2010 3:59 pm

Amskeptic wrote: RIOMX wrote: Jake Raby wrote:
Not every bay or it's owner has the desire to drive their bus like a modern vehicle.
The number of people who appreciate their Bus enough to give it the engine that it needs has grown.

this is some of the most ridiculous, smug garbage you've ever written.

Do you honestly believe what you wrote? Do you really, truly think people don't want those benefits that you're describing?

Oh my goodness. I do feel better now, having been the recipient of some emotional venting of my own . . .

This VW Buses And Their Engines argument has, like most of the public conversation in America these days, a lot of emotional heat that doesn't belong.

If you have driven a Raby engine (I have driven several), you know instantly that it is worth the price of admission. Not so much for the power hullabaloo (many of us have other cars in the stable that can kick its ass), but for the quality and the thought that have gone into its construction. It is a comprehensive powerplant that is beautifully crafted. You can tell instantly. Just rev it up and drive it. Beautiful. If you want it and can afford it, go for it. I do not think you will be disappointed if mechanical artistry registers in your brain.

Just don't make wild claims for it, and don't make disparaging claims against those who choose stock. Buy and drive it and enjoy it for yourself. Do not attempt to justify it for anyone but yourself. I would buy a Raby engine just for the balance and that gorgeous sound of a thoroughly matched engine that I could trust to get me there.

As Jake would say about any of his engines, if it is put together correctly, it will run. The same is true for a stock Type 4. I can't deny my personal experience of driving 70-75 mph all across the country for thirty years and 588,238 miles of anywhere I wanted to go in any climate with an engine that just did not mind in the slightest. I got 100,000 miles between pre-emptive rebuilds, and it was only at the very end that junky replacement parts started dogging me (lifters), and indifferent machine shops made some unforgiveable errors (see: left cylinder head .060 copper sealing rings). So, I won't make any crazy claims for a stock engine, but I am not going to listen to people tell me that the original engines were fragile and prone to overheating and valve drops and seizures. No way. That happens to people who do not pay attention. I pay attention. Jake pays attention. Stock is good when well cared-for. Camper Specials are good out of the box.

What you need under you is up to you. What others need under them is none of your damn business. As a 67 hp VW bus owner, yes, I am very polite on the road when climbing a hill. If someone wants to hate on me for my slow progress, that is truly their problem and I would hate to be so stressed out like that. Perhaps their Expedition is what was in my way when I blew past them in my Lexus LS400 in my own hurry last week or my BMW 5 Series last year, or the Porsche 911 back when I had a real job.

I do not need or want a Camper Special in my 1978 bus with 39,000 miles on it. But if you talk to me about what you want, and I see that you want to interact with traffic in ways that I refuse to in my own VW bus experience, a Raby engine is a true quality product based on knowledge that is getting harder to find through the thick swarm of flying bullsh*t.

Meanwhile, I love the fact that a VW bus slows my day down enough to appreciate the more reflective side of life, like watching the dandelions open as I climb to the Beartooth Pass.
Colin (brown-eyed NativeAmericanMexi-DutchEnglish mutt)

This is exactly what I was trying to say, but it didn't work like I had planned.

Arguing is hard.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 4:42 pm

Its all good thats why you drive a bus right?

Sun Feb 07, 2010 4:45 pm

I drive a bus because I love busses.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:11 pm

Colin
Thanks for the post- that was spot on and I appreciate it.