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Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:55 am

GeeZ12 wrote: Ben,

You know what is funny - I have a rust free chassis in AZ with a clean title that I have been trying to sell for months at $225 - Nobody wants it so now I have to scrap it.

Good luck with that mess.

don't scrap it! we should buy a really cheap piece of property somewhere (should be easy right now....) and store all the vans for future usage/restauration/Ben Red Cross saving...

Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:23 am

SyncroChrick wrote: GeeZ12 wrote: Ben,

You know what is funny - I have a rust free chassis in AZ with a clean title that I have been trying to sell for months at $225 - Nobody wants it so now I have to scrap it.

Good luck with that mess.

don't scrap it! we should buy a really cheap piece of property somewhere (should be easy right now....) and store all the vans for future usage/restauration/Ben Red Cross saving...

Thats a pretty good idea. Start a vanagon graveyard/storage. If you got enough vans there, it could even be profitable.

Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:28 am

I thought that's what this place was:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=306019

Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:48 am

it looks like he's running out of space

let's find a spot down south where it's warm and dry. or how about Nevada somewhere?

we can start a Samba foundation.

Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:57 am

He even color coordinated them!

Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:00 am

The property and vans have been seized.
Not making claims as to why.
I hope they at least auction off the vans.

dylan

Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:10 am

Yes lets hope they didn't get crushed. There should be a huge Patch of land out in Arizona or Nevada where cars never rust. It should be called "Area T3" original..right? :lol:

Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:13 am

Like this, except Vanagons.

http://www.aviationexplorer.com/

Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:17 am

I've always had a thing for junkyards/boneyards/ghost cities. I've always wanted to go to Chernobyl and Pripyat . OK done stealing you thread :roll:

Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:24 am

All i have to say is - YAY QUEBEC !

Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:27 pm

insyncro wrote: The property and vans have been seized.
Not making claims as to why.
I hope they at least auction off the vans.

dylan

wow that's not so good. Are the vans still there? I really hope someone buy them as a package or something. I may even volunteer....

Thu Jan 21, 2010 4:56 am

Drool, all I need is a pair of those fiberglass bumpers............hum..........where is this lot located????? :lol:

Thu Jan 21, 2010 5:49 am

Can someone find out who is in control of that property now and inquire about the vans? It would be hard to assume they would crush them as there are so many and each one is worth $XXXX

Where is it located? My god, there could be a Syncro or two in that lot.

Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:17 am

PDXWesty had the link to the relevant thread under the picture he posted.

So this "collection" has been seized?

Dylan, you sound as if you know more about this than you're saying. Pulaski VA isn't far from where my parents live, I had thought about going by this place to check it out next time I'm visiting, but sounds like I may be too late.

Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:14 am

Post deleted by author

Sorry- cross posted by mistake.

Thu Jan 21, 2010 1:35 pm

I'm sorry, I look at these pictures of rusted out vans and I can't help but think that paying to fix them is just plain stupid (flame away).

How many thousands of dollars will it cost the owner to fix that? As much as the owner wants to pay, you'll never get rid of all the rust on a van like that.

How much does it cost to buy and ship a rust free aircooled or early wc westy from the southwestern US and put a Subie in that? Again, as much as the owner wants to pay, but at least you're starting from a solid base.

I love your work Ben, you perform miracles on these vans, but if I owned that van I would think twice about even wasting your time on it. There's got to be an easier way.

Thu Jan 21, 2010 1:59 pm

Bruskyvw wrote: I've always had a thing for junkyards/boneyards/ghost cities. I've always wanted to go to Chernobyl and Pripyat . OK done stealing you thread :roll:

I share the same affliction. I'm also drawn to run down abandoned buildings. I think they are interesting. Maybe I was homeless in a previous life!

Thu Jan 21, 2010 2:46 pm

"So this "collection" has been seized? "

No, another thread specifically about Vanagon Heaven has a post with a Roanoke paper article saying the many charges against him have been dropped, so it sounds like he'll carry on, for now at least.

Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:30 pm

noganav wrote: I'm sorry, I look at these pictures of rusted out vans and I can't help but think that paying to fix them is just plain stupid (flame away).

How many thousands of dollars will it cost the owner to fix that? As much as the owner wants to pay, you'll never get rid of all the rust on a van like that.

How much does it cost to buy and ship a rust free aircooled or early wc westy from the southwestern US and put a Subie in that? Again, as much as the owner wants to pay, but at least you're starting from a solid base.

I love your work Ben, you perform miracles on these vans, but if I owned that van I would think twice about even wasting your time on it. There's got to be an easier way.

The first thing I told the guy is to find another van... 3 months ago. I'ts not my decision. It's 5:30, i look like snow white, i have never seen that much bondo/putty on a van, never. Typical horror case of what everyone is afraid when they hear the word "putty", in general a bit a putty is perfectly acceptable and normal in any restoration/body work.

This van was shaped with putty, probably a few gallons. I'm really depress right now. I didn.t think that the right side had hidden putty, not that much.

More picture to come later, more horrible one.

Price, well, i guess i can tell, 9000$ + any part needed. That is a 3 week job/2 guys, is it worthed (labor/energy wise - for us).... not really. But it's winter so it's not to bad. I have decided to cut everything instead of trying to fix.

This is officially my last horror job, never again....never.

Ben

Thu Jan 21, 2010 4:37 pm

Before:

After:

More here:
http://www.benplace.com/trajan.htm