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SyncroHead 
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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 Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 4:14 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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Latest update is the addition of several images of print ads for 1980 & 1981 model years.
1980:
http://www.vanagons.org/80-publications.html
1981:
http://www.vanagons.org/81-publications.html
1981 includes an ad from Dodge saying how their Mini Ram Van is so much better and costs $2,000 less than a Vanagon. I don't see anything "mini" about their van, but it must have been "in" to portray your large van as "mini" then to convey a sense of economical-ness about it. The 1979 oil crisis and gas rationing was still fresh on the minds of consumers. I think some of those Dodge vans got a second life as a "creeper van" (as my daughters put it) before being scrapped for good.
Hope you're enjoying the website.
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22648
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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| SyncroHead wrote: |
Latest update is the addition of several images of print ads for 1980 & 1981 model years.
1980:
http://www.vanagons.org/80-publications.html
1981:
http://www.vanagons.org/81-publications.html
1981 includes an ad from Dodge saying how their Mini Ram Van is so much better and costs $2,000 less than a Vanagon. I don't see anything "mini" about their van, but it must have been "in" to portray your large van as "mini" then to convey a sense of economical-ness about it. The 1979 oil crisis and gas rationing was still fresh on the minds of consumers. I think some of those Dodge vans got a second life as a "creeper van" (as my daughters put it) before being scrapped for good.
Hope you're enjoying the website.
Jim |
I wonder what book is on a 1981 Dodge Mini Ram van ?
Cue Ella Fitzgerald ( not Connie Francis please...)...Whose sorry now??
_________________
.ssS! |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 7:26 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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| Abscate wrote: |
I wonder what book is on a 1981 Dodge Mini Ram van ?
Cue Ella Fitzgerald ( not Connie Francis please...)...Who's sorry now?? |
I may have to add that song to the webiste with the caption "Click here to listen to this Dodge ad" 
Might go with the Connie Francis version though! 
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 9:16 am Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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Latest updates:
1. I've updated the www.Vanagons.org website for 1986 & 1987 to describe the 6-seater Campers as Wolfsburg Editions, indicated they were available all year, and also threw in the nickname "Weekenders" for them.
2. Also fixed the VIN Decoder to show the engine code for diesel engined vans. (Thanks Mark!)
3. Lastly, I added a fun page with photos of "customized" Vanagons. 
(Mostly images found in the Samba thread "Wall of shame", but collected into easy to browse photo galleries.
Enjoy!
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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johnnyjewel
Samba Member
Joined: April 23, 2009
Posts: 48
Location: Mid-MO
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 9:25 am Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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SyncroHead,
My Wolfsburg, "Weekender", has a digital clock and no swivel seat. PO may have changed?
_________________
1986 Vanagon Westfalia Weekender
1958 MG Magnette
2017 Subaru Impreza Hatch
"Everybody matters or nobody matters." Hieronymus Bosch |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:49 am Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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| johnnyjewel wrote: |
SyncroHead,
My Wolfsburg, "Weekender", has a digital clock and no swivel seat. PO may have changed? |
I'd guess the tach and clock may have been added by a PO. I'm told this is fairly common. All the window stickers I've seen for this model (4), specifically mention the analog quartz clock.
Nevertheless, I'll be on the lookout for this, especially if I can get a report from an original owner.
Good catch on the lack of swivel seats. I've corrected the website to mention the armrests and removed the errant swiveling.
Thanks again!
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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crazyvwvanman
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9923
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:57 am Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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My brochures specifically say "analog clock" and/or also show tach/digital clock not available for the base Camper. Not even as an option, while shown as standard on all other models.
Mark |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:41 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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Interesting. Thank you!
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 3:01 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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I've been able to add a bit more content to this site over time. Hope it's useful.
Give it a look when you can.
www.Vanagons.org
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 9:13 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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Well, after over 20 years I've finally gotten around to compiling the 1982 Vanagon information. I originally created the 1986-1991 model pages in the late '90s and the info appeared on Vanagon.com for many years until that site got "re-purposed".
About a year ago I re-did 86 to 91, added 1980 and 1981 and created a new webiste: www.Vanagons.org
It lacked 1982-1985 models until now providing at least a start at the 1982 models. Still lacks 1983, '84, and '85. One of these days....
So, if you're looking for information about Vanagons built for the USA market head to www.Vanagons.org and have a look.
More vintage articles, brochures, and advertisements yet to be added.
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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campism
Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007
Posts: 4491
Location: Richmond VA
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| Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:03 am Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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| SyncroHead wrote: |
| 1981 includes an ad from Dodge saying how their Mini Ram Van is so much better and costs $2,000 less than a Vanagon. I don't see anything "mini" about their van, but it must have been "in" to portray your large van as "mini" then to convey a sense of economical-ness about it. The 1979 oil crisis and gas rationing was still fresh on the minds of consumers. I think some of those Dodge vans got a second life as a "creeper van" (as my daughters put it) before being scrapped for good. |
Sorry I missed all this at the time but, as a Dodge owner of both their small and now their large vans, want to point out the Mini Ram Van (a panel version of the original Mopar minivan) is distinctly different from the full sized Ram Van and was a real thing. The naming convention does no one any favors and is currently echoed in Ford's stupid idea of naming its large and small vans the Transit and the Transit Connect.
Quick story: I knew a guy who had one of the minis as his shop van and someone rear-ended it. He was expressing outrage and I felt compelled to tell him that his vehicle had chrome letters three inches tall on the hatch that spelled out RAM VAN, so what the hell did he expect to happen.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50338
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| Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 7:21 am Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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| SyncroHead wrote: |
Well, after over 20 years I've finally gotten around to compiling the 1982 Vanagon information. I originally created the 1986-1991 model pages in the late '90s and the info appeared on Vanagon.com for many years until that site got "re-purposed".
About a year ago I re-did 86 to 91, added 1980 and 1981 and created a new webiste: www.Vanagons.org
It lacked 1982-1985 models until now providing at least a start at the 1982 models. Still lacks 1983, '84, and '85. One of these days....
So, if you're looking for information about Vanagons built for the USA market head to www.Vanagons.org and have a look.
More vintage articles, brochures, and advertisements yet to be added.
Jim |
Just looking at the bar graph, I would say that head gasket leaks cost VW a lot of sales. I know when I first started looking for a used Vanagon in the late 1980's they were just about giving them away. |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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I suppose that may have has an effect, but I think the far larger effect was competition.
USA competitive introductions in the small van market:
1983 Dodge Caravan (+ Chrysler & Plymouth variants)
1983 Toyota Van
1985 Ford Aerostar
1985 Chevy Astro / GMC Safari
1986 Nissan Van
1987 Mitsubishi Van
1990 Toyota Previa
Until 1983 the Vanagon was the only entrant in the small van market in the USA. Vanagon USA sales peaked in 1984 when Toyota and Caravan were newly introduced. After that, the increasing onslaught of competition took a huge toll.
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50338
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| Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 12:34 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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| I would argue that the Vanagon and in particular the '86 and later Vanagons were the nicest vans on the market in most ways outside of their power train. I think VW missed the boat on the head corrosion/head gasket issue and on not going to a larger engine as per South Africa. |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 12:11 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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I've added some new and rare content to the Vanagons.org website.
This is a large booklet called "Vanagon – The Creation of a Volkswagen Original"
This is the very rare and larger of two booklets of the same name. The smaller version has been on the website for some time, but I'm happy to add the larger version now too. It's 26 pages and the original measures 11.7 x 11.7".
You might want to take a look.
Here: https://www.vanagons.org/80-publications.html
In the middle of this booklet are two translucent velum pages printed with the names of features on them. One can look at the cut-away photos of the van without the feature names and then turn the velum page and see the feature names appear over the cut-away van in the background. This is not easily depicted in a scan, but I've included scans of both the photos alone and the same photos with the feature names overlaid.
Thanks much to Samba member Tbob for loaning his original for the scan! I'd sent out a plea for anyone with this booklet
here: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9046065#9046065
to speak up and Tbob was the only one who'd replied having even seen this booklet.
Regards,
Jim Davis
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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covelo
Samba Member
Joined: February 20, 2005
Posts: 825
Location: Fairfax, CA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 2:12 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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This is beautiful! Thank you for making this available. I wish someone would do a professional reprint. It would be great to own a true replica of the original brochure.
_________________
'80 Vanagon Westfalia
'72 Bay Window Westfalia (with 2L AVP engine and dual solex carbs) -- sold in 2009 |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:14 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagons.org Website |
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Thanks Covelo!
I'm striving to make www.Vanagons.org the "one-stop-shopping" place for original Vanagon information and try to have the highest quality content. The scanning and clean-up effort on this latest brochure was about 8 hours of work. Still need to scan the envelope it cam in and take a photo showing how the translucent velum sheets work.
Throughout this effort of scanning and posting materials, I've found that...
1. My scanner was not perfectly aligned.
2. Brochures are not cut at a perfect square. I usually have to adjust the rotation of each image by 0.05 to 0.3 degrees.
3. I spend a lot of time trying to crop to the largest possible image size without getting background in the image.
4. I remove imperfections in the paper, in the printing, and even clean up the photography a little bit.
5. I remove the little bits of the staples from the images as well.
Even with this effort, the scans are not as good as I'd like. For instance, I've found no way to remedy the slightly darker edge of the brochures on the staple side.
I can only hope these will be enjoyed for a long time by a lot of folks and that people will regularly refer to the website as the authority on original Vanagon information.
Regards,
Jim Davis
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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