Crashed Today, NEED Another Assuan Brown Westy

[CurtisS]

I have spotted a couple of Assuan brown Westys on the Seattle area Craigs List. They are mostly early to mid 80's vintage. This one in Bellingham looked interesting.

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/d/1981-vw-vanagon-westfalia/6690926252.html
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If "con" is the opposite of "pro", what is the opposite of "progress"?

[E1]

Thanks, Curtis! Your link looks pretty good, too, really appreciate it, Bud. Sorry we missed you at PIR, hope you had a blast!

We're having one in Portland inspected by Precision Motor Cars today... fingers crossed! Any and all shop recommendations, if needing that route in plowing forward, are very welcome!

Biggest next challenge: Parts Swap; what, where, when, who, how, or if we have to hire out -- the gamut. What we keep vs. sell vs. give away to helpers vs. let go is mostly up to insurance settlement turned in yesterday -- and whether or not we do a GoFundMe. I will compile a list as soon as possible, in order of priority parts, value, timing, where to park the old bus a spell to do this, who might want to buy, work-trade, and/or harvest the carcass, Oh, The Madness!

This process of de-atomizing our beloved van will not be free of emotion, but we're prepared for it. The worst days are hopefully passed now. Transferring our newly-installed gauges is but one pain to deal with, done by a best friend in Ohio last Halloween-time.

I'm starting to think the most-rational idea is to remove parts en masse, then worry about transferring them over. Some easier stuff we can re-install ourselves, wherever we are later. I am at a crossroads in whether to post details here or on a new thread, the Bay brothers have been great, too but I don't think Emmett would want a thread about this there. Any ideas and input are encouraged!

Lotsa complications in all this, but overall things are really looking up! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 We can finally start to smell freshly-oiled tar again -- and we have so many of you to Thank for this!

We're work-resting (Hey, I like that!) in a Newport hotel, thanks to my gracious sister-in-law!!! 💋❤️💋

But Dammit Jim, we have our first colds in nearly five years, Waaaaah! 😜 Prolly a good thing, this has all been pretty tiring but at least the night terrors have subsided.

We each had a single dream we recall several nights back. Sandy's was short and earthy; our bus was on its roof and completely overgrown with moss like a dead redwood. I'd like to say there were woodpeckers, but she claims there weren't.

Message: All returns to the earth, however painful that typically is. While this was only a machine, I think everyone here knows they are so much more.

My dream found us at a bus campout, like we do after Buses by the Bridge. I had "sewing machine leg" -- a rock climbing affliction when trying to maintain grip with tired legs -- from trying to hold the clutch in. Next scene, we're in the Toyota rental van, I try to accelerate away from the camp on ice, the car slides downhill, and I took out the entire right side of the car in a 2 mph slide with the damages of 50... into bus brother Dave Manning's Splitty!!! 😳

Message: Siennas are no Vanagons, Folks!

I need no mo' of dis! 😂
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[Ray Bell]

Can my friend in Spokane help out, E1?

He has a storage yard where there would be room to work on the van, but there are no bathroom facilities there.

I'm sure he wouldn't charge much at all.

[E1]

Thanks, Ray.

The primary challenge in our unique case is we have an enormous amount of parts to swap over, and my expertise -- and schedule -- limits doing that myself. So far as swapping vs. replacing, that's in the graces of insurance still.

Is your friend a VW mechanic?
_________________
‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[Muftobration]

[E1]

Thank You! 👍🏼

It does still come and go, but we're 80-90% positive, I'd guess. Chriously -- try again, Curiously -- I've awaited a happy ending to know it was time to write my book, and -- bizarre as it sounds -- this may be it. Maybe nearly dying gave some needed perspective, frankly there was no feeling of luck at first, for a long road of reasons, but it is coming now.

We have a very long way to go to get on the road, but we finally feel it. It appears we may camp out with our new bus this weekend -- hahaha, with the current owners, too -- north of Newport.

Thanks for your words, Bro.
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[Xevin]

[markswagen]

So, you have a new bus to move into, that's awesome 😎you name it hermit, like the hermit crab
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markswagen {mobile mechanic} san diego area all early VW's cared for.

619 201 0310

[E1]

Thanks Mark, and for your call!

Looking at two vans over this next few days. Both are very nice, as are the sellers. I wrote an email on one of them 18 days ago, thought it was sold so yesterday wrote another on a wing and a prayer and heard right back. 😎

It's really difficult to stay positive but we mostly are. I still have no idea about parts swapping, that's the Great Unknown and there's the biggest stressor. Insurance should be settled by the weekend... hopefully.
_________________
‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[Stuartzickefoose]

[E1]

Thursday morning I booted up the fixed laptop after 0to60in6min fixed it and shipped to us in Newport!

The link shows the photo that was in mid-export during the crash. We saw this and teared-up a little in the restaurant, not only for the content of the image, but that I'd offered to donate a print of this to a best friend's dying cousin.

It's also in my upcoming PR layout, and the odds of it being this photo exporting during the crash are 1 in 308, and it was the last image to export in that folder.

The message is not lost on us, WOW!:
https://ericwunrow.photoshelter.com/image?&_bq...amp;GI_ID=
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[dhaavers]

Beautiful, man...in every conceivable way...

- Dave
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[E1]

Thank You very much, Dave.

We're looking at a potential replacement bus late today or tomorrow. Send Good Vibes.
_________________
‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[AZ Landshaper]

Nice pic man. Hopefully your seeing some of that light at the end of the tunnel.

Newport is not too shabby. Bit cold for these bones but not too shabby at all.
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Support Small Business.

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85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
and a 67 bug.

[E1]

Thanks, Bud.

We're camped at Tillicum Beach just south of Waldport until Monday at the earliest. Space for another vehicle just in case anyone is around here. Back before dark, site 44, on the water.
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[SJ Lambert]

Perfect spot to listen to a set with The Beach Boys joining the Grateful Dead on stage at Filmore East!!!

https://liveforlivemusic.com/features/grateful-dead-beach-boys/

[CurtisS]

Truly epic image, Eric and loaded with special meaning.

I don't recall you mentioning how your camera gear faired during the crash. Hopefully you are taking time to shoot while at Tillicum. Fall colors are arriving!
_________________
If "con" is the opposite of "pro", what is the opposite of "progress"?

[E1]

Thanks, Gents.

Curtis, I did lose a backpacking lens that was in the cargo box. If any had to go, that's the one I can live with. I haven't attached and worked the rest, but did notice a clipping sound in a video of the site I took. I've back-burnered this as they're not covered by my auto policy anyway, but mostly are by another.

Not doing any shooting, will as soon as all this is over... which of late seems a very long time off.

We did look at the best-prospect van yesterday, but for a number of reasons it is not what was hoped for. We may be still interested but not at anywhere near the asking price.

So with some priority things mostly behind us, the search is finally on for another van -- and for the right van we may forgo the color we want.

In general, I'm very much running out of gas, and my concerns for Sandy's stress for so long have to be the priority. We really want to stick with a bus, but honestly the odds are now looking higher for not being able to. This has all been way too much.
_________________
‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[dhaavers]

Try to hang in there, man...lots of people pulling for ya around here,
and you're sure to turn a good corner sometime soon...

- Dave
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[E1]

WE JUST BOUGHT ANOTHER ASSUAN BROWN WESTY!!!!!
_________________
‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman