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1vw4x4
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2005
Posts: 472
Location: Pgh. PA
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 Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:02 pm Post subject: List of Parts worth saving and Rebuilding |
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IT would be helpful if we had a posted list of parts that are rebuild-able, or can be stripped for use as parts donors.
I've seen too many people throw away parts that have value. I personally have installed many new parts available today only to find the old removed part is actually better than the new installed piece.
Many parts with a minimum of work can be given a second life and serve effectively for a long long time.
A good example of this is the Syncro fuel sending unit.
I've rebuild many of these.
Let's consider the wiring harness as well. Many of the connectors can be harvested and reused for repair work.
Many obvious things like starters, and fuel injectors, can also be reused after an easy refurbishment.
I've welded many parts back together from two that were rusted away.
We already have a thread on here that encourages people to pass along good used parts to other members rather than simply throw them away.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=478468
If we had a list of parts worth saving and passing along, it would be very helpful to the hobby as a whole. |
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campism
Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007
Posts: 4710
Location: Richmond VA
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Alternator. I had the bearings start making noise during a trip and swapped in my spare. The original still makes electricity and I've read these can be rebuilt by civilians, so it sounds like it would be worth a try.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic, tragically crushed by a falling hickory tree in my own driveway and now gone, leaving me Vanagonless and with no plans to replace it, alas. |
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 9:53 am Post subject: |
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Way back when--and probably way prior to most of you even being around yet, fuel pumps, starter's, generators, alternators, brake cylinder's, brake shoes, most everything was rebuilt on a vehicle excluding obvious wear items.
Now--nobody has the time to be doing such things--
Buy somebodies else's problem that was expressline, half assed remanned South of the border--
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T.K.
Last edited by Terry Kay on Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32988
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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PDXWesty
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6344
Location: Portland OR
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 9:59 am Post subject: |
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It's really a simple equation for some of us: Time = Money
If you value your time and have money, it sometimes makes more sense to buy a new $40 part rather than taking 4 hours to recondition it. There's always a tipping point for me though and I do enjoy the process or rebuilding, but I have to pick and choose my projects these days based on limited free time. Sad but true.
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto |
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:03 am Post subject: |
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I have never seen of or heard of a blower motor rebuilding kit available anywhere including Warshawski's--and if they didn't have it--you didn't need it.
There IS a BIG difference of being sensable, and Frugal Dave.
Your two feet deep into squeaky Frugal.
That dash job took & sucked up more time than was reasonable.
And here is the key--being reasonable in your time managment.
If you were on commission you'd be starvin' Marvin.
Then there was the heater re-configuration mambo.
How much time did you kill on that--and for what?
Your not even sure on that caper--
Hobby--sure-- kill all the time you want.
If you got somewhere to be, something to do besides screwing around re-engineering a Vanagon forget about it--
Rebuilding & re-engineering for your own pleasure is two different animals--
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T.K. |
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61Scout
Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2011
Posts: 1297
Location: Shoreline/Yakima WA
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:42 am Post subject: |
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No, Life is time, time is money.
Unless you have nothing else better to do--go ahead and kill it at whatever rate you want.
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T.K. |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32988
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:15 am Post subject: |
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It's a hobby as I mentioned.
Some guys will spend years building a radio controlled quarter scale model of the Enola Gay, just to stuff it into the ground on it's maiden flight.
It's a hobby.
Time has more value here than taking the long road around the block approach, but I will rebuild what normally is considered rebuildable, I wouldn't enter into the abiss and kill a week or two re-engineering the impossible.
_________________
T.K.
Last edited by Terry Kay on Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:07 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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wcdennis
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2004
Posts: 955
Location: Winston-Salem NC
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:58 am Post subject: |
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| If time is really money, who is getting paid to hang out on Samba? Who would even own a Vanagon or any antique vehicle, for that matter? No question, most of us do this stuff for fun, those who are trying to make a living at it, who are calculating the rate of return, are in the minority, by a long shot. |
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Gruppe B
Samba Member
Joined: January 16, 2007
Posts: 1331
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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I have a Champion Spark Plug Cleaner for sale if anyone is interested.
"Guaranteed to give your sparkplugs another 5000 miles or your money back" |
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MarkWard
Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005
Posts: 19069
Location: Retired South Florida
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I have figured out how to replace a blown tungsten bulb filament with one made from bamboo. I got the idea from Thomas Edison. These rebuilt bulbs last forever. |
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campism
Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007
Posts: 4710
Location: Richmond VA
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:23 pm Post subject: |
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Power steering rack. I bought a seal kit from Bus Depot and gave it a try, but I had the luxury of the Westy being our third vehicle (fourth if you count the motorcycle) so the downtime and "wasted hours" were educational. I could have ordered a new rack and had the job done in a day but that is not how I approached it. Incidentally, without input and a pre-blazed path from fellow Sambanistas I might not even have attempted that fix.
Now that I'm retired I can devote even more time to pursuits others might call useless or, as some might say, inverted on a cost/benefit basis. Of course, if it were 60 and not sleeting outside and I wanted to go camping I might just buy that steering rack, or whatever. It's all in what you value.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic, tragically crushed by a falling hickory tree in my own driveway and now gone, leaving me Vanagonless and with no plans to replace it, alas. |
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insyncro
Banned
Joined: March 07, 2002
Posts: 15086
Location: New York
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Every single part that was on a Vanagon when it rolled off the assembly line is worth rebuilding...except the plastic parts.
Heck, I'm opting to cut up vans for replacement panels now as what you can get from vendors is not worth even trying to make work.
The quality of remanufactured today is bunk compared to the parts originally on the vehicle.
Most of these parts lastest 200,000 miles compared to rebuilt today ....about 30k-50k miles, if you are lucky.
The main issue I have with rebuilding, is that the rebuild parts from FLAPs are just as poor as the rebuilt units they sell.
Most of my seals and replaceable parts I use are not from US distribution.
The Euro vendors have some far superior products and rebuild kits available.
Yes shipping is high and the wait...but the rebuilt part you than have actually works.
My stash of good cores is HUGE and none to date have failed me or the van I have put them on after properly rebuilding them and coating the exterior of the part to keep the elements at bay. |
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rlevans
Samba Member
Joined: January 19, 2006
Posts: 193
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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Wow Gruppe I have one of those spark plug cleaner / testers also. I live a ways out of town so its not always feasable to run in for a $3 plug so the Champion unit sees alot of action (and it works great to bring a fouled plug back into aciton)
ha ha Terry, I've been there with the 1/4 scale RC airplane but the EBOLA gay probably should be buried.
(snicker). Did you do that on purpose? Hope theres no vets on here  |
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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Boy,
I've done some typos in my day.
The Ebloa Gay was just that, but a pretty funny and an on time error--
If a guy is retarded, I mean retired, he has nothing but all kinds of time to kill.
Rebuilding lug nuts would be a fine way to eat up all kinds of hours .
Bamboo light bulb replacement filiments is a good way to eat up some time--
Me?
Got more important things to do.
_________________
T.K.
Last edited by Terry Kay on Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:11 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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EL31415
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2009
Posts: 192
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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How do you preserve those parts ?
Dry ? Wet in oil or gaz or ....?
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1985 Westy |
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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Cosmoline.
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T.K. |
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Sir Sam
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2009
Posts: 1724
Location: Fort Collins Colorado!
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| wcdennis wrote: |
| If time is really money, who is getting paid to hang out on Samba? |
I am, I spending many hours on the samba reading and posting while I'm getting paid.
Of course then when I'm not on the samba I'm not getting paid to work on a van.
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'91 Carat Westy
87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon |
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