The Official Vanagon Chitchat Thread

[Zeitgeist 13]

The tilting instrument cluster is its most redeeming feature. Have mercy on your $oul
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[joetiger]

[E1]

Way to go Joe, Congrats.

Motor sounds so good at high revs a trick exhaust would be fun.
_________________
‘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

[Zeitgeist 13]

[Gnarlodious]

_________________
Vanagon ’83 diesel AAZ w/Giles injection, 5spd 4.57R&P+TBD and a '78 diesel Rabbit

[E1]

Don't take this the wrong way, but you have some fine tomatoes.
_________________
‘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

[Abscate]

[shadetreemech]

Just read the first post in this topic. I'd like to contribute.

I bought my first Vanagon, an '84 GL, in April of 1990, to haul my wife of one year and our blended families. We were expecting a child and wanted room for all. She was my High School sweetheart. We met in '68, I took off to see the world and got lost on the way back. It took me 16 years to get through the Basic Training part of my life and track her down again. We were married happily for 30 years, wrote our own Book of Life. She passed away in August of 2018.

Here's the Vanagon part: Part of my philosophy is based on a quote from Epictetus, a philosopher that lived a couple thousand years ago. He said, "It's not what occurs, it's how you respond that matters". Add to that something someone once told me, "You Eat Life or Life Eat You". With those two thoughts as a guide, I resolved to deal with my wife's death in a constructive manner. I bought an '88 Westy.

We had owned the '84 GL for 28 years. I had maintained and repaired it for decades; I knew what I was getting into. I found the van I was looking for in the Samba Classifieds; 25 miles away and $10K less than what I was prepared to pay. I asked my wife posthumously about buying it. Her answer was, "As long as you name it after me". I had custom stickers made for the rear quarter panels that say "Miss Dorothy". Promise kept.

I bought a National Parks Interagency Lifetime Senior Pass and spent my 67th birthday out at Joshua Tree getting to know the Westy. I took off for Death Valley between Christmas and New Year's, trying out my Little Buddy heater. I met Eric (E1) and his wife out there at Mesquite Springs. They were in their replacement Westy. I realized I had driven past Meteor Crater out on Route 66 a couple dozen times since I was a kid, so my next trip was to Grand Canyon, a day's drive from home. Spent the night and went to Meteor Crater the next day, then on to Winslow. Subsequent trips were to Canyon De Chelly, Chaco Canyon (on Spring Equinox), and Cedar Mesa in Utah. That turned into Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion. I was still working but able to use up a lot of vacation time. I've since retired. I am still learning.

Here's the point: The Westy became an important part of my do-it-yourself therapy. I spent a lot of windshield time talking to my wife, creating balance between what I wanted and what I had and reviewing the tenets of my own cobbled-together philosophy. I slept in some remote places, spent a lot of time by myself and went to "go see". The Westy gave me the freedom to get away from the familiar and miss it, the opportunity to sit up in front, looking out the windshield and be right here, right now. I've met some good people, many of them driving Westies. "Miss Dorothy" has carried me into the next phase of my life, Act III, if you will. I'm planning an extended trip for Spring of next year. I'm still here, I'm still alive, I'm going to "go see."

I've received a lot of condolences; my wife was well-known and well-loved. My answer is usually the same, "Thank you. I was married to the most beautiful woman and the best person I ever met for 30 years. I figure I came out ahead"

Happy Trails & Good Luck,

Dan
_________________
'84 GL 1.9
'01 Volvo V70 T5
'88 Westy - "MZDRTHY"

[michaelbteam]

That's a sweet post. Right outside my door, my van beckons, and we're just waiting for a little cooler weather, to "go see." Thanks for that!

[E1]

DAN!!!

Awesome!

Just read your post to Sandy. We're both freaking out, so happy you've found some things along the way. Heartfelt Congrats. We have, too, at least a little more.

Wonderful post, Thank You. Happy Travels.
_________________
‘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

[Abscate]

Just read Dans post.

That’s all I have to say about that.
_________________
.ssS!

[Steve M.]

[Jake de Villiers]

[levi]

Here's to "sitting up front" in life.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[joetiger]

Thanks for writing that, Dan.
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[E1]

Is it possible I'm not as much of a dead ringer for Fabio as I think I am?
_________________
‘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

[bobbyblack]

Oh, my! I've got to stay tuned to hear what all gets said on that !!


_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[E1]

I bought a tie.

_________________
‘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

[riceye]

[Sodo]

So here's what I did yesterday.

itellya.... dragging a long-dead cedar log out of the woods, and cutting it up into boards is satisfying.

Here in the PNW, a 2X8 costs $11/linear foot at the lumber store, so every 10 foot board coming off that beam would cost $110.

That ONE beam has about 7 of them (--->$770)
How can that possibly be?
Half of a 11 foot log yields $770 in lumber?
It's true. (if I had a buyer)
Well it's pretty satisfying to slide each "$110 board" off.

Got a big pile of boards.
Something like $3000 ?? in "retail value", again, .....if I had a "retail buyer".
And I wouldn't have to store them.
But now I have quality material for my "projects".
_________________


'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb