Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:10:08 -0800
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <RKoerner@AVANTMEDICAL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <RKoerner@AVANTMEDICAL.COM>
Subject: Re: As nice as, but better?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Mike, Randy's Foreign Car (619-299-2994) in the Morena District does
Subie conversions: $10,000 which also includes a complete new cooling
system and regearing of transmission; he says about a 10 week waiting
list, and about 2 weeks to do the job. I think he's done quite a few,
maybe ask for some references to see how customers like the result.
Rich
'85 Vanagon GL
San Diego
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Elliott [mailto:camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 7:20 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: As nice as, but better?
Robert, that's a very interesting idea. I have no - zero - interest in
doing a subie conversion, but if there is a shop in Southern California
that does good work, I'd look into it. I can't tell from KEP's website
if they do the work.
So, I wonder how happy a subie-powered 84 Westy with an automatic
transmission would be hauling some small putt-putt vehicle?
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR
Robert Fisher typed:
> It just occurred to me that if you already have that Forester
(assuming
> it would do well as a toad- I think modern autos tow better than older
> ones), probably the simplest solution is to do something like a Subie
> conversion to the Westy and tow the Forester. There's a whole bunch of
> Subie converts around here that'd mentor that project and in fact KEP
is
> in Lancaster/Palmdale.
>
> Cya,
> Robert
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Elliott"
> <camping.elliott@gmail.com>
> To: "Robert Fisher" <refisher@mchsi.com>
> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 5:33 PM
> Subject: Re: As nice as, but better?
>
>
>> Hi Robert,
>>
>> What an interesting idea! I wonder how well an automatic transmission
>> Vanagon tows?
>>
>> --
>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>> KG6RCR
>>
>>
>>
>> Robert Fisher typed:
>>> Well this may sound kind of strange but that never stopped me
before.
>>> I think if I were considering all of those circumstances I'd get one
>>> of the stronger mid-sized pickups or SUVs and put a tow bar on the
>>> Westy. The Westy serves as the trailer, the reliabilty issue is less
>>> of an issue, you get less miles on the Westy, more storage space,
you
>>> get to disconnect and run around and if one or the other breaks down
>>> you have a tow vehicle. You can also still fit into most of the
>>> places you would have gone with the Westy alone. Depending on the
>>> vehicle you chose you might even get close to the same milage as you
>>> would in the Westy, even with it as a toad.
>>> You also have the option of parking the tow vehicle and making
>>> shorter trips in the Westy; for instance say you went to the Grand
>>> Canyon and wanted to camp in various places nearby for a night each
>>> or so- you park the truck/suv in the park and take the Westy to the
>>> campground. Aside from that anybody can use a good pickup. :)
>>> Anyway that's probably what I'd do.
>>>
>>> Cya,
>>> Robert
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Elliott"
>>> <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 3:52 PM
>>> Subject: As nice as, but better?
>>>
>>>
>>>> Mrs Squirrel and I are tossing around ideas for fulltiming, or at
least
>>>> long-terming. We love Mellow Yellow, we love its floorplan, we love
its
>>>> 360-degree views. We don't love its reliability vis a vis a newer
>>>> vehicle, and while van camping is nearly ideal, because it lets us
>>>> visit
>>>> places too out of the way for the "generator people," a van makes a
>>>> quick trip into town for a bottle of aspirin, a restaurant dinner,
or a
>>>> movie more difficult than a trailer because you can't just drive
away
>>>> from camp without some tear down and setup.
>>>>
>>>> So while a small trailer is another option, with a husky little
vehicle
>>>> like a Subaru Forester, the eentsier campgrounds might be harder to
get
>>>> into, and none of the trailers we've seen (Casita, Scamp, T@B,
>>>> [Airstreams are too heavy]) have the tidy and sensible floorplan
>>>> that we
>>>> love about our Westy, nor do they have anywhere the window space. I
>>>> expect that just about everyone on this group knows what we're
talking
>>>> about. It's all about finding the right balance of compromises for
the
>>>> individual camping style.
>>>>
>>>> Mrs Squirrel asked me to write this group, figuring that there may
be
>>>> some folks here that have seen alternatives that they've found to
be
>>>> nearly as good. Main things: more reliable and windows, maybe all
this
>>>> in small trailer format.
>>>>
>>>> While this thread isn't one that I'd like to see take up much
bandwidth
>>>> on the Vanagon list, but the list membership are nevertheless the
ideal
>>>> folk to ask this question of, so if anyone has thoughts, please
p-mail
>>>> me. Mrs Squirrel will receive a copy of anything you send, for her
>>>> consideration.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>>>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>>>> KG6RCR
>>>
>
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