Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 20:50:10 -0700
Reply-To: Kim Springer <kimspringer@RCN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Kim Springer <kimspringer@RCN.COM>
Subject: Inside a GEX 2.0L engine, not pretty. LVC
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Yes, they did do good work a long time ago, or at least they made one good
engine. My father's '67 SingleCab has had a GEX in it for as long as I can
remember.
I know he has had Freds Garage in Redwood City tighten the heads at least 2
times, but the darn thing keeps on going and going. I remember 4 or 5 years
ago thinking that I should keep my eyes open for a new engine for him, maybe
dual port this time.
He hung the poster of the all-butte-naked model poster that came with the
engine in the back bedroom. It's been there for so long I bet the model has
grey hair by now!
Just wait, I'll probably get a call tomorrow that the thing finally blew!
By the way, I'm still looking for a rear gate for his truck if anyone has a
line on one.
Kim
> As Jeff said, GEX did do decent work a very long time ago in a galaxy far,
> far away. Actually they did great work in their Baldwin Park, CA location
> up until the late 70s when management changes sent their quality into the
> toilet. I know this from first-hand experience having practically growing
> up virtually next door to the place in the late 60s to 70s (OK, it was a
> couple of miles west of my house down Arrow Hwy, then two blocks over on
> Nubia Street) and using several of their engines in the various VWs I
owned
> and drove.
>
> In those days, they couldn't supply their product fast enough to the local
> folks, let alone truck shipments to every which way they were headed. And
> the "defective rate" was so low it was unheard of. But they went cheep on
> the local inexperienced labor pool (with minimum instruction) to maximize
> profits, cheep on their engine components and instead of rebuilding the
> heads in-house, farmed it out to a machine shop outfit that had a
> questionable rep (later found out to be one of the worst in the So Cal VW
> scene). It's a shame.
> --
> Jim Thompson
> 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
> 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
> 73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
> 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
> oldvolkshome@gmail.com
> http://www.oldvolkshome.com
> ***********************************
> On 8/7/07, Jeff Stewart <fonman4277@comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> > My first Westy, a '76 with a highly bastardized 1.8 that had a single
> > Weber carb, was a GEX rebuild. If the PO was correct, it had 75K on it
when
> > I bought it. On it's first oil change by me, chunks of what looked like
> > crumpled aluminum foil came out in the oil! I thought for sure it's days
> > were numbered. But, I figured what the hell, I'm gonna drive it til it
> > blows-6K later it was still going strong! Then I sold it to a guy who
drove
> > it 75 miles a day to work and back for a year, then he sold it. That
engine
> > never did quit-as far as I know anyway, I lost track of it after that.
It
> > would have been rebuilt sometime around 1996-1997. I've heard at one
time
> > GEX did do decent work-a long,long time ago. Jeff
>
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