Blog
It’s not just the actual work
I just saw a hilarious image on imgur that I'm sure many people can relate to. It's got profanity, so sorry if you're offended but man is it funny: It reminds me that it's not just the time spent actually bolting things together in most automotive projects that really takes up most of your time. It's also easy to forget just how much of a time suck and headache inducing situation it is when you aren't all planned out and organized, especially when you are doing a project for the first time. Without knowing what is in store when setting off on a project, it's easy to miss things and honestly,
Read MoreReply and tickets
This is an open reply to two threads on thesamba, rather than repost, I will post here, and past in links: Sorry to Marvin if the replies to the MCHS ticket thread were insufficient, they were much slower than I had realized and sorry we didn't answer all your questions. The reason we don't support variation to the kit is that we don't have experience with it, nor can we support things we didn't sell/develop. We don't oppose it at all, in fact we welcome it (the airbox dev work people have been doing is great, and we will likely shift to one of those variants) don't get me wrong, but we can't
No Regrets Rebate up to $1000 off the RG2 Bostig Conversion System
Tax refunds and no regrets rebates! This spring is the one to stop making yourself promises and start getting out there and travelling in and enjoying your van. We've all done it, we say this is the year I'm going to make that big trip happen. Of all the customers that have finally done their big trips, they almost all say the same thing afterwards... Why didn't I do this sooner? In thinking about why that happens, we decided we could help! We're offering the "No Regrets rebate". With MOST automotive projects, people start to collect parts before there's a project plan. This often leads to lot
HC Oilpan draining, and Bostig as Apple
I just replied to a recent thread on theSamba that might interest some folks, it was about not being able to get all the oil drained when doing an oil change with the High Capacity oilpan. Original thread is http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7119695 On the draining of the HC Oilpan, without the skidplate you'll get just about eveything out other than the height of the threads and gasket radius needed to seal when level. If you put the driver's wheel up on a ramp or jack it you can get more, but it shouldn't be enough to be worth it. If you have the skidplate installed all the ti
The point of a Vanagon!
A quick note I wanted to share from a customer that I just got: Headed up the Oregon coast to Portland and then back to New Mexico. >3000 miles round trip. I'm no "mechanic" (had troubles with burping the cooling system), but I have learned about every system with the Bostig and don't really feel like there is anything that can't be fixed. So, why not stray far from home? That's the point of a Vanagon! Couldn't put it better myself!
Getting Vanagon priorities straight when it comes to DIY engine conversions
I just ran across a post on theSamba in which conversions were being discussed. One quote popped out at me because while it's not uncommon, it is the single root of so much known and largely unknown misery in vanagonland that it needs to be addressed! The quote was (in reference to the Bostig): “what about power Wise ? fuel economy ? I understand the reliability side ,...but reliability without other qualities is so/so ......” This is exactly upside down. Without reliability, NOTHING else matters. It doesn't matter one bit if you've got loads of horsepower potential but the engine
Organically grown car guys/gals
We want to avoid turning Vanagon people into car hobbyists organically. That's the hard way. Eventually we all learn that as the car hobby depth increases, it actually turns into more down time and less travelling, for a painfully long period of learning the hard way. Worse, it wastes a lot of money. It doesn't mean you won't reach the point where it can go the other way again, but many people can't bridge that gap and abandon the whole idea of the vanagon if the failures are frequent or large enough in cost. The phenomenon of cars being worked on until they're totaled (like in an accident, an
Optimal torque curve for a Vanagon
Someone recentaly asked this question on the Samba, and I replied with the following. It reflects my philosophy on building vanagons: I’ve seen several charts showing power bands but what would be optimal? The westy is heavy and bad uphill. Good question. First you have to define "optimal". It will be subjective. For many on this board, optimal will simply mean "most" which is literally self-destructive and very costly to embrace as a philosophy. My answer would be: You should shoot for as little torque as you can stand to drive with if your top priority is to use/travel with the van and