82 Vanagon Transaxle Ship From San Jose CA?

[weisswurst]

Hello all Forum members, I am a newbie and the proud owner of 2 diesel vanagons, one that is heavily modified and a bit of a "frankenstein" and another one that is BONE stock and a totally original engine as well as inside and out. I just had my first visit from Colin this past weekend and when we dug in we got so busy that I even got to have him for an extra half day too. ( I promise the post of the visit with pics is coming!!)
I learned so much and we accomplished alot as well.

Colin suggested that I reach out to the forum people for some help with a situation. We did transaxle flushes for both vanagons and we found something that even Colin has never seen before, ( I will let him make the post of what we found and won't steal the thunder from the pics he took). Let's just say I could really use a replacement donor transaxle.
I have located a original transmission near San Jose and it is from an 82 diesel as well!
The seller pulled it out of his to put in a "taller gear" version he claimed. He also said it was shifting fine when he pulled it. It is without the bell housing so it's not very big either.
It is sitting upright in a standard size milk crate in his garage, measurements are 19x12 X15 and 85 lbs

My wish is to fully restore this '82 diesel keeping it factory stock and continue to drive it while the process is being done. Colin will fill the forum in on how this is possible even with what we found and he also said would be nice if we could find a local member to "grab" this for me and hold it till he or someone is headed by me anytime soon. Colin told me yesterday he is planning for a Cali trip in a few months or so and would get it if I had not worked out shipping arrangements by then (which I am willing to do of course with any member but the seller is not willing to box, crate or ship).
I am willing to paypal the seller directly to make the pickup easier but would prefer to paypal a IAC member and the fee's associated with cashing in the paypal so a member could pay the seller in person since I don't really know the seller and in my short time here I've seen posts from the members here giving away parts to people who can't afford them and generally being "good people".
Well that's it, I'm going to see what the forum has to help or say about this and only add that I probably don't have to tell anyone here how rare this tranny is and misunderstood the slow diesels are but I love them and they help "slow me down" and help me enjoy life more when I get behind the wheel of one of them for my weekly driving session.
best wishes
Jeff in Florida

[luftvagon]

Have you checked USHIP.com?

[BellePlaine]

As a Minnesotan, I cannot help you with the San Jose transmission transfer, but I did want to chime in to say that;

a) I wish I had a diesel Vanagon, preferably a camper. I'd bet the torque of a diesel power plant is well suited to the needs of a bus and,
b) I also wish I had a weisswurst, preferably with a Bavarian soft pretzel and a half liter of hefeweizen.

Cheers!
BellePlaine

[weisswurst]

As a Minnesotan, I cannot help you with the San Jose transmission transfer, but I did want to chime in to say that;

a) I wish I had a diesel Vanagon, preferably a camper. I'd bet the torque of a diesel power plant is well suited to the needs of a bus and,
b) I also wish I had a weisswurst, preferably with a Bavarian soft pretzel and a half liter of hefeweizen.

Cheers!
BellePlaine

Thanks BellePlaine, I have a two vanagons with wurst names, Weisswurst the white one and a yellow one the Currywurst both diesels!
It's hard to pick a favorite but the white one was my first and coincidentally my wife is working on sewing Bavarian checkered curtains and pretzel pillows for her insides too!
Colin loved them both BTW especially on the test drives...
thanks for the kind delicious post...
here's kind of an old pic since proper tires have been added
since then and of course the square headlights are wrong on an 82 diesel (not me)
I am reversing it soon of course!
Jeff

[tristessa]

One of the biggest things I miss about Germany is currywurst, and I was only there for two weeks.

Can't help with the transmission from Oregon, and the geographically-nearest people I know .. well, I don't think she'd be too keen on having a transmission around her place in SF. Her four-year-old daughter would probably think it was cool, but...

[weisswurst]

One of the biggest things I miss about Germany is currywurst, and I was only there for two weeks..

Thanks for the post tristessa, I think you may enjoy this article on the VW "spare part" that can be ordered
for breakfast... enjoy!
Jeff

link to article in english...
http://www.nomadic-one.com/reflect/esse ... nformation

pasted from the article...

History of the Volkswagen Currybockwurst

For many years Tuesday is Currybockwurst day at the VW factory in Wolfsburg - Germany. VW tradition is to eat this VW Original Spare Part at 7am during breakfast time.

From 1938 the VW sausage is made in the kitchen of the VW factory. From 1973 it became a curry sausage - known as the CurryBockWurst. Since the BSE schandal in 1999, any traces of Beef are eradicated from the original this Original Volkswagen Spare Part recipe.


Original Volkswagen Spare part on display at Sausage Museum in Berlin
Nowadays the curry meat mix is produced by the Raps factory and processed into the CurryBockWurst at the kitchen of the VW factory in Wolfsburg. In 2008 a whopping amount of 3.5 million original VW spare parts came from this very kitchen. 1.6 million sausages where consumed by about 90.000 VW workers worldwide. The rest was shipped to Edeka and Porsche in Leipzig. Edeka is a well known supermarket chain in Germany which has the original Volkswagen spare parts in stock.

The Curry Sausage Museum in Berlin has original VW spare parts on display - and undoubtedly to have a go at the only VW spare part produced for consumption.

[sailorkh]

I might be able to help you out here. I live in Alameda and could go and grab it for you, and I have a storage container that I could store it in until someone picks it up. I have 4 days off for Thanksgiving, so that would be a good time for me. Let me know if that would work for you.

[weisswurst]

sailorkh, that would be incredible! I am so glad I found this forum and having a visit from Colin last week was the "bee's knees"! I'm posting a pic of the item and the interesting box the seller used to pack it in.
(will never survive UPS). I read on a website of the better known transaxle guy (Daryll) that there is a recommended way to make an correct box.

link below
http://www.aatransaxle.com/Frequently%2 ... stions.htm
pasted from link..
"UPS is generally the best shipping method we have found in the US. The local Mailboxes Etc. or Post net type outlets charge a much higher rate (double) than taking it to the real UPS center. The newer UPS stores charge about 10% more than the UPS center's. For example an 80 Lb. Jetta trans going from here (Seattle) to NY costs about $100 to ship.
I use heavy cardboard boxes with the transmission wrapped in 3" of heavy duty 1" bubble wrap or heavy duty foam and extra cardboard placed so it won't punch through the box. 2 boxes nested together make a stronger box also. Styrofoam turns to dust and packing peanuts are worthless with heavy objects. Pieces of wood turn into toothpicks. Please make sure the oil is drained completely and wrap the tranny in garbage bags to try to contain any leakage. Leave switches in, leave slave cyl bracket's on and remove mounts. I get boxes that have not been drained of oil and it makes a big mess. The key to shipping heavy things is to make the trans secure in its box so it will not move...at all...For most of you, bubble wrap is the best choice...pack it well and tightly...I have had Syncro's shipped with a piece of 3/8 plywood at the nose get punched thru...The gorillas in the shipping warehouses hate heavy boxes and treat them with no respect.
For $50 additional, I can ship a box with bubble wrap padding to help insure a syncro trans arrives here safely."

I am contacting the seller to see if he's cool with the timeframe you suggested and man, I appreciate this!
of course the gas and any after mission is complete beers are on me, I really owe you one sailorkh.
be sure to read Colin's write up under the Miami calls on the board to see my gear teeth stuck to my drain plug! Colin said the van shouldn't even be giving us 3rd gear any more but he (currywurst) still is!!
jeff

[weisswurst]

update, the packing appears to be getting more nutty...
although Colin's last name is still very visible
anybody else think UPS will run from this package?
Or if not the pallet wood would never hold the tranny
from leaving the box I'm sure. (wood would) just caught that...

sailorkh , I'm putting all my eggs in your basket and I'm PM'ing you the address and
this samba dude's email. He responded with this last pic and said a pick up would be
fine. either I or Colin will collect the item as winter ends if that is ok?
I am in visiting Cali in January or Colin mentioned to me he may be in the area sometime
on the next tour.
thanks so much to the forum here!
jeff

[Amskeptic]

update, the packing appears to be getting more nutty...
although Colin's last name is still very visible
anybody else think UPS will run from this package?

Think "crash safety".

If you go for a hard package (wood) the G-loads between the contents and the packaging skyrocket.
If you go for a soft package (blankets bubble wrap double cardboard all wrapped endlessly with packaging tape) then there are no g-loads between the packaging and the contents.

Because your content is a sturdy metal case, make the packaging the soft style.

If you were to use the wood method, I would get a pallet, strap the transaxle to the pallet with that tough nylon strapping strapped damn good and tight, then build a wood shell around it. Bletch, too much work. 85 lbs is just not that bad.
Colin Yes-I AM a billionaire cereal CEO who likes to dress casual

[sailorkh]

PM sent. As long as that crate can fit in my bus, were good to go. I'll try getting a hold of the seller, and maybe I can get down there this weekend and get it for you. I think if either you or Colin could pick it up, that would be the best route. I can ship it out from work via UPS, or I could put it on a pallet and ship it via truck if you need it sooner, but your talkin $$ there. I can store it in my container for as long as you want. but I might start chargin ya rent about this time next year
I'll let ya know what's goin on after I get in contact with the seller.

[tristessa]

Thanks for the post tristessa, I think you may enjoy this article on the VW "spare part" that can be ordered
for breakfast...

I had that for lunch the day we visited the Autostadt, washed down with Mezzo Mix instead of beer because there was no way in hell I'd get my wife to drive on the Autobahn if it proved necessary. Unfortunately, our rental was a Focus...

[weisswurst]

Thanks for the post tristessa, I think you may enjoy this article on the VW "spare part" that can be ordered
for breakfast...

I had that for lunch the day we visited the Autostadt, washed down with Mezzo Mix instead of beer because there was no way in hell I'd get my wife to drive on the Autobahn if it proved necessary. Unfortunately, our rental was a Focus...

If you ever go to Bavaria I know a guy who rents stick shift diesel transporters (vanagons basically) for the same price as a regular rental car. Also there is another guy who has a small fleet of easy to drive sprinter class "c" motorhomes for around 170 a day and that's cheaper than a hotel and car. I took one to Austria last year and it was really fun camping in the mountains in one.
Jeff

[tristessa]

I'll keep it in mind, but it'll be a couple of years at this point. We've got flights & hotels booked for next summer, but farther north .. in Finland & Estonia. =D

[hercdriver]

If UPS becomes an issue, I've shipped (a slider door) via Greyhound. It wasn't fast, but for it's size and weight I remember the price being reasonable (shipped west coast to east coast).

http://shipgreyhound.com/e/Pages/Home.aspx

PS Weisswurst is something I'd love to source in the states. Weisswurst and heffeweizen were some of my favorites in Bayern.