I decided to hold on to my wallet and avoid buying any rare parts that I do not really need. It is really tempting to buy rare parts specially when they are reasonably priced. Some guys have garages full of junk parts that they don’t know what to do with. Yours truly has come to the realization that I need to be in a “parts diet” and avoid falling into the junk trap.
During the show, I saw a few new pre-67 buses that joined the VW bus community. As expected, rare parts are priced a bit high. Many bargain hunters were aggressively prowling the whole show area.
I was looking for a good doghouse shroud and saw a few that are in shabby state. I came upon a nice guy who is selling a complete 1600 engine for $350. The doghouse in it is in very good condition and I asked how much is the doghouse. He said that he is thinking of selling the engine as a whole instead of piecing it out. He said that he rebuilt the engine 15 years ago and used brand new pistons. For the cylinder heads, he used a used pair and when he started it, he noticed that cylinder #3 does not have a lot of compression. Though $350 is a good price, it is still a risky purchase because brand new cylinder heads are pricey. The guy is not an engine builder and so I don’t know how well he did in rebuilding this engine. He told me that his wife has cancer and they are temporarily staying in southern California so that his wife can be treated at a specially hospital here. He has sold two of his pre-67 buses and all his parts to fund his wife’s treatment. I felt bad for the guy and wanted to help him. Unfortunately it would be a $350 gamble for me to buy his engine which I am not willing to pull the trigger on. I apologized to the nice fellow and told him that I am hoping that his wife eventually recovers from her battle with cancer.
The crowd at the show was light. By mid-morning, I decided to leave the show early because I still have things to do at the house.
