a friend of mine just moved to Portland..  he's got a '83.5 van.. on the trip
cross country his 4spd tranny started getting worse, and now it hangs up in
4th and he has difficulty getting it out of 4th or downshifting..     he is
aware of the 3rd/4th gear slider hub crack problem and wants to have it
professionally checked out..
also, since he just moved there, he'd like to find a reputable Vanagon
friendly vw repair shop for general work..  any reccomendations?

he'd also like to meet any portland area listmembers or other vanagon
enthusiasts in the area...
please respond with shop info or reccomendations..
thanks

chris