IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

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Amskeptic
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IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Aug 23, 2016 9:52 pm

Burbank! Old stomping grounds. Just a few miles from where I rebuilt the Road Warrior's 100,000 mile engine in a parking lot cuz I thought it would be a good idea.

Second visit to tommu and his gorgeous yellow Karmann Ghia:

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Although Itinerant Time may seem like .. .. .. :
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.. .. .. I was but ten minutes late, in good ol' LA monday morning commuter traffic, no less.

Today's project was to, well, I will let the pictures tell the tale:

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What you didn't see was the lightened flywheel we removed, the hideously imbalanced lightened flywheel. We reduced the endplay by a .001" or so, and installed a good solid serious proper inertial mass stock 13 lb flywheel and pressure plate, balanced at Rimco was it? and we installed a new front seal and graphite o-ring. Engine is much smoother now. As it should be. As it once was. As always, a pleasure to chat with tommu and enjoy his outstanding coffee.

Drove to a McDonalds with electrical outlets and was prepared to be a properly pissed-off old poot at the damn noise spewing out of the ceiling speakers, but it was actually a brilliant playlist of favorite 80's that I remember from when I lived in LA during the 80s. Camped at a park. Me? I didn't even know it existed, off Woodley and Burbank Boulevards, utilizing the flood control engineering by promising to wash us park denizens away whilst saving the ugly apartment complexes surrounding it. No rain, good crickets, utter peace and quiet, no lights! perfect. Was shaving in my shockingly indifferent attire in the morning, happily enjoying the privacy of this oasis in San Fernando Valley when I saw heads, four of them, glide up behind the car and stop. Oh. A golf course. I was the shocking scene just over the fence at the fourth hole.

Drove to Tarzana, my biennial pilgrimmage to the fancy neighborhood of the country. Worked on lovine's '79 with lovine. His beloved did not help us under the car this year. She had created other commitments since my last visit:

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It was a day of taming an errant AFM, adjusting a stop plate, making an engine/transaxle position adjustment, forcing lovine to zero in and focus intently on the seating of heater pipes and valves, and driving around the neighborhood and the famous Hollywood Freeway whilst checking air/fuel ratios and CHTs. I like these guys:

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Back at the Agua Dulce campsite, so peaceful and quiet and no golf course. Checking rear brakes in the morning and diving into the LA scrum for a visit to Wolfsburg West and maybe Satchmo>
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

luftvagon
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by luftvagon » Wed Aug 24, 2016 8:59 am

:sunny:
1981 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia - air-cooled Type4 1970cc CV (hydraulic lifters, 42x36 valves, stock cam, microSquirt FI with wasted spark ignition)
1993 Ford F-250 XL LWB Extended Cab 7.3L IDI

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airkooledchris
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by airkooledchris » Wed Aug 24, 2016 11:13 am

FOUR!

man, that's a beautiful red bay. LOVE red late bays.
1979 California Transporter

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Bleyseng
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by Bleyseng » Wed Aug 24, 2016 3:46 pm

I was enjoying the 71 yellow ghia... How come no throttle positioner? And what that in the upper left of the engine bay? A fuel regulator?
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/

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tommu
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by tommu » Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:14 pm

Bleyseng wrote:I was enjoying the 71 yellow ghia... How come no throttle positioner? And what that in the upper left of the engine bay? A fuel regulator?
Herman, as he has be known to go by, hasn't been used nearly enough recently. I'm hoping to put that right.

I have the positioner in a box still. I have the luxury of storage space so I have absolutely everything I've swapped or removed over the last few years.
It was a victim of my confused troubleshooting back in 2011. I thought about putting it back to be totally stock but it doesn't really serve a purpose - for me.

The fuel regulator is a remnant of my misguided dual carb days. It does allow me to easily control pressure without affecting flow so it stays there for now.. until next time Colin drops in and we compress a spring!

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tommu
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by tommu » Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:12 pm

Amskeptic wrote: Second visit to tommu and his gorgeous yellow Karmann Ghia:

What you didn't see was the lightened flywheel we removed, the hideously imbalanced lightened flywheel. We reduced the endplay by a .001" or so, and installed a good solid serious proper inertial mass stock 13 lb flywheel and pressure plate, balanced at Rimco was it? and we installed a new front seal and graphite o-ring. Engine is much smoother now. As it should be. As it once was. As always, a pleasure to chat with tommu and enjoy his outstanding coffee.
It was a pleasure to spend another day with you Colin. Parts came from Rimco who were very fast indeed with my order and are seemingly good..

Herman (as he has been named) is very happy. He's driving better now than any time since at least 1981! Just need to work out what to do with his nose.. and the bumpers. I hate body issues.

Let us know how it goes at Wolfsburg West.

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Amskeptic
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:00 am

tommu wrote:A) I hate body issues.

B) Let us know how it goes at Wolfsburg West.
a) Oh, me too. Unlike you, I haven't gained enough weight to fully answer this rotundity and misshapenness and susceptibility to gravity's cruel effects every day. It's like I am made of un-cured bondo or sumpin. As perplexing, anything that secretes seems to want to secrete more abundantly and less willing to obey my requests not to do so. That includes the keratin factory known as "eyebrow hair" which can grow to several inches in length now.


b) Wolfsburg West, in about thirty minutes. I am at a "McCafe" sporting trendy vinyl cushions for seating, they are so cool at McDonald's they have LOCKS over the electrical outlets so you can't do your "cafe" thing.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Ronin10
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by Ronin10 » Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:33 am

Amskeptic wrote:That includes the keratin factory known as "eyebrow hair" which can grow to several inches in length now.
Clearly, you're missing the stylistic opportunity to braid your eyebrow hair into your earhair. That's what I'm aiming for as the years go by.
Oscar: 1976 Sage Green Bus, Stock Motor, Solid Lifters, Manual Transaxle

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asiab3
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by asiab3 » Thu Aug 25, 2016 11:59 am

My favorite part is where tommu's fantastic clock doesn't even move throughout the day.

Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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SlowLane
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by SlowLane » Thu Aug 25, 2016 1:37 pm

Amskeptic wrote: Pictures to tell the tale.
Image

What you didn't see was the lightened flywheel we removed, the hideously imbalanced lightened flywheel. We reduced the endplay by a .001" or so, and installed a good solid serious proper inertial mass stock 13 lb flywheel and pressure plate, balanced at Rimco was it? and we installed a new front seal and graphite o-ring.
Clearly not the entire tale is being told here. I note that the distributor vacuum advance can evident in the before'n'after pictures is conspicuously absent in the middle picture. So you just couldn't resist Simonizing the vacuum advance plate to get a smoother action?

Also, I was going to try and come up with an obscure Laugh-In reference in response to the thread title, but Chris beat me to it. Too obscure for me actually, I don't recall either Rowan or Martin routinely shouting "FORE". :scratch:

I DO recall "You bet your sweet bippy," "Sock it to me", "Verrryy Innnnterestiiinnngg." "One ringy-dingy". And Goldie Hawn go-go-ing in a bikini (sigh).

As an impressionable youth, I so wanted to go to Beautiful Downtown Burbank. Laugh-In made it look like so much fun. How was I to know that it was meant to be ironic?

Say goodnight, Dick,
'81 Canadian Westfalia (2.0L, manual), now Californiated

"They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance."
- Terry Pratchett

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Amskeptic
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Aug 25, 2016 7:57 pm

SlowLane wrote: Clearly not the entire tale is being told here. I note that the distributor vacuum advance can evident in the before'n'after pictures is conspicuously absent in the middle picture. So you just couldn't resist Simonizing the vacuum advance plate to get a smoother action?

Also, I was going to try and come up with an obscure Laugh-In reference in response to the thread title, but Chris beat me to it. Too obscure for me actually, I don't recall either Rowan or Martin routinely shouting "FORE". :scratch:
That's cuz they were shouting "FOUR!" like Chris SAID . . . :bom:

SlowLane wrote: I DO recall "You bet your sweet bippy," "Sock it to me", "Verrryy Innnnterestiiinnngg." "One ringy-dingy". And Goldie Hawn go-go-ing in a bikini (sigh).

As an impressionable youth, I so wanted to go to Beautiful Downtown Burbank. Laugh-In made it look like so much fun. How was I to know that it was meant to be ironic?

Say goodnight, Dick,
"Good night, Dick." Anything else? Oh yeah, Mr. Eagle Eye Vanagon Craft Instrument Panel Technician, we took the advance unit off so we could clear the apron without a scratch, with nary a scratch . . . .
Colin :thumbleft:

P.S. Wolfsburg West, "that is how we get brake shoes, perhaps you could go buy the correct shoes from your other source."
Me, "perhaps you could NOTE on the webpage that "modifications will be required" so people don't mangle their return springs and jack the cross bar and cause the ebrake cable to chafe against the bottom spring."
WW "No, I don't think we will do that."
Me "I think I will go reline the original shoes that I was just showing you."
WW "Why does that shoe have shorter lining?"
Me "It is the trailing shoe and it is shorter to wear more equally with the leading shoe, NOT THAT YOU'D CARE OR ANYTHING."
WW"Huh, I didn't know that."
Me "So your Wolfsburg West brand shocks are made in China?"
WW "Yeah."
Me "That may explain why they seem not to dampen in both directions, ' double-acting' being the factory description of oem shocks."
WW "Do you want them?"
Me "Why no."
WW "We have Sachs Mexico."
Me "Oh what the hell shoot me. By the way, your spring plate bushings seemed too small."
WW "Here, (whinebaby) have our last VW Audi spring plate bushings on the property."
Me "Wow."
WW "They're cheaper than ours."
Me "Wow. Say, they don't really look any bigger than yours, but the rubber I bet is sturdier."
WW "Is there anything else you need . . . . . ?"
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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tommu
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by tommu » Thu Aug 25, 2016 10:26 pm

asiab3 wrote:My favorite part is where tommu's fantastic clock doesn't even move throughout the day.

Robbie
It doesn't need to Robbie. It tells me the time twice a day.

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tommu
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by tommu » Sat Aug 27, 2016 11:08 pm

Some more photos after a deserved clean.
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And this one's for you Colin. The bizarre design decisions of stove makers. The light switch was falling into this hole.
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zabo
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by zabo » Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:45 am

Looks nice tommu -we need some pics if it out in the sun :sunny:

Colin, was that really the reaction you received from WW? i guess i was hoping they would have been more receptive. Who were you talking with there?
60 beetle
78 bus

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Amskeptic
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Re: IAC Greetings From BeautifulDowntownBurbank

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Aug 28, 2016 8:36 pm

zabo wrote:Looks nice tommu -we need some pics if it out in the sun :sunny:

Colin, was that really the reaction you received from WW? i guess i was hoping they would have been more receptive. Who were you talking with there?
They were friendly enough, but clearly they are not into evolving their offerings.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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