Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

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Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 17, 2016 9:19 am

I have so many more photographs than I can possibly post. I just love New Mexico.

Went to The Bowers and yanked the windshield out of the jtauxe-supplied Yellowbird I. Cleaned up the channel that we did just last year and re-installed the windshield with black goop butyl strips because we have some dimensional problems in the opening. I "warrantied" the results.

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Drove up to my mountain perch (the one where hail splatted Chloe's oil pump gasket replacement event) and replaced the door seals on Naranja. The originals were lovely supple German, yes, but they had a memory of Life Prior To Front End Hit, and I have had air leaks and water leaks at car washes, no matter the door adjustments. It was easy going to remove the original supple-still adhesive:

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Slow, careful job was interrupted by the appearance of two tweakers slamming down the rocky path in a minivan. They parked not twenty feet from me. This whole big mountain, and they parked not twenty feet from me. Kid with a hat on backwards hyper-"saunters" towards me.
"Hey man, need any help?"
"Why no, I am doing fine."
"You blaze?"
"What?"
"You blaze, you know, smoke? Weed?"
"Oh man, I must be old, we used to say 'smoke' to describe smoking whatever."
"Yaahh, ahaaa, haa haaaa, that's funny. You got any weed?"
"Sorry, I don't have enough brain cells left to fry, so no."
"Ha-ahh haaa, that . . . is too bad, man, bad."

I packed up and split. Drove down the hill to another spot and completed the job, the spot in fact, where I had to straighten the rear bumper two days later. Now I have a beautifully quiet interior at speed and no water incursions at the car wash.

Next day was the Dual Carburetor Deluxe Marathon with jtauxe, the singularly responsible individual who has brought air-cooled Volkswagens to Los Alamos.
We had a white 1972 Sportsmobile to start for the first time in fifteen or twenty years.
We had the green-on-green 1974 "Jellybean" to adjust and tidy up.
We had the white "Wrecked '74 Westy" to install carbs and start (don't, like, confuse it with the orange "Wrecked '77 Westy" or anything).
We had "Arandano" the blue single cab with honking huge dual aftermarket carbs to tune, and perhaps some detail work.

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Resurrecting the asleep is always a pleasure, so we dove into the Sportsmobile and got it running in fairly short order. The smell of old gas and crap burning off the engine reminded me of starting NaranjaWesty after its twenty year sleep. Heck, it reminded me of old varnish plaguing me for the past six months too. But that '72 Sportsmobile had a unmolested engine, so it responded nicely to our ministrations and it ran smoothly enough after we cobbled in the central idling cut-off and the left cut-off with aluminum foil due to stripped threads in the carburetor bore. Note how my car was slightly on the sidewalk in the below photograph. Wouldn't want a distracted driver to plough into it, ya know . . . :

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This is one of the '77 single cab's air extractor grills. Now why, if the doors are all built with those ports that suck air out through the doors, do we also have these?

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Here is jtauxe sorting out vacuum hoses and whatnot:

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We got all buses running but the Wrecked '74 by the end of the day. Came up with a list of the next day's activities, and I departed for the hills, to lord it over the city lights below before falling asleep. Parked like a normal person the next day. Parking up on the sidewalk seems sort of rude. Jtauxe offered for me to park on the pad next to the house.
"Naah, that's OK."

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Ahhhh, no it wasn't. After dealing with the distracted, we got back to work and got the Wrecked '74 Westy running pretty well, if I remember. I was sort of distracted myself. Took the next day to straighten the rear bumper up the hill, then showed up at pmaggiore's house to work on the jtauxe-supplied Yellowbird 2, the bus that his kids and I had worked on back in their childhoods.

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I can't even remember his dog's name, but stylish comes to mind:

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The day before, jtauxe and I had happened across pmaggiore piteously parked on the side of the road in the rain during one of our test drives. I remember driving Yellowbird 2 slowly to the gas station with little bucks and threats of stalling as jtauxe followed us. I was dismayed more for his driver's door fighting all efforts to "close" it than the engine dying on the side of the road.
Well, we got to the door:

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And pmaggiore attended to the engine with its loose? spark plugs, loose distributor clamp, odd heater clamps that did not allow the heater valves to open fully:

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I had to remove a hardening adhesive that was pushing out the door seal. Reinstalled the seal with a little 3m yellow adhesive and after a latch adjustment, the doors now close without a fight. We installed new door panels which required new Kustom Plastik Barriers:

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At the end of our two days, we installed new windshield wiper grommets and Bus Depot windshield wiper arms. Good Gawd. They are incorrectly bent. Therefore they hug the bottom edge of the windshield::

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Naranja's as counterpoint:

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Is this really all that is available? I will let you know the results of my inquiry with Bus Depot.
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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whc03grady
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos

Post by whc03grady » Sat Sep 17, 2016 6:44 pm

Looks like you have the rear corner you need right there.
Amskeptic wrote: Image
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:08 pm

whc03grady wrote:Looks like you have the rear corner you need right there.
Amskeptic wrote: Image
Actually . . . his left quarter panel was bonked in too, until it I punched it out.
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos

Post by Boxcar » Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:16 am

Wiper arms...
I googled some wiper arm megastore.
Bought their repro product. Was mildly pleased.Rivets upside down,meh..but read on
Backstory beatdown of my hopes...
Previously bought off TheSamba from some VW parts guy "Chaz". He didn't know early bay from late;resprayed used from nos;here they sit.
Feel free to repost this kernel in some more appropriate place and I will look for the name of the windshield wiper arm superstore~somehow allied with a bug repro parts hause,and ensuing catalog iirc.
Fwiw/btw/hth~Eric
1975 003 Auto Westy L90D

repair!!!!aug2015
Jan/16 Bumped mixture a few notches richer. finally developing HP.


1.8L/LJet/Pertron DVDA+PertronixCompufire 42/36Ham Heads/AA 93mm pistons/barrels.Porsc.Swiv.Adjusters/CromoSteel pushrds/ Web 9550Cam/55cc chmbr.,035 squish,8.6:1CR/German Supply VWCanadaReman Rods/Schadek 26mmPump/vdo dualOP8/10#low sender/Quart Deep Sump
Backdate Htr bxs,reflanged 914 4into1. Two and three eighths inch collector,magniflow*muffler

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hippiewannabe
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos

Post by hippiewannabe » Sun Sep 18, 2016 6:58 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
At the end of our two days, we installed new windshield wiper grommets and Bus Depot windshield wiper arms. Good Gawd. They are incorrectly bent. Therefore they hug the bottom edge of the windshield::

Image


Naranja's as counterpoint:

Image

Is this really all that is available? I will let you know the results of my inquiry with Bus Depot.
Colin
I don't know how they're bent, but they are definitely installed at different angles. Try turning them 10 minutes clockwise and take another look before you fuss at Ron.
Truth is like poetry.
And most people fucking hate poetry.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:42 pm

hippiewannabe wrote: I don't know how they're bent, but they are definitely installed at different angles. Try turning them 10 minutes clockwise and take another look before you fuss at Ron.
At the ten minutes clockwise point, the blades are angling up like an old Porsche 911. There is a missing bend on the new arms just past the rivets.
This bend allows the arms to have their 10 minutes and for the blades to be at horizontal at the correct elevation above the windshield seal.
I think these new arms are for a Golf or a Dasher . . .
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:42 pm

My last day in Los Alamos was crazed. You get the photographs in the order that they were taken.

AS I was driving to pmaggiore's house to work on Yellowbird 2, I spied Yellowbird 1's windshield covered with a tarp.
a) Stopped to ask.
"It is leaking crazily."
"I will warranty the new repair, but as I mentioned, I hate your seal. It is so flexible and beautiful to install, but it is not firm enough to properly press against the windshield opening. I will overnight a new seal from Bus Depot."

Then I drove to pmaggiore's house and
b) commandeered his laptop to order a seal while
c) I was yacking on the phone with insurance companies and
d) trying to nail down People Who Hit Westies.

e) Overnight shipping to Los Alamos was not available, but it was available if I shipped it to the Fed-Ex office in Santa Fe.
Carefully spelled out the billing address and the shipping address to the Bus Depot order taker.
f) told insurance adjuster that I would get to the police department and express fax the report to them in Albuquerque
g) told driver of car that I was going to find and speak to owner of car

h) After pmaggiore and I wrapped up our two-day appointment, I drove immediately to to the police station for the police report where I discovered that they redact addresses to prevent just such moments as the one I envisioned,
i) then 33 miles to Santa Fe to pick up the windshield seal and
j) fax the police report to Albuquerque


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k) Drove to the apartment of owner of the Westy-Hitting Dodge Stratus and had a chat, then

l) headed over to The Bowers where I removed old windshield and all that butyl black goop madness and installed the new windshield seal.
"It is fully-warrantied."
"I am putting a hose on it."
"Ah ha haa, that is a good idea."
It was dry as a bone in there after a serious blast of water. So, yay for difficult seals that get the job done.

m) drove to jtauxe's work to help him repair the shifter on Arandano on lunch break, then

n) (again) drove immediately to the Santa Fe Fed-Ex to pick up the other box (oem front shocks) that had been mislabeled (like, without my name or number!!) and retired to the orphan pile.

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oh) then I drove to Texas, leaving the Los Alamos Caldera Perchers to their monsoonal afternoon downpours:

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To get to Austin Texas, I decided to take the long way, down I-25 to Las Cruces, then through El Paso.
Albuquerque gave me an amazing evening:

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I think this next one may be one of the very most beautiful moments I have ever experienced in a car on an interstate:

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It was a lovely evening to decompress from crushed left rear fenders, unknown Dodge Stratus owners, dual carburetor mayhem, butyl sticky leaky windshields with whipsawing globbed parachute cords, and while I really do enjoy this Los Alamos part of the Itinerary, fall was announcing itself up there on the mountain. Here, down in Albuquerque, the temps were already 10* warmer:

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Drove until I had to pass out around 10:30 PM, on a dirt road in the middle of warm nowhere, took a walk in the morning and hit the road southbound . . . heat! I am coming for you:

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My Orange Crush was running well, it was letting me know not to worry about any little ol' little dent:

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Stuck in new center pin bushings HERE:

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The OLD bushings had to be whacked out pretty hard.
The new bushings slipped in with barely a tap
The OLD dust cap had to be pounded off the front suspension
The new cap kept falling off as I lubricated it.
The OLD steering had 1 5/8" play at the perimeter of the wheel
The new center pin kit gives me 1". Pshaw.

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I did note that the thrust washer under the upper dust cap was strangely worn in one spot. I think the factory didn't get it properly indexed around the upper bushing:

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Are you feeling slightly bloated? A little too heavy these days?

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Send a SASE to Itinerant Diet Solutions. Yes, you can watch those pounds just melt away in just a few easy steps . . .

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. . . from the undented mirror over to the dented mirror.
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by luftvagon » Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:42 am

Still in your usual attire.. :thumbleft:
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by Jivermo » Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:52 am

Hmmm. It appears that the cut-off jeans have shrunk. Or, you perform the desert maintenance in the raw. Oh, yes...I see from your route description that you would have passed through Truth or Consequences, NM. I've always loved that name. It could well be the title of this 2016 itinerant tour.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:40 am

Jivermo wrote:Hmmm. It appears that the cut-off jeans have shrunk. Or, you perform the desert maintenance in the raw. Oh, yes...I see from your route description that you would have passed through Truth or Consequences, NM. I've always loved that name. It could well be the title of this 2016 itinerant tour.
I did indeed pass through Truth or Consequences. They seem to want to be a spaceport. It looked rather quiet the morning I passed through, no spaceships.
ColinInBigSpringsTX
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by dingo » Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:35 am

maybe its the proximity to Albequerque but the last pic looks like you are morphing into walter White/Heisenber
'71 Kombi, 1600 dp

';78 Tranzporter 2L

" Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches."

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by sgkent » Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:46 am

Colin - there were new old stock og VW center pin and bushings in the attic. They cut that inch down to about 1/2" to 5/8". I found the Febi kit looser than my worn original pin and bushings. Also - Dave in Australia sent me a copy of the factory installation tools when he had two sets made and wanted to thank me for things I helped him with on his 77 deluxe. Oh well. You must have wanted to get away from my place pretty bad to give up all the freebies you lost. I didn't know I was that bad a host. Oh well. Seeing you again with a fuel leak and an inferior center pin kit makes me feel bad.
TBone208 wrote: "You ppl are such windbags. Go use your crystal ball to get rich & predict something meaningful. Nobody knows what's going to happen. How are we supposed to take ppl who don't know the definition of a recession & "woman" seriously?"

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by tewa3240 » Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:05 pm

I think Colin wanted to work alone this time....
just a man, his VW, center pin kit & a bag of peyote. :sunny:

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Sep 20, 2016 1:08 pm

sgkent wrote:Colin - there were new old stock og VW center pin and bushings in the attic. You must have wanted to get away from my place pretty bad to give up all the freebies you lost. I didn't know I was that bad a host. Oh well. Seeing you again with a fuel leak and an inferior center pin kit makes me feel bad.
Steve, of course I wanted to get away pretty bad.
It was a comfortable 75* in the garage and a hellish 100* outside!

You weren't just a bad host, you were a pretty bad host
( so cute in your do-rag):

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Now you KNOW I am not going to attempt to scarf your NOS center pin kit. I would use it up in two years!
If you had to give it away or $ell it, I suggest that you sell it to some person who is not knocking out 25,000 miles (many of them on dirt and rocks) per year! I will keep putting in these expendable kits, and may do a splitty kit and ream the bushings out to my preference.

The fuel leak was just annoying and time consuming, r/s hose must have been poorly centered between the pipe and the tank evaporative nipple, either that, or the frame flexed parallogram when bashed by Lin Ling and pulled the hose off before it sprang back square . . . yeah, sure.
Colin

(you know, theSamba needs to see that . . . :blackeye: )
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Los Alamos upd

Post by asiab3 » Tue Sep 20, 2016 2:17 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
sgkent wrote:Colin - there were new old stock og VW center pin and bushings in the attic. You must have wanted to get away from my place pretty bad to give up all the freebies you lost. I didn't know I was that bad a host. Oh well. Seeing you again with a fuel leak and an inferior center pin kit makes me feel bad.
Now you KNOW I am not going to attempt to scarf your NOS center pin kit. I would use it up in two years!
If you had to give it away or $ell it, I suggest that you sell it to some person who is not knocking out 25,000 miles (many of them on dirt and rocks) per year!
Oooh oooh oooh how about 19,000 miles a year?

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No, ok……… :geek:
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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