Itinerant Air-Cooled

The
Help
Me
Cry
In
My
Beer
preparations.

NaranjaWesty had an active winter and spring with a deer hit in Atlanta and plenty of camping down dirt roads. Then we did a moving gig with a Woman And Her Dog, and 2020 has turned out to be about 5,000 miles of local humid rainy Florida driving.

Well, I'm going for it, I am escaping! What to do when you're about to ask your car to knock out 15,000 miles?

a) stop any and all rust.
Only had to do the window sill here, and repaint the bumper after straightening it from the dumb deer. Battery trays and front suspension all checked out fine from December 2015 refresh.













b) full mechanical inspection of boots and fluids and chassis components, adjusted the brakes. Came up with the need for a new right side adjustable tie rod for $80.00 or something. Noo. Ordered two tie rod ends for $9.95 ea, and now have a nicely painted $19.90 "new" tie rod.




c) adjust valves, compression test 140/145/140/145, oil and filter change
(scratched the filter with the date and mileage 08/26/20 - 120,430 )


d) detail the car bow to stern
Did a full mold eradication cleaning of upholstery and curtains and poptop canvas. Even the Garden of Eden snake, "Rodney", got washed ...




Replaced Deluxe Cardboard Monogrammed Floormats






Gummifledged all rubber






Scrubbed poptop top surface and tightened/touched up all screws and bolts in the elements.
Replaced poptop seal and talcum powdered the refreshed painted surface where it sits.




Cleaned and waxed roof under the luggage rack.




Touched up exhaust system with 2000* silver and all wheels with silver and clearcoat to stop the rust, not for any aesthetic ...


Waxed every painted surface. Washed the coffee cup sitting in the aisle since last summer.
We are ready to go ...
Colin

You remain amazing. Take care of yourself and your heart. If you get to Texas- stop by

Deanaha wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 10, 2020 6:28 pm

You remain amazing. Take care of yourself and your heart. If you get to Texas- stop by

Email me with your number and a time to call. We can discuss the parameters of a free VW consultation and a good strong cup of coffee conversation or a beer blather about all that has made 2020 unusual. It has been a year since I decided to go west instead of east out of your driveway, and it made all the difference.
Colin!

This is an exciting prep, and I am quite eager to follow the reports of your Cry in my Beer Tour! Naranja looks terrific, and ready to hit the roads west. It’s been quite a year, my friend, and a great time of learning for me, with the work we did here, in the early part, before the Time of Covid. What fun...40 odd days of daily VW bus work, camaraderie, and settling back in the evening with A cold beer and some good food. The friends who you meet with during this extraordinary visit are in a real treat, I think, sharing work and good conversation, with you, and vice versa. Godspeed, pal!

First day out, 60-65 mph, max head temp 399*, ave head temp 385*, steering more precise but more sensitive than the power steering dulled Lexus, engine is as smooth as can be back there.

Four accident scenes made me nervous. One occurred just moments before I arrived. A tired old Chevy pick up may have had a blow out, overloaded with asphalt, wheel barrows, shovels, a roller, rakes, splatted all over the road upside down, three other cars involved.
Don't drive distracted!
Colin

Stay east of WA, OR and CA for another week or so and hopefully the air will clear out. You don’t want any of what we have right now. It’s gnarly outside.

Have a safe trip. The anarchists have started setting fires out here and they are being arrested for it when caught. The sky is dull grey with smoke everywhere. SARS-2 is on the rise again and some areas going backwards. Campaign season is in full bloom. Looks like will be a cool and dry winter, some qualified predictions are that some of these fires may burn until spring. Have a safe trip. As soon as a vaccine is available we will start having visitors again and look forward to having you visit. We'll keep lots of coffee and ice cream around for you. :)

The good news this year is that Colin had time for Colin for a change. :)

Colin,
Have not heard/ read any posts recently. Hope you are well both physically and mentally. I miss your writings.
Deanah

Hello Deanah.
Ever see that bumper sticker, "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!"

I finally submerged into the raging filthy waters of 2020 as everything burned around me, and let the winds blow everything to smithereens. My home is ruined. My career is toast. My friends are all hiding as am I. It is raining and 41*. The pandemic rages unabated. The paroxysms in Washington are the eminently just harvest of all that we have and have not done to and for each other.

Happy New Year!

I await the shoots to sprout from the blackened Earth.
Colin