Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings-Northampton MA

Post by **Amskeptic** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:57 pm

It was such a rude shock to be dumped into the Northeast fall over the past week, 44* and rainy day after day and I went into Emotional Crashville. My body just retreats like a turtle into my hoodie, and I don't WANT to lay on the ground and adjust valves!

But. . . it was a joy to revisit the early era of Volkswagen Bus back when it was still close to its roots, tough old boot chassis dual cab. Man:

After working on the dual cab, guess what I then got to drive. . . . . .? Heck yeah:

It was a trip down memory lane to drive the very year and color and model bus that I remember coming home new from the dealer in 1967.
Although this bus had some tracking issues, it also had the essential VW precision that made these cars such a welcome relief from the then-current American cars. Had a good day with nohabusguy, extra fulfilling because he is professionally involved in High Finance and a good human being to boot. You could tell because his kids were engaging.

Colin

zblair · Post by **zblair** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:01 pm

WOW! What beautiful vehicles those are!

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:58 pm

I'm in finance too.

Bad finance.

Got a nickel?

Hoooo boy.

(those are some nice lookin contraptions)

Bookwus · Post by **Bookwus** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:19 pm

Hiya Hammy,

Oh yeah.

Move over.

Got a feeling we're all gonna be in "finance" pretty soon.

bretski · Post by **bretski** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:58 am

Wow. What a stable... :drool:

Post by **Amskeptic** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:11 am

bretski wrote:Wow. What a stable... :drool:

Don't be fooled by pretty, though. They drive like trucks up the dirt driveway. The reduction boxes make the rear end bound sharply as the tires fight for traction. The steering is so quick that, in conjunction with the serious positive camber of the rear wheels (causing toe-out rear wheel steering), you could get your ass in hot water if you do not pay attention. That said, the gearbox/clutch/accelerator cooperation is first-rate precision, that deluxe was pretty peppy in its own right too.

When I got back in my Type 4 baywindow, I understood anew how nicely Volkswagen advanced the design.
Coli

bus71 · Post by **bus71** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:35 pm

We had a 67 deluxe that we put many miles on. While I miss it, the 71 does just as well offroad, without the bone-jarring ride. It was my back that moved us into a bay. Washboard road in a swing-axle bus is truely tooth loosening experience. Ours had 1600dp and could cruise 70 just fine, but as Colin said, you had to pay attention. On curves you have turn a little, back off a little, never yank on the wheel, or over you go!

vwlover77 · Post by **vwlover77** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:09 pm

I've often had the heretical thought that the "Late Bay" is to the split-window Bus as the New Beetle is to the original. Except that the bay did not stray quite so far from the original formula as did the New Beetle.

Beautiful vehicles, and impressive architecture around them as well!

nohabusguy · Post by **nohabusguy** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:33 pm

Colin's visit was a first for me, and it will be hard to displace him as one of the top items for me in 2009. From reading the posts, I anticipated we would go straight through, from the introductory hour and half at the kitchen table (going over the A (Valves), B (points/gaps), C (timing) and D (carburetor)), to the end of the day filling out the "invoice" and the "final exam". The day flew by, with the apple and diet coke that I grabbed from the kitchen seeming to hold me just fine. It was truly an awesome experience -- not just the VW knowledge imparted, but also, the conversation ranging from Sarah Palin to financial crisis to Colin's childhood VW memories to Colin's book to my wife and kids to the possible bearing issue in my tranny which I need to keep an eye on. Oh -- and also Colin noticing the back of my head being in a pool of GL-4 tranny fluid when I crawled out from under the double cab -- kinda distracted just shooting the breeze during one of our conversations.

Yeah -- these splitties are some work to drive, and my steering boxes and steering assemblies aren't perfect. However, that's all part of the experience. I haven't driven a bay window before, so I don't have a point of reference for comparison. May be next year Colin will drive his new Sage Green bay window on the 2009 Itinerary ... I will practice my double clutching in the interim.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:06 pm

nohabusguy wrote: all part of the experience. . .

. . . as is that magnificient view of the trees flitting through the skylight windows and the white headliner and ceiling vent brightening the interior.
Beautiful.
Colin

bretski · Post by **bretski** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:18 am

Amskeptic wrote:
nohabusguy wrote: all part of the experience. . .
. . . as is that magnificient view of the trees flitting through the skylight windows and the white headliner and ceiling vent brightening the interior.
Beautiful.
Colin

I love driving splits...for short distances and day-trips. They're great cars to cruise around town, especially.

...but for road-tripping, it's hard to beat a bay (except up the hills around here

)

Don't be a stranger 'round here, Nohabusguy!