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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 7:20 am
by Amskeptic
glasseye wrote:
iwantmybustorun wrote: I've been trying to drive my bus to the west coast for about 2 years now but something has gotten in the way both times. I'm hoping this year will be different.
You GO, IWMBTR. There's nothing, NOTHING like a transcontinental road trip to cure whatever ails ya. :cheers: :bounce:

The hardest part of travel? Leaving.
The weather pattern here in the northeast is a definite motivator, my internal rain gauge is hitting the red alert Desert Now! after the past four days of 42* rainyrainyrainy rainyrainyrainy rainywindyrainy rainyrainywindy rainyrainywindy rainywetsocksrainy rainywindshieldleakingagainrainy windyrainyrainy mistyrainyfog.
This is ridiculous for a sunbird to be back in the middle of winter. My body is confused now.
The Road Acclimated Cactus is pretty happy though . . . :alien:

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 9:59 am
by jonyem
The weather in the Northwest has been a lot wetter than recent years, hopefully July dries out enough.

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:43 am
by Amskeptic
jonyem wrote:The weather in the Northwest has been a lot wetter than recent years, hopefully July dries out enough.
It so very must . . . :sunny:

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 11:51 am
by aopisa
Right now the long range forecast looks like much of the same for next Friday. Still keeping my fingers crossed that this pattern will have to break soon and we will have a sunny hot day.

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 9:58 am
by Amskeptic
aopisa wrote:Right now the long range forecast looks like much of the same for next Friday. Still keeping my fingers crossed that this pattern will have to break soon and we will have a sunny hot day.
How's the weather-proof work area? Lights? Counters? Warmth?
Colin
(RandyInMaine says we're swapping engines in the rain in Maine, and you just KNOW I will be as pissy as a wet cat... did you know he has a four car garage just totally clogged with 70's lime green and purple vinyl furniture and velvet paintings of dogs in bars and huge kittens with umbrellas, a roll of orange brown and yellow "Forest Floor" shag carpet, boxes of records like "Sing Along With Mitch Miller" big band military tunes, a standing army of plastic "porcelain" dolls standing three foot tall, an artificial Christmas tree with red aluminum needles and a monster lit-Santa, a broken Billy Bass wall plaque, and we are working in the rain)

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 10:13 am
by aopisa
Amskeptic wrote:
aopisa wrote:Right now the long range forecast looks like much of the same for next Friday. Still keeping my fingers crossed that this pattern will have to break soon and we will have a sunny hot day.
How's the weather-proof work area? Lights? Counters? Warmth?
Colin
(RandyInMaine says we're swapping engines in the rain in Maine, and you just KNOW I will pissed as a wet cat... did you know he has a four car garage just totally clogged with 70's lime green and purple vinyl furniture and velvet paintings of dogs in bars and huge kittens with umbrellas, a roll of orange brown and yellow "Forest Floor" shag carpet, boxes of records like "Sing Along With Mitch Miller" big band military tunes, a standing army of plastic "porcelain" dolls standing three foot tall, an artificial Christmas tree with red aluminum needles and a monster lit-Santa, a broken Billy Bass wall plaque, and we are working in the rain)
Gotta know where you stand on the priority list. I would definitely put you above a broken Billy Bass plaque. Now if it was in good working condition....

The Barn is ready and swept. Concrete floor with just a little bit of oil from the leak you are going to help me fix. No counter, but a fairly stable folding table. Electricity so we can rig up adequate lighting. And an old rusty wood stove that could be pressed into service if need be.

Today it is 74 with a chance of showers. Intervals of sun, blue and clouds. Similar to next Friday's prediction. I will take this if it's the best we can get.

Don't forget to check his Temp ll sensor!

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 11:19 am
by Randy in Maine
Well I could not let all of that good collectable stuff get wet now could I? :joker:

Alas garage construction will likely not start until later this coming fall. Plus it is real money to do one that is both nice and will last. I am still in the planning phases.

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 9:54 pm
by ruckman101
I want a pit in my garage. Like at those rip-off tune-up places. But I'll settle for concrete over the current gravel floor.


neal

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:40 am
by Amskeptic
glasseye wrote: The hardest part of travel? Leaving.
The hardest part of travel is getting the photographs organized and hosted and posted.
Why . . . here's one now! iwantmybustorun here on an early May day:

Image

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 10:55 am
by iwantmybustorun
Amskeptic wrote: Why . . . here's one now! iwantmybustorun here on an early May day:

Image
Hey, I remember that really clean towel... never saw it coming, huh Colin! :silent:

As many have said lately, about their day with you and the lack of picture taking, I too get so caught up in our activities that I never take the time to snap a shot for the record. Thanks for sharing your pictures again this year.

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:33 pm
by Amskeptic
iwantmybustorun wrote: As many have said lately, about their day with you and the lack of picture taking, I too get so caught up in our activities that I never take the time to snap a shot for the record.
Caught up in little activities like ... I dunno, unplugging the trouble lamp?
Colin :pirate:

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 7:53 am
by highlandmurf
Hey all,
Haven't been on here in awhile. Colin, glad the muffler worked out for you. Nice to be able to recycle.
The extractor exhaust from Bus Depot does not have the classic sound, but for what I have seen people getting for crossover pipes in such crappy condition.... (if I had a collection of them I would be swapping them out bianually) it's nice to have an intact exhaust. Now I can focus on engine noises.

So, the rocker arm bolt came in from German Supply a couple of days after my visit from Colin. Got that all buttoned up and had it running smoothly. Shifted great too. Ran like a champ out to the Granny Grose campout about 250 mi away. On the way back we started stalling at idle. Vacuum leak? Seemed to be running well at highway speeds. Gave the vacuum hoses the once over when I got home.

Everything looked fine. S boot- check. Upped the idle screw on the throttle to keep from stalling at stops, and off to Westies in the Woods 2 weeks later. Hopefully the aircooled gurus there could help me with my stumbling idle. Going out the shifter started sticking again, but not nearly as bad as before. At Westies in the Woods a friend of mine provided me with a stock shifter. Installed, what?!? Shift pattern is worse!?!! Couldn't get it adjusted no matter where we placed it. I still don't think it was as bad as it orriginally was pre Colin visit.

Until 2 weeks ago coming home and pop! No 1st 2nd or reverse. After several minutes of panic I managed to find 1st in the abyss that had become my shift pattern, and limped home holding the shifter in it's precarious position.


So whats a bus owner to do? Ok, time to man up and commit myself to my 1st engine drop.
A little inside info: When I bought the bus to go across country in '92 I ran it for 2 weeks and the engine blew. I was led to believe it had 40,000 miles on it. It must have been 140,000. So one engine rebuild later and I basically had a new car that I have only needed to tune up untill recently. I guess thats what you call paying up front.

So the engine and the tranny are out. Slept in a tent last weekend at the Litchfield Bug In. (stiff neck. People have westies so they don't have to stay in tents! :blah5: )

I found the culprit. The bracket holding the gear selector mechanism snapped. The bolt securring it may have been holding the piece in place allowing me some difficult, but possible shifting for awhile. I also pulled the shift rod out and inspected it front to back. It looked good. I will be replacing the rear rod bushing, and the cage coupler.

Also getting some new injector seals and intake manifold gaskets. The injector seals were pretty dried out. Hopefully, that is where the vacuum leak lies.

So, thats where the Bus is at. I have been hesitant to do any major repairs on this in the past, but thanks to Colin, this site and the Samba, I have managed to get up the nerve, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

I just got to keep reminding myself that this is a repair and not a restoration. otherwise I will never finish! :sunny:

Soon to be cruisin on a highway or byway near you,

Joe

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:27 am
by Amskeptic
highlandmurf wrote:Hey all,
Haven't been on here in awhile. Colin, glad the muffler worked out for you.
rocker arm bolt came in running smoothly.
The bracket holding the gear selector mechanism snapped.
getting some new injector seals and intake manifold gaskets.

I have been hesitant to do any major repairs on this in the past, but thanks to Colin, this site and the Samba, I have managed to get up the nerve, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Soon to be cruisin on a highway or byway near you,
Joe
Right on, Joe! Wade on in. Selector bracket snapped? Ouch. Are you going to be stock shifter when all is done, or still EMPI (yes, folks, he really likes that Far East chrome look)?
Compression test available after all rockers are attached to the engine?
Tell your dad I said hey.
Colin