Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

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Amskeptic
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Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Oct 30, 2014 9:29 am

I was trapped in the Atlanta metro area from October 3rd through October 18th. Just after energyturtle's appointment in Tennessee, y'all, I drove straight on down to Bishop for the Hobug Deluxe Three Bus Two Day appointment, all written about.

However, I have not written about my half day with zabo and his newly acquired late bay bus to complement his early 60's beetle. We replaced a wheel cylinder on the right rear and performed a compression test on the engine to find that a cylinder was damn close to 0 #. (did you speak with the seller, zabo?) As always, I enjoyed the company of zabo and his gliding young son. Gliding? That is the only the word that seems to catch the essence. "Possessed of an unflappable calm-yet-with-curiosity"?

I have not written about the t-r-a-f-f-i-c in Atlanta. It is as bad as ever. When in traffic, it is incumbent upon us Volkswagen drivers to be on our very best clutch/transmission game - Less Clutch > More Creeping :

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The heat, the slow motion, the idling trucks, the fact that we were going at slower than fatal speeds, allowed me to relax and take it all in. In the service of being nice to the clutch and transmission, I played "shock absorber" by selecting a speed in 1st gear that allowed me to avoid the stop/start bunching up and I did not touch the clutch pedal for most of the approach up the bridge connector to I-285 southbound here:
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Because I am rapidly getting soft in the head, I found this traffic unexpectedly beautiful. I did. I was surrounded by thousands of hominoids in all kinds of strange mechanical metal objects in motion on this planet glinting under the nearby star:

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Do you see beauty and mystery here?

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Yeah yeah well anyway, the used to be last call (usurped by cegammel's southern Georgia call) was a hair-raising triumph, a challenging pull the hat out of the rabbit trick, a 1974 Westy painted in the same scheme as the BobD, and an 1800 Type 4 engine sporting a progressive carb and a nasty little 009 distributor, and an owner new to the mechanical arts.
"Do you know what the spark plugs do?"
"Not really."
We did the classic neophyte tune-up sequence and even got through the requisite carburetor Re-Engineer The Stupid Throttle Cable That Is Sawing A Hole In The Front Tin, but the test drive was truly the most horrendous experience of balky fitfulness and dropping dead away like a damn sky dive plane any time we deigned to ask for a little acceleration. Absolutely unacceptable.
"This is absolutely unacceptable."
"I think it is worse now than before you got here."
"I do not doubt that, I removed the typical compromise adjustments to see where we are really at."
"We're really at not driveable."
"You have no idea how much I agree."
Parked the car under the carport and mulled this wholly unacceptable state of affairs.
"I have a box of parts that came w..." and I was already spotting a pair of factory Solex 32-33 PDSIT carburetors, a central idling circuit spider, the air filter, the air horns, the everything except brake booster pipe.
"We *must* retrofit these carbs on your engine."
That is why my October 9th greenolivemedia call became the October 15th greenolivemedia ii call. Kudos to Jeff for ordering up all necessary additional parts like dual carb throttle cable, and air filter carb rebuild kits (way too expensive cheap crap) and carb cleaner in time.

I was on pins and needles, but This, I Love > bringing a Volkswagen back from the brink of aftermarket hell and launching it anew down the tried and proven engineering with which it was originally graced. Had to strip the old carburetor off, the old useless air "filter", the chrome intake runners, The Stupid Throttle Cable That Is Sawing A Hole In The #3 Intake Runner Boot. There! So much better!

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Cleaned the manifolds and pipes and Stuff. Rebuilt both Solexes in the driveway.

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Found an ugly problem with the choke fast idle stepper, it had vibrated free of its original press/swege fit to the choke shaft. So this last call is is going to call forth hack improv, huh? Who'd a figgered?

Tried to jam a Dakota Digital serrated lockwasher in between the wallowed parts, but the Dakota Digital serrated lockwasher was clearly made in China, it broke apart like porcelain. No other solution came to mind until I spied a twig. Perfect. Malleable, stringy cellulose! Hard to see, but it is strung tightly between the shaft and the weird black thingamajiggy. Followed this with a JB Weld glaze:

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It was evening by the time that all of the parts were in place (one detour when gas flooded out of a carb, stupid needle valve refused to close fully), thus the trouble lamp illumination:

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With hardly an adjustment, these carbs gave us a smooth test drive, just utter relief. A shout out to your helpful nine year-old, Jeff. It was like working with 2014's version of Opie in a 1962 episode of the Andy Griffith Show. I hope those carb continue to give you smooth torquey service and flawless start/warm-ups.
Makes me want to get a factory dual carb bus, GLASSEYE . . . :geek:
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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hambone
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Re: Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by hambone » Thu Oct 30, 2014 11:22 am

NOTHING fits anymore. It's driving me crazy.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

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Re: Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:06 pm

hambone wrote:NOTHING fits anymore. It's driving me crazy.
We have brought it upon ourselves . . . the culmination of thousands upon thousands of little decisions not to demand better.
ColinAyep
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: Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by asiab3 » Thu Oct 30, 2014 5:48 pm

hambone wrote:NOTHING fits anymore. It's driving me crazy.
Once in a while, something does, and it feels nice. But digging something dirty or rusty out of a junkyard or swap meet box and cleaning it all new-like? Those things that fit feel most excellent.
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Re: Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by glasseye » Thu Oct 30, 2014 8:36 pm

Amskeptic wrote: Makes me want to get a factory dual carb bus, GLASSEYE . . . :geek:
Yah? Well, it's still sitting here. Of course, it's even more valuable now, since it's aged by a few years. Like scotch.

Lessee.... What's forty year old scotch worth? :study:
"This war will pay for itself."
Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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Re: Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Oct 31, 2014 8:08 am

glasseye wrote:
Amskeptic wrote: Makes me want to get a factory dual carb bus, GLASSEYE . . . :geek:
Yah? Well, it's still sitting here. Of course, it's even more valuable now, since it's aged by a few years. Like scotch.

Lessee.... What's forty year old scotch worth? :study:
$69.99 I'll be right over.
Colin :pirate:
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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glasseye
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Re: Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by glasseye » Fri Oct 31, 2014 5:36 pm

Amskeptic wrote: $69.99 I'll be right over.
Colin :pirate:
Y'all's got trouble with yer decimal point. :bootyshake:
"This war will pay for itself."
Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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Amskeptic
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Re: Those Itinerant Air-Cooled Atlanta Appointments

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Nov 01, 2014 8:49 am

glasseye wrote:
Amskeptic wrote: $69.99 I'll be right over.
Colin :pirate:
Y'all's got trouble with yer decimal point. :bootyshake:
Black Bull 40 year-old Scotch Whisky ("award winning") $249.99
One lousy decimal and a couple of numerals, sheesh.

Anyways, $249.99, I'll be right over.
Colin
(with a compl E mentary six-pack of Genesee "horsepiss" Ale)
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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