Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 09, 2011 3:34 pm

Hello. Somewhere in Maryland, then Pennsylvania, then New Jersey, I got the idea to paint the toolbox with that paint I purchased in El Centro CA back in December that was missing all the critical chrome yellow necessary for a correct paint match with the exterior of the BobD. Each state got two drawers of painting. The final drawer was finished here in a closed WalMart in New Jersey:
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The white stripe is reflective tape. The blue blotch is a chunk of the late great Road Warrior's nose:
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I am in Storrs, Connecticut, home of my first university days in 1978-1979. While I was hooking up the airkooledchris commemorative LM-1 once again, a searing drama played out in the parking lot as a girl finished up her cell phone call with who I could only imagine was Dear John himself.
"No . . . no . . . no, I'm done . . . no, I . . . no . . . no, don't call . . . I said no . . . no . . . no, it really is too late . . . WELL YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT . . . goodbye!" followed by six loud repetitions of Jim Croce's Operator while she sat in her car crying. She went into the nail salon next to the Starbucks and came out angry and drove away. I'd have been angry too with the exhaust system on that Camry bellowing like it was.

I was spared my own exhaust issues in the nick of time by the kindness of highlandmurf in New City, New York. The BobD Leistritz had developed a crack > big hole in the end piece where the tailpipe had vibrated due to a rusted out baffle (see: http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =43&t=9014 ) He had just bought an extractor exhaust system and had his really fresh stock late bus muffler and tailpipe in the garbage alongside a rusted cross-over. "Can I have it?" "Sure, tail pipe included!" Painted it in Windsor Locks, Connecticut and installed it yesterday, barely, with a 6mm CV bolt trying to bridge the clamp to the cross-over.
Muffler? How your fortunes have changed in the span of a day, from visiting the insides of a trash can to visiting the country!:

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Though originally crabby about the pipe sticking out further than the stock one, I realized today that it works better than stock with the LM-1 probe, no more chafing at the curve:

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In exchange for his old muffler, I refused to help him remove his engine and his transaxle to replace the shifter ball and hockey stick bushings. Not when his issue was an inability to find 1st and 2nd gear using an EMPI shifter, nooo. I took out the BobD stock shifter, stuck it in his bus, and we drove around the neighborhood catching 1st and 2nd just fine, thank you. However, the engine was making peculiar sounds and being very recalcitrant, so we drove back to the house and went searching for why the engine had only 45 lbs compression on #3. Do you know why we had only 45 lbs in #3? Because the rocker shaft was dangly loose. Do you know why the rocker shaft was dangly loose? Because one of the rocker support studs was snapped clean-off. Do you know why one of the rocker shaft support studs was snapped off? Because the last engine repairperson had ............ trapped the serpentine spring (the wire that retains the pushrods) under each rocker stand in the entire engine, missing the Bentley's admonishment to stick the springs in the slots provided. That poor engine! Spring impressions dug into the aluminum heads, spring impressions dug into the bottom of the rocker stands, and we could not do anything to get new studs in the short time we had left. So we did CV joint repacks + new boots, instead. Oh, and readjusted the EMPI shifter with our own procedure after we realized that the Bentley procedure absolutely cannot be used. Let me know if it finds 1st/2nd now.

Highlandmurf, don't let him fool you, is a Continental Road Warrior. He has driven to Alaska and back in this bus ... with incorrect serpentine spring installation since an oil leak repair in Eugene OR and all! Good vibe with this car, I am looking forward to an update, highlandmurf.
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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dingo
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by dingo » Mon May 09, 2011 9:05 pm

nice to peel back the layers and get to the very bottom of what was causing the big issues..and usually the cause was something on a very small and innocuous scale
'71 Kombi, 1600 dp

';78 Tranzporter 2L

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by BellePlaine » Tue May 10, 2011 5:52 am

I'm pretty sure that I have a spare stock shifter laying around if highlandmurf needs one.
1975 Riviera we call "Spider-Man"

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dtrumbo
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by dtrumbo » Tue May 10, 2011 6:45 am

Amskeptic wrote:He has driven to Alaska and back in this bus ... with incorrect serpentine spring installation since an oil leak repair in Eugene OR and all!
Surely not our own DjEep!
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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satchmo
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by satchmo » Tue May 10, 2011 8:41 am

Neat. Storrs, CT. I was there just last July. Although there really is no there there. It is just UCONN campus with a couple snack shops around it and people living in the surrounding woods in little openings they carved out of the forest where they check their groins daily for embedded ticks that surely carry Lyme Disease. I'm sure the reason the basketball teams are so phenomenal is because they don't have anything else to do in Storrs but play basketball. However, I could be wrong about this. I could be looking at it with a Westerner's bias.

What did the LM-1 say?

Tim
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by immitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest. -Confucius

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by Amskeptic » Tue May 10, 2011 9:35 am

satchmo wrote:they don't have anything else to do in Storrs but play basketball.
Well, let's see ... when I was at U.Conn I used to drive down the hill to Mansfield Hollow Trailer Park where lifelong memories were gloriously seared into me by a wonderful woods dweller who was certifiably free of ticks, yessireeeeeeeeeeeee.
Colin :drunken:
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 Greetings From Connecticut

Post by glasseye » Tue May 10, 2011 7:50 pm

What kinda guy talks to his muffler? :cherry:
"This war will pay for itself."
Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by Amskeptic » Wed May 11, 2011 4:38 am

glasseye wrote:What kinda guy talks to his muffler? :cherry:
The same kind of guy who asks, "what did the LM-1 say?"
What did the LM-1 say? It said nothing, silly, but it did share all number of insights. :flower:
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: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by glasseye » Wed May 11, 2011 2:36 pm

Amskeptic wrote:What did the LM-1 say? It said nothing, silly, but it did share all number of insights. :flower:
Like, maybe, "Ooh! It feels good to be sticking out like this!" :cheers:
"This war will pay for itself."
Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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iwantmybustorun
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by iwantmybustorun » Fri May 13, 2011 12:27 pm

satchmo wrote:Neat. Storrs, CT. I was there just last July. Although there really is no there there. It is just UCONN campus with a couple snack shops around it and people living in the surrounding woods in little openings they carved out of the forest where they check their groins daily for embedded ticks that surely carry Lyme Disease. I'm sure the reason the basketball teams are so phenomenal is because they don't have anything else to do in Storrs but play basketball. However, I could be wrong about this. I could be looking at it with a Westerner's bias.

Tim
I feel an urge to defend my neighbors... but I've got nothing. You pretty much nailed it. They call the northeast part of Connecticut the Quiet Corner, because there is nothing but woods and farms 'round these parts. :drunken:

I also feel as though I should say “thanks” publicly, to Colin for his service. For 3 years Colin has shown up at 9 o’clock on the dot and provided an unparalleled service. A service that is so unique, fueled mainly by Colin’s love for these automobiles. He is clearly doing this service to extend the life and enjoyment of these cars and is not trying to make a quick buck nor sell a product.

For those of you who have never met Colin, and who might be considering a visit, he is a plethora of knowledge and patience. When I bought my vw I had just started my quest for knowledge and understanding of the automobile. I was never a gear head, so my background knowledge is limited. So, each year when Colin shows up I feel embarrassed by my inadequate knowledge base, failing his barrage of questions that include topics from the technical forum to politics. He manages to balance the day however, with opportunities to teach and allow for practice or application of things learned while taking other responsibilities on himself so that your goals are met for the day.

Colin stopped by again this year to help me prepare for my trip this summer. 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. Maybe I’ll even make it out to the Lucky Lab some Monday this summer, to buy Colin a beer and say thanks for providing a great service to the VW world. :cheers:
73 Westy
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[Crane ignition system out]
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by aopisa » Fri May 13, 2011 1:22 pm

iwantmybustorun wrote: I also feel as though I should say “thanks” publicly, to Colin for his service. For 3 years Colin has shown up at 9 o’clock on the dot and provided an unparalleled service. A service that is so unique, fueled mainly by Colin’s love for these automobiles. He is clearly doing this service to extend the life and enjoyment of these cars and is not trying to make a quick buck nor sell a product.

For those of you who have never met Colin, and who might be considering a visit, he is a plethora of knowledge and patience. When I bought my vw I had just started my quest for knowledge and understanding of the automobile. I was never a gear head, so my background knowledge is limited. So, each year when Colin shows up I feel embarrassed by my inadequate knowledge base, failing his barrage of questions that include topics from the technical forum to politics. He manages to balance the day however, with opportunities to teach and allow for practice or application of things learned while taking other responsibilities on himself so that your goals are met for the day.

Colin stopped by again this year to help me prepare for my trip this summer. 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. Maybe I’ll even make it out to the Lucky Lab some Monday this summer, to buy Colin a beer and say thanks for providing a great service to the VW world. :cheers:
I could not agree more.

I too have been trying to get my bus out on the open road for the past two years heading west while life keeps getting in the way. One of these days...

Still, I am 2 weeks away from my second IAC visit to keep my bus ready to hit the road at a moment's notice. At this stage, my bus still is is good shape so we don't have a grueling day planned of packing grease into wheel bearings or installing an FI system. I look upon my time with Colin to take care of a few nagging issues while more importantly arming myself with some knowledge to be able to think clearly when a roadside repair might be needed.

Learning about my bus from Colin is like taking a lesson from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

From the Guide with a little editing on my part:

"In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitchhiker's Guide (IAC) has already supplanted the great Encyclopaedia Galactica (Bentley Manual) as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects.
First, it is slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words DON'T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.

...except Colin is rarely wildly inaccurate...

As a matter of fact, I keep a copy of this image printed on heavy stock in my Bentley so it always opens to it before anything else:

Image

And don't forget your towel....
1977 Westy 2.0L F.I.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. - Chuang Tzu

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by BumbleBus » Fri May 13, 2011 2:07 pm

aopisa wrote: I could not agree more.

I too have been trying to get my bus out on the open road for the past two years heading west while life keeps getting in the way. One of these days...
This is ironic to me because I've been itching to get to the East Coast/Northeast for the last few years. Got lots of family in PA/DE/CT/MA/ME. Money is uber-tight paycheck to paycheck or I'd already be on the IAC roster. I can tell what I'm missing just by following this forum. I am looking forward to the IAC book to buy one of these days!!!! Even my broke ass could probably do $20-30. :drunken:
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by Amskeptic » Sat May 14, 2011 8:04 pm

BumbleBus wrote:
Even my broke ass could probably do $20-30. :drunken:
There's my demographic!
Colin :cyclopsani:
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 Greetings From Connecticut

Post by Lanval » Tue May 17, 2011 2:36 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
BumbleBus wrote:
Even my broke ass could probably do $20-30. :drunken:
There's my demographic!
Colin :cyclopsani:
I already told you ~ sell subscriptions and finish the book!

L.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Connecticut

Post by glasseye » Tue May 17, 2011 8:20 pm

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.
"This war will pay for itself."
Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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