"What jack stands shall we use?" asked 1funnybug.
1funbug has a very nice 1977 Westy with a very nice floorboard and a very nice brake booster that works:
We detached the reservoir from the master cylinder in situ so as not to disturb the plastic upper reservoir hose and sleeve where it goes over the lower reservoir nipple. Good call. Much easier to pry off the master cylinder under the car.
Here, we are using the MightyVac to suck out the brake fluid that had accumulated inside the brake canister. We sprayed the interior of the booster with WD-40 to displace hygroscopic brake fluid residue that could cause rust that might destroy the booster control valve, not that NaranjaWesty needed any such excuse to fail:
There was a brief discussion about installing these new Jopex (name change merely a Dansk feint to escape their sordid past history of exceedingly terrible exhaust parts) brake light switches. We re-installed the original VW-Audi switches:
Had a nice test drive up the road, smooth engine, good brakes, nice booster, and was on my way.
Cognitive Dissonance Central:
With a fair amount of loathing, I pondered the next leg of the journey to Detroit, Detroit of Michigan fame, Michigan of Moonscape Roads fame, Moonscape of Mangled Volkswagen Suspension fame. Within miles of crossing into the Michigan, the interstate looked like it was in pretty good condition (!) but it developed a jarring cadence of heaves from who knows what error of concrete pouring.
Then we arrived at the next segment of interstate (different contractor) which had substantial erosion at each expansion joint edge due to a failed seal operation that I remember from years past where dislodged black seal ribbons snaked across the road willy-nilly. I pulled off and lowered my tire pressures to 33/42 to relieve some of the beating poor Naranja was taking. Pulled onto Harper from I-94E or whatever to get a taste of the hood:
Wondered if Sunset Liquor might take the edge off my jarring traversal:
This is how post-industrial America remakes itself:
You just keep at it there, Jim Martin Chevrolet ... :
Arrived at TrollFromDownBelow's house and de-compressed from the reflexive road impact winces while he finished a Very Important Conference Call from within the confines of his BMW 330 out there in the new rain shower. We repaired to the garage to mike the crankshaft with his never-opened micrometer, and to discuss the myriad of sequential steps involved in an engine overhaul:
We had company ... a gaggle of Harleys:
... and discussed jackstands:
You may not know it, but Troll and I go way back. Our first appointment was back in 2006 or something. We did a fourteen hour day swapping in an engine in 2007. He wrote on this very forum:
Well, now it is 2019. I guess old age is beginning to find me ...Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:30 am
<snip>Colin put in one of his marathon 14 hour days....he really wanted to see it to completion (ie fire it up), but I had to go to work...had to have at least 3 hrs of sleep :).
Cheers,
Mike