Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Washington

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Washington

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:35 am

Up at the very north west corner of the country, I hosted a squatter-with-attitude:
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Ostensibly, the day was to check out a Vanagon that was in very nice condition to begin with. Nonetheless, we put the customer to work centering the valve guides while I decorated the timing scale and pulley:
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We found some seriously advanced timing, but the fuel injection was inperturbable, no adjustment seemed to shake it from its own idea of what was appropriate, regardless of whether or not the oxygen sensor was connected.

So we went to the rear brakes to check out howling and low pedal:
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Here's your Vanagon self-adjusting rear brakes. I am not a fan of self-adjusting brakes, they like to adjust on hot expanded drums sometimes, then, when the drums cool, they are adjusted too tight. The little blade that moves the adjuster when the shoes get sloppy looks a little punk:
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Ask if the cat cared . . . . . . . :
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The test drive proved that it was actually the front brakes that were howling. :pale:

Microbusdeluxe is a world traveller and has traversed the African continent in a 1970 VW bus, and has had to prevail past mechanical breakdowns and environmental challenges. His house is testament to his considerable wood-working skills, including on that 1916 upright piano that I just had to play . . . it was in tune! Thanks for enduring my rusty reuinion with keyboard. Excellent little dinner and I was on my way.
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Bellingham in the evening light:
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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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dhoch14
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Post by dhoch14 » Wed Jul 01, 2009 12:24 pm

awesome stuff Colin. Safe Travels on your way back south to the righteous land.
93 VW T4 2.4D Cali

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zblair
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Post by zblair » Wed Jul 01, 2009 12:34 pm

Did the squatter stay in WA or come with?
1974 T1 Super Beetle "Fweem"
2017 Honda HRV "Domina"


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microbusdeluxe
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Post by microbusdeluxe » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:15 pm

Had a great visit/work session with Colin. We fixed a few things, I learned a bunch of things and we agreed that the world would be a lot better place if we were in charge.

Betty the cat stayed here in B'ham along with one of Colin's tools. If Colin hadn't been coveting my handy-as can-be small screwdriver he might have remembered to pick up his small vice grips when he rolled out from under the Vanagon after working on the heater cable. They're mine now!!

Jim aka Microbusdeluxe

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jtauxe
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Post by jtauxe » Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:51 am

We have my grandmother's 1904 upright grand piano that we try to keep in tune here in Los Alamos -- so you have that to look forward to playing in August! :flower:
John
"The bus came by and I got on. That's when it all began..." - Garcia/Weir/Kreutzman
http://vw.tauxe.net

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:16 am

jtauxe wrote:We have my grandmother's 1904 upright grand piano that we try to keep in tune here in Los Alamos -- so you have that to look forward to playing in August! :flower:
Maybe I will have improved a bit after my Piano Interlude in the broiling summer desert of Nevada . . . if the Steinway has anything left in it.

Speaking of shedding tools, I am also missing my 14mm S-K box wrench. Any late model bus customers who endured a valve adjustment with me please check your tool inventory. I have known that wrench since I was 20 years old.
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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satchmo
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Post by satchmo » Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:07 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
jtauxe wrote:We have my grandmother's 1904 upright grand piano that we try to keep in tune here in Los Alamos -- so you have that to look forward to playing in August! :flower:
Maybe I will have improved a bit after my Piano Interlude in the broiling summer desert of Nevada . . . if the Steinway has anything left in it.

Speaking of shedding tools, I am also missing my 14mm S-K box wrench. Any late model bus customers who endured a valve adjustment with me please check your tool inventory. I have known that wrench since I was 20 years old.
Colin
Well, I know you left your can of 'Right Guard' here because I found it in the shower (I hope no one mentioned anything about your manly odor at Maupin). I will check to see if the 14mm spanner is here because we did fiddle about a little with the valves on the Vanagon.

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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Bleyseng
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Post by Bleyseng » Thu Jul 02, 2009 5:30 pm

no Seattle visits now? :pale:
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:59 pm

satchmo wrote: Well, I know you left your can of 'Right Guard' here because I found it in the shower (I hope no one mentioned anything about your manly odor at Maupin). I will check to see if the 14mm spanner is here because we did fiddle about a little with the valves on the Vanagon.

Tim
Thanks Tim, I hope it shows up.
That poisonous green Can o' Seventies "Brut" was the very most foul chemical I have ever had the displeasure of discharging upon my personand good riddance I say. It was giving me PTSD flashbacks of the bad man bus driver in fourth grade.
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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justgimmecoffee
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Post by justgimmecoffee » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:30 am

I thought it was Hai Karate back then.....

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satchmo
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Post by satchmo » Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:53 am

No 14mm S-K box wrench here. :crybaby:

Sorry
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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glasseye
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Post by glasseye » Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:22 am

satchmo wrote:No 14mm S-K box wrench here. :crybaby:
Sorry
Probably in the same place as my long-time-friend Craftsman 3/8ths driver that I was sure I left there. :drunken:
"This war will pay for itself."
Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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