Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:44 pm

Have just escaped the rain and saturated ground, and muggy air, and thunderstorms and rain showers that besieged our efforts in Arkansas, I am now in Oklahoma City.

You might have read about my preparations for the main lap of the Itinerary. I think Mother Nature read about them and chuckled to herself. It started raining within two hours of leaving Pensacola for Arkansas:

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Yeah yeah YEAH it was pretty. I barely missed the shot here, the sun was disappearing as I was pulling over. This lake was glowing ochre with sunlit green trees and grey skies, but here it is just sort of muddy, still pretty, but . . . :

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But when the windshield glass-to-seal started to trickle over there on the left side next to the chassis number plate, I knew we had a problem.

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. . . and the rain would not let up, it would not let up. Inspected the area under a bank drive-through canopy. I think my 22ga Speaker Wire Windshield Expansion Trick of 2010 must have slipped off the edge of the glass back when I was chatting with jackstar at the Law Firm, fitting the seal/chrome and not paying exquisitely close attention:

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I used two paper towels and played bucket brigade for almost four straight hours of laying each paper towel across the leak zone until it was saturated, stuck in the other one while wringing out the first one. Filled the coffee mug twelve times and emptied it out the driver's window. I did NOT want water trickling into the fuse box light switch area, I did not want it trickling down behind the driver's kick panel and warping it, this car has never never never experienced water leaks, I was heartsick and annoyed with myself for being a foolish Wrecker Of History, a frivolous sensation-seeking child who should not be entrusted with the very adult responsibilities of care-taking the last really fine original German VW bus.

At the Mississippi border, I pulled into a rest stop. The rain had let up for who knows how long. Pulled the windshield out to the horror of the security guy bored in the booth. I think it horrified the few onlookers who wanted to tell me it was a nice bus, but they saw me tearing it apart like a wolf at the bunny petting zoo and they left me to my urgent task . . . except for the clueless motorcycle couple who could not see that I was frantically busy laying a bead of Permatex Windshield Sealer along the bottom of the seal channel and stuffing it back up onto the glass as the clouds loomed. Almost blew my concentration trying to attend to their questions
( "what's that thing get for gas mileage?" "oh about three coffee cups full of water per hour")
while I attempted to avoid having Permatex Windshield Sealer splatted all over everything I touched while the clouds scuttled dangerously, and mockingly sprinkled a few drops just to watch me swear at the sky.

Windshield was removed/resealed/reinstalled in about 90 minutes. Security booth guy was jovial in his relief that my serious operation was over.
"Hey you! Yeah! You! Wanna trade?"
I walked over wearily, "where is your car?"
"Heh, just kidding, no it is that Hyundai, just kidding, haha that is a beautiful van, I was only kidding."
"If my windshield continues leaking, yes."

Of course the rain came back with a vengeance well within the curing time of the Permatex Windshield Sealer . . . but no more LEAK either, no more paper towel wring-bailing into the coffee cup, no more desperate apologies to the BobD for being such a fool as to kill it in this infernal water-logged drenching rain. The interior is now ripe, sodden, invaded, the side windows are seriously steamed up, there is water in this car somewhere. Pulled off US 65 south of Little Rock and removed the kick panel. Oh yes, there is a lake of water sitting on the cosmoline wax between the nose and the floor panel. Sopped it up with a hand towel. Dried the floor under the rubber mat. Checked underneath the mat under the side windows and under the rear seat. There is water all under the place. I am frantic with disappointment. These door and side panels are going to be warpy ruined in short order. God, I hate moisture.

Made it to Rtiller69 call. He has a moldy Westy on a rainy day in a damp garage. Water splats through the trees. White penicillin is dusted all over the sticky vacuum hoses in the dank engine compartment.
"Why do you think it loses power when it is cold?"
"BECAUSE IT HATES YOUR @&!* CLIMATE THAT'S WHY!" I scream to myself,
"I don't know, let's check."
We tune the bus and test drive (in the rain) and it drives FINE. On a hunch, we lean the heck out out of the idle and richen the black cog to overcome a weird leaning at higher rpm. I await his report.
You should all know that Rtiller69 has an original bus under the black mold. It has the Inspector Otto on the engine tin, a 920 emissions number, it is basically a very nice intact bus. We must all remind him frequently to finish the 3M Rubbing Compound + Mothers California Gold carnauba wax treatment that I barely started:

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Then he can get busy on the all the other Volkswagens:

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Different write-up coming up on our Luftwagon visit. It was impressive to say the least.
Colin

(ever parked at a tornado-ravaged RV store? I have . . . . )

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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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airkooledchris
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by airkooledchris » Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:54 am

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wow, that should provide plenty motivation to complete the process!

sorry to hear of your soaked interior, best of luck tracking down all the sources.
1979 California Transporter

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zabo
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by zabo » Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:21 pm

all the water from the windshield leak? hope it dries out for you soon. wet floorboards are the worst.
60 beetle
78 bus

luftvagon
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by luftvagon » Wed Jun 04, 2014 3:35 pm

looking forward to the write up, Colin. Thanks for helping me with the timing.
1981 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia - air-cooled Type4 1970cc CV (hydraulic lifters, 42x36 valves, stock cam, microSquirt FI with wasted spark ignition)
1993 Ford F-250 XL LWB Extended Cab 7.3L IDI

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:55 am

zabo wrote:hope it dies out for you soon. wet floorboards are the worst.
It dried out all right. On a beautiful "old road" aside the "new road" somewhere in Oklahoma under trees, I stripped out the interior, panels, seats, floor mat, all of my Itinerary Junk, here's the halfway point:

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Cleaned and waxed the floorboards and rear deck:

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Noted that the seat belts were coming from different bins, some were December 21, 1977, one was February 1, 1978, the other was February 3, 1978, whatever! The rubber seals and the bolts all needed to be cleaned and greased before re-installing, I could see that moisture was creeping in on some of them to corrode, to rust, to destroy:

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This little operation took all day, but it was a seriously needed psychological boost to get the interior clean and have a better idea of the state of the vehicle underneath the day-to-day. What the heck, the engine and fuel tank bulkhead got waxed and detailed, too:

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I am in New Mexico, a day out from Albuquerque. It was a solid 100* yesterday afternoon. The CHTs were a surprising 409* into a headwind. Today, AFM adjustments!
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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Bleyseng
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by Bleyseng » Thu Jun 05, 2014 9:35 am

Thats not bad but I am interested to see what your adjustment result in. Waxing and deep cleaning really do help to extend these rust prone cars.
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jun 05, 2014 9:23 pm

Bleyseng wrote:Thats not bad but I am interested to see what your adjustment result in. Waxing and deep cleaning really do help to extend these rust prone cars.
I say 409 is not good, considering that I am due in serious desert by the end of the month. Today's high CHT was a better 390*. I have to re-write the AFM article. There are interesting observations aplenty that I am trying to figure out. For example, I did huge adjustment to the black cog towards rich, like 35 teeth. The mixture went silly lean.
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by hambone » Thu Jun 05, 2014 9:50 pm

New Mexica already that was quicker than the dot at the end of a sentence. Well I'ma postin Pretty Boy Floyd anyway. (you can hum along if you'd like)

Pretty Boy Floyd
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie

If you'll gather 'round me, children,
A story I will tell
'Bout Pretty Boy Floyd, an outlaw,
Oklahoma knew him well.

It was in the town of Shawnee,
A Saturday afternoon,
His wife beside him in his wagon
As into town they rode.

There a deputy sheriff approached him
In a manner rather rude,
Vulgar words of anger,
An' his wife she overheard.

Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain,
And the deputy grabbed his gun;
In the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.

Then he took to the trees and timber
Along the river shore,
Hiding on the river bottom
And he never come back no more.

Yes, he took to the trees and timber
To live a life of shame;
Every crime in Oklahoma
Was added to his name.

But a many a starvin' farmer
The same old story told
How the outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little homes.

Others tell you 'bout a stranger
That come to beg a meal,
Underneath his napkin
Left a thousand-dollar bill.

It was in Oklahoma City,
It was on a Christmas Day,
There was a whole car load of groceries
Come with a note to say:

"Well, you say that I'm an outlaw,
You say that I'm a thief.
Here's a Christmas dinner
For the families on relief."

Yes, as through this world I've wandered
I've seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.

And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.
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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airkooledchris
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by airkooledchris » Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:45 am

Amskeptic wrote: I did huge adjustment to the black cog towards rich, like 35 teeth. The mixture went silly lean.
Colin . . . ?

the bermuda triangle of L-Jet
1979 California Transporter

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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Arkansas to Oklahoma

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jun 07, 2014 8:23 am

airkooledchris wrote:
Amskeptic wrote: I did huge adjustment to the black cog towards rich, like 35 teeth. The mixture went silly lean.
Colin . . . ?

the bermuda triangle of L-Jet
There is something fascinating going on here with these AFMs and ECUs and ignition pulse signals.
I need help with other people's intuitions, imaginings, actual facts, observations, suppositions, et al.

Perhaps Hambone can set it all to a song, a ballad.

I wonder if these AFMs have different maps for different cars all dependent on wiper position vs spring tension . . . and I am lost in a sea of Peugeot BMW Volvo Mercedes maps as I dork around.
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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