Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by Amskeptic » Tue May 19, 2015 5:25 pm

All the way up the east coast did mosey the brown cow with nary a moo. Nary a moo, but definitely a shudder developing every time I ask this cow to rouse from the slumber of a red light or creep along one of the many many many many slow traffic jams that seem to be getting only worse.

Visited cheesehead in Maryland. That was the first traffic jam on US 1 and I-495/795/295 heck pick a number and stick a 95 on the end of it, I was there. Gladly did I partake of a strong belt of expresso before we headed out to Clementine the Westy to change out the differential side seals:

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Deep into a recalcitrant extraction that required some vise grip brutality, I remarked upon the splendidly warm and sunny day. "What a splendidly warm and sunny day," I remarked:

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Quite a bit later, we got the weed whacker fired up so the house maid could get to trimming up the borders of the gahdens:

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Then We Drank Beer. Some of it even managed to pass down my gullet, though a good portion got blasted all over the patio flooring, because, you see, I get stupid drunk on a quarter of a beer. That thing foamed up like a volcano just because I set it down. We finished off with quesadillas, another lovely visit with one of my long-term Patron Customers. She is almost at a full Ten Visit punches in her Patron Customer Loyalty Card, good for, good for, good for a free um calendar?

Blew outta there, "god, I love this splendidly warm weather!" to get to New Jersey with my Jersey Chloe Cow. Got a phone call within a block. "Hey, your laptop is still here on the patio."

I am going to have to start *relying* on you young 'uns to keep me organized. Get used to it.

One hour into my beautiful warm night drive to New Jersey, the temperatures plummeted, plummeted a solid 30* and it began to gustily sprinkle horrible drips of water sideways. The northeast always does this to me, always. "What a god-forsaken horrible day dripping with icicles."

Made it to New Jersey in Garden State Parkway traffic to visit with skip, he is a member here, we had an appointment, look it up. His second appointment, in fact. Man, that was a real exercise in everything. We took his fuel injected Westy for a test drive and it got rough and resistant and finally would not even start. Had to do some heavy brain work on that dicey fuel injection harness all the while enjoying a superb discussion about GOD and JESUS and the FUTURE OF MANKIND and I love that stuff. So we are yelling back and forth from the driver's seat to the engine compartment.
"Let's have the ignition only, just the lights."
"Ignition on, is that the fuel pump?"
"Yeah, hang on a minute. So why did God make Jesus suffer to the edge of his faith?"
"What, you want the ignition OFF?"
"No, I said, 'WHY DID GOD LET JESUS SUFFER SO MUCH ON THE CROSS?"
"Oh, ignition is on, I think He had to test us through Jesus' suffering."
"OK, try the ignition now, I think He needed to know our experience of our bodily appetites and Jesus was going to tell him that it is actually tougher than He thinks."
"The fuel pump is not running now. Consciousness takes work. It is an actual spiritual exertion"
"Are the idiot lights on? . . . IDIOT. As in idiot lights, oil and alternator lights?"
"Yes."
"We're good then."
"We're good?"
"The AFM is good, we're Fallen. Hey, do you know the definition of sin?"
Then the Mormon missionary college girls showed up.
"I am so glad you showed up. I have so many questions for you."

Way late, we got the bus running and did a little victory dance around the neighborhood cleaning off the spark plugs as best we could before some stupid stop sign ruined the fun, oh, and the traffic. Got any photographs, skip? I don't. I was too panic-stricken at my dwindling diagnostics.

Next morning, I braved more Garden State Parkway and Wasatch Avenue potholes to pay a call to our ol' appetite's 1969 green westy of window installation fame just one short year ago.
Today's visit was a stock muffler installation, something I have been looking forward to for many years. Seemed like a whole day was a lot of time to do a simple muffler installation. How wrong I was:

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This thing was pretty well rusted on. We had exhaust studs coming out, nuts with rounded corners that needed to be chiseled off in tight quarters, and we had to tap and die everything back to some semblance of cooperation. Both heat exchangers were replaced as well. This Dansk-Derivative muffler (what was its name, James?) was painted all shiny to dazzle you away from its horrendous fitment issues:

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The rear exchangers on the #2 and #4 exhaust pipes were so terribly mis-aligned with the exchangers that we had to hack up a DIET COKE can and use it as a sleeve under the collars. Eventually, everything managed to get attached to the car, even the truncated splitty tailpipe that our *@!% vendors insist on sending out for the '68-'71 buses NONONO. James, get a correct tailpipe for 1968-1971 Transporters:
Part # 211251237B and *inform your supplier*!!!! And enjoy that utterly charming kid of yours!!

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Our delightfully quiet and carefully-installed exhaust system with the truncated curb-snatcher tailpipe:

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Yeah, so our "delightfully quiet and carefully-installed exhaust system" allowed us to hear all number of hitherto-hidden noises, like a loose left cylinder head. Ayeeee.

Folks, appetite can do this, appetite shall do this, appetite must:
*remove rockers, torque lower head nuts, re-install rockers, adjust valves! Easy!
Then we all can pray that we caught it in time.
If they still should happen to make that exhaust leakish blapping noise only when cold, well, we will do a visit again where that engine is coming OUT.

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I got to meet boxcar finally, next morning at Panera parking lot in Paramus. The singular creative misuser of grammar n'syntax has a damn fine bus:

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We futzed a bit with the passenger door hinge then drove gently around the parking lot, then I hammered the kickdown and it just kicked it down and scrammed. Very nice. Smooth. Peppy. Grammar be damned, this guy has crossed his "t"s and dotted his "i"s. He took Chloe for a genteel 1600 cow-walk around the parking the parking lot and then I gulped down Panera coffee because, really, if you look at my schedule, I have been wearing myself right down right quick. See what cinnamon rolls do to stomach rolls?

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I then had to drive straight to Danbury CT in more clutch-chattering traffic to visit with Jonathan! my old buddy from long ago Skycrest, then up to Marlborough CT where I shall pick up in another post . . .
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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wcfvw69
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by wcfvw69 » Thu May 21, 2015 2:32 pm

I love these road trip and visit updates Colin. What's up with your clutch?
1970 Westfalia bus. Stock 1776 dual port type 1 engine. Restored German Solex 34-3. Restored 205Q distributor, restored to factory appearance engine.

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hambone
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by hambone » Fri May 22, 2015 1:01 pm

The shorter tailpipe seems to work dandy, quit your bitchin'. :thumbleft:
Those Dansk mufflers, however..........
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: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by appetite » Fri May 22, 2015 6:01 pm

I think the brand was Dansk doing business as Jopex...

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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by Amskeptic » Sat May 23, 2015 1:01 pm

hambone wrote:The shorter tailpipe seems to work dandy, quit your bitchin'. :thumbleft:
Yeah, don't come crying to me when you back against a curb and devastate your nice tail pipe bracket, muffler, left heat exchanger and everyTHING.
hambone wrote:Those Dansk mufflers, however..........
You are not kidding. I could not figure out how they form those rear exchangers or why they would *weld both flanges of the heat riser to their respective manifolds when NOBODY knows how wide or narrow the engine might be, depending on build strategy. The originals and the Ernst mufflers have slightly moveable long pipes leading to the heat riser outlet flange . . .
ColinCOLDInChamplain Valley
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 New Jersey

Post by Boxcar » Tue May 26, 2015 2:13 pm

Great Visit Colin,
Yes syntactic norms be damned.

Thanks for taking time to color in between the internet lines. My 75 Westy had no idea it would meet you when I shoveled it off a Morristown driveway in 2005.

Aand thanks for showing me your hideously over illustrated (gosh) story of BUS manuscript. It was an honor to sit in it's glow :-).

Let's do again,as.space time.continuoum permits!//Boxcar-Eric
1975 003 Auto Westy L90D

repair!!!!aug2015
Jan/16 Bumped mixture a few notches richer. finally developing HP.


1.8L/LJet/Pertron DVDA+PertronixCompufire 42/36Ham Heads/AA 93mm pistons/barrels.Porsc.Swiv.Adjusters/CromoSteel pushrds/ Web 9550Cam/55cc chmbr.,035 squish,8.6:1CR/German Supply VWCanadaReman Rods/Schadek 26mmPump/vdo dualOP8/10#low sender/Quart Deep Sump
Backdate Htr bxs,reflanged 914 4into1. Two and three eighths inch collector,magniflow*muffler

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skip
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by skip » Thu May 28, 2015 5:15 pm

Hi Colin,

Thank you again for squeezing me in on short notice. It is always enlightening speaking with you on various topics. The bus is doing great, got it inspected Friday. that was the furthest I've driven it in 2 yrs.
You didn't mention how the bus ran fine with the fuel pump disconnected, we need to patent that magic.
I checked out Kyle's site, Man his harnesses are nice and pricey. I know you get what you pay for, maybe
later if it acts up again. Here's a few pics from the 13th, enjoy my Friend.

P.S. seems I can only add 1 pic at a time?

skip




Philippians 4:13
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Complexity is the enemy of reliability.

76 Westfalia
74 Type 181

RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956

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skip
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by skip » Thu May 28, 2015 5:17 pm

Another pic.
Attachments
PICT0002 (Small).JPG
Complexity is the enemy of reliability.

76 Westfalia
74 Type 181

RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956

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skip
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by skip » Thu May 28, 2015 5:18 pm

another.
Attachments
PICT0003 (Small).JPG
Complexity is the enemy of reliability.

76 Westfalia
74 Type 181

RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956

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skip
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by skip » Thu May 28, 2015 5:20 pm

again.
Attachments
PICT0005 (Small).JPG
Complexity is the enemy of reliability.

76 Westfalia
74 Type 181

RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956

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skip
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by skip » Thu May 28, 2015 5:23 pm

one more. Back from inspection.
Attachments
PICT0008 (Small).JPG
Complexity is the enemy of reliability.

76 Westfalia
74 Type 181

RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956

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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From New Jersey

Post by Amskeptic » Fri May 29, 2015 7:06 am

Thanks for the pictures, skip. I enjoyed our visit and the parade of well-wishers that stopped by. We need to get that bus couple, your neighbors with the green and white bus onto this site.

The magical miracle of the fuel pumpless engine was indeed a divine moment. I am still confused, but God already knows that.
Colin :blackeye:
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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