IAC Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York

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Amskeptic
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IAC Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:53 pm

This itinerary has a twist with its counter-clockwise path. Normally, I would be finishing the Walkabout Texas Project week right about now, and I would have pictures of some crazy little out-of-the-way project.

Not this time.

Now we are on dense and truckly populated roads and boxed in by property lines rigidly defined and the schedule continues unabatedly. The days that might have been devoted to projects have been all rained out just enough to not be fully rainy, but enough to give pause to anything but quick light little repairs.

After the shredding attack on drober23's poor bus, Dr. Death here went to Cleveland to visit Sean Gallagher and vwlover77 at the famous wet bar garage.

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I did not get to test vwlover77's miraculously self-repaired brakes on his beautiful Westy, so at least his reputation has not been sullied this year by what the police might term "wantonly willful displays of deceleration." Here's vwlover77 himself, pensively pondering in the reflection of his bus:

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VWlover77 drove Sean and me in the BobD to a mexican restaurant replete with screaming babies and toddlers where we engaged in a howlingly interrupted conversation. I would have loved to continue the conversation on modern jurisprudence in America back at the garage bar, but I had to go get lost in the hills of Pennsylvania:

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At a countryside viewpoint here . . . :

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. . . I slapped in a set of NGK plugs with a new thermocouple ring terminal for the Dakota Digital gauge.
The old one had what looked like a possible loose wire in the crimp. A BobD designer bug alighted upon the BobD to compare his/her green on the L63H Taigagrün:

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Then the bug tried a little contrast with the L90D pastel white:

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I was rewarded with 430* readings. I kept driving, confident that the engine was not melting, because intuition trumps toys:

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Stopped by the laundromat in Phillipsburg or something for a delightful afternoon of cold damp dryers, banging washers, and leaks galore. I left magic marker messages for subsequent patrons and one for the maintenance staff:

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There is something that creeps me out about college athletics, something that seems to harken back to the Roman Colosseum, perhaps it is the size of colossal college stadiums, the enormous sums of money they represent, the creeping corporatization of college sports . . . the huge hunkering concrete spaceship thumping down upon the pastoral prettiness of the Pennsylvania I love:

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I enjoy the Psucamper family. They are generations of Volkswagen enthusiasts, and the patriarch is a serious engineer in the middle of resurrecting the family's Westy and a bug, too. They are currently in the "doorless phase":

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Our simple enough goal > get the bus running! was stymied after a day's effort to install the engine, get the electrical sorted, build up pressure in the brakes, and just as we were about to conduct the first start, the fuel leak inspection yielded a fuel leak, right at the braze joint of the return nipple. I was so disappointed. They, being unbelievably good healthy people, were all about Plan B > drop the engine and repair the tank.

We did a test drive in the BobD to get Psucamper behind the wheel of a bus for the first time in three years. It was great to see him from the vantage point of the middle seat (my first middle seat ride in the BobD). Here's Psucamper checking out an alternator:

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I'll fill you all in on how I repaired my shifter (very interesting) from a balky shift into 2nd, took care of the shifter's rattle, and got a smoother engine, but must turn in now . . .
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

Boxcar
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Re: IAC Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York

Post by Boxcar » Mon Sep 01, 2014 4:22 am

Great posting..Saw radar tracking for stormage yesterday and it were all over you.

Where next?
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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vwlover77
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Re: IAC Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York

Post by vwlover77 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:56 am

I looked back through the few pictures I took that evening, and found not even a reflection of one of us. But we really did meet! It was an enjoyable whirlwind of an evening (except for the aforementioned screaming babies and toddlers) , and for the first time during a "social visit", Colin did not brandish a tool and set to work on a VW. Although, at one point he was laying on his back in the driveway assessing the condition of my shifter bushing (torn in two as he suspected).

Driving the Bob D was a delicious treat. I'm trying to keep my memory of the torquey engine, fluid steering, and beautiful shifter action fresh, but the few hours spent with Colin and Sean are far more memorable.
Don

---------------------------
78 Westy
71 Super Beetle Convertible Autostick

"When we let our compassion go, we let go of whatever claim we have to the divine." - Bruce Springsteen

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jcbrock
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Re: IAC Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York

Post by jcbrock » Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:18 am

vwlover77 wrote:Although, at one point he was laying on his back in the driveway assessing the condition of my shifter bushing (torn in two as he suspected).
I think it is just a favorite spinal alignment technique.
'76 Type II Station Wagon - in the family since new!
Corvallis, OR

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asiab3
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Re: IAC Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York

Post by asiab3 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:19 am

jcbrock wrote:
vwlover77 wrote:Although, at one point he was laying on his back in the driveway assessing the condition of my shifter bushing (torn in two as he suspected).
I think it is just a favorite spinal alignment technique.
When I told my doctor I practiced a dying form of yoga, she asked what kind.

"Air-cooled," I replied.

Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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hambone
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Re: IAC Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York

Post by hambone » Mon Sep 01, 2014 11:01 am

"intuition trumps toys"
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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Good News.....Bad News

Post by Psucamper » Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:29 pm

Colin arrived as promised on 28 Aug. Had coffee and dispensed with non related bus issues. He got to the point quickly. "What are your concerns and priorities. In order please."
Well sez I, the brakes won't respond to my attempts to bleed them and there was a big dump of brake fluid from the front left somewhere. Also due to a previous engine removal error the kickdown (autotrans) mechanism was distorted and throttle valve
connection broken. Colin and son David worked on the brakes and got high pedal. Yay! No sign of malfunction that led to previous brake fluid loss.
A temporary repair of the kickdown problem was a Colin masterpiece. A brake return spring ( of all things) was cut, distorted and squeezed into place and teased into functioning. We now had kickdown.
Engine went in and FI wiring dressed properly. Battery/starter/solenoid hooked up.
Ready to test for run. Colin put in gas and told me to observe from under bus. I did and was horrified.....small stream of fuel leaking from one of the metal fuel distribution pipes on the tank bottom." This can't happen to us" he said. I will not codify the rest of the conversation as our unhappiness took voice. We emptied the tank and I said quit, it's supper time. Daughter Ann had a great meal ready (thanks for coming up from Pensacola) and of course chewed over the days events. Asked Colin if there was any possibility of his coming back the next day. There was and other issues were attended to. BUT.....He said "Get in the Bob D and drive it"! Did not expect that and it was more than great. David and I in the front and Colin in the rear. That bus runs and drives so well,
Colin absolutely had to depart by 1:30 pm to make a run to Rochester NY and he did. I promised to take the tank out and re-braze the offending fitting. All in all it was a good and productive visit. Enjoyed every minute of it. Continue to be amazed at his knowledge and versatility.

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