Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:36 pm

We last left off in hot humid Mountain Home AR, where I thoroughly enjoyed meeting CL Hudson and Rick Steiner. That seems like a tight town, everybody seems to know each other and it is, I am sure, lovely, at about 30% less humidity. After a full ten hour day, I was extra-sticky sweaty, so another scrubdown was executed at my charming "campsite" + Pantene hair treatment at the Blown-Up Toilet Burnt Down Building salon, before I hit US 62 east to Missouri.

Next morning at some Ford Truck dealership driveway, I yanked out the rear window AGAIN (3rd time!) because it kept piddling on the right side curtain. I pushed it out with my palms, lickety split, see, that's the problem, it exerts NO pressure on the perimeter of the opening. Added some butyl caulk to the corners where the seal stretches itself (BECAUSE IT IS NOT FORMED AT THE CORNERS) skinny:

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I electrical-taped a single strand 22ga wire to the outside edge of the glass to force the stupid seal to expand just that much more, just like in Spokane with the old seal:

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Hey, gas is $2.23 a gallon in Missouri, me? I'm not distracted:

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Yay for the new seal + hacktastic tapery - it now does not leak:

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Very happily did I find a beautiful campsite only 19 miles from downtown Saint Louis. It was on top of a local "mountain" devoted to a cell tower. Called Kit at dusk to tell her of my find (after the great CampAbout, I have a whole new appetite for being Outside Of Civilization). Did the proximity of the cell tower help the signal quality? No. Popped the top and fell into a deep sleep. Somewhere around first hint of dawn, I awoke to voices. Cops.
"Look at this thing."
"Man, that is cherry."
"I always wanted to get one of these."
"Oh YEAYAH, hit the road! But they break down and then what? That thing is like fifty years old now."
I wanted to rouse myself and pronounce, but my eyelids were glued shut and my mouth was dry and I was literally falling back asleep as I listened. I heard two vehicles and even though I was up where their headlamps and spotlamps had little effect on my eyelids, those clowns hit both of their sirens just to blast them (kop kids).

Awoke at 7:30, and broke camp (sure, pull down the poptop, yer done) and drove to SamW's house to meet his beautiful Great Danes. Once again, a dog makes me feel bad. The bitch had lost her right rear leg to cancer, and she was cheerful and adaptable. Me? I would not likely be. The bus is a twin to McCandmore's '74 orange Westy, this one is a '73, but they have had different lives. This one was saddled with home engineering fixes. I took out about a mile of wire from the engine compartment. Four exposed power supply wires sprouted off the positive battery cable and disappeared into the cabinets and across the engine compartment, all UN-FUSED.

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There were other oddities for sure. This was supposed to a nice tune-up tutorial, but it got ransacked by outrages. We just had to patiently plough through the myriad of wrong decisions, fuel hose routing, wire ties binding wires to sharp edged metal, a coil ready to slide out of its bracket, and some time around 6:30PM we got the bus to barely barely start for the first time. Yeah, so the brake booster hose was attached to the central idling circuit pipe that was supposed to lead from the central idling circuit outlet on the left carb, the brake booster nipples on the manifolds were blocked off, the breather hose wandered around and terminated in open air, the vacuum advance hose went to the wrong carburetor, just little details.

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At 6:30PM, (I was due for a nice dinner with my friend Marc and his lovely wife at 7:30PM nine miles away) the engine lit my arm hairs and eyebrows on fire with an insane July 4th show spewing from the carburetors. This engine is missing parts all over the place, and the hold down clips for the air horns are two of them. I had to both hold the air horns on and try to adjust the fuel mixtures whilst tickling the throttle crossbar. It was hideous. The backfires were blasting black smoke out the tail pipe, and flames up to the headbanger cabinet. I was about to indict the valves for sticking when I touched the electromagnetic cut-off wire loosely hanging on to the right carb. Yeah, runs smooth now. That was too much misbehavior for one stupid wire connector, but there it is. Sam has some parts to scarf up and I have to grow some new arm hair.

Blasted off "hey good luck, Sam, it'll work out!" and jetted through Saint Louis to dinner:

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"You smell like you were on fire."
"I was ... but I'm not now."

Fire victim got to spend the night in a basement of a house under construction with no hot water. I did a basement utility sink cold bath with another Pantene hair spa treatment to get rid of some exhaust soot. Stepped out into a thunderstorm and sheets of sideways rain. Drove to McCandmore's house and greeted that lovely family with the crackerjack whipsmart kids, the eleven year-old of whom provided us breakfast.

McCandmore's '74 is the other twin of the Saint Louis Orange Westy Brigade. Can we ponder for just a second the fact that the last three customers ALL had that amazing rare orange plaid interior?

(CLHudson's photographed here)
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Steering was at the top of the list. We replaced the drag link as the rain slowly diminished. Then, because we were there, we decided to replace the front shift rod bushing. Fortunately the orange carpet-with-real-orange-footpad, readily pulled off the floor. Unfortunately, the front shift rod collar would not release the two shift rods so we could telescope them together and get access to the bushing. "Yeah, so we will disassemble the rear coupler to obtain required rearward shift." Yeah, but no. Apparently this lovely orange Westy has advanced rust under the undercoating under the car. It was a couple of hours to eventually get the shift rod rearward enough to barely insert the new bushing. Got it all back together and adjusted the stop plate to eventually give us four forward gears and one reverse.

Carb adjustments did not include big blasts of fire singeing the head banger cabinet or my face. This 1800 engine is smooth. I love the short stroke Type 4 engines. The only photographs we are going to be able to share here will come from McCandmore. Another offer of dinner (!) was rejected as I looked at the darkening sky and bailed out to whatever my next campsite would be. I am now in Paducah with a flawlessly running NaranjaWesty at 110,100 miles. Soon, we will pass the BobD's odometer reading ...
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

SamW
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by SamW » Tue Sep 10, 2019 8:06 pm

The dogs were super happy to meet a new friend and get the opportunity for new smells as we discussed engine tune ups.
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Dogs waiting to say hi to Colin again
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Alas, as we pushed Ernie out of the garage and opened the engine compartment, Colin was aghast at the electrical system and missing critical parts needed for correct operation. Rather than our planned "easy" tune up tutorial with some odds and ends, he dug in to the electrical system, re-wiring many components while eliminating unnecessary (and un-fused) wiring.
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pre-arm hair burning, fire breathing engine issues due to a single loose wire.
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More remnants of the PO wiring debacle
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After a few hours of unplanned diversion, we did dive into the engine tune up tutorial with valve adjustment (finding the correct notch to locate TDC), point gapping, and timing. Getting him running was a challenge, but Colin persevered and we finally got him started and Colin found the source of the mis-firing, back-firing, fire breathing engine to put a stop to the craziness with a fine idle upon departure.
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Quick selfie as Colin was running late to dinner
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Part sourcing is in full swing, finding some rare gems out there and stocking up for future replacements and spares. Looking forward to getting this bus reliably out on the road and a future visit to learn more about all the things I am missing.

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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Sep 11, 2019 12:38 pm

SamW wrote:
Tue Sep 10, 2019 8:06 pm
Part sourcing is in full swing, finding some rare gems out there and stocking up for future replacements and spares.

Looking forward to getting this bus reliably out on the road and a future visit to learn more about all the things I am missing.

Oh yes. You want reliable right about here at right about 123*:

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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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Mccandmore
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Mccandmore » Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:57 am

Amskeptic wrote:
Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:36 pm
Drove to McCandmore's house
This was my second IAC visit and was every bit as fun and satisfying as last year. I also failed to take photos, but remembered that our surveillance cameras were watching over us and snagged a few of those images.

The day started with pounding thunderstorms which provided for a nice slow start to the day discussing politics and generally getting reacquainted. After breakfast I pulled out a fresh pad of paper and we got to work outlining our day and getting a few lessons. It’s a treat to watch Colin create art before your eyes. [Here you see the patented IAC "Door No Water Method"]

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Armed with fresh coffee (we were already into the second pot by now) we headed to the garage to address the super-sloppy steering.

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Colin promptly let me know I’d put this task off too long. “You really drive your kids around with the steering like this?” Inertia sometimes gets the best of me. We removed the pan from under the bus and admired the ancient bits of shifter bushing in there. I then watched the drag link bounce around loosely while Colin tossed the steering wheel from side to side. The old drag link came off with minimal fuss and after adjusting the length of the new drag link (Colin got the length right on the first try), installation was also uneventful.

We next turned our attention to the super-sloppy shifting. After last year’s IAC visit I’d immediately ordered a new shifter bushing with the best of intentions. Inertia reared its ugly head again and the project didn't get done. However, it was quickly apparent that I would have been in big trouble if I’d tried this on my own. Telescoping the rods was a non-starter (thanks to corrosion) and though we did successfully disassemble the rear coupler, it didn’t provide the gap needed to insert the new bushing up front. This is one of those many instances where you get far more than your money’s worth out of a visit from IAC. Colin’s write-up doesn’t do justice to how obstinate the bus was, nor does he give himself enough credit for his patience and perseverance. He managed to find the extra millimeter of space needed to wedge the bushing partway in, and then slowly massaged that damn thing into place.

Questions for IAC: I plan to overcome my inertia this year and do something about the rust down below. An online search for “rust-catalyzing primer”, including discussions on this site, turns up a variety of products, none of which seems to be exactly alike. What are you currently using that works? How are these?
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Additionally, are there any parts or areas under the bus and forward of the trans that would be irreversibly damaged if hit with the rust catalyzing primer as it’s sprayed on? I’m not sure how cautious I need to be when applying it.

After a late lunch break we got to work on the business end of the bus. The bus generally runs great, but I get a bit of dieseling from time to time at shutoff after the engine gets good and hot. We started with a valve adjustment and found they were nearly all tighter than desired. At my current rate of usage, I’ve got a few years to sort that out. I always struggle to maintain the valve screw position when retightening the nut and I was cursing the process at the end. Colin recommended incense candles and calming music. Here you see me defeated in the driveway.
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We fired up the bus, adjusted the central idling circuit mixture, and then discovered that the gizmo that allows you to disable the central idling circuit had been monkeyed with so we could not isolate the carbs. After a bit of trial and error on each carb we headed out on the road, making frequent stops throughout the neighborhood to run to the back and tweak things. Once Colin was happy with the engine we switched driving positions and I got to fully enjoy the newly tightened steering and shifter action.

We celebrated with a cold adult beverage.
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After a final family chat (as well as the purchase of a few stickers and magnets), thank yous and hugs, and taking the only official photos of the day, Colin drove off into the sunset.

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This was another amazing IAC visit in every way and we were sad to see Colin go. I'm already looking forward to seeing "2020 Preliminary Interest Gauge" pop up here next Spring.

McCandmore

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xyzzy
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by xyzzy » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:01 am

For the underside, I used the can pictured on the right in your post. I followed Colin's instructions of using a scouring pad and compressed air to give everything a good cleaning, then used the rubberized undercoating (the one on the right in your picture of the two cans above) and gave everything a good coat. I was fortunate enough to not have any real rust spots other than some very minor surface rust in a few spots. My under carriage now looks pretty spectacular. I do still have to do the wheel wells.

The compressed air really makes a difference in getting any dirt/debris/dust out of the nooks and crannys and draining holes.
---
1973 Westfalia
Encinitas, California USA

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by asiab3 » Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:36 pm

While that undercoating spray is excellent at preserving metal that has not rusted, it will likely trap in moisture and promote rot if the base surface is not treated first.

When an area will be visible after treating, prep, and paint, I like Dupli-Color Rust Fix. If the area is under the car, I like MarHyde One Step. (Sorry no links or pictures from my phone...) the MarHyde left a yellow-y film behind last time I used it, though the chemical reaction seemed more comprehensive than the Rust Fix. The active ingredient in each is a mild acid, (I’ll use phosphoric acid as an example,) which reacts with iron oxide (rust) to create iron phosphate, an inert metal.

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Seriously, every chemical failure I’ve come across has been failure to follow the instructions. Once you’ve used a product for a while, you learn its shortcuts, but there’s a reason some products say “20 minutes between coats,” and some say “no more than two minutes between coats.”

Perhaps a dedicated undercoating thread is in order? Feel free to move this post. :)
Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Mccandmore
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Mccandmore » Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:19 am

asiab3 wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:36 pm
...it will likely trap in moisture and promote rot if the base surface is not treated first.
My plan, per discussions with Colin and reading here, is to first go after the rust with compressed air and some scrubbing (similar to what xyzzy described above. I would then hit it with the rust catalyzing primer (following all instructions) and finally complete the task with the Rust-Oleum rubberized undercoating pictured in my post above. I don't see MarHyde One Step available locally, but I can get this stuff. Thoughts?
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:35 am

Mccandmore wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:57 am
Amskeptic wrote:
Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:36 pm
Drove to McCandmore's house
We celebrated with a cold adult beverage.
McCandmore

I like those surveillance photographs' fisheye effect ... especially the one where it looks like I am scratching my butt (trying to surreptitiously unbutton my back pocket to stash the cash).

The cans you displayed, yes to the *paintable* rubberized undercoating, NO to the rust reformer crap.
Duplicolor Rust-Fix is readily available, the Marhyde One-Step less so. They go on clear (yellowish) so you can SEE the chemical reaction between the rust and the muriatic (tannic, see below) acid active ingredient.

Blast off the friable junk, compressed air is good, spray the rust-catalyzer + 24 hour dry, topcoat with whatever, then the rubberized undercoating!

Great to see you all, I missed my campsite by a too-rapid dusk. Ended up ducked behind an abandoned gas station that nonetheless had stars and no electric lights, therefore I loved it.
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 Saint Louis MO

Post by Bleyseng » Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:32 am

Amskeptic wrote:
Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:35 am
Mccandmore wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:57 am
Amskeptic wrote:
Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:36 pm
Drove to McCandmore's house
We celebrated with a cold adult beverage.
McCandmore

The cans you displayed, yes to the *paintable* rubberized undercoating, NO to the rust reformer crap.
Duplicolor Rust-Fix is readily available, the Marhyde One-Step less so. They go on clear (yellowish) so you can SEE the chemical reaction between the rust and the muriatic (tannic - see below) acid active ingredient.

Blast off the friable junk, compressed air is good, spray the rust-catalyzer + 24 hour dry, topcoat with whatever, then the rubberized undercoating!

Great to see you all, I missed my campsite by a too-rapid dusk. Ended up ducked behind an abandoned gas station that nonetheless had stars and no electric lights, therefore I loved it.
Colin
Ah that's a no to muriatic acid-"There are NO "pros" to using Muriatic Acid (HCl or Hydrochloric Acid) for derusting steel. HCl will deposit Cl ions chemically combined into the steel surface, where they will cause rust forever. No "neutralization" can remove these ions, they can only be removed by electrolysis."
Use Phosphoric Acid or Citric Acid products.
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:18 am

Bleyseng wrote:
Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:32 am

Ah that's a no to muriatic acid-"There are NO "pros" to using Muriatic Acid (HCl or Hydrochloric Acid) for derusting steel. HCl will deposit Cl ions chemically combined into the steel surface, where they will cause rust forever. No "neutralization" can remove these ions, they can only be removed by electrolysis."
Use Phosphoric Acid or Citric Acid products.

Sorry .... here's the MarHyde recipe as far as they allow:
Image
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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Mccandmore
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Mccandmore » Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:57 pm

Mccandmore wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:57 am

...as well as the purchase of a few stickers and magnets
I turned the stickers into magnets!
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I also started the rust eradication. More on that later.

McCandmore

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Curtp07 » Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:03 am

I know everyone has their secret recipe, but I use the MarHyde with great success (as per CK recommendation).

As for the rubberized undercoating stay away from that garbage. When it holds, it’s great, but once it cracks or a little misapplied spot and it will hold moisture.

Besides, if I ever found a bus with a “freshly applied” rubberized coat I would do a 180 and run.

After the MarHyde sets in ...Fluid Film.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Sep 18, 2019 6:13 am

Mccandmore wrote:
Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:57 pm
I turned the stickers into magnets!

B79A2966-3A81-47B4-A470-EFCED11486BC.jpeg

I also started the rust eradication. More on that later.
McCandmore
May I say that that is one handsome VW ... oh and there is a kid there.

Yay to Battling Inertia!
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 Saint Louis MO

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Sep 18, 2019 6:24 am

Curtp07 wrote:
Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:03 am
As for the rubberized undercoating stay away from that garbage. When it holds, it’s great, but once it cracks or a little misapplied spot and it will hold moisture.

Besides, if I ever found a bus with a “freshly applied” rubberized coat I would do a 180 and run.
Hey hey HEY wait a minute!
I am now at thirty years exactly with that garbage Rustoleum rubberized (PAINTABLE) undercoating. Every single of my chariots have been treated with it. It is true that people spray it on dirty surfaces and they get what they deserve with failure to bond. This stuff I am using never hardens to the point where it CAN crack, it is just an annoying rubberishness.
I do freshly apply touch-ups every fall (Naranja due this week) and the Road Warrior had some seven coats at the time of its demise:

Road Warrior 2007

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Day Road Warrior Died (August 16, 2009)

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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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Saint Louis MO

Post by Curtp07 » Wed Sep 18, 2019 8:05 am

Well I correct that..I would never run from a CK rig with that stuff :)

What’s your thoughts on Fluid Film? I’ve done a few cars now, the old Ford for the winter dump runs and have amazing results..a former employees trucks looked almost new after years of New England salt...

I’ll post another thread instead of hijacking this...

But OH....camping out in St Looey? Whoa!

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