Now if I can just get it back in...

So I ended up pulling the engine and delivering it to my mechanic. Got it back today. Fully detailed and hopefully leaking less oil. I'll get some pictures on Sunday when we work on putting it back in.

Pretty Pictues

Some shots from being out and about today.

Zazu left a deposit at the parking garage.


And I'd take the one on the right ANY day.

Road Trip!!!

Went about fifty miles up the Blackfoot and back. Managed to set set my speedometer cable on fire. It was fun. You can read the story for the trip HERE.

In all his BRG glory.

Radio Blues

Installed some speakers in the Beetle today. It was a rush job but the job is somewhat aesthetically pleasing. I've had a radio in the car since before last winter. The whole purpose was not just music but to plug the hole in the dash through which cold air flooded the vehicle. But with my tax refund I've decided to finally get music in the car. There may be a plan afoot to fix Zazu's biggest issue. I'm thinking an extended range fuel tank and a larger oil capacity. And a new motor. This would drastically increase the range I can travel. Time shall tell.

Summer Guessing Games

It was a nice day out so I took the Beetle out for a spin. Woman is coming for a visit so I made sure to brim my tank. One of the nicer things about this car is the tank sits right around 10 gallons. Figuring out how much money it will take to fill the tank is easy you simply move the decimal point on the price of a gallon. Or if you only want half a tank you move the decimal and halve the amount. Lovely!
During the winter the speedometer went on strike. On a whim today I screwed it back in. And it worked like it should. I didn't know I had a speedo that only works in good weather. The car DID come from California I guess. Of course eventually I got it stuck at 15mph but a rap on the glass brought it stuttering back to life. This is one of the cool things about old cars, you can give the most awesome instructions to a new driver.
My buddy Scott got the honor of driving Zazu into town and back yesterday. He's never been formally trained in a proper, or manual, gearbox. So it was a crash course. He did all right all things considered. "Dude your car scares the hell out of me" was repeated several times but he's simply not used to the, how do you say. eccentricities of a old car!
On my old car the list is long. The brakes WILL work. Just straighten your leg out and try and push the pedal through the floor. They'll work. If the speedometer futzs out on you you can drive by the tachometer. 65mph is 3000rpm in 4th, 35 is 2000rmp in 3rd, and when it sounds like the car will tear itself apart in 1st, call it 15mph. You need to move the CB mike to open the glove compartment and remember the gas fill is on the passenger side at the front of the car. And last but not least remember the engine is in the back.
We all made it safe and sound and even Scott was head to give accolades to my little car that can. That says a lot about a car built eleven years before I was. It's nice to have the summer back, it's motoring season!

Updates

It's been a trying couple of weeks. Zazu got me the through the winter in style. And then I stopped driving him for about a month. And he got jealous. In the last two weeks he's been towed twice and in the shop three times. I'm thinking I need to make a sign at Curt's saying "Reserved for the private auto collection of James D. Maxwell" But it was a simple short, it's always simple with my car, and he's been washed and cleaned. I added some oil so he'll be good to go for the next few weeks. I hope. I have to keep constantly remind myself to put down the urge to take him for a distance drive. I think that in all practicality, Frenchtown to the west, Stevensville to the south, Garrison to the east and the Wye to the north are the limits of Zazu's range. And that I'm afraid is his Achilles heel. I have mountain ranges in all directions and hundreds of miles of driving to get anywhere of use. But I love driving my bug. I really do. I was talking to Woman a few days ago and I she commented how if the bug was worth it. I replied sometimes it's not but then I get in and drive it and it's worth every penny and busted knuckle. I'm driving history here. Then I started waxing all romantic and she almost hung up on me. The joys of the Old Car Club. Now to pay some more money to the man who fixes it.

Gremlins

I thought I would take a moment to talk about gremlins. They live in every old piece of machinery, cars included. Today mine were feasting on my turn signals. Hand signals in freezing weather aren't very much fun at all.
Today, for the very first time and with my mechanics help and guidance I adjusted my valves to their proper .006 setting. It was fun, can't wait to do it again as a matter of fact. But when I left I found my turn signals were not indicating.
So I returned to Curt's Auto Care, and in the parking lot, figured out how the wiring works. I'm sick of just being a "I don't know what's going on!" type of person. Thank goodness for How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive by John Muir. It comes highly recommended. Nothing seemed amiss, I pulled a few wires, checked the connections, all looked fine. Walked in, told him I'd drop it off on Monday, and hand signaled my way home. When I arrived home, they worked fine. I have no idea why. It just happened. And we get to one of the many joys of old iron. There is something magical about the way it breaks down. One moment life is good. Then in a heartbeat it can change drastically and always for the worst. Fix a part, the one right next to it will fail for no reason at all, and the one next to that just to spite you.
You can tell a fellow member by how many nervous ticks they have. Always living in fear of the next major breakdown. Afraid to leave the house without duct tape, electrical tape, masking tape, wires, brushes, valve seals, oil, fuses, flares, GPS, rope, MRE's, a donkey, voodoo priestess and a cat. And it's not just cars, there is a certain CMO of a railroad I know that always seems looking over his shoulder should the locomotive just up and attack him for no reason other then it's a Friday.
But if you excuse me, the cat is currently sick and needs to go the vet. The donkey is fine.