Looking out the window from my living room "study" I see snow. First major snow of the season. The roommate's 01 Cobra is now a Snowbra. He didn't get it covered again this year. I'm excited to head out. Last night it was fairly hard sleet which made driving interesting. In cold weather all the windows of the car fog up. Add the fact I only have a mirror on the drivers side and it doesn't really work. If it's really cold the windows not only fog up on the inside, they frost. So it's a learning curve for me around this time of year. There is absolutely none of the conveniences that a "modern" car gives you. You can't afford to get behind the curve because everyone else is not dealing with what you are. Working defrost front and rear, ABS, traction control, etc. I have none of this. It's a challenge attempting to integrate a vehicle such as mine into traffic in poor weather.
Gotta keep reminding myself to keep my head on a swivel, maintain my distance and be prepared for the unexpected. Those who ride with me notice I become very clipped in my responses and bark orders. It's a matter of tremendous concentration and I don't have time to let them know what I'm dealing with. A full time co-driver during the winter would be awesome. Sadly I can't hire anyone who would be willing to do that. So my passengers suffer a bit but they also get to experience what driving was like four decades ago.
It amazes me that my car really isn't that old. Only eleven years older then me. But for a car it's ancient. Compare it to a "Beetle" (SPITS) today and the differences are startling. The combined mileage for the 2012 2.5L Beetle is 25mpg. And my car gets "An honest 25mpg". This is progress! But the new car is also substantially heavier, safer, and larger. But is it worth the trade off? I'm not sure but if you'll excuse me I have to go find my second ice scraper. I have errands to run.

So there is is this great show up in Canada called Ice Pilots: NWT. It follows the team at Buffalo Airways flying vintage WWII piston pounders. DC-3/4, Curtiss C-46's and the turbine Electra. It's nothing but plane pornography if I'm to be honest. Seventy year old air craft in the far north, the roar of a radial engine and the sheer work it takes to pull it all off.. I torrent it because it's not here in the states and am up to date at the moment. There is just one small problem with the show.
Being the engine nut I am I see these guys wrenching on these engines, getting oil covered, hear them run and something in my brain just snaps.  I think "I have an old engine and wrenches" and before I know it I'm in the gravel with a spanner trying to set my valves. All the while wearing my mad bomber cap and talking out loud in a terrible Canadian accent. I sure hope no one ever gets a camera on me when I'm doing this!
But is it really so bad? When you have a car with eccentricities, that you use as a daily driver not a show piece and rely on it, it's times like this, these man and machine bonding times that really cement your understanding and appreciation of this time machine you're driving.
Sure he's still hesitating off an idle no matter what I do but it's now more manageable and the idle itself seems to have smoothed out a bit. I've been adjusting the timing by ear and so far have been pretty pleased with the results. Still not sure why it slides off so badly but I now have a dedicated socket and wrench for the distributor pedestal so it's a simple matter of opening the engine bay and having a good listen.
I speak often of the joy of being able to interact with your vehicle, not just "driving" it. When you know it's good moods and bad moods, can sweet talk it or can fix a problem as it happens that's a great feeling. I know a lot of people who carry a tool box in their vehicle but how many can actually truly effect change on the side of the road?
I'm not the greatest at this mechanicing stuff but I'm trying to not shy away from it. Sadly we have snow on the way here soon and not sure how much longer I'll be able to be a driveway mechanic. Oh did I mention I "fixed" the hole in my floor with Gorilla Tape? Well that'll be another post. Because permanent temporary fixes are just a fact of life in the Old Car Club.

Rain and Classic Cars

It was a wonderful morning in my classic car. Woke up to rain on the roof and knew it would be an excellent morning to enjoy my little slice of vintage motoring. I was up high in the mountains and there was a palatable anticipation of the drive home. The near vertical windshield was covered in drops when I finally settled into the cracked and worn vinyl that is the drivers seat. There has been a small problem with the #1 fuse and as I lifted the ignition cover, flipped mags to both, and pushed the starter I was curious if it would give me trouble. No trouble, just the soft burble into a harsh rap that announced Zazu was awake.
Now for those of you who don't know what the #1 fuse on a VW Beetle does it controls not only the turn signals but also the fuel gauge. Both very important when your trying to drive legally. It also cuts out the binnacle light behind the speedometer.
Engine running well, right heat lever on, flick the wipers a few times and we're off  As I head down the winding logging road it's third gear and a touch of brakes now and then. This is the best driving. Nothing but the the sound of 1600cc of vintage engine propelling me home. The rattles and squeaks that I've become used to and expect. Being so much closer to the driving experience then in a modern car is great when your alone and the scenery is stunning.
Back on the pavement pick it up a little bit. Feel and hear the reassuring fweem as the speed comes up. Heat is now working, feet hot and radiating upward. Soon the cabin is comfortably toasty as I pass the golf course by the river. Then it's a two rights, a left and a right before I flick off the ignition and sit for a moment savoring the ride. Life in the Old Car Club continues.

Gremlins 2

It was a dark and stormy night. Well it was, last night anyway. And deep in the bowels of my old car the gremlins came out to play! Let me set the scene. It's pouring rain and it's about 2:00 in the morning. I've gotten into the car, fired it up and started my way home. Lights on, wipers on full. Then I notice the generator light is pulsing. For those not in the know the light is simply an indicator of a difference in voltage between the battery charge and the output of the generator. Or something like that. It had been acting odd all day, flashing bright with the application of brakes, kicking the brake lights on, and in general being a nuisance. This is one of two main trouble lights in the car, the other being the oil light.
So I'm sitting there illuminated only by the binnacle light and my own headlights and I'm starting to get worried. This could mean a few things. The generator as faithful readers will no doubt recall has been a thorn in my side for a bit. But with third generator and a lifetime warranty all should have been well. But that little orange light was informing me something was not. As I drove along the deserted two lane that leads to my house I tried various methods to get the light to do different things. I noticed it was not at all related to engine RPM which was startling so that means battery or voltage regulator. That pesky regulator!
While diagnosing the generator issue we briefly replaced the regulator but it checked out fine. A visual inspection reveals a fairly new unit and we figured it was good. But this pulsing and flashing does not seem right!
Now I admit I'm a bit of a hypochondriac about my car. I drive it the most, I know what it sounds like and what it SHOULD be doing. And this just isn't right.
So needless to say I made it home determined to look over what I could when I had more then two hours of sleep under my belt.
Cut to today. I pull out the back seat, poke around at the wires, figure out what is what and try to recreate the events of last night. Nothing. There is a slight pulsation but it goes away. With wipers, brakes, and turn signal on, NOTHING.
So at this time I blame gremlins until I see further evidence of the issue at hand. My battery is being charged, my generator is working. I have no idea what happened last night but I hope to not see it again. But I have a fear I will. Time to go find a donkey and a witch doctor again!

Just Keep Clean

In one of the classic tomes on running a steam traction engine from the late 1800's the author informs the reader that a good engineer will pick up a rag before a wrench. Seems all the good mechanics I know are the same way. Wiping tools down after use and keeping the project and themselves clean. So I'm pleased to say the only mechanical thing I did to the bug today was wash and vacuum it and spend a delightful forty five minutes with a rag attempting to detail my engine. It's no show engine but it's cleaner then it was before. I think I figured out where the license plate light is wired in and did a quick and dirty temporary fix.
Keeping things clean around a steam engine is paramount. As one cleans and oils it's a time for inspection and a general look over of the operating mechanics. I remember well spending hours on spring rigging and frame inspections. I got to know the underside of that steam locomotive fairly well and it taught me a lot about how it worked and what to look for. Not all learning is or should be active. The ability to passively take in information and figure out what it means is just as important as it being given to you. The old man in me says that is a skill lost on the current generation. But then again I'm only twenty nine!
And as a side project the Typesetter and I attempted to gain some clearance between the drivers side front fender. You see the bumper on that side was viciously attacked by a telephone pole two winters ago and I was afraid the tire was rubbing on the fender which was being pushed in by the fender. Being that I live in a trailer court the following image raised no eyebrows. I'd like to see people try a repair like this with a modern day car!

 This is also a classic case of history helping history. The piece of metal The Typesetter is using is actually an old drill head from a mine about ten miles up stream from Virginia City, MT. In the end the project was successful and I'm no longer worried about the rubbing. Sometimes a come-along and old iron is all it takes to get the job done. May not be pretty but it works! Oh, and happy belated 74th birthday Volkswagen!

90% is far better then 0%!

It HAS been awhile once again! Last time I wrote my bank account was taking a beating on account of unforeseen issues with my now 41 year old car. Well those issues have been resolved, primarily by selling my 1999 Nissan. For those slow on the uptake this means that I'm now left with Zazu as my daily driver. It's been a challenge! But he's about ninety percent there and going strong. Straight out of the gate we had a massive overheating and stalling issue. That I could just barely live with. Until it stopped altogether. You see the generator decided to commit Genicide while crossing the Clark's Fork of the Columbia and I ended up at the Boone and Crockett club headquarters. While I love seeing the old CMStP&P depot it's not a good sight when my car is leaving on a flatbed. I'm very happy I have AAA!

 So it was $84 bucks in labor with a generator on warranty. But Zazu was still very unsafe to drive in traffic. Following this latest debacle I was not a happy VW owner. I was looking at $200 to get it all put right and it was very stressful. This lasted for two weeks until exasperated I figured I could simply fix the car myself. My buddy the Typesetter, who you may know from my other blog and I figured we'd start with the simplest and most obvious problem that Zazu's symptoms presented: Bad timing. And this brings to mind one of the strengths of an old car. You can do it yourself! So we timed him with help from my VW books and a Youtube video. Low and behold he's running like a champ. So for you entertainment I'll include the video!

And it really is that easy. A continuity tester of some kind, we used a volt meter, and a 10mm socket are all you need. Took as maybe ten minutes and it was like I was given a new car. Backfiring, overheating, and stalling were gone. Gas mileage is back up to where it should be. I then tackled the electrics. Mainly I spent lots of elbow grease and emory cloth cleaning every spade connector I could get my hands on. Now almost all of my lights are working once more. Still ahead are brakes and a few minor cosmetic issues.
I went back through this blog and it was great to reconnect with what it means to own an old car. But now things are different. It's no longer my hobby or second car. It's my only car. And that's a little terrifying. But it's also very exciting. So look ahead for more updates as things progress throughout the summer. Because I think I'll be combining two of my passions this summer. What do you think? Or is it just one death trap on top of another?

The Story So Far

Bug is running. Bug is expensive. That is where we are. The engine compartment seal has been replaced. Engine and missing installation hardware has been replaced. Engine installed. Accelerator cable was replaced. Battery in place and cleaned. Engine wiring repaired and engine started. Generator and generator light are working. Car is in rough condition, more needs to be done. But I have a current total and am working on getting it paid. Most of the work is due to basic neglect of the car and engine due to the nine months it sat outside without care. But what I have now is a car being rehabbed, a list of what was done and what it took to do it over a period of four days. Thanks to the spiraling cost it might be a bit before I get Zazu back but I'm happy with the outcome. I may get some pictures of the car and the work.