Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 06:46:20 EST
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Daytona Trip report
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Back from Daytona Beach after dancing with the bikers and spring
breakers on the beach ! What a ZOO ! No major problems with the '87 Westy
to report ! Did 5,242 km at 120 ~140 km/hr. Used 1 litre of oil. Clock now
reads 319,420 km. Plus 20 ~ 40 k when the clock was broken during PO's
ownership. Original engine with just a head gasket repair and new rings five
years ago. Installed new alternator before leaving as the old one was
growling, seems likes bad bearing as I took it apart and will rebuilt it.
Some where around Harrisburg the Alt lite came on and stayed on until we
camped for the nite just south of Richmond. Leaving in the morning the lite
went off and has been off ever since ! Mystery ! Lots of whirring sounds
coming from the radio speakers though. Yesterday did some investigating and
took off the main lead to the alternator and the whirring sound in the radio
went away. Called the supplier of the alternator and he's sending over a
replacement. He thinks a diode is shot ! Ha ! Only other significant event
was Sunday on the way home around Syracuse, made a pit stop and the starter
would not work afterwards. Got the women out to push start and away we went
home. Arrived home, unpacked and went to see it the starter would work and
she started up just fine and has been working perfectly ever since ! Another
mystery !
Vanagon Westys, Vanagon sightings ? Ha ! We are a rare breed indeed
! In 5,242 km of driving and 11 days we saw five Vanagon Westies, one in a
rest stop along the I-95 in South Carolina, painted like an American Flag,
LiMBO member I believe, passed the entrance to the rest area before spying
it, so could not stop to investigate further, one other just on the outskirts
of Savannah at an intersection while making a pit stop, too much traffic to
catch up with that one, one more in St. Augustine, Bob was stealth camping in
a parking lot and Rita & I went and woke him for a lengthy chat, retired and
travelling the county, one brown one tooling down the main drag of St.
Augustine, couldn't catch that one either and the last one, a white '91, a
couple from Mass. travelling since early February, along Ormand Beach,
unloading stuff into a cottage they were about to occupy for a spell. Two
Vanagon vans, two bus Westys, a few bus vans, two Eurovan Westys and FIVE
Rialtos ! One we made contact with as they were washing theirs in the stall
next to ours in a car wash in Daytona Beach, from Nova Scotia, Vermont and
Florida !
Where have all the Vanagons Gone was ringing in my ears ! Burnt to a
crisp like true Canadians we woke Monday morning to a lovely spring snow
storm...... That sucked BIG TIME ! Now back to work and cleaning the sand
outta all the nooks and crannies.
Cheers
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm">BusFusion</A> a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, May 30, 31, June 1, 2, 2002
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains
Member: <A HREF="http://www.vanagon.com/">Vanagon List</A>, <A HREF="http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/">LiMBO</A>, <A HREF="http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/CIW_English.asp">IWCCC</A> & Capital City VW Club
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm">STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Mufflers</A>
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html">Frank Condelli & Associates</A> or http://frankcondelli.com
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