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Date:         Fri, 1 Nov 2002 22:04:17 -0600
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Friday - Raindrops falling on my head.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

The day started out as generic boredom with me planning a trip to a 50 mile distant bone yard to explore what I thought was a Porsche 914 engine. The drive was uneventful other than periodic rain. Upon arriving at the bone yard I requested some pricing on what they wanted for the engine (at this point I'm still thinking its a 914 engine) and was told I'd have to wait until the yard manager got back in twenty minutes. I asked if I could go on back and take some measurements. After trudging down the gravel road I entered no mans land of shoe top high mud laced with old radiator clamps and shock absorber bushings with a sprinkling of small rusty fasteners on the surface. I located the old bay Westy that contained the hidden treasure, a complete engine, disassembled just waiting for me and my micrometers. (I had already bought the heads, lifters, push rods three months ago). Armed with my Tom Wilson book I located the partially rusted crankshaft and took my measurements ............... sure enough it could be a 914 Porsche but could be a 1700/1800 cc VW just as well. I dug through hubcaps and other non VW debris to locate the crankcase just to discover that it was indeed a 1700/1800 cc VW engine. I located a couple of pistons and identified them with the help of Tom to be just generic VW parts. Just as I finished up my measurements the rain started again and was really pouring. I opened the door on a neighboring BMW that still had the door glass and waited out the storm. Not long just about ten minutes. I returned to the yard office to meet Peter the manager and I presented my case to him, laying the ground work to negotiate a price for the parts. At this point I mainly wanted to take something home that would pay for my 100 mile round trip to the yard. Without much enthusiasm I asked what he wanted for the remaining engine parts and he said $100. I countered with the "its a rusty crank" move. He countered with those are all new parts. I countered with, "show me one". He realigned his case and said ok; $80.00 I squared off with "I can get a whole engine from Tammy, next door, for $100.00. He said $80.00 again and I said I'd get back to him. The drive back to Dallas was once again a wet rainy trip. Once arriving I had some lunch and laid out a few VW parts in the garage that needed some investigation as to which file drawer they might best be organized in. I keep some of my shade tree VW operation under a fabricated overhang at the back door of the garage. I gathered up a set of New Mahle cylinders, my honing stones and a variable speed drill in preparation to lightly hone the cylinders for a slight improvement in fit. The new stones I had purchased were still in the highly secure shrink wrapped packaging. One quick look and I new that they would not fit my present cylinder hone so I decided to get a few more miles out of my old stones. I began to chuck up a cylinder in my older than Strom Therman vintage vise. Not a big deal, right? Not for me, the heavy vice crank handle dropped and pinched the living daylights out of my finger. You can enter your own words for my two word exclamation. Rather than be outdone by this vicious piece of manually operated machinery I got into my spare parts and installed two fuel injection rubber seals over the round ball knobs on the handle to keep this from happening again, perfect fit. Worked fine. Still in inventory when I need them. After a little worrying with my newly acquired blood blister I chucked up a cylinder in the vise and went for honing solvent. Finding none I opted for Gulf Charcoal Lighter Fluid. After a few 1200 rpm passes I noticed that the fluid was too thin and slinging everywhere. I slowed the drill and noticed that the cylinder had a slight blaze hanging on to the lower side of the cylinder and little droplets of fire falling into my five gallon catch bucket. Well good for me ................ I'll save that Gulf Lighter Fluid for something else and use Marvel Mystery Oil instead. I completed my honing process with the MMO then marked my piston arrows with big liquid paper arrows so I wouldn't have to squint when I installed the pistons on the rods in my next procedure. So folks that is how you totally waste a rainy day.

Stan Wilder

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