Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 14:05:05 -0700
Reply-To: jbclem1 <jbclem1@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: jbclem1 <jbclem1@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: A syncro fords a river: photo
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Andrew,
Your message brings back alot of creek crossing memories. I live on the other side of a creek that
has water in it 6-8 months of the year (southern california) and I have had many experiences trying
to get across it when I shouldn't have . My 1983 watercooled Westfalia is pretty useless for
crossing, with 1 foot of creek water flowing the engine shuts off all the time from the splash into
the engine compartment. When I had a locked differential kit in the trans, I could drive across
slowly and usually avoid the engine shutting off (up to 1.5-2 ft of water). When I didn't have the
locked differential it was a matter of flooring the accelerator and hoping I would have enough
enertia to coast across after the engine died, just as you described. Many times I barely made it to
the other bank, engine dead, and would sit half in, half out of the water waiting for the engine to
dry off enough to start before the water level rose.
The 1980 aircooled Vanagon I used to have was another story. The heater boxes and sheet metal kept
much of the water from getting up to the injectors and spark plugs. I regularly got through deeper
water that the watercooled could. The deepest was when I had to get to the airport (going to New
Zealand for 6 months!) and the creek was running fast and too deep to try. I put everything
important up off the floors and floored the pedal. I remember the water at headlight level, the car
hitting a hole in the middle of the creek (no clear water for us here in s. calif), somehow making
it across. When I can back from NZ the wheels were frozen solid, it had been parked in one place
the entire time.
BTW, in New Zealand I bought another bus, 1966 with a bed, lived in it much of the time. I could go
places only the Land Rovers would. Up in the far north of the north island, Ahipara (Shipwreck
bay), I often drove across the reef (at low tide, of course) to get to the better surfing beaches on
this 10 mile long point, many times stuck on a hole in the reef, one wheel spinning in midair,
watching the tide coming in and getting ready to abandon ship...either a Land Rover would come along
and pull me out or some fellow surfers would stand on the rear bumper and tip the bus just enough to
make contact with reef firma.
One last bus memory...there's a dryish river bed up in the north that's full of quicksand. It's
quite a thrill to drive down it, you stop you sink.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Grebneff" <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2004 4:01 AM
Subject: Re: A syncro fords a river: photo
> >Sure seem like the "flow" of the water in this pic would have easily swept
> >the westy off her feet.
>
> I can't see any flow there... the only water motion visible is that
> caused by the van's passage.
>
> >It does not take much to make a vehicle float off its traction and get swept
> >down stream.
> >
> >IMHO this pic is SCARY and a possible fake based on how the sides of the van
> >dont even look wet.
>
> No fake. Illumination, focus and shadows are consistent, as it the
> vegetation just visible through the side windows. Lighting direction
> means you couldn't SEE any water on the van's side.
>
> These vans aren't light, especially campers. The 4WD crowd regularly
> drive their Cruisers etc with water up to the windshield (and I'm
> talking about Wagons with shut doors and closed windows, not old SWB
> vehicles with flooded cabins).
>
> The deepest I have gone is wheel-deep in my 57 Panel, in a clear
> slow-flowing stream. No float, no ingition problems. The second ford
> i did have trouble with... I zoomed through it for the cameras,
> sending up a sheet of water higher than the van as the nose plowed
> in, and the engine died as I crossed... speed carried me up the other
> side, though, and the problem was an overturned battery (yeah, no
> clamp in that bus). 20 seconds & it was puring again, all 36hp of it.
> --
> Andrew Grebneff
> Dunedin
> New Zealand
> Fossil preparator
> <andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
> Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
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