Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (January 2007, week 4)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:27:06 -0500
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      now: John Muir Publications was: Death Valley
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2007012520372716@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

The books in question were "How to Keep Your Volkwagen Alive" by John Muir PUBLICATIONS (I emphasize the last....John Muir was not the author) and "How to Keep Your Rabbit Alive". The original book was oriented towards aircooled vehicles, though it did reference the water cooled ones prior to the 2nd book, at which point most of the water cooled material was moved to the Rabbit book.

Since I started with an aircooled VW (71 Super Beetle) I was given the Volkwagen edition by my brother (who had learned his trade from it.) That would have been about 1978.

Learning how to drive without a functioning clutch (something written about in the book) turned very useful when my clutch cable broke on that beetle. I had that car for quite a few years until I dropped a valve, blew the piston and warped the crank shaft. My brother rebuilt the engine...and I used it for a few more years until an engine fire finally put me out of my misery.

For those who are from the West Coast, or NorthEast US...I live in Washington DC. Washington DC has wonderfullly varied weather. It gets toasty hot and humid in the summer, but still gets the occassional Nor'Easter and big snow falls (average snow fall is 24 inches yearly, but it might all hit in one storm.)

The beetle was perfect for this. No air conditioning in the summer, and no heat in the winter. I can remember driving around in a snow storm with my window open, so I could stick my hand out, and grab the windshield wiper, and beat it against the windshield to knock off the ice...

I skinned my knuckles too many times, when changing the spark plugs. I got 30 mpg.

To this day I don't miss that car.

But I miss the book, with it's wonderful illustrations. Wish I knew what happened to my copy. Yah, you can still get it used. But I don't NEED it...


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.