Date:         Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:47:21 -0800
Reply-To:     Jim Arnott <jim@WETWESTIES.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Arnott <jim@WETWESTIES.ORG>
Subject:      Colin Kellogg Story
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Colin....

Yeah.  I've been turning wrenches for over 35 years.  About half that
professionally.  I don't impress easily. Met Colin at the Deschutes Campout
in June of this year.  Wasn't particularly impressed. Struck me as kind of a
strange cat.

Friday afternoon a wasserboxer came into the campground on a hook.  A
friend's from about a hundred miles away.  Turns out that friend's
brother(-in-law?) was driving it.  Said driver really didn't have a clue
about Vanagons.  Little red flashy light came on.  Along with all the other
lights.  Continued to drive until it was surrounded by the cloud of steam.
THEN we stop to see what's wrong.  Lost belt.

Mind you, Saturday afternoon in Maupin, OR (Google Map it.) Passenger side
head has massive external leak. So along comes Colin.... Says, let's fix it.
Colin and an army of helpers/observers tear it apart on the lawn. Gasket is
trash. I mean trash! Multiple pieces kind of trash. At about this point I'm
thinking that it's going home on a hook. Colin says, I can get it back
together well enough to drive home.  Gets out the black RTV and makes a head
gasket.  Screws it all back together and says leave it over night.

Next afternoon (Sunday,) they fill up the cooling system and fire it up.  No
leaks. Owner drove it home. 100+ miles in nearly 100 degree temps.  No
leaks.

Impressed? Yeah, NOW I'm impressed. I wouldn't have attempted a field repair
unless I was in the middle of the Mojave without a cell phone.

Looking over his book I'm even more impressed.

Colin gets it. And he's a helluva field mechanic.

Jim

> On Nov 10, 2008, at 8:33 PM, Peter T. Owsianowski wrote:
>
>> Volks:
>> Anybody heard of Colin Kellog?  He has done remarkable illustrations
>> of the
>> VW engine.  The illustrations have very informative copy to along
>> with how
>> the engine works.  Found some of his stuff on the internet a few
>> years ago.
>> A Google search turns up nothing.  Was he just a Veedubber who was a
>> good
>> artist?