Date:         Tue, 7 Sep 2010 15:27:48 -0700
Reply-To:     Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Progress on the Mellow Yellow front
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

The rebuilt transmission has been installed. Some may recall that the
differential began to leak gear oil while I was driving to and from
Montana last month. My mechanic (Steve, Steve's Place, Bend, Oregon) had
previously noticed that the oil level was low, and suggested it was
getting into the transmission. German Transaxle here in town found that
the seals were hard and dry -- the way I like my women (TM) -- and oil
had not only been leaking, slowly, to the outside, but into the AT. They
found the AT to be in good shape save some scoring on the face of the
oil pump. The rebuilt transmission shifts more crisply.

The broken coolant bleeder thingy where the two fat coolant hoses cross
the front (front means front) of the engine had developed a crack.
Replaced with the fancy-pants $200 CNC machined aluminum part that
GoWesty sells. My mechanic paid full retail for the part, didn't mark it
up.

The insurance company for the guy that caused the collision that
totalled my employee's 72 VW bus and mashed the right rear of Mellow
Yellow came through with a check. First they tried to total my van, too,
then they claimed they had no responsibility because the driver had
swerved to avoid an oncoming car, and also because he was only going 30
mph in the 25 mph zone according to the police report. It wasn't until I
picked up a copy of the report from the police department ($15) that I
read that a) the officer showed the driver going over 35, b) that there
was no witness for the oncoming car, and c) the officer found the driver
to be at fault ("Case closed" the officer wrote on the report). So they
coughed up $2,900 which was right in line with the estimates I'd gotten
from the local auto body shops.

But there quotes were based on new parts, and despite everyone's
assistance here and recommendations for places to shop, it turns out
that, yep, no one has those parts any more.

But Mike Crabtree at Crabtree's Auto Body & Paint (Bend) reported today
that he located an undamaged right rear quarter panel in a recycling
yard, giving him all he needs except for a replacement rear bumper to
repair the body damage. $1900 to do the work. I'll throw $500 at
additional body rust mitigation, and use the remainder to start paying
down the nearly $2,000 I had to put on the credit card to pay for the
transmission and other work on the van.

And my mechanic pulled a rear bumper out of his dumpster and gave it to
me this morning. Not in perfect condition, it will need to be
straightened a tad, stripped, and powdercoated black to match the front
one, but it's in far, far better condition than the mashed one on the
van. Crabtree said he'd do that work no charge.

I'm rough on bumpers, buying a new one makes no sense to me.

So all in all, I didn't come out too badly.

Mrs Squirrel are departing on a five-day trip up the Oregon coast to
Astoria on Thursday. May my Vanagon-fu be strong!

--
Rocky J Squirrel
'84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
'74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR