Date:         Mon, 9 Oct 1995 08:41:43 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         eugp@uclink3.berkeley.edu (Eugene C. Palmer)
Subject:      Bus lives on

Volks,

My '71 bus that was hit continues on, uglier but wiser.  I removed the
bumper that looked so nice and straight before the acci.  I checked the
wiring and found all taillights to still be working, even though they are
bent 90 degrees from normal and kind of point out to the side.  I found that
the ignition system was broken, I think the coil died from the shock of the
acci.  Low and behold the replacement Stinger S4 has an incredible, far
stronger power curve than the stock thingy that passed smog and I now _know_
was overheating the engine.  It times about 4 degrees more advanced as well.
I replaced my expensive OBerg filter with a regular old HP1 since dragging
it on the ground for half a mile wore away the case to the point where the
O-rings showed.  I will do without an external cooler since I don't plan to
be driving very far anyway.  

Luckily the bus frame itself seems only slightly bent, if I sight down the
left rain gutter I can see the bend, but otherwise it isn't noticeable.  The
engine carrier wasn't directly hit.  I still need to get more clearance over
the left rear tire, it scrapes the mangled body whenever I hit any kind of
bump.  I also need to find a way to bang the body out enough to remove the
smushed spare battery.

A hint for folks attempting to rekindle the oil pressure on external
filter/cooler systems.  Fill the case with oil, then lift the front of the
bus so the oil soaks the cam gear gallery and pump areas.  Remove the oil
pressure warning sender to allow air to escape until oil is flowing.  Then
re-install.  If you're working on a new or dry engine, you should remove the
rocker arms and spark plugs before cranking so you don't wreck your cam,
lifters, and the rest of the valve train.

Oh well, beauty bus is now an ugly duckling.  At least it'll get me around
town till I can find a suitable replacement, not to mention the time and
energy to swap all the mechanics over.

Eug,
'71 hitnrun westy