Date:         Mon, 4 Mar 1996 10:36:50 MST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Mike White" <MIKE.WHITE@law.utah.edu>
Subject:      Friends '64 Weekend!

Just thought I'd share a little story about my buddies '64 that still 
has us shaking our heads:

About a week ago, his clutch started getting difficult to depress.  
By the latter part of the week, it was VERY stiff, and he would have 
to pull it BACK UP from the floor when taking off from a stop!  (He's 
become quite talented at 3-footing his bus)

In fact he got sick of that, so he started the trusty no-clutch 
method:

1) Turn off bus at stop light.  
2) When light goes green, Put in first, and start it in gear.  
3) Match gears to speed, and shift without clutch.

Anyhow, on Saturday it was fabulously warm (about 55), so we decided 
to fix it.  We figured the clutch cable was getting hung up.  Checked 
that.  Nope.  Undid the whole cable from both ends.

Turns out it was the peddle, where it goes through the tube that is 
welded in the frame.  It was just super tight.  So we got out the 
WD40 and tried to clean/lube it.  Nope.  

Tried to get the peddle out of there by whacking/prying it out.  
Despite all efforts, it wouldn't come out!

We gave up, and drove it to our local VW Guru.  He took about 1/2 
hour to do all the stuff we'd done, and he was stumped.

He called the official state VW Guru.  He hadn't heard of the 
problem, but he suggested what any red-blooded-testosterone-poisoned 
guy would do.  Set it on fire!

Our friend pulled out his torch and started heating the tube, and we 
pulled the pedal up and down.

Minute 1: Still hard
Minute 2: Mmm.  Something smells like burnt rubber!
Minute 2.5: Smoke rising.  Pedal still stiff.
Minute 3: Pedal becoming easier.
Minute 4: Pedal is its normal old self.  Totally loose, and drops to 
          floor when let go.
          
Whatever that torch did, it did it right!

Anyone know if there is something inside that tube where the pedal 
goes through.  Looking at it, one would assume that it is just metal!

Anyhow, that's the interesting story!

- Mike White 

[Mail: mike.white@law.utah.edu   -   mwhite@eng.utah.edu]
Visit my '57 23-Window VW BUS at: [http://cloud8.law.utah.edu/]