Date:         Mon, 17 Jun 1996 09:36:35, -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         TVCR50A@prodigy.com ( MICHAEL G BENTHIN)
Subject:      Re: Driving Cross Country Advice...

quoting tomstory:
I plan on doing 60 or so to keep the temps down. At what temps should I
pull over and let it cool? I don't have the time or money right now to add
an outside oil cooler. I think I might drive at night mostly to keep it
cool, but drive during the day coming back since I'll be with my brother
and we're going to do alot of stopping and sightseeing.
Re trip in 77 Westie with rebuilt 78 eng....
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What, you worry??? I took off in the July heat last year in our 78 Westy
with 150,000 mi. on orig. stock EVERYTHING but clutch disk (pulled it as
insurance, old one was still good..), and went 10,000 mi. in 6 weeks,
including 120 deg. Las Vegas heat (you should have seen the  watercooled's
by the road between LA and Vegas)  and some pass on way to Yellowstone that
nearly fried the front brakes on the downhill!
It needed a quart of oil at least every 1,000 mi., and survived the heat,
based on the "can you hold the dipstick in your bare hand without dropping
it.."test!  We really drove at night only the first one, because we left
late and wanted to make it past Pittsburg from NJ....What to bring?  Well I
used TUFOIL additive (have for last 8 yrs), took along spare fuel pump,
tubing & clamps, injectors, "brain", hydr. lifters, airbox,   double relay,
greasegun, tuneup stuff, and a case worth of oil scattered in
crannies...needed only the oil, grease, and to replace the points, since
rubbing block fried (cheap Brazilian pts!), ran still with 85 deg. dwell
and 13deg. or more retarded (wouldn't idle or go up a hill too well)!
Blocked off anything going to or from heater boxes, made sure engine seal
and associated gaskets were complete, and drove it at 65 on most flats, 2nd
gear on some %#$@*&% grades and 75 on some steep downgrades.  Still puttin
at 168,000 miles.. Suggestions- clutch cable spare (unless recently
replaced), also gas cable, points, timing light, wire with big alligator
clips each end (for starter woes), voltmeter (to check fuel injection,
batteries), grease gun with "hypodermic' end to grease any area that leaks
(ball joint boots for me, or cv boots)- lots of duct tape helps seal these
from the elements......MB in NJ