Date:         Sat, 29 Jun 1996 18:25:42 -0300
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Roy Nicholl <rnicholl@asg.unb.ca>
Subject:      First breaker-bar of the summer!!!


Work schedule has had I on the road lots these past weeks.  As a
result, the further adventures of Ras Bulli Split [Resto that would
even make vanBondo shudder...just slightly ;-)] have been put off
track.  I plan to get an update to the list over the weekend [long
weekend and all...:-)], but here is a preview....

The front suspension almost done [even Liz can repack wheel bearings
now...actually here smaller fingers seem to be advantageous with all
those little rollers], it was time to pull the rear hubs off.  My
spiffy new 46mm deep socket arrived this morning just in time to be
put to work.  I had heated both axle nuts a couple of times and have
been applying liberal amounts of WD40 to them for weeks now.  I fitted
the socket on the right rear axle nut, attached the 24" breaker-bar
and climbed aboard.  Two or three bounces later [OK, so it was really
six or seven bounces] there was a tremendous "creak--groan", a la
St-Muir's description, and I road the breaker-bar slowly to the
ground.

Filled with new found confidence of how painless this operation turned
out to be, I removed the 46 mm bear of a socket and went around to the
driver's side rear wheel.  Thirty seconds later, I was climbing back
onto the breaker-bar...one bounce, two bounces, ...., ten bounces,
...., fifteen bounces, sixtee--"SNAP"... Next thing I new, I was
parked flat on my back in the middle of the driveway, and Liz was
roaring with laughter...apparently inspired by the expression on my
face as I arrived at my new resting place.  I got up, the socket was
still sitting on the axle nut as though this entire event hadn't
occurred.  Looking around, I retrieved the breaker-bar from under the
bus... Yes Volks, the driver nib was still in the socket...sheared
clean off as though someone had cut it.  Determined not to let this
little set back ruin an otherwise "good" day, I immediately found an
optimistic angle to the situation: "Hey, not everyone has sheared off
a 3/4" drive breaker-bar...especially without using a length of pipe."
Liz just said it just meant I didn't need any ice cream after dinner
tonight ...wonder what her point is? ;-)

So now we are off to the FLAPS to see if the pimply-faced sales clerk
will honour their lifetime warranty [and to convince them that I
wasn't using a length of pipe], and, of course, to pick up some ice
cream on the way home [Shhh!...don't tell Liz...;)]

Bugs & Things & Bricks...Oh. my!

Roy

-- 
Roy Nicholl
Atlantic Systems Group		Phone:	(506) 453-3505
Incutech Centre			Fax:	(506) 453-5004
B/S 69000			E-Mail:	Roy.Nicholl@ASG.unb.ca
Fredericton, NB			Canada	E3B 6C2