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Date:         Mon, 16 Sep 1996 21:53:41 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         John Anderson <vwbus@netbiz.net>
Subject:      Don't try this at home

Neatest thing happened today, or seems that way now in afterthought, figured I'd share even though it's embarrasing, definitely DO NOT try this at home boys and girls.

A bit of background first, about 2 months ago bought the '81 Westy for a long deserved late August vacation, needed an engine and much more and in the final dash to get it running I ended up scavenging the '78 and the '85, the former for FI parts the latter for both driveshafts as I felt too lazy to deal with the annoying howl from the '81's.

So last weekend when FRAN passed I was unable to move the '85 as I still hadn't got around to doing the driveshafts and it caught about 8" of water, busy all week I finally decided Sunday I better get her moving before the brakes rusted totally and spent the day dissasembling CV's, second nature to me as I've done like 20 bus CV's this year. Well all were canditates for Haynes do not use picture but for 15,000 on the '78 I've been running similar, reversed to wear the opposite surface with agreeable results, I just carry a spare, of which I have 4 that have been the worst but still work so I pick the four best I got place them appropriately for more wear, repack and reinstall. After 10 or so rocks I finally get the rear drums to break loose and I'm on my way. Here's where it gets interesting. Take her on the 20 mile jaunt to work this morning, notice the handling is odd, but I've been driving the heavier '81 and don't care. After work I decide to go track down a new lead on a split Westy and head out over a real twisty back road, as I'm going around the last couple of curves before I get to the main road I get a nasty growl, shit I figure one of those CV's is worse than it seemed, and its raining HARD and about 50F. I figure might as well press on no point in stopping till I got to. So I'm coming to the last curve before the road ends in a T and suddenly nasty vibration as well, thats weird I think as I begin to slow down, now I'm in a 50 degree banked right hander at about 40 mph on a drenched road known for treacherous curves and accidents. So as I slow, suddenly WHOOMP, big bang, shit I figure I've blown a tire that's the real problem. Now history is racing in my head again, the left rear tire was in fact the spare from the '81 but had a slow leak so for vacation my old roomate had exchanged one from the '85 so we had a solid spare for the trip as the '85's spare was shot. Well I figure that slow leak must have become a fast one, I'm in the turn see something in my peripheral vision and ignore it as I concern myself with getting off the road, as I slow to about 25mph now on the berm get that groaning of steel on pavement and figure wonderful the rim is toast now. I'm also worrying that I got no spare and no jack, both of which are in the '81. So I get out to see how bad AND THE REAR DRUM IS SITTING ON THE PAVEMENT, NO FREAKIN WHEEL AT ALL. About now this dog starts barking and a minute later this guy walks up and asks if I lost a wheel, I say yeah I guess so. I go retrieve the wheel from his yard, in fine shape, he cordially lets me borrow a jack and helps me jack the car, I reinstall hoping to steal 3 nuts from the other wheels only to now be reminded that unlike Buses Vanagon's are nearly the only vehicle in the world to use front bolts and rear nuts. So I walk back up the road expecting nothing and miraculously find one lug nut, the last one I guess, bolt on 3 and 3 and go home. Needless to say call my old roomate (half owner of the '81) and give him some amount of hell, he goes "oh yeah" when he exchanged them we were in a rush and he figured I'd reinstall the correct wheel first thing so he had only tightened the nuts FINGER TIGHT. I had driven like 35 miles that way before they let loose. I was not amused and let him know graphically, but in the end nothing appears damaged except the backing shield a teeny bit, I'm alive the wheel didn't hit anybody, the guy behind me must have thought it was all funny as hell, the guy with the dog sure did, never quit laughing the whole time he helped me and I didn't even get to roll another Vanagon like I did the ole '86. So all in all a fun experience but one I wouldn't recommend, just like the one Love Bug movie where they lose the wheel in the turn.

John vwbus@netbiz.net

PS. Always check work done on your car, assume nothing, and boy am I going to take ribbing from this at work, the union guys love it when one of us "rocket scientists" does something idiotic, this will be the talk for a week.


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