Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 04:45:18 -0500
Reply-To: Budd Premack <bpremack@WAVETECH.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Budd Premack <bpremack@WAVETECH.NET>
Subject: The Best Laid Plans... (long)
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This summer has been bereft of trips because of the impending Bar Mitzvah of
my son David. It seemed appropriate for the whole family to prepare
(translation - spruce up the house) for the festivities and allow David the
opportunity to practice with his tutors. Well, all went splendidly this
past weekend, so now it was time to get on the road. Three short trips in
as many weeks seemed a good way to even the score.
First is an overnight with my lovely wife, Carol, at Grand Marais, on the
fabled North Shore of Lake Superior.
Next is a road trip to Detroit with deserving son, David, to pick up one of
the rare Westy-style single middle seats, with swivel, armrests, and a
storage area. Also waiting are front and rear Westy tables and brackets,
and a few miscellaneous items. (Since my Syncro wasn't born to be a camper,
a few appropriate mods should make a welcome addition.)
Finally. nineteen year old son, Benjamin, and I plan on a triumphant return
to BBTA 15, for the second year of what promises to be an annual event.
At least I have had all summer to prepare the Syncro for these jaunts, as I
confidently anticipated the three journeys. On Monday I was on my way to my
trusty mechanic, Mark, to have him replace the RR half axle (minor cv
noise) and the next thing I knew buzzers and lights went berserk and the
temp gauge was pegged. I happened to be on a freeway bridge at the time,
left lane, 60 mph, with lots of traffic. I couldn't safely stop, so I
turned both heaters on max and drove about 3/4 mile until I could get to a
safe place to coast off the road.
Benjamin, who was on his way to meet me to give me a lift home, towed me to
Mark's garage. (Thank goodness for two cell phones.) My guess was a
ruptured coolant hose, which turned out to be accurate. However, it was the
large front one and Mark informed that by the time the buzzer sounded, I was
already out of coolant and running really hot. This resulted in so much
pressure that my head gaskets gave out on both sides. I was aware that I
had been on borrowed time as (to my knowledge) they never had been done and
I have 160K on the engine. I just thought that there would be some seepage
as a warning, never guessing that the whole thing would go in a matter of
seconds.
Well, the good news is that my guru Mark says the heads can be machined and
rebuilt, parts and labor for under $ 800. Also, it happened in town, not on
the road to Grand Marais, Detroit, or BBTA, and the rest of my engine is
apparently okay. (This episode has convinced me even more about the
benefits of synthetic oil as a high temperature lubricant.) The negative is
that Mark can't get to the job until the end of next week, so we towed the
Syncro home to have it rest in our garage until then.
Okay, we have plenty of vehicles, so I decided to take Benjamin's 88 Toyota
Camry. First I needed to have both front sway bar bushings replaced, which
had been a postponed repair that couldn't safely wait any longer considering
the unexpected need for extended highway usage. I picked up two lower
control arm assemblies from a local boneyard and Mark squeezed me into his
schedule on Tuesday. So far, so good. On Wednesday it was time to install
a cassette deck and reconnect the dash lights, both casualties of Benjamin's
shift of his mongo stereo into his newly purchased 86 Audi 5000 turbo.
Well, it seems that Benjamin is much better at installing than
re-installing, as he had customized the Camry so much electrically that we
couldn't make anything work in the allotted time. Back-up plan was to use a
boom box powered by our inverter, and handle the night drive from Duluth
back to Minneapolis with the aid of a flashlight and the cruise control.
More permanent repairs could be done next week prior to the Detroit trip.
Oh, yeah, there were the small matters of an oil change, tire checks,
obtaining a spare fan belt, fuses, and why didn't this kid keep a jack and
lug wrench in the trunk! (Apparently Benjamin feels that just because a car
is running fine now, it will do so consistently, especially far from home
and the convenience of FLAPS and mechanics.)
By 9:00 P.M. Wednesday it was time to head for the gas station so we could
have a smooth morning departure. With the fresh (synthetic-blend) oil, the
engine just purred as I backed out of the driveway, and kept on purring as I
shifted into drive. However, when you depress the accelerator, a gentle
roar and a kick in the pants is typically expected. (Remember, this is a
DOHC small car, not one of our beloved Vanagons.) What actually occured was
absolutely nothing in the range of forward motion. Somehow the excitement
of a road trip was too much for the Toyota's previously dependable
transmission, as it now was in a state of suspended animation, or is
paralysis a more apt description?
Well, I was getting pretty experienced at unanticipated vehicle
catastrophies, so we calmly pushed the Toyota back into the driveway, where
it rests appropriately right behind the Syncro.
Next in line is Carol's trusty (and rusty) 81 Volvo 240 GL. It has the
substantial advantages of a functioning am/fm/cassette, dash lights that
work, fresh oil already in place, a jack and lug wrench in the right place,
and the familiarity that only decades with a vehicle can bring. True, the
a/c is decidedly weak, and high beams are now high beam, but the sun roof
still works, and the seats are original Volvo.
If anything happens to the Volvo, my AAA card is going to get quite a
workout, as these trips will be taken as planned, as Hell and high water
already seem to have occured.
I will post an update, hopefully after BBTA, which I still expect to attend
in a newly head-gasketed Syncro.
Good wishes are not only appreciated; they are probably essential.
Note to Jim Fritz: Please give me the exact description of the headlight
retainer (with a Bentley reference, if possible) so that I can get you the
correct part. Do you want just one, or multiple items?
Budd Premack
86 Syncro, 73 Super
Minneapolis, MN (Land of Sky Blue Waters)
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