Summer Lovin' (part 4)

I'll admit to being frightened by many things. Extreme heights, hairy spiders, and tight spaces all give me the heebie-jeebies. Late night doorbells and phone calls make my heart race. The first night Daphne left me alone with our three-month-old baby, I was terrified.

I'll also admit that every time I've walked through the garage and passed my automotive equivalent of a paperweight, I've felt a twang of guilt. I could blame my daughter for taking away the free time needed to work on the Bug, but I'd only be lying to myself. I had four pre-Charlotte summers to roll up my sleeves and dig in. The truth is I was scared of failure.

Last spring I assigned my seniors to put their life goals down on paper. I also did the assignment as an example. I listed "Eat More Fruit", "Give Up Caffeine", and then I surprised myself by writing "Get Bug Running". When I presented my list, I surprised myself again by stating that my goal for the summer was to get my car in decent, running condition. And I would do the mechanical work myself. Since most of my seniors would soon graduate and disappear to parts unknown, I knew they wouldn't hold me accountable.

But as I was standing there, I realized I was making the promise to myself, not to them. And I wasn't going anywhere.

"There's only one way to make a beginning, and that is to begin: and begin with hard work, and patience, prepared for all the disappointments." - Jack London

Mr. London was talking about writing novels and being prepared for rejection, but I find his words are accurate for any big undertaking. If you want to see your project completed, you first have to start the project. And when you begin, understand the job isn't going to be easy, and not everything is going to go your way.

My first step was to hit the local libraries and Half Price Books. Here's my summer reading list:

If there were a theme to my summer it would be, "Turn a page, and then turn a wrench." I also spent a lot of time reading forum posts on the Samba  http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewforum.php?f=2 and watching YouTube videos.

My second step was to make myself relax. I had to stop worrying that I was going to break something, and then the world would end. Sure, the car has sentimental value, but that's about it. The school laptop that I use is worth more than a non-running VW.

In late May I purchased a new six-volt car battery, and I was able to get the car started. The motor didn't sound very good, but we were both off and running. I decided I would work in the garage only during Char's nap time, and after 8:15 (her bedtime). On days when Charlotte was at daycare, I could drive around town chasing down tools and parts.

The idea was to do just one thing for the car each day, and then just think how much better the Bug would be when vacation was over. Some days were spent entirely on research, and others were spent elbow-deep in grease, oil, and rust.

Here's where I spent most of my summer:

And here's where I spent much of July:

This is what's behind the left, rear wheel. See that horizontal tube that slopes up to the right? That's the Bowden tube, and it contains the clutch cable. Turns out I didn't have to remove my engine to get rid of that clutch chatter. I just needed a new tube, and I needed to make sure it had about an inch more sag (bend) in it. That's reason enough to check more than one source before starting a job. This is a "before" picture.

I felt really good about the smooth shifting clutch when I took the Bug for a test drive, but when I returned to our driveway I could smell something burning, and I could see smoke seeping from underneath the rear hub caps. Reread the Jack London quote - when working on a 50-year-old car, be prepared for disappointments. The clutch was now okay, but the brakes are not.

I'll place a short list of my VW accomplishments at the end of this post, but one entry cannot express the amount of time each task took. Sometimes a rusted bolt could take a whole nap to remove, and sometimes I couldn't work at all while I waited for a part or a tool to come in the mail.

Usually, one job would lead to three more. When I crawled under the car to to adjust the valves, I noticed the axel boots were cracked and leaking transmission oil. While replacing an axle boots I apparently bumped the cotton covered fuel line, and the line ruptured during the night leaving a large puddle of gasoline to greet me the next morning. After replacing the fuel line, I had air in the line, and the engine didn't want to start...

Other jobs require me to learn new skills. As an example, while trying to replace the front shocks, I snapped off the top bolt that held half of the shock in place. I tried using left-handed drill bits to coax the broken bolt out, but it was no use. I had to learn how to use a tap and die set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veO270DcKXE .

Since it's a German car, all tools and parts have to be metric. It took over a week just to assemble this lineup. In order of appearance: broken bolt, new bolt, M10 tap with a 1.5 pitch, and an 8.5 mm drill bit.

Following the YouTube video, I practiced my tapping skills on an angled piece of steel first (see, this one's only slightly crooked). When I ran to the kitchen and excitedly explained to Daph what I had done, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay, Brent. Let's go to the garage, and you can show me your hole."

 Two weeks after I started this job, I was finally able to install my new shock absorber last Monday night.

Successfully completing a project is just so satisfying. After I was able to tighten the shock bolt into the new threads that I had cut, I jumped up, raised my fists above my head, and quietly mimicked a cheering crowd. Then I started bouncing around in a circle. I call this my "I-can't-believe-that-worked-I'm-not-a-loser-I'm-so-awesome" dance. This past summer was way too hot to work with the garage door down, so I'm pretty sure I have performed this dance for passing strangers.

That feeling of elation is quite addictive, actually. And I think that's what keeps me walking down to the garage each night after kissing my daughter goodnight.

By the way, I'm proud to say that the Bug's paint is still covered in six year's worth of dust. 

Maintenance

charged battery
replaced battery
filled air in tires
changed engine oil
reset engine timing (static)
topped off transmission oil
removed, cleaned, and reinstalled ground strap

Installation/ adjustment
new valve gaskets
adjusted valve clearance to .006"
new shocks absorbers
new horn
new axle boots

new oil sensor switch
new clutch cable tube (Bowden)
adjusted Bowden tube's sag with 4 washers
adjusted clutch cable
replaced a turn signal bulb
new/ old rear view mirror
replaced fuel line beneath wheel well

Front, top, shock bolt (right side) broke off and needed to be drilled out and the new hole tapped for threads


Next jobs (September)

rear brake job: left brake brake heats up and cannot be adjusted
  remove rear drums and check for:
      broken springs and/ or stuck wheel cylinders, and stuck/ rusted emergency brake cables
  replace emergency brake cables
Front, top, shock bolt (left side) broke off and needs to be drilled out and the hole tapped for new threads

PS. I haven't had any caffeine since June, but I'm still not eating enough fruit.