Date:         Sun, 19 Nov 1995 09:23:06 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Dieter Dworkin Muller <dworkin@village.org>
Subject:      Wombat/Gerbil update


Since I've been gently reminded that there are those that would
appreciate an update on the Wombat, here goes.  Btw, this article
could also be called ``How Not To Schedule Work On Your VW''.

The Wombat is a 1958 microbus missing its rear seats, lots of rust
(you mean there's supposed to be a floor?), safari windows, an
approximately-1971 engine, 1965 transmission, and stuffed with spare
parts (new tires, some new body panels, new window rubber, new wheel
rims, etc).  Paint colours are white over sea-sick green.  In general,
it's not quite a Bob-style good condition, but it's closer than I
really wanted to get.

The Gerbil is my 1965 camper daily driver (well, whenever I drive,
which isn't daily).  It's got a light rusting, except for under/behind
the sink (it's easy to forget to close the water tank for the sink
before driving).  Lots of pinhole rust on the exterior, which has been
covered by various model paints applied by various friends and
acquaintances (it got gang-tagged/graffiti'd once, you can paint over
permanent magic marker).  The interior panelling is way dried out and
splitting.  The original paint is white on white.  Overall, it's what
I'd call good condition (not Bob-style).

In our last installment, the Wombat had been relocated from the PO's
site to my garage.  This was accomplished by towing it across town,
because the PO claimed the engine would only run for fifteen minutes
at a shot; also, in the two minutes he ran it to prove it would start,
the heat of the exhaust climbed above what I would consider reasonable
after a drive up Raton Pass.

Since then, here's what's happened:

I've looked over the Wombat moderately closely.  The tin worms have
definitely set in with a vengeance.  This is the only vehicle I've
seen with a rusting through paint that has the same patterning as the
Aurora Borealis.  I'm hoping that that particular bunch of rust is
wash-down from the gutters, rather than actually coming through the
body panel like that.  In any case, we're talking about major
cut-n-weld work, as well as paint/rust stripping, priming, painting,
and all that rot.

Both reduction gears boxes are leaking.  As a guess, somebody filled
them all the way instead of following the specification (which leaves
them looking about half-filled).  Two seal kits needed there.

Since the oil from the reduction boxes looks like it's gotten up in
the wheels, and in general the vehicle doesn't appear to have had any
maintenance since it was built, sight-unseen I'm also planning on
replacing the brake shoes (and probably the rest of the brake system).
Shoes have been acquired, the rest is on hold until I know I need it
(yeah, it's a probable certainty, but I like to be optimistic
sometimes).

As mentioned in earlier messages, the PO somehow broke the front shift
rod (the section that starts at the front of the bus and extends back
about two-thirds of the way to the transmission).  It was replaced
with a later version, which has a different set of bends in it.  The
result is that the distance between where the end of the shifter is in
first is about three and a half feet from where it is in fourth.  It
should be more like a foot.  Need a new shift rod.

My approach is to get basic functionality, then make it look pretty.
This means getting it to the point where it can be registered
(technically, I could register it as it sits, as it's old enough to
not need an emissions test, but I can't see paying for insurance for
something I can't drive, and insurance is mandatory in Colorado).

So, the next step was to pull the engine, to see if there's anything
significantly wrong with it, or is the over heating and short run time
problem just due to the timing being off and a dirty fuel filter.
Well, removing the engine was harder than usual, because my typical
grip point for pulling, the muffler, is completely rusted through, to
the point of being held on more by wishful thinking than anything
else.  After working around that minor problem, I got the engine up on
the bench.  The first obvious problem was that the entire exhaust
system has to be replaced.  The oil leaks (you may remember from
earlier messages) appear to have been almost entirely due to loose
stud nuts on the underside of the engine, to the point that I'm not
convinced it actually leaks anywhere.  There's some surface rust on
the intake manifold, which I'm going to brush up and spray with flat
black engine paint.  The heads have some rust, but not horribly so.
The plugs were wet-black, which is a little strange for an engine
that's sat without oil or fuel available to it for several weeks.  I'm
going to take that as a sign that the valves probably seal fairly
well.  The right side cooling tin is mostly missing.

The main problem with this project has been finding time to work on
it.  The above covers about three months.

So much for the ancient history.  Now for recent history.

In the last couple of months, I've finally gotten tired of smelling
exhaust while driving the Gerbil (it's been going on for years).
Plenty of heat, just not palatable to those nose.  So, since the
Gerbil's in relatively good shape, I ordered two sets of heater boxes,
a muffler/tail pipe, and lots of mounting kits (one per heater box,
one per muffler).  The theory is that I'm replacing just heater boxes
on the Gerbil, and the entire exhaust on the Wombat.

My goals for yesterday were: replace heater boxes on the Gerbil,
install new heater boxes and muffler on the Wombat, and start tearing
apart the reduction gear boxes on the Wombat.

First step:  prepare for the battle.  This means following a set
procedure:

- Braid beard and hair.
- Grab a bar of soap and put a thick layer on the hands and arms up to
  the elbows.  Let it dry in place.
- Put on the coveralls purchased for working on vehicles.
- Put on vinyl gloves.  These can be bought in packs of ten (five
  pairs) for about $1.50.  They help protect the soap layer, which in
  turn protects you against major oil/grease infestations.  Plan on
  replacing gloves several times during a job.

The rest of this is going to be fairly stream-of-thought....

Initially, the plan for the Gerbil involved replacing the heater boxes
without removing the engine.  This isn't because I have any great fear
of pulling the engine, but rather because my garage is full of Wombat,
and the driveway has 10-15 degree slope to it.  I could move the
Wombat out, but getting it back in would be very painful (it not
having an engine and all).  Besides, I didn't want to start the
Gerbil's engine at all if I was going to be working on it, as getting
burned by hot metal with oil on it isn't my idea of fun.

Following this plan, I first put my hydraulic jack under the engine,
to lift things up so I have plenty of room to work under there.

I then removed the rear deck plate, pulled the stud nuts off of both
rear exhaust manifolds, and loosened the bolts attaching them to the
heat riser tubes.  One of the heat riser bolts sheared off.  No
problem, I can borrow a bolt from the Wombat, and this is part of the
heater box manifold, so I can ignore the part that's still stuck in
there.

This was, of course, wrong, as I discovered later, since the rear
exhaust manifolds are not part of the heater boxes.  The only time
I've conciously looked at the heater/muffler combination as separate
pieces is when the Wombat's fell apart in my hands.  It wasn't real
clear what went where from the remains.  In any case, I was blisfully
ignorant at the time.  I did that, and then moved around to pulling
the stud nuts off of the right front exhaust manifold.  Things came to
a screeching (well, cursing) halt.  It is not possible for me to get
the upper stud nut off, at least on that side.  I can get to it with a
socket, but there's not enough room for the socket to sit straight on
the nut, and definitely not enough for it to move out as the nut comes
out.  The lower stud wasn't a problem, because there was no nut on it
(hmmmm, might explain some of the noise I've been hearing).

Grumble.

OK, I'll take the engine out.  Pull the bumper, disconnect the battery
ground, disconnect all the wires to the engine, vise-grip the fuel
line closed and pull it off the fuel pump.  Where possible, put the
nuts and bolts back where they came from, since it's easy to remember
where they go that way.  Remember that the fuel line goes through the
engine tin, so grab another pair of vice grips, crawl under, clamp,
and disconnect (didn't get any gas on me, for once).  Crawl out and
position the loose end of the fuel line so that it won't drip.  Crawl
back under, disconnect the control cables and attachment tubes from
the heater boxes, and start taking the lower two engine mounting nuts
off.  Spend several frustrating minutes remembering that the only tool
that works for this is an offset 17mm wrench.  Get those off, crawl
back out.  Notice that the throttle cable is still attached, and
disconnect it.  Reach around and pull the the top two mounting nuts.

Put some 4x4s that I bought for the purpose a while ago on either side
of the jack, so the engine'll have something to sit on once it's out.
Jockey the jack up and down until the engine is relatively independent
of the transmission, and pull it out.  Discover that the jack is not
at the balance point of the engine, and do some quick moves to keep it
from falling and jamming itself sideways in the engine compartment.
Continue letting it down and pulling it back, so that it's far enough
out to get to all side of it.  Discover that the jack in the
completely down position is more than four inches high.  For the
moment, get the engine centered on the jack, and leave the wood as
training wheels if it tries to fall.

OK, the engine's out.  Time to finish removing the stud nuts.  The
upper right front one had the feel of trying to break the stud off.
Eep.  Go dig up the wd-40, spray it on, and work on the ones on the
other side.  Those come off without a problem.  Move back to the stuck
one.  Now, it resists, but doesn't feel like it's trying to take the
stud with it.  Success, all the retaining nuts are off.

Take the muffler off, and watch it fall apart.  I thought that there
should be either a clamp or a weld between the muffler and the part
that attaches to the right rear exhaust port.  Go look at the Wombat's
not-yet-installed muffler.  Yes, that part's supposed to be welded on.
Grumble.  OK, the Gerbil is higher priority than the Wombat, so I'll
install the new muffler on the Gerbil and buy another one for the
Wombat later.

Finish pulling off exhaust bits from the engine.  I'm developing quite
the pile of dirty scrap metal at this rate.

Take a few minutes to try to clean things up some.  I'm not being
excessively gonzo about it, as my main reason is to be able to
determine where it's leaking oil.  There's rust on the cooling tin.
Must be iron-based, not tin-based.  I should probably use the wire
brush and some of that engine paint on the cooling `tin' before
putting it back in.

Notice that the sun's moved quite a bit.  Time must be going faster
than I thought.  In that case, that's enough cleaning, let's get this
thing back together.

I broke open the muffler installation kit, and discovered that it had
everything I needed (new asbestos gaskets, new mica gaskets, etc),
including five new cheesehead screws for the cooling tin.  The new
stud nuts are copper.  Interesting.  They're softer, so presumably
they'll effectively be self-locking.  Whatever.  The one thing I need
that's not in there are the mica gaskets for the front exhaust ports.
Understandable, as this is a muffler install kit, not a heater install
kit, but mildly annoying none-the-less.

Attempt to get the asbestos gaskets onto the heater boxes.  One goes
on without too much effort, but the other is slightly out-of-round,
and really hard to deal with.  I eventually get it on, but the outer
edge is deformed some as a result.  I did remember to put the metal
ring that the muffler/heater box clamp sits on before the gaskets,
fortunately.

Place the mica gaskets where they need to go (after cleaning the ones
I'm reusing for the front ports).  Notice a *bunch* of carbon in the
right rear exhaust port and heat riser tube, much more than in the
left rear.  Hmmmm.

Hang everything from the appropriate set of studs.  Loosely thread the
stud nuts on, so that everything can still move.  Discover another
lack in the muffler installation kit -- no clamps for between the
heater boxes and the fresh air supply boxes that are around the rear
exhaust manifolds.  Salvage those from the old muffler, and put them
loosely in place.

Notice that the asbestos gaskets are going to have to be farther down
on their tubes for everything to fit well.  This is going to be a
problem, as I've already got them as far as I can by hand, and I have
nothing to push them farther with.  It's the same problem as getting a
bearing onto a shaft, but the `bearing' in this case made of a
high-friction, crumbly material.  Ignore the problem for now, maybe
the process of tightening the stud nuts will force it on without too
much additional encouragement.

Try to get the heat riser bolts in place.  Discover that the new
muffler has slightly different placement of the connections.  Grumble.
Fight for a while with the one on the left (mainly by pulling the heat
riser with one hand, pushing the muffler with a foot, and threading
the bolt with the other hand).  Get it together, but not tightened
down, as I'll probably need the freeplay while doing the other one.
Fight with the other side for a long time, but get no where.  I need
to pull on the lower part, push on the upper part, and thread the
bolt.  This requires more hands than I have available at the moment.

Eventually give up in disgust, decide to let that part wait until I
can borrow somebody's extra hand.  Decide to put the new heater box
lever kits on.  Discover that these kits include not only the levers,
but also the mica gaskets needed for the front exhaust ports.  Good
thing I haven't tightened those down yet.  I'd call this mislabelling
on RMMW's part -- it's a heater box installation kit, not a control
lever replacement kit.

Notice that it's really getting dark.  Get really frustrated.  Carry
as much as possible (all but engine and Gerbil) in to the garage.  Go
in as full dark arrives and clean up.

After resting for a while and eating (oh, yeah, food would be a good
idea), I covered the engine with a blanket held down by cinder blocks.
We've been getting major window frost lately, and the thought of that
on my exposed engine doesn't sound good.

Today, I've got an additional pair of hands available for a little
while.  I'm going to put the new mica gaskets on, get everything
together, put the engine back in, and see what happens.  I'm not even
going to think about doing anything on the Wombat at this point.  One
frustration at a time....

The major lesson I got from yesterday is that things are going to be
worse than you expect, and as a corollary, the work will take much
longer than you plan.

	Dworkin