Automotive: One Man Engine Drop

[Haystack]

Air cooled as in older Bugs, Buses and Trucks?

You are correct.

Gotta love the Bugs. I had one back in the day, with wheel adapters on it so I could run 14" Chevy wheels, a header and new paint job. It was a 66. I watch several fellows on Youtube who are big into VWs. One fellow likes the single/double cab trucks. Seems these older vehicles are getting harder to find anymore and still pretty pricey even in rough shape. Any pics to post?

One man engine drops are an easy job on the old bugs especially. Back in the day I could drop one in about 20 minutes, now it takes me 20 minutes to get back up off the floor...

It seems like everyone used to have a VW or has a story about one. I got into them because a buddy of mine in high school had one. They were still pretty cheap at the time, but lately they're fetching big money. I still love them but lately I've been thinking about selling mine and all the parts I have collected over the years. Now I realize that it's more of a luxury than anything else. I don't have any photos on my computer of it but I will post one sometime. It's a 1964 VW Notchback which wasn't sold in the US so it's pretty rare.

[temporal1]

Winter.
Everything's covered in ice and cold, lows near 0F.
tho it's a lovely sunny day, not much melting anywhere.

Tonight, expecting minus 7F. ugh.

my car battery must be 3 years old. no. 6-7 years. what?
How Often Should You Start Your Car in 0 Degree Weather?
http://www.ehow.com/info_12170288_shoul ... ather.html

ok. i went after it.
ice covered, it started fine.

so i went after the front+back windshields, driver's window.
first, i let the defrosters work for about 15 minutes, to bring up the glass temps.

then, i did my thing.
i've done this for decades, without regret. i have.

i fill a half gallon pitcher with warm water, not hot! -
then, i pour it over the (warmed glass.)

this quickly and effectively melts the ice, i use the windshield wipers to wipe the glass until it's dry.

today, i had some Prestone De-Icer i also sprayed on. it's supposed to have a bit of freezing prevention, i have not noticed this being effective, but, i had it, so i used it.

i have new Rain-X wipers.
costly, but they last 2+years, and do a nice job that entire time, no garage.
if protected from UV Rays, they might last longer.

i'm extra-careful with my warm water habit - the colder the weather.
the colder the temps, the scarier it is.
plus, in very cold, below zero temps, there is the possibility it will freeze on top of what's there.

above zero, in the teens, upwards toward freezing, i'm at ease using warm water on (warmed) windshield glass.

it's like cooking, you have to watch what's going on to know how much to add.
i admit to praying for no regrets.

Tuesday, looks like a heat wave coming: 30F
can hardly wait!

[temporal1]

i also use warm water to defrost frozen key locks. and even car doors frozen shut.
some have warned me: "you'll freeze your locks!"

to me, this doesn't make a lot of sense.
after all, those same locks continually face rain/sleet/snow .. what could warm water do that hasn't been done?

it's worked, no regrets, no fails.

again, air temps make a difference.
zero and below, i'm more cautious about everything.

i don't scrape much ice.
i use the car's interior heat to finish things up, get things dry.

[temporal1]

TEKTON DIGITAL TIRE GAUGE


recently, i confided in my son i have a fear of testing-inflating tires on my car.
i told him i rely on the guys at the garage to check when the car is in for other things.
i'm ok with that. i appreciate it. i think about my tires a lot.

so. he sent this to me.

it's pretty.

when the guys at the garage have time, i'll ask them to show me how to use it, how much air, etc.
i told my son they will probably appreciate his gift.

[MaxPC]

Here's my VW Bug story:

One of my college roomies had one, don't know the year of the Bug. It had an air cooled rear engine. He'd race 4wds up very steep hills and win. The combination of light weight and the rear engine giving added traction to the rwd made it possible. One hill had a short stretch of 65 degree incline and he was the only one who made it. That car had spunk

[gcdonner]

Here's my VW Bug story:

One of my college roomies had one, don't know the year of the Bug. It had an air cooled rear engine. He'd race 4wds up very steep hills and win. The combination of light weight and the rear engine giving added traction to the rwd made it possible. One hill had a short stretch of 65 degree incline and he was the only one who made it. That car had spunk

Yup, those old bugs could do really well in situations like that. I owned a 65 Bug back in the late 70s.

[MaxPC]

Here's my VW Bug story:

One of my college roomies had one, don't know the year of the Bug. It had an air cooled rear engine. He'd race 4wds up very steep hills and win. The combination of light weight and the rear engine giving added traction to the rwd made it possible. One hill had a short stretch of 65 degree incline and he was the only one who made it. That car had spunk

Yup, those old bugs could do really well in situations like that. I owned a 65 Bug back in the late 70s.

They did have their drawbacks.
In head on collisions the rear placed motor continued to push the vehicle forward while the empty forward trunk provided no buffer for the passengers resulting in far too many fatalities. I believe it was Ralph Nader who succeeded in forcing a redesign.

[gcdonner]

Here's my VW Bug story:

One of my college roomies had one, don't know the year of the Bug. It had an air cooled rear engine. He'd race 4wds up very steep hills and win. The combination of light weight and the rear engine giving added traction to the rwd made it possible. One hill had a short stretch of 65 degree incline and he was the only one who made it. That car had spunk

Yup, those old bugs could do really well in situations like that. I owned a 65 Bug back in the late 70s.

They did have their drawbacks.
In head on collisions the rear placed motor continued to push the vehicle forward while the empty forward trunk provided no buffer for the passengers resulting in far too many fatalities. I believe it was Ralph Nader who succeeded in forcing a redesign.

Well, they continued to make the Bug long after Nader drowned the Corvair. There were easier ways of fixing that issue than stopping making them, but Nader was on a mission and I'm not sure he was right. It gets harder to hug trees when they have been burnt down, and then there is no funding to replant them right away like the foresters do these days.

[MaxPC]

Well, they continued to make the Bug long after Nader drowned the Corvair. There were easier ways of fixing that issue than stopping making them, but Nader was on a mission and I'm not sure he was right. It gets harder to hug trees when they have been burnt down, and then there is no funding to replant them right away like the foresters do these days.

I feel that overall, Nader did help highlight some very dangerous features that, for no other reason, were cheaper to build and helped increase company profits at the expense of lives. I'm old enough to remember the dangers of windshields in accidents before the use of safety glass as one example.

[Wade]

Well, they continued to make the Bug long after Nader drowned the Corvair. There were easier ways of fixing that issue than stopping making them, but Nader was on a mission and I'm not sure he was right. It gets harder to hug trees when they have been burnt down, and then there is no funding to replant them right away like the foresters do these days.

My family has been in the logging industry for over a hundred years in the area where I live. My grandfather even did some horse logging and then was a bush foreman where he spent many hours in the bush, including hours in helicopters surveying timber. He couldn't disagree with you more about the amount of forest around here now compared to when he was younger. He tells me forest fires consumed so much more timber than what we allow it to today with fighting forest fires is one factor. He is 83 and still goes out in the bush nearly everyday.
But besides that Canada's logging for the most part takes place on crown land where it is regulated and more trees are planted every year than logged. But I think this is different in the US...?