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Vic Smith

On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:01:13 -0500, wrote:

I bet you had that 36MM socket and a 4' pipe to get the hub nuts off
too. I still have mine, along with the 24" pipe wrench to get the
exhaust fittings loose.
Did you have the " VW for the complete idiot" book? I think I still
have mine around here somewhere.

I sure did! That was a terrific book. First thing I bought when the
bug suffered blow-by and was losing compression.
A mate where I worked as a packaging machine mechanic sold me
a "good" engine for $150 and when I swapped it I found it wasn't much
better, so I rebuilt that one. All I needed was tools and that book.
As far as I know the original engine is sitting in my ma's old garage.
It was there when she sold the house.
Can't remember ever pulling wheel bearings, so I don't think I had
that 36mm, and never had any trouble pulling the exhaust, but I did
replace the kingpins while on the road in Oregon. And all the other
normal VW stuff too. Forgot a lot, which is probably good.
Put quite a few cross-country miles on that bug.
Ever heard that high-pitched squeal from the engine when a bug
accelerates? That owner doesn't have "The Book."
Because The Book says a dab of white grease on the dist shaft
will prevent the points' shaft fiber rider from making that squeal.
The Book is right. I put a Bosch pure mech advance dist on mine, BTW.

Maybe we should find an old 1600cc squareback engine and put it in our
boat!

I take back my earlier '74 date as the last time I used metrics. And
I do have a set because you find some metrics on GM cars.
You reminded me of something I forgot. Had a '67 squareback, a
transition year.
Most PITA car I ever owned. Bad syncros and some blow-by when
I bought it. Still remember the shocked look of the VW guys when I
walked into a VW shop carrying the transaxle, hubs and all, tossed it
on the floor and told them to fix the syncros.
Man, that car ****ed me off so much it had turned me into a little
Incredible Hulk.
Only car I ever sold, as a guy I worked with at IH liked it and bought
it from me. Good riddance and God bless him.
I mentioned him before - he later lost some fingers in a
malfunctioning punch press. That squareback probably jinxed him.
But that was '76, so THAT was the last time I used all metrics.
All it took was a little blow-by with that car it would leak through
the engine hatch seals and you'd be smelling burning oil. Drove me
crazy not being able to eliminate it, as I usually had a wife and baby
in the car.
Even if I taped up the engine hatch, the smell would get through the
door hatch seals.
Ever try to balance the dual carbs? Impossible.
Damn, I hated that car. There's plenty of nightmares I had with it,
but in the interest of all I won't mention them.
Only decent thing about it was the gas heater, but I always had
thoughts of that thing turning into a blowtorch or a bomb.
As far as putting that engine in a boat?
Think I'll go with e-tec, Yamaha, or Merc.
Not necessarily in that order.

--Vic

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