Old Volkswagens
Mitchrx
Posted 2004-07-22 3:32 PM (#182117)
Subject: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071

Location: Carle Place, NY
I was suprised to see John Muir's "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive . . ." mentioned here. My first VW was a Karmann Ghia and I used that book to do the service on it. Anyone else out there that had one of the old air-cooled V-Dub's. Maybe there's some connection here between O's and old Volkswagens. I think that there is. Come to think of it the roundback and the Beetle look kinda similar.
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cliff
Posted 2004-07-22 3:36 PM (#182118 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842

Location: NJ
Funny . . . . I'm pretty sure I made that exact same analogy when I joined here . .

FOUND IT! :

cliff
Member
Member # 116
posted April 22, 2002 09:48 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Russ:
Put me down under the heading
"Volkswagen Beetles" (must be some kinda "roundback" thing).
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seesquare
Posted 2004-07-22 5:54 PM (#182119 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3651

Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire
As we speak, I am sending my '73 SuperBeetle off to the V-Dub doc for diagnostics & repair. It's got a rebuilt engine, new carb & electronics, but doesn't keep running for some reason. Yeah, there probably is a correlation here. And, the critter started out as a basket case, like many of my Ovation "resurrections".
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Beal
Posted 2004-07-22 6:09 PM (#182120 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens



Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127

Location: 6 String Ranch
They are about the only thing Hitler did right.
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moody, p.i.
Posted 2004-07-22 10:59 PM (#182121 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15678

Location: SoCal
I had a 70 bug and my brother had a 64 Karmen Ghia. Actually, I equate my love of Ovations with my love of rotary engines. Both slightly off center. I've spent 14 of the last 22 years with my butt planted in an 83 Rx-7 (two different ones). Over 300,000 miles. And 32 of the last 32 years playing Ovations. I suspect that if the top were busted, my butt would fit in one of those too.
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Nils
Posted 2004-07-23 1:23 AM (#182122 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380

Location: Central Oregon
Originally posted by cwk2:
They are about the only thing Hitler did right.


Hitler built the first portions of the Autobahn, he did that right.

Sorry to throw a monkey wrench in the VW/Ovation *love connection* going on here but as a bodyman I despise VW's. All of 'em. VW VW's, Audi VW's, BMW VW's, Porsche VW's, Mercedes VW's. All of 'em are over-engineered, over-priced, miserable to work on pains in the ass from my perspective. Parts prices are astronomical, IF you can even buy the part you need. The parts people are crappy too for the most part, ask 'em for some little plastic clip that holds on a molding or something that always breaks on every damned one of 'em & they act like you asked for an Aludium Q37 Explosive Space Modulator. They might be ok until you crash one, but then they are extremely difficult to get back to factory specs & there is zero adjustment anywhere. Special tools are required for doing simple things that shouldn't require anything fancier than a damned screwdriver. I don't think I've ever seen one over two years old that didn't have *something* that didn't work right, usually related to wiring or some over-engineered little mechanical gizmo with ten moving parts that could be built in one piece. If it's not under warrantee a lot of people don't get things fixed because it costs a fortune. On the bright side they total out pretty easily if they aren't brand new. Every time I see one headed to the crusher I smile & think it's one more of those bastards I'll never have to work on.

Love my Mauser action rifles & my PPK clone though :)

/\/\/
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Bailey
Posted 2004-07-23 1:36 AM (#182123 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005

Location: Las Cruces, NM
Nils

Calm down for gosh sakes, just think of the calming effect of following a hippie VW bus up a winding California mountain road with no turnouts. Gives you hours to contemplate Nirvana, and how your big block always seems to overheat at 5 mph, and the long haired driver keeps waving a middle finger at your waving and honking as clouds of steam rise from under your "bonnet", as the british would say. On second thought, that crusher seems like the best answer.

Bailey
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CharlieB
Posted 2004-07-23 7:23 AM (#182124 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648

Location: Florida
"Aludium Q37 Explosive Space Modulator"

Jeeze I just saw one of those at a garage sale too.
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cliff
Posted 2004-07-23 8:47 AM (#182125 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842

Location: NJ
". . Aludium Q37 Explosive Space Modulator . ."

That smacks of something uttered by Marvin the Martian in one of the classic BugsBunny cartoons . .


Never liked the SuperBeetles.
To me, they were VW's equivalent to the AdamasII.
I always liked the plain & simple Type I's.
My first one (a 1966) I used to be able to you yank the engine out of in 20 minutes with a couple of screwdrivers, a big Crescent wrench and a pair of ViseGrips . . . all while it was parked on a busy street in Paterson, NJ.


(btw: the aforementioned "couple of screwdrivers" WERE in fact Vodka & OJ:-)
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Tim in Yucaipa
Posted 2004-07-23 8:57 AM (#182126 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246

Location: Yucaipa, California
Cliff:
". . Aludium Q37 Explosive Space Modulator . ."
That smacks of something uttered by Marvin the Martian in one of the classic BugsBunny cartoons . .


...TV Land is airing the classic Leave It To Beaver episodes each night.... so, which one of you is the Real Eddie Haskell?? :confused: :confused:
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cliff
Posted 2004-07-23 9:16 AM (#182127 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842

Location: NJ
"Shut Up, . . . Squirt!!"
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Mitchrx
Posted 2004-07-23 9:19 AM (#182128 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071

Location: Carle Place, NY
Nils: I was prmary adressing the old air-cooled VW's, which are simple and easy to fix, like he says in John Muir's book. I agree that the new one are over-engineered.

Hey Seesquare: Do you mean that the car stalls out a lot? If so, try opening up the "factory set" idle mixture adjustment screw which is the little one below the regular large idle adjustment screw on the carb. You need a narrow blade screwdriver to reach it. Ususally about 1/4-1/2 turn counter clock-wise does the trick. The factory warns against touching this screw, but "screw-um" and do it anyway. It always worked for me.
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Tim in Yucaipa
Posted 2004-07-23 9:29 AM (#182129 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246

Location: Yucaipa, California
so, which one of you is the Real Eddie Haskell??
"Shut Up, . . . Squirt!!"


Aha! I thought so! Cliff(yeah, right), your secret is safe with me, right Wally? :cool:
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cliff
Posted 2004-07-23 10:08 AM (#182130 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842

Location: NJ
The biggest pain-in-the-ass I had with my VW(s) was getting gas . . .

When cars went over to "Unleaded Only" they reduced the diameter of the filler pipes so that ONLY the smaller-diameter Unleaded pump spouts would fit.

Putting the smaller diameter spout into the VeeDub's larger diameter pipe was like . . . well, . . there's that old "chestnut of an analogy of "throwing a hot dog into a manhole" (which refers to ANOTHER situation, but aptly applies here as well ;-) Gas pump handle would NEVER say in on it's own! It had to be held there.
And since NJ is a "NON Self-Serve" state, it had to be held by pissed-off attendants who would rather be doing other things! Back then, gas stations were owned and operated by English-speaking American citizens . . . wish I had the one of those cars NOW . . I'd only "gas up" on cold, rainy days . . .

Of course, the cars(s) DID some other "minor" problems . . use of the backseat involved prerequisite study of the KamaSutra . . . and HEY!! d'ya really NEED heat in a car???
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Slap
Posted 2004-07-23 10:16 AM (#182131 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 265

Location: Warrenton, Virginia
cliff

how bout diesel.....have an old (well-kept) Merc.
good milage......sometimes tho....smells like i'm back in Saudi...

They got VW vans over there too...but most of them drive a toyota truck with a camel in the back.

I remember driving from Dhahran to Rhiyad (500 miles) there's only one damn tree...about half way. Saw this truck had hit it.....had a camel in the back.....killed them both (driver & camel).

Arabs have a habit of adjusting their gutras (fan-belt that goes around their head that holds the table cloth on that they wear) using all the mirrors on their vehicle while going 190 clicks/hr...in the middle of the desert.

oh well....this has nothing to do with anything....just listening about VWs made me think of it
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cruster
Posted 2004-07-23 10:40 AM (#182132 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850

Location: Midland, MI
Originally posted by seesquare:
As we speak, I am sending my '73 SuperBeetle off to the V-Dub doc for diagnostics & repair. It's got a rebuilt engine, new carb & electronics, but doesn't keep running for some reason. Yeah, there probably is a correlation here. And, the critter started out as a basket case, like many of my Ovation "resurrections".


The only Bugs I've owned were both '73 Supers. How I miss those days of driving with a blanket on my lap and an ice scraper (for the inside!) on the passenger seat. Well, maybe not...

I did also have an '80 Scirocco, though. The fuel pump relay went (as they all did) so I had a hunk of 14-2 jumpered across the terminals...the deal was, park the car, turn off the ignition, pull out one side of the jumper. When I was ready to leave...plug in the jumper, start the car and go. It was my plan to wire it up to a switch on the dash or console, but I traded it to my brother-in-law for a set of golf clubs before I could get that far.

Cliff-

I'll have to see if I can put my hands on the book (it was the spiral bound copy, BTW). If I can, it's yours!
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blandoon
Posted 2004-07-23 1:01 PM (#182133 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 28

Location: Oregon USA
My first car was a '71 Karmann Ghia, and the subsequent three have all been watercooled VWs... but how I miss that Ghia sometimes. I sold it because I didn't have the time or space to keep it in good shape, but I swear one day I'll have another old VW.

Here it is...
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Mitchrx
Posted 2004-07-23 1:18 PM (#182134 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071

Location: Carle Place, NY
Hey Blandoon:
My first car was aslo a '71 KG, but mine was red. Nice photo, I wish I had a photo like that of mine. Interestingly, I noticed that yours had the twin chrome side mouldings removed and the body holes filled in. I did the same with mine before I had it repainted. Back then they called it the "California look." I still have a fair amount of old VW mag's and stuff, including the '71 VW dealer brochure for the KG.
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Slap
Posted 2004-07-24 12:26 PM (#182135 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 265

Location: Warrenton, Virginia
cars & guitars go together.....
and sometimes jets
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Beal
Posted 2004-07-24 12:30 PM (#182136 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens



Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127

Location: 6 String Ranch
yes and sometimes boats but usually just guitars, cars, and airplanes
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cliff
Posted 2004-07-24 12:37 PM (#182137 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842

Location: NJ
"the Sun comes up on Icarus
as the night birds fade away

Lights the maps and diagrams
that Leonardo made

You can see Faith, Hope & Charity
as you bank above the field

You can join the Flying Circus
You can touch the morning air against your wheels"

- Al Stewart
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TDCEliteT
Posted 2004-07-25 6:34 AM (#182138 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 7

Location: East Texas
I bought the book and a 68 VW bug I converted with a Baja Kit.

I could pull the motor in the dark in less than 5 minutes. 4 bolts, 1-fuel line and the throttle cable. That should tell you how often I worked on it...

Round cars and round guitars.

That's too funny.

T>D>C
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blandoon
Posted 2004-07-25 10:43 AM (#182139 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 28

Location: Oregon USA
Mitch,

Here's the thing about that side molding: there are twelve metal pieces (one before, one on, and one after the door, times 2 strips, times 2 sides). And not one of them is interchangeable with any other. Very un-German engineering... so unfortunately most Ghias go molding-less out of necessity. :(
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mfinger1
Posted 2004-07-26 2:20 AM (#182140 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 60

Location: Havertown, PA
Bailey writes;

Calm down for gosh sakes, just think of the calming effect of following a hippie VW bus up a winding California mountain road with no turnouts. Gives you hours to contemplate Nirvana, and how your big block always seems to overheat at 5 mph, and the long haired driver keeps waving a middle finger at your waving and honking



Yea, I used to have a '76 VW Bus. Custom built bed, cabinets, stereo. Pretty great till the 4 cyl. turned to three. Heat kinda sucked too. Them damn air vents never did seem to pass much. John Muir's book was good, but sadly, things do pass. Still have my '70 Chevelle SS 396 big block though. Goin on 25 yrs now. Imagine a long hair wavin his finger at ya from his big block!
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moody, p.i.
Posted 2004-07-26 7:59 AM (#182141 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15678

Location: SoCal
A few years ago my mother in law died and I was to inheret her 74 beetle. I was going to rebuild it. However, on the day of her funeral, I climbed into it and drove it for the first time (my first time back in a beetle in about 25 years). Either they had gotten smaller or I had gotten bigger.

I passed it along to my wife's nephew. He rebuilt it and is, I think, still driving it. We all need to have an old bug. In our youth. That way we can have our old, fond memories without reality intruding.
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blandoon
Posted 2004-07-26 11:56 AM (#182142 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 28

Location: Oregon USA
I'm 6'3" and amazingly I never had much trouble driving the Ghia. You just have to "lead with your knee" when you sit down, to get underneath the gigantic steering wheel.

I drove it from New Hampshire to Maryland on only one stop once... seems almost insane now.
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stonebobbo
Posted 2004-07-26 3:24 PM (#182143 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens



Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307

Location: Tennessee
Ole' Red, my first Ovation, made many trips in old VWs. Yes Bailey, that was me you were following up that mountain road ... must've been my '69 Bus with the Kombi camper package ... by the way, we were probably flashing the peace sign at you (not the California Freeway salute) in hopes that throbbing vein in your neck and forehead would dissipate. :D Also had a '72 convertible, a '67 with a sunroof, and a couple of Vanagons.

John Muir's book was an important part of that life. His mantra of "Know your ass for it bears you" is so true ... all repairs to all of my veedubs have always been done by yours truly.

Muir's book is currently open and in use on my workbench. Kid #4 is getting the learners permit next month so the 1974 Thing is coming out of hibernation for him. We're doing a bumper-to-bumper looksee and refresh where required. The Thing has been the car all of the children have had to drive for the first two years they had their license. It has taught them all how to DRIVE a car, not just steer them. No distractions ... no a/c to fiddle with, no power windows, no auto trans, no stereo to switch on and off, etc. 0-60 time is somewhere around a week and a half. It goes plenty fast for the surface streets up here in Northern California, and they can get where they need to, but it's not nearly fast enough to take on the freeways. And most importantly, they know what it takes to keep it running properly (i.e. they know the ass that bears them) ... and (knock on wood) it has never, ever stranded any of them anywhere.

And, yup, they all whined about having to drive it. Especially since their friends were getting Mustang 5.0 liters, Mistubishi Spyder Turbos, Integra RS-X, Nova SS350, and the like. It's a shame parents think it's a good idea to give 300HP to a kid with 20 hours of time behind the wheel. Every year there's another local kid who's killed himself (or herself) and a couple of friends, with another couple maimed, in a high speed encounter with an immovable object. Of course, the same was being said when we were those stupid 16 year olds.

After a couple of weeks, my kids all stopped complaining ... since everyone else in the school thought The Thing was the coolest car on the planet. ;)

Alas, Nils ... I've gotta agree with you about the new models. We also have a 2001 Golf Turbo (fun and FAST!), but there's absolutely nothing I can do for this one without a connector for my laptop and a whole bunch of codes dwonloaded. And then all I could probably do is scratch my head.
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seesquare
Posted 2004-07-26 3:34 PM (#182144 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3651

Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire
Y'know, Paul, you're probably right. I didn't get my first VW til I was 49. Now, that's truly insane. At least I don't get overwrought about the repairs, like when I had that '66 Mustang in the halcyon days of immortal adolescence. Too bad it tangled with a Pontiac land yacht, far out of its weight class.
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moody, p.i.
Posted 2004-07-26 4:59 PM (#182145 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15678

Location: SoCal
Maybe the best thing about old VW's was that they always seemed to be self healing. Give 'em tune ups and change the oil. Something seems wrong, drive it awhile and let it take care of itself.
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cruster
Posted 2004-07-26 5:36 PM (#182146 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850

Location: Midland, MI
Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Muir's book is currently open and in use on my workbench. Kid #4 is getting the learners permit next month so the 1974 Thing is coming out of hibernation for him.


Things RAWK! (But not as much as five-piece neck Elites!) Every so many years, I get a hair to find one to fix up. Being in Michigan, however, they're few and far between. At least in the condition that I would consider buying one. :)

My oldest son (14) is already making noises about a car. I've told him repeatedly (haha, I think he's sick of hearing it!) about how I had to buy my own car, my own insurance and my own gas...no free rides for me. I learned a lot going through that. Like the lesson I learned when I dumped my first ('73 Super) Bug and bought a '77 Camaro. Complete with 350, 4-bbl, and best of all...an 83mm Borg-Warner 4-spd racing tranny! I had to put new tires on it when I bought it (didn't think much of it at the time). Four months later, I couldn't afford it any more...I was averaging 3 MPG, yes you read that right...and it needed new tires. Luckily, the city snowplow backed into the drivers rear quarter panel and I got a check...then sold the car. Bought a Ford Fiesta after that. Lessons learned. Sort of. I kept the Fiesta for a year, then traded it for a...ready?...'64 Impala SS 409 with 2-spd Powerslide...with no exhaust. That lasted two weeks and I got the Fiesta back (whew!)

Ah, the stories I could tell about all the cars I've owned...but, I still want a VW Thing. In bright orange....just to annoy my kids/wife. :)
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mfinger1
Posted 2004-07-27 10:58 AM (#182147 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 60

Location: Havertown, PA
Back in the day,'84 I think it was, my buddy and I quit our sucky low payin jobs for a road trip.
He was chasin' down a girl, and it was just time to split a two horse town, so we packed up his '67 bus and his '79 Cust. Balladeer and trekked through 11 states in route to the Mex border. Down on the Rio. That was a blast. Makin stops, pickin up cool people on the way. Hung a sign in the rear "Nivana or bust". Somehow, I think we made it! Vdubs and "O"s just go together, somethin like Fred and Ginger, or is that Gilligan and Ginger?!!
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Abendicum
Posted 2004-08-10 2:20 AM (#182148 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 271

Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Let's see I remember a Xmas card with 4 VW's on it:

'65 convertible
'66 van always loved that manual widshield washer...to the left of the steering wheel...
'67 w/sunroof
'69 Super Beatle

OH Yea a '60 Beetle I wanted to make into a Meyers Manx fiberglass body dune buggy... (never finished it and '60 never made the xmas card line up...)

Those were the days... When I was 18, I took my '66 Van and my date to the "drive it in" movie with a plywood train table stuffed into it. The middle seat was removed and turned upside down to support it... Complete with quilt and lot's of pillows... Funny thing though... I don't remember the movie, but I'll never forget Sandy...

Remember a wierd look on my older sisters face as I jammed the train table into it... (as our folks were out of town...)

I must have driven that van 300 times to the Jersey shore...
AB
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Glockaxis
Posted 2004-08-11 8:48 AM (#182149 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 27

Location: Palm Desert, CA
Nils, got to agree w/ you on these newer foreign cars as my uncle has been a body man for the last 40 odd years. Just out of curiosity which cars do you recommend?
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Nils
Posted 2004-08-11 2:13 PM (#182150 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380

Location: Central Oregon
Originally posted by Glockaxis:
Nils, got to agree w/ you on these newer foreign cars as my uncle has been a body man for the last 40 odd years. Just out of curiosity which cars do you recommend?


Do you mean to work on or to drive?

/\/\/
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Bailey
Posted 2004-08-12 2:26 AM (#182151 - in reply to #182117)
Subject: Re: Old Volkswagens


Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005

Location: Las Cruces, NM
Stonebobo

OK, I lied, I was going up that mountain in my 64 Ford Econoline with the back fitted with a 4 inch pad and carpet for camping in the desert, full of our bluegrass instruments and our band heading for a gig on top of the mountain and happy to see someone as slow as us that we could blame for the traffic jam. You would probably see a high five at each curve as we made a few hundred feet more. We used that Ford turtle for 2 0r 3 years in southern CA to get to our gigs and I even drove it to NM on a vacation, scouting out Las Cruces before we moved here, my only "big block" was a 64 Olds Cutlass 350 CID 2 door, that our band used to drive to Borrego for some jam sessions at our banjo players brother's house who was a Park Ranger living in Gov't provided housing on the desert in which we violated many regulations. We knocked a hole in the gas tank off roading on those desert roads which we plugged with a piece of wood, and had to drive 80 miles an hour back to San Diego to get there before the tank went dry, there were few gas stations out there then in the old days.

We looked like a bunch of long haired hippies also in those days.

Bailey
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