Nothing to see here!

I was being serious. Nothing going on but a drive to work. Beautiful morning, 72 degrees. Just me, Doodle and Sam Cooke. Ahhh... That is all folks. Class dismissed.

Random Box Day!

Well Howdy Constant Reader! How you is on this glorious day? I'm good. Getting Doodle dialed in for an upcoming camping experience (Transporters at the Point) and in doing so I needed to replace my front tire cover that I lost on the highway. (Sorry Tracy!) I also needed a new oil filter, so I called the boys at BusDepot (http://www.busdepot.com/) and they shipped it right out.

Oh happy day! I mean really. Who doesn't like boxes in the mail from parts places?!

Small potatoes, I know. But I always wanted one. Dunno why. Just thought it was cool. Otherwise Doods is running great, I think we are about ready for the trip. Sure hope so. There has been a marked absence of  camping and trip taking in this blog which I hope to remedy. Not because of a tire cover, I was just feeling chatty. Anywhoo Constant Reader. Tomorrow is another day.

Cruise Time!!

Simple entry this time ladies. Guys in my VW gang (http://www.aircoolers.org/) called and asked if I wanted to put Doodle on the road and see how he held up. Where I asked, knowing ridicule was coming. Ridicule? Yes. Not one of them has faith in Doodles new roadworthyness. None. Was I up to the challenge? Was Doodle?

Why hell yes we were. I met them, and away we go. 45 miles one way. Should be a breeze, right? Well the jokes were already going before we left. "Who's towing that big sucker for ya?" I vowed that they would eat those words. So I made a little wager. Doodle arrives fine, under his own power they buy the beer. I break down, all the beer is on me. Steep? Nope. I have faith. AFter a little chatter, they made the deal. Guess it seemed like a sure thing in their minds. HA! Suckers! Away we go.

Guess who made it there and back without a hitch?! Not one! Even kept up with the pack? Thats right. Ole Doodle. And guess who didnt buy beer? To the victor go the spoils. Disclaimer: Drink responsibly.

Until next time, cruise somewhere in your VW. its cheaper than Xanax.



Tires!

Well here I go again, Constant Reader. You know, If I didnt know better, I would think Doodle is doing well, otherwise, why would I be blogging yet again? I dunno. How you? Good! Your mother? Excellent! Send her my regards, will you? Well now that Doodle is up and going, I'm enjoying him on a whole new level. So. My searches on the wide world web showed me that the tire I wanted for Doodle in the beginning, the BFG All Terrain 195/75/14. Love these tires. And as much as I drive Doodle, they should last FOREVER. So I sold the Vancos I had on him for over half what they cost, and had them special ordered. When they called me, I took the powdercoated wheels I bought last year (need a minute? look back) and dropped them off. This is what I came back to. LETS TAKE A LOOK!

Now you gotta admit. Those are pretty damn cool right? I think so. Mixed reviews from the family, but eh. So, as I learned on The Samba, you need to lightly sand the bolt holes on freshly powdercoated wheels so they stick. I did so and started mounting them up. Lets take a looksee. 

So whatcha think? Perfect for my (planned) off road camping trips. Ladies and gentelmen, I give you Doodle the Magnificent. He's back in all his glory. Till next time, hug your bus. They like that. Trust.

Wash Day!

Washed Doodle in celebration of running great! 20 mile short cruise with great music. Weather is perfect! Lots of looks, honks and waves. Good times.

Howdy Constant Reader! How ya been? Good? Great! So as you know, historically, Doodle and I have a love hate relationship. I love him, and he hates to run. Funny that. So hes been hanging out in my garage since my last blog entry where I attempted to take him camping and was plauged with the shudders. Remember that? No? I'll wait while you go back and read. Finished? Sweet! Now you know. Basically I've been fooling with it ever since and I couldn't figure out why he wont run, and why, when running he backfired and shuddered. No luck, so I summoned the heavy hitter. Colin aka Amaskeptic was going to be passing through town and I asked him if he would be able to help me out troubleshooting Doodle. His answer? Why hell yes I can. So away we go. Fast forward to the day (Sept 6th. I come home from an abbreivated work day and find....

The single nicest passenger bus I've ever seen. He bought it from the original owner. The plates? New York. And yes, he did drive it here from there. This thing is flawless!  Exhaust, interior, etc, like showroom fresh. Anywhoo, I digress. Just glad to have his expertise here to help out. Transporters at the Point is coming up, and I need Doodle to be top notch for that. This may be the last one, and I want to go. So after spending the first hour going over basics at my table, we push, yes push, as in, the bitch wont start, Doodle outside and get started.

Okay, first things first. Replace the condensor, and rotor, turn over, no start. Removed the points, filed and set AGAIN. Keep fiddling with it, find  the sweet spot, fires to life. Progress! Dwell is way off. Hmm. To be honest, I didnt even know what dwell was until he showed up. Apparently, whatever it is, is WAY off. Fiddled with that, got it dialed in at 44 degrees which I guess is where it is supposed to be. Okay. Now. Removed, repaired fresh air heater hoses. Gotta re-order those, they are bad! Got them quasi patched and working. Using carb cleaner, we found several vacuum leaks, the most significant on the passenger side at the head. Luckily Colin had a gasket. Replaced that. Swapped plug wires, wired in my sidemarkers, decided to go for a drive. Power is better, but still stumbling some. Colin showed me how to adjust the AFM, which I was terrified to touch. Adjusted the wiper and the gear by playing around with them both. Went for another drive. FANTASTIC. Runs 100% better. He complained some about my shifter bushing, so I made a mental note to get that done. ITs like Doodle lives all over again. Came back to the house, adjusted the steering box, fixed my hazard switch and now I have blinkers! I know. Simple, but makes me happy. Big time. Discussed rust prevention at length. This guy is a pro at it. I think Imma take his advice to make sure Doodle lasts. All in all a great day. So happy to have him back. I cant even tell you. I'm really hoping my luck holds for the beginning of October for Transporters at the Point. I mean I am so excited to go I can't even tell you. Funny thing is, its all stuff I wondered about, but wasn't smart enough to figure it out. Colin was a big help in just opening my eyes.

Constant Reader, I'm grinning ear to ear. Can you see? You can't? Take my word for it. All is well.