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DropgateLefty
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Joined: March 31, 2011
Posts: 126
Location: Auburn, CA
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 Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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Resting with my family in Houston and planning the next leg of the journey. The truck has been running great- the cooler temps (~40 deg) help with engine temps. I don't have a heater, and so far the only issue has been with cold feet, as I don't have any of the rubber boots around the shifter base/gas pedal/ebrake that keep the cold air from coming in. The anemic 12v heater helps a bit, I just set it on the floor pointed at the pedals. I also wrapped some shop rags around other holes for makeshift insulation.
I also have some oil getting past the pulley during extended driving periods at 60mph- not a lot, just enough to dirty up my engine bay and create a little smoke from drippage onto the exhaust manifold. I use about 1/2 a quart every 1000 miles 
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April '59 dove blue single cab, coast to coast run Dec 2011 -
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=488658&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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DropgateLefty
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Joined: March 31, 2011
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Location: Auburn, CA
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DropgateLefty
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Location: Auburn, CA
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DropgateLefty
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Location: Auburn, CA
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durfeec
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Joined: May 03, 2010
Posts: 932
Location: Mio, MI
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| Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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| ohana59single wrote: | Resting with my family in Houston and planning the next leg of the journey. The truck has been running great- the cooler temps (~40 deg) help with engine temps. I don't have a heater, and so far the only issue has been with cold feet, as I don't have any of the rubber boots around the shifter base/gas pedal/ebrake that keep the cold air from coming in. The anemic 12v heater helps a bit, I just set it on the floor pointed at the pedals. I also wrapped some shop rags around other holes for makeshift insulation.
I also have some oil getting past the pulley during extended driving periods at 60mph- not a lot, just enough to dirty up my engine bay and create a little smoke from drippage onto the exhaust manifold. I use about 1/2 a quart every 1000 miles |
are you using a sand seal set up of the original style pulley? maybe check your breather tubes to make sure nothing is plugging one of them and causing too much pressure in your case? or has it done this before the trip?
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1960 Bus Panel/Camper |
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scottvw
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Joined: November 17, 2004
Posts: 2293
Location: Highlands Ranch, CO
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| Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Great pics. Stay safe!!!! |
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DropgateLefty
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Joined: March 31, 2011
Posts: 126
Location: Auburn, CA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 7:25 am Post subject: |
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| durfeec wrote: |
are you using a sand seal set up of the original style pulley? maybe check your breather tubes to make sure nothing is plugging one of them and causing too much pressure in your case? or has it done this before the trip? |
It has done this before the trip. I have a non vented crankcase with a too- small breather box. Stock style pulley. The oil loss isn't that bad, and only happens on extended runs. I just keep checking the oil levels at every fuel stop, and add as needed.
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April '59 dove blue single cab, coast to coast run Dec 2011 -
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=488658&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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suebug 
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Joined: April 13, 2006
Posts: 1000
Location: The OC, SoCal, unleashed
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:22 am Post subject: |
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I love your photographic skills and good eye for picture-worthy snapshots. Can't wait for new installments.
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'67 Beetle
'67 Squareback
'66 Sundial
'60 Single cab
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DropgateLefty
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Location: Auburn, CA
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DropgateLefty
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Location: Auburn, CA
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mr white
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Joined: October 02, 2005
Posts: 633
Location: beautiful Oregon
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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Sir,
Safe travels,best wishes,and best of luck!!  |
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DropgateLefty
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Joined: March 31, 2011
Posts: 126
Location: Auburn, CA
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I am now in Las Cruces, NM. I have had some time to reflect, shower, and organize. Along the way I have seen a pack of garishly colored Lamborghinis, two flatbed trucks carrying decommissioned military helicopters, several dead deer (thank God I didn't come upon any live ones in my path) and my iPhone took a dump. I did a hard reset, and soldiered on. Here are some pics I took along the way at Houston, Galveston, and points west...Hi there, from the Middle of Nowhere, TX. Taken in a random campground bathroom.
Running in the desert, west Texas
Houston skyline
Barbie's Limo- spotted in Houston
Rebuilding the pier in Galveston after the 08 hurricane
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April '59 dove blue single cab, coast to coast run Dec 2011 -
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=488658&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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Last edited by DropgateLefty on Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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DropgateLefty
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Joined: March 31, 2011
Posts: 126
Location: Auburn, CA
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DropgateLefty
Samba Member
Joined: March 31, 2011
Posts: 126
Location: Auburn, CA
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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Stopped in Ozona, TX (My truck is from Ozona, FL) and found that there was a little glass building on the campground I stayed at that was an auto museum.
Here were some of the cars inside- I guess the campground is doing well...
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April '59 dove blue single cab, coast to coast run Dec 2011 -
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=488658&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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vw6366
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Joined: October 24, 2003
Posts: 176
Location: Stockton "209"
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Dang nice pictures.... Keep them coming, and drive safe |
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Linda Grunthaner
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Location: East Coast
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DropgateLefty
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Location: Auburn, CA
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Sidbus
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Location: Miami
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BarryL
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Joined: November 01, 2004
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Location: Casa de Oro, California
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| Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:13 am Post subject: |
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| Don't look now but an alien tried to beam you up at Buc-ee's. |
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DropgateLefty
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Joined: March 31, 2011
Posts: 126
Location: Auburn, CA
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:32 am Post subject: |
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In the desert, West Arizona
Shortly after this picture, I encountered some snow across the top of Texas Pass. At first I though the fat lazy flakes falling were serene and beautiful, until they began piling up on my windshield. The truck does not have wipers, so you see my dilemma.
A quick check of the side view confirmed that there was traffic stacking up behind me, and there was no shoulder to pull off on. I quickly grabbed the electric heater I was using in the cab in a failed attempt to melt the snow, which was sticking to the glass like wet moths. Just as panic set in, a rig passed me on the left, and the wash from the tires cleared the left window. I was able to see again, and now I started looking for a place to pull over. Just as I crossed the bridge and the shoulder started up, I had gone far enough down in elevation that the snow turned back into rain, and the windshield began to clear again. Instead of pulling my hazards and moving over, I could keep rolling. Someone was looking over my shoulder!
I am now here in Sacramento, my new home. I had to hotfoot it up I5 to avoid some freezing weather, and in the process had to make the grapevine. The cold temps actually helped me over the pass- no overheating whatsoever. My confidence in the truck has been reinforced by the fact that not even a flat tire was slowing me down. That old truck is a lot like me- broken down and rebuilt with care. She has a few scars from general use. It's not the fastest rig, and doesn't even start every time you crank on the first try. Once she does fire, there's a lot of warming up to do, and walking around looking making sure everything still works. People ask me why i would take an old truck across country, while shipping my reliable "daily" (I drive the truck more than my daily) driver in a container. I know you guys all get it- but I simply answer, "What kind of fun would that be?" and smile broadly as they walk away shaking their heads.
I stay to the right lane, and let others pass- taking in the scenery and stopping for gas, lingering at every stop while they "make good time".
Life in an old rig like mine forces you to take things slowly and deliberately, and enjoy the journey along the way. It forces you to rely on your wit and mechanical abilities, and is a much more deeply fulfilling experience. It is a visceral connection to the past, of life before the fast lane. That's why people freak out when they see you at a rest stop or a gas station- I saw so many people get a twinkle in their eyes looking at the truck. One guy said "Man, you just took me back to my childhood, when my Dad used to take us to get ice cream in the back of the truck." Then looking at his buddy, and nudging him, "Those gates fold down- it turns into a flatbed!" I feel fortunate to be the custodian of an old commercial- you just don't see enough of these on the road.
I plan on taking as many trips along the west coast as I can- there is still so much to see out there, at 55mph on back roads, stopping every 250 miles for gas. I feel so much more connected to everything when driving that old rig- both the landscape of this amazing country we live in, and the span of time between when she was built in Hanover in '58, delivered to Texas, rebuilt by a father and son in Melbourne, FL- and lovingly driven to the beaches of Eastern FL by a surfer. Now I have taken her to my home in California, and started a new segment of my life. For 3,000 miles she was my home- my familiar sight out in the wilderness and stretch of lonely highway.
For that, I will always be grateful.
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April '59 dove blue single cab, coast to coast run Dec 2011 -
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=488658&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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