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Wed Aug 28, 2019 2:46 pm

WHEW!

I got home last night from the trip.
It lasted 15 days, and covered 3236 miles. Got about 16 mpg, which probably isn't too bad for a newly rebuilt engine. Lots of those miles were going 65-70 on interstates, although I did get off the interstates to trek down Route 66 and various back country roads whenever possible. Used about 4 quarts of oil, partly due to a small leak somewhere.

Got to see the Grand Canyon without being towed out of it this time. :D

Spent two days each in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Liked Santa Fe, but loved Albuquerque, and that may be my next residence, since Orlando isn't working out as I had hoped.

Visited Oklahoma, but didn't get many pictures. It had beautiful rolling hills and vistas which were difficult to capture in a little picture.

Spent the night by a beautiful River in SE Oklahoma that was very memorable, and loved the experience as much as the Grand Canyon.

Then went on to New Orleans...

...and stayed one block off of Bourbon Street. \:D/ In a hotel this time since camping spots in NO are pretty rare. Lol! Spent two days and nights there, and had a great time with some friends. Didn't get too drunk either night.

Driving from Tallahassee to Orlando yesterday saw the first rains of the entire trip. I really lucked out with beautiful weather most of the time. Some days were a bit hot, and a couple evenings were a bit cool, but it was better than I could have expected for the second half of August in the south and SW.

Does it feel good to be home after being away for over 7 weeks?
...Well, I'll let you know after Dorian does his best/worst.

Wed Aug 28, 2019 2:58 pm

Glad you made it back safely. Albuquerque you say?

Wed Aug 28, 2019 3:09 pm

richparker wrote: Glad you made it back safely. Albuquerque you say?
Lol!

Those old clips were going thru my mind while heading there, since it was my first time there.
And then I DID make a left turn at Albequerque to get to Santa Fe. \:D/

Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:55 am

:shock: a left turn at --where-- :) :)

:shock: :shock: one of 2 people driving into a hurricane :shock: :shock: How are your door seals????

Fri Sep 06, 2019 2:08 pm

Hiya BillM :D
While reading your post, I realized going to BBB in the future will be possible once I move to NM. \:D/
Get Blue ready for BBB 2021!!!

Yeah, ran into a lot...a LOT...of rain as soon as I entered Florida. So I got to test the door and window seals pretty thoroughly. All except two seals have been replaced, and they were the only two to leak. I felt pretty good about that.
However, the cab floor needs replacing, as a bit of water splashed up in the passenger side. I have the green metal to do it, but not the equipment or skills to do the work yet. It's on the long, long "to-do" list... :roll:

Sat Sep 07, 2019 8:38 am

:D I've got 2 welders- so If you get here before I get round to selling them- Sure John could show you how to set them up. :shock:

Mon Sep 09, 2019 4:38 pm

Celebrating two momentous occasions:
3 years (almost) since joining The Samba
This is my 1700th post!
In honor of the occasion, I've renewed my membership with The Samba.
Best investment in Chloe I have ever made. \:D/

Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:10 pm

This is truly a special platform for friend and knowledge. I’m grateful everyday.
Especially when my “I don’t know” posts are answers by these retired wizards in short time :lol:

Tue Oct 29, 2019 4:53 am

Is it too early to be thinking and planning for Busses by the Bridge 2020?
Not when it's 2000 miles away from where I am living now.

I'm thinking of that trip in mid-January as a first step in relocating to Albuquerque, as well as a good excuse for going to BBB. Ideally, I'd like to find a place in Albuquerque to store Chloe from mid-January to May, which is when I plan on moving to Abq.

Are there any Sambanistas in Albuquerque who can give recommendations for storing her for 4 months?

Tue Oct 29, 2019 8:49 pm

KentPS wrote: Is it too early to be thinking and planning for Busses by the Bridge 2020?
Not when it's 2000 miles away from where I am living now.

I'm thinking of that trip in mid-January as a first step in relocating to Albuquerque, as well as a good excuse for going to BBB. Ideally, I'd like to find a place in Albuquerque to store Chloe from mid-January to May, which is when I plan on moving to Abq.

Are there any Sambanistas in Albuquerque who can give recommendations for storing her for 4 months? Careful, you might end up in Pismo Beach.

Sat Nov 16, 2019 9:52 am

When Gary had my engine out this past summer, he noticed a small tear in the S-boot I had purchased from GeeBee. This past week, I sent an email to GeeBee (Guy), and he mailed out a replacement the same day. Very cool of him.

But even better.... Guy included a couple new parts he developed:

The regular intake runner seals get ratty pretty quickly, and are difficult to tell if they are sealing well or not. So I'm looking forward to swapping them out for these new ones. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:17 am

Can we have a few more photos of those intake gaskets?

Which engine gave you a negative experience with the stock gaskets? I don't mind them, but I did not drive across the whole country with them in the middle of Summer, either. :P

(For the readership, lightly coat new stock gaskets with SuperLube, file your intake manifolds flat, and check the torque on the studs every heat cycle on a new engine and at every oil change.)

See ya in January? Let's start a BBB meetup thread if you're serious! Sam??
Robbie

Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:25 am

asiab3 wrote: Can we have a few more photos of those intake gaskets?

Which engine gave you a negative experience with the stock gaskets? I don't mind them, but I did not drive across the whole country with them in the middle of Summer, either. :P
Sorry if I wasn't saying it correctly. It is the tubular seals between the throttle body and runners that I find difficult to tell when they've worn out.

Quote: See ya in January? Let's start a BBB meetup thread if you're serious! Sam??
Robbie
I'm very serious about going! I had such a great drive between CA and FL that I'm wanting to do it again. And many more trips when I move to NM.

You in, Sam? Anyone else?

Sat Nov 16, 2019 12:41 pm

Ah yes, the intake boots that are commonly festooned with hose clamps by people who didn't look up the word "vacuum" in their dictionary. :lol: Yes, they fray quickly but will last many many years after the braided exterior starts to fray. (Which totally does make inspection difficult!)

KentPS wrote: I'm very serious about going! I had such a great drive between CA and FL that I'm wanting to do it again. And many more trips when I move to NM.

You in, Sam? Anyone else?

I'm so in! I was going to start a caravan thread, but then I realized y'all are coming from the opposite direction… :lol: I'll pester Brian and see what he's up to.

I plan on getting there earlier this year… I prefer to pick a camp spot without having to creep down a pedestrian path and waste the clutch… Get off my lawn!!
Robbie

Sat Nov 16, 2019 4:26 pm

:D Any one have some extra time??? would love to host a big pizza party, and could use some help with blue bus. (paid)- need dash put back together and hooking up the FI- If you can work for parts- even better.

where are you now Robbie and Kent?

Agree about intake sleeves- If using the wrong clamps you can dimple the runner quite easily by over tightening your (not necessary) clamps.

And a note on BBB- there is 14 day free camp (dry) just south of town- so If camping is at a premium- you have free options.

Sun Nov 17, 2019 3:58 am

williamM wrote: :D Any one have some extra time??? would love to host a big pizza party, and could use some help with blue bus. (paid)- need dash put back together and hooking up the FI- If you can work for parts- even better.

And a note on BBB- there is 14 day free camp (dry) just south of town- so If camping is at a premium- you have free options.
How about a pre-BBB meet-up in Quartzite? Anyone? It's just off I-10, and heading north from there takes you right into Lake Havasu City. We can get there a couple days early, help BillM out with Blue, then head up for early BBB camp site picking.

The last time I saw Blue, Bill had finished welding the new roof on. The top 12 inches or so was cut off of Blue due to rust issues, and a new donor top welded on. Bill's buddy John did the welding and did an amazing job. I'm looking forward to seeing how Blue's coming along now.

Mon Dec 02, 2019 5:10 am

I am in need of expert Sambanista advice.

Chloe's engine ran great for the first 3000 miles or so after the rebuild, and still runs well, sort of. She starts, idles and drives at low speeds like normal. But when cruising at 35 mph and higher, she will have an occasional slight bucking/hesitation until I let off the gas a little bit. Most of the time, she will accelerate without that hesitation, but occasionally will buck then too. (I still love the acceleration of this 1800cc engine as compared to the 1700.)

Here's what I've checked:
Vacuum leaks with smoke generator... None found
TSII... Always my nemesis, but tested normal
Timing... 32* at high revs, about 5-6 BTDC at idle
(It idles high, due to a faulty AAR I need to replace. If I set idle at 1000, it take a feather footing for a couple minutes at start up to keep it from dying)
Dwell... 40*
EEC diaphragm doesn't leak
What am I missing?
Fuel delivery? Tank checked out clean when I had it out 2 years ago. Filter is replaced every 3000 miles, when I check valves and change oil.
(Hmmmm... I haven't checked fuel pressure yet. That will be my next move. :idea: )

Does anyone have any suggestions of what else to check? Thanks guys

Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:59 am

It would be nice to get a fuel pressure gauge rigged where you can see it while driving.

Your dwell seems a little low, so your points gap could be a little large. Got any Air-Schooled stickers (.015”) or business cards (.017”) handy? Otherwise you’ll have to use peasant tools like matchbooks, or, god forbid, feeler gauges! A weak spark can idle an engine just fine and even sound normal revving up in neutral; once you load up the engine and increase combustion pressure, spark can have a harder time jumping the plug gap.

Another test I like is to have a helper hold a timing light and point it at your ceiling or rear view mirror. Clamp the inductive pickup to the central/main coil wire, and watch it during the misbehavior. If the strobe cuts out intermittently, you have a spark issue. If it flashes constantly even while the engine struggles, you have a fuel or compression (valves?) issue.

35 in third or fourth gear?
Robbie

Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:42 am

Thanks Robbie (and others who pm'd and texted me)!

[Robbie: It happens in either gear.]

The consensus is to focus on spark first and then check fuel delivery. I'll do that soon, as I'm working on another part of Chloe at the moment...

Chloe's heater cable tubes and ends have been mangled sometime in the past. I've tried to revive them, but have given up trying. Instead, I've gone the Cheap Chinese Diesel Parking Heater route.

Originally, I had planned on mounting it under the floor and route the heated air thru existing ducts. But after receiving it and seeing the size and weight of the unit, I've changed my mind.

The cabinet behind the passenger seat in a Riviera houses the ice box, but also has about a 6 inch space between the ice box and the bulkhead, so the CCDPH will sit in this orientation...

The space was intended to provide ventilation in case a fridge is installed there. And that gap is a perfect place for a CCDPH. Except my icebox cabinet is in pretty sad shape from water swelling the particle board, sun fading the laminate, and the plastic trim shrinking and coming loose.

So I've been designing and building a new one...

It's almost ready for the finish. As a bonus, this has given me the opportunity to replace the 1" of fiberglass insulation around the ice box (R-value of maybe 1) with rigid foam insulation (R-value of 4.3). That should help significantly.

And it will be nice to have that heat for BBB and not rely on the Little Buddy heater. \:D/

Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:38 pm

KentPS wrote: I am in need of expert Sambanista advice.

Chloe's engine ran great for the first 3000 miles or so faulty AAR I need to replace. have any suggestions of what else to check? Thanks guys

Don't forget- I have bunch of proven spares off Boomerang engine and Blues, non op motor- So If you want to play "darts" repair- let me know what you would like to try.