Winston Wehabilitated: The Complete Saga

[msinabottle]

Ever found a nylock nut in a cabinet or under the bench, and wondered, 'Where did THAT come from?'

It probably came from Winston.

Today, with VW's on the Green less than a week away, I mixed up a fairly strong solution of TSP and employed that, a Dobie pad, a toothbrush and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean Winston's cabinets and closets. Results quite good, although... there was a lot... that had to be cleaned. I was cleaning under the bench, when I found a screw... a nut... some more screws... The sort of nuts and screws that I've been bolting back into my cabinets as fast as I can find them and figure out where they go.

The bad news was that I couldn't find many of them. The good news is that I found many of them when I pulled the cover over the rear blower motor. I found... many more screws and bolts than nuts to put on the end of them. My beautiful girlfriend came over for Mother's Day dinner, and since we had time, she was agreeable to a run to Ace hardware with one of the bolts,

I thought they might be metric, they turned out to be 1/4 20 fine thread nuts. I could have bought Nylocks, but went with conventional nuts and split washers. If you ever unbolt a Nylock, it's likely to slip, and I think that during this bodywork and at intervals over his 29 year old life span, there has been a considerable fall of nuts in Winston. This particular nut bolted on replacement nuts with split washers and tightened down every nut he could find.



Got all that done. I still think I'll prowl through all the cupboards and cabinets looking for missing nuts, I did find many of the missing wood screws for the brackets, but I'll just save those for future replacements, having replaced them already.

Meanwhile, there is an update for the

MYSTERY OF THE MISSING ANTENNA KEYS!

The good news is that I can lower and raise the antenna from the furthest down position. The bad news is that ANYONE can lower and raise the antenna from the furthest down position. You can just grab the little end with two fingers, and up it comes.

Something isn't right here. I wonder if you need the keys to get the antenna further down and locked, or what... I might write Bus Depot. I am not getting the security against vandalism I wanted from this antennal, although it picks up pretty well and has held up in a 72 MPH slipstream.

Helpful input would be greatly appreciated. I need to do a bit more vacuuming in the bench, spray silicone lubricant on the cabinet hinges and doors, and if I can find some time this week prepare a 'before' book for Winston for VW's on the Green.

And I am very tired.

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[joetiger]

Congratulations, Rob. Winston looks amazing. Can't wait to see him on Sunday (I'm coming back a day early from Moab so hopefully I'll be out at VWOTG.)
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[msinabottle]

That would be nice, Joe, and your van is, you know, actually used a lot. You also have wonderful kids. Winston just graciously accepts my offerings of money, parts, and labor.



Got the swamp cooler, sprinkler system, and lawnmower working today. I am... weary.

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[msinabottle]

The <BLEEP!> goes on... On and on and on and on...

I had a chat with my friend the ooooold guard analog-era engineer about lock washers. Utterly fascinating to those of us who know that a lost nut COULD be the difference between life and death. He said that captive tooth washer nuts are the best for REALLY holding something--in 1/4" 20 they're $.25 each, but tooth lock washers will tear up the surface to which they are anchored.

Nylock washers, which are what have been falling off of Winston's cabinet bolts, are the best for a vibration environment, probably why the Germans used them, but once removed, they tend to fall off--unless the bolts are coated with Loc-Tite, which is as good as a Nylock, when they are reinstalled. Split washers and standard nuts are used when one doesn't want to mar a surface.

Well, all THAT was fascinating. I spent two fairly horrid hours yesterday pulling the Nylocks and replacing them after applying Loc-Tite, if the Nylock looked like it had been pulled once. I'm not sure if the Bodymen pulled them, or they just fell off in Winston's 29 years of existence. When I couldn't find a nut, I put in the new nuts and split-rings I'd bought--with Loc-Tite. My 3/8 sockets don't seem to grip the Nylocks well, but metric sockets didn't grip any better. FRUSTRATING! But I tightened down and Loc-Tite'd every nut I could find in Winston's cabinets.

Admittedly, my ACE and Stanley sockets are garbage. I may wait for a Sears sale for Craftsman, or hope to score some used Snap-On's.

I am frantically trying to get Winston ready for his 'Public' debut at VW's on the Green this Sunday. I need to burn this year's CD to have playing over his sound system. I love my '80's German Rock CD, but with Winston looking so... Incredible... I'm updating. Modern rock tunes about fast cars. Winston ISN'T fast, but he looks a lot better than vehicles that are.

Today was more pleasant. In the company of my lovely girlfriend I went to:

Perma-Graphics
1919 Federal Boulevard
Denver, CO 80204
303-477-3209
http://www.perma-graphics.com
(I hope I don't lose a post again for mentioning a potentially useful product!)

1971BugGuy came up with a template and font to reproduce ANY external Westfalia Builder's plate. Winston's was horrid when I got him, ecce:

A trophy shop said that they could create a plate for $45 for set-up plus charges for the actual plate.



Alpha Graphics, a local company, treated me well and said they could make a vinyl decal for not much, but if I wanted an actual PLATE I should go to Perma-Graphics. Gianna at Perm-Graphics responded to my E-mail query by Laser-Engraving a test plate and asking what I thought of THIS for $14:

I thought highly of it. Quite highly indeed. I had one made for his '85 Weekender for 1971BugGuy and that must go to Canada, and I wrote the Skylight Guy with 1971BugGuy's permission suggesting that he offer reproduction plates. We drove down and claimed it, and I thanked Gianna for the work and follow-up. Good people!

Tomorrow morning I call Wheels of Time about mounting that on Winston's passenger's front door, in the same spot as the orginal, with 3M Emblem Tape, and covering that and the GoWesty outlet cover stickers with still more of that VanGuard 'Clear Bra' film. I name the names, O Board Cops (whom I respect, but, sheeze!) so that others will know what the <BLEEP!> I used! No one is paying me for diddly!



But I digress.

I need to print out some pages of how Winston looked back in 2006 when I got him. I need to burn that CD. I need to change Winston's oil and do some final vacuuming in the dark recesses of a Vanagon's cabinetry, and Sunday morning, it's VW's on the Green and his 'Westored' debut. The official end of the restoration comes when I get back and install the stove plate. But Winston will... impress onlookers, I think, even without it.

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[t3 kopf]

01/84, my van was the same month
_________________
'90 Carat w/ '95 phase 1 EJ22 OBD2 conversion

[msinabottle]

'84 was a busy year! I lucked out, and hope you did, in that Winston had the 'full' '84 engine with the Digi-Jet two-switch system, and RAILS holding in the tent, not staples.

'84 was a good year for me. And when all's well with Winston--it's still good. A teeny-bopper once shouted, 'Peace, Man!' as we rolled by. I shouted back:

REAGAN IN '84!



I was in college and having one HECK of a good time. With my books.

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[Syncroincity]

The antenna is definitely not right... it should go all the way down and slightly past the lip of the hole, it's impossible to grip it when it's tucked in correctly. The "key" is simply a small flat-blade screwdriver tip, that you have to lever the tip of the antenna out of the hole with.
Is yours a replacement antenna? You need to have a real Vanagon Hirschmann antenna to have it go all the way down.

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_441_158/hirschmann_antenna-german.html

_________________
'86 Syncro CHC Top AAZ Turbodiesel
'04 Passat Variant 4Mo 5MT

Vanagon Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=466866&highlight=

[msinabottle]

Thanks, Syncroincity, for a useful response. Van Cafe isn't asking too much for a genuine Hirschmann, I may just bite the bullet and put paid to THIS problem. I can get it further down than in the picture--I talked to Randy, one of the bodymen at Wheels of Time, he thinks you need the key to get the antenna all the way down. That's... believable. It's aggravating. But... STAY TUNED FOR A WINSTON UPDATE!

--
Today was... fun, very up and down, peaks and valleys... New watch arrived, yay, got the band on the wrong way adjusting it, a half-hour of needless aggravation, boo, van-hating Eldest Sister announced plans to visit, boo, Wheels of Time said to bring Winston down and they'd get the new reproduction Westfalia builder's plate on him and the GoWesty outlet sticker, yaay... Spent an infuriating hour looking for the plate just as I was ready to go out the door, turned out it was face-up on a black book and not readily visible...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But it all came together at Wheels of Time, with hiccups. Pictures to follow after Winston makes his debut at VWOTG this Sunday, Man, I'm gonna LOVE getting up at 6 to get him onto the lot. And I missed pre-registration, too.

Filled Winston, gas has gone up to $3.89 for REGULAR here. With everything still out of his cabinets--I need to lubricate the hinges, there's one last bolt to check and tighten, and with the show coming up it's nice not having stuff to walk away--I put some Marvel Mystery Oil in a small jar, grabbed a funnel, and put that into the gas. There is now Marvel Mystery Oil all over my rubber mats.



I fume midst the fumes.

Les was glad to see me, and detailed Randy to get the plate and the three stickers on Winston while he negotiated with some masons about putting in a new door and a new bay for mechanical work into his plant. Randy did his usual careful job while I walked around and around the shop trying not to hover and not to be a pest, neither exclusive of the other. I made several patrols looking for the missing keys, admiring the beautiful vehicles, trying not to bother people.

I had downloaded and printed images from here with the position of the original door plate and the position of the other stickers, Randy made good use of them as he used emblem tape to get the plate--not a decal like the original--into position perfectly.

Then Les sent Bob, whom I have mentioned often, but who has always been nice and helpful, over to the Clear Bra shop to beg a piece of film, which Scott and Randy busied themselves putting over the decals. ideally, neither the plate nor the stickers shall ever fade or peel. Everyone was so careful, and Les wouldn't charge me. Very nice people, there. I will be handing out their business cards at VW's on the Green.

Besides staying out of the way, there were some things I wanted to do that I hadn't done for Winston, and I busied myself doing them when it didn't disturb anyone. I found the shop's shop vac and used it to clean the last of the dust from the repairs out of the bench. I'm trying to get the Porsche windshield washers adjusted, it's proving a bit hard.

I took an old broom, removed the handle, and used that to sweep a lot of the dust from all the grinding off the engine, while we were waiting for the film, Randy took compressed air and finished my work, obviating the need to wash the engine again. That's good news. The quality of the job attaching the stickers and covering them with film was incredible.

Randy thinks my paint's about done cooking, outgassing needs to continue for a while longer, and my gearhead friend is willing to let Winston have one more week in his southern-exposed driveway. The Rocky Mountain Westy crowd can feel pleased to know that the Wheels of Time folk were as impressed with their bumper as the RMW people were their bodywork. I kind of wriggle when I behold either.

Just as I was getting ready to pull out to get some groceries and go home, I noticed that BOTH



the retrofitted GoWesty wind deflector rubber strips on the upper door edges had had their ends come loose and flip up. It looked as if Winston had sprouted antenna. Scott and Randy set to work with yet more 3M trim adhesive and tape, the latter of which I shall remove sometime this afternoon. GoWesty might want to design a clip or something, that's happened twice, now.

Les gave me some pointers on why Winston's a bit fussy starting after running for a bit, I shall act upon his kindly advice. On my way to the grocery store, I honked twice at a lovely silver Wolfsburg Tintop that was making a turn onto Federal Boulevard from Oxford. Got a look, but the driver was too busy, you know, driving, to acknowledge, although I caught him looking back as I tailed him for a bit. Very nice van.

Had a horrid Thursday burning a new CD for Winston's speakers to be playing at the VW show--I think the music suits the new Winston very well, and I could be wheedled into posting a track list. Things to do, I hope, tomorrow or soon afterwards:

Change Winston's oil--it looked fine on the dipstick, but it's... not quite a year old, hardly has any miles on it, but I tend to do that... I COULD stretch it and change it after the season so as to store him with new oil... Hmmmm...

Add the <PRODUCT WHICH THEY DELETE THE POST IN WHICH YOU ASK ABOUT IT> into his gear box. Supposedly it does a lot to smoothe out shifting in an older gearbox and won't hurt the bronzes.

Change his square plastic fuel filter--haven't heard a LOT of cavitation, but a bit.

Change over Winston's fuel lines to PolyArmor metallic and new good Gates fuel line junctions and connectors.

Fuel and test his propane system.

Remove the refrigerator, fix my boneheaded grounding to a power tap, and TEST the refrigerator.

Flush, test, and fill the water system.

Re-install the stove face plate when I get it back. I have no complaints about how fast THAT'S going, in fact, I'm in awe of HOW fast that's going, and appreciative.

Lubricate the hinges and reload the cabinets.

At which point, I shall be done with this thread, I will post a GRAND TOTAL, ITEMIZED of all the work and posts... and... lapse into gibbering insanity.



Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[climberjohn]

WOWZER, this is some thread and one nice looking van!
Thanks for the entertaining write up.

As my paint man told me, you can think of paint and body work as a dartboard. You can have an "outer circle" level of work, or close to a bulls-eye level of work. You pay accordingly. Choose your circle, from 1 to 10, and go for it.

CJ
_________________
'86 Westy, 2.5 Subaru power
Know your limits. Exceed them often.

[msinabottle]

Thanks to very hard work by Wheels of Time, Rocky Mountain Westy, 1971BugGuy, all our aftermarket suppliers, and a few besides... We made my deadline for showing Winston at Volkswagens on the Green 2013. That was held last Sunday at the Jefferson Country Fairgrounds. The only thing NOT restored and installed upon him was the stove face plate, and like I'm going to complain about THAT! It'll be the icing on the cake when it arrives, and I'm so awed and grateful for the pains being taken there.

Last Friday, I got Winston into Wheels of Time, as mentioned, and here's how the new reproduction Westfalia door plate turned out:

The folks who noticed 1971BugGuy and Perma-Graphics's work were quite impressed, and I was proud to have, to my knowledge, the only reproduction plate in the country. Another one is leaving the country, I mailed the one to 1971BugGuy for his Weekender in Canada today.

Here are the GoWesty stickers on the GoWesty outlets:

There was the usual long wait to get into the show, and I had neglected to bring the Vessel of Utmost Necessity (VOUN) which is so useful when one had a huge mug of tea for breakfast and is trapped for 45 minutes in a long string of cars. Finally I made a desperate bid for the distant bathroom, and of course the line broke into motion immediately thereafter. I got some looks.



And the usual trouble getting Winston parked. They moved the RMW guys into a special 'Vendor' area, so I couldn't show off Winston's new bumper near where onlookers could go and buy one. Mike was NOT happy about that. They at first stuck me into the 'Performance Watercooled' section:



From which I soon moved, joining Bays, Splitties, and other Vanagons in what this distracted Naval historian always calls 'Battleship Row':

With Winston way at the end, which cut into my visitors, I'm sure. People were getting 'Vanned Out.'

I had my usual adventures getting him there. Getting up at 5:50 to get Winston on the road by 7, to the Fairgrounds at 8 in order to get a spot... Got there... HORRIBLE WHISTLE from the driver's side wing window! Just piercing! Not sure where it came from, besides Hell.



I waited for the show to open and busied myself putting Baby Oil on Winston's rubber, plastic, and vinyl. I flattered myself that I just... might... get a vote or two, particularly when I had a collage of the pictures I took the day after I bought him and a long listing of all his mods. I had some of Les's cards from Wheels of Time, and a little display in Winston's parlor:

Note the rocks. An ICY strong wind blew right through the rear hatch nearly the whole time, which didn't help either. I left the hatch open and the engine cover off so that people could actually convince themselves that a water-cooled boxer engine EXISTS! I really did get some extended stares, and a nice Bay Window's owner was frankly covetous of Winston's engine.



He's not getting it!

Attendance did seem to be down, but it was a good turn-out. Among the beautiful, vote-and-attention grabbing vans was...

OSCAR!

Okay, I've seen customized Vanagons, but that thing made EVERYTHING else at VWOTG look scratch. Utterly stunning, it was near the Wild Westy display, so I suppose it had one of their Subaru's in it. I had a nice chat with a fellow Sambanista who had the new postal flares on his Syncro--they were nicer and much thicker plastic than I thought they'd be, thus entering... the realm of the possible:

Not that Winston looks that bad as he is now! One of the tunes on my 'Show' CD of music playing over Winston's speakers was 'Paint It Black' by the Stones.



I was delighted to run into Carol and her husband from SewFine

who I sent over to Winston to see how their upholstery was holding up on him. My thought was, 'Well,' but Carol's husband suggested I rub my jeans as little as possible on the fabric when I'm sitting down on him--and I thought that was good advice. He had a magnificent machine of his own, which I greatly admired:

Texas's loss is Colorado's gain, it's lovely to have them back up here.

So I walked around, pausing to take pictures such as this one;

...which is of course a Rabbit Hat for Humanity...



sat inside him and got a lot of nice compliments about Winston, the RMW guys were very kind, and everybody who'd seen him before was flabbergasted. A friend came by later and kept me company at the show's end.

I should note that the rest of my pictures from Volkswagens on the Green, 2013, are to be found here:

http://s241.photobucket.com/user/msinabottle/library/VWOTG13

I goggled more than once at Oscar:

You dance with the one who brung you, though, and I thought in sheer terms of beauty and functionality--particularly on a historian's budget--Winston held his own:

But I didn't win any awards or prizes, not so much as Jack, which I did win, some years previously:

As modeled by my beautiful girlfriend, who couldn't make it due to work commitments. Also missing, JoeTiger and FNGRUVN, and they were missed, but I did rejoice in meeting AKRIVIERA79, who was every bit as nice in person as he's been on the Samba. He had a very proud, Alaska-licensed Syncro Westy that could only linger an hour--hence, I had no time for photographs. It looked almost exactly like...

OSCAR!

Well, close enough. Anyway... Final totals to follow when I get the stove plate back on him, which I will consider as the end of Winston's Wehabilitation.

It won't cost as much as Oscar's.

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[madspaniard]

wow, those are some serious poptop shocks on Oscar
_________________
1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[16CVs]

I love the looks of the bobbed 1/4's glasses on that crazy van . I guess he wanted a hydraulic top . Kinda of overkill but very cool .

Stacy
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.

[luVWagn]

Oscar and Winston both have fantastic paint-jobs - and I think Oscar's is very interesting use of two-tone plus stripes - sexy!
_________________
'91 Syncro 16 Reimo Hightop Conversion, eTDI

[FNGRUVN]

We couldn't make it this year because of Syncro Solstice in Moab. Hopefully next year the dates won't overlap.

BTW, Oscar has a RMW turbo Subaru conversion and a really nice paint job.
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

[dobryan]

I like Winston much better than Oscar.... but then I am biased.
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[msinabottle]

With my gearhead friend's father due today to occupy his driveway, Winston had to return to his lair with the paint pretty well baked and outgassed, as Scott told me at Wheels of Time, the thing to do now was to let air circulate around him. I should leave the doors open of whiles, but I don't smell wet paint any more, even with him in the garage.

I had Cabinet-Maker friend ready to spot me, perhaps a good thing, although I tend to be very self-conscious with an audience. It's easier to put Winston into the garage at night, you can get a REALLY GREAT sun glare at the right time of day. I mentally wished I'd gotten the propane tank filled while he was still outside, but they'll test the system for leaks when I fill it, and it's unlikely to be leaking. I do need to test all of Winston's systems for camping, fix that ground-to-power on the Dometic, lube the hinges and re-stock his cabinets. None of that should take too long--but I still haven't pulled and painted that @!#@#! panel!

The worst part of starting Winston up was the horrific squealing of his belt as I did so. Dried out? Quite likely. Engine dust still in the engine? Definitely! Heavy load on the alternator from his fairly drained batteries and running Hella Halogens? Indeed. Could be the alternator bearings, a glazed belt, or loose alternator mounts, all of which I shall check for.

I've started making a point of cleaning Winston whenever I have the gear out to clean the house, which is today. Barkeeper's Friend liquid does a GREAT job on stainless steel--like the sink and the range, although you have to rinse it off rather thoroughly. You get a white powdery residue otherwise, some of which was on the bottom of the grill cover when I showed him at VWOTG, which was... aggravating. I rinsed him three times, also washing the Pergo floor with Murphy's Oil Soap and a sponge mop.

I will check over the alternator--I think it's original

I have replaced the brushes, but the bearings could be worn. I read here that you can scuff up the sides of the alternator belt with a big emory board or perhaps a wire brush, might do that and use belt dressing--if that squeal persists. There are alternator rebuilders in the Denver area.

Waiting for the stove plate--which ought to be flipping gorgeous. I cleaned out the area behind it and where it goes. Looking forward, worrying about Terry and Daizee.

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[morymob]

Changing alt and belt , still squeal on start up. Found if i start and don't touch gas pedal for about 30 sec it never happens. Alt will kick in pretty much full output after a start just to replace charge used to start, usuall a few seconds then cuts back the amps, my 2-cts and not only a wbx problrm as some of the wide multi groove belts don't slip any.

[msinabottle]

We are definitely about done, here--with the restoration. Gad, this Spring. Many successes, more obligations, some very rough moments, some much better moments. We're ABOUT done. I think 'Done' is when I refill Winston's cabinets and get him ready for this Summer's camping at the Job Site--which starts... Friday.



Sunday they let us off work a few hours early, and so, knowing that the heat wave which we hope to survive now was bearing down, I got out the Makita, the Bentley, and the Betadine and set about pulling Winston's refrigerator. As noted earlier in this post, I'd lost the thermocouple indicator light by idiotically 'grounding' my interior fan circuit to a POWER TAP on the Dometic's top. That was stupid. Removing and replacing the Dometic is always amusing and fun, particularly on your own, and the worklight falling off the counter and scoring a direct hit upon my parts tray added a delightful game of 'Scavenger Hunt' to the joyous activity.



I rejoiced to find the actual ground for all the other circuits on the Dometic, and, liberally employing my new ratcheting crimper on any and all old conenctions, I managed to ground the fan circuit to that, got it tested, and then tested the Dometic on AC successfully after a mere four plus excruciating hours in the growing heat. I took a moment to vacuum out the area behind the Dometic, where dust from the long-block sanding lingered. I found the plastic cover for Winston's driver's seat arm rest screw there.



I put it back on the armrest and also sprayed some Permatex Rust converter on the old rust behind the fridge. Most of my sealing seems to have survived intact through all the body work, but it threw in three new coats on general principles. You could see where they'd been working on his outer metal, but the interior really came through in good shape. I do wonder about the arm rest bolt cover's mysterious journey behind the Dometic. Do the antenna keys lurk... somewhere... within Winston's myriad nooks and crannies?

I can't actually test the thermocouple indicator light without having propane--which I don't--but the light didn't go on all the time, which it HAD been doing previously. We'll call that progress. Progress was heavily mixed with anxiety, as I tried Winston's ShurFlo and got... nothing... from the pump. I worried very much that I would not have water when I needed it.

I admit to worrying about whether or not the restored face plate would arrive in time. KevbOliver/VW22 has been great about getting things handled, organized, and in progress--but there were unforeseen delays and I got nervous...



Didn't need to. The plate arrived Monday priority mail (thanks, guys!) looked beyond great, went on with the usual unnecessary difficulty and activities that involved a rubber mallet, a probe, several different sheet metal screws, and a great deal of aggravation in a steel box inside a 90+ degree garage. At the successful end of it all, I had this urge to eat fried eggs while Struther Martin said something about issues with connectivity.

With the plate fixed and my health and sanity impaired, today I went out to Winston with my multi-tester and something of a death wish. Considering I have done a rather large amount of DC wiring, quite successfully, it's amazing how inept I am with a multi-tester.

The ShurFlo did not activate the pump. With difficulty and unnecessary repetitions I tested the fuse on that circuit. The fuse was fine.

It took me quite some time and a new 9v. battery to be confident that there was power to the circuit itself. I finally got the multi-tester to work by touching one probe to the connection for the socket and the other to the new fuse box ground. I wondered if I'd left the old fuse box from the original wiring intact and in the circuit. I had. My fumbling knocked the fuses there loose. I lost the Battery/Water indicators, behind their nice re-finished plate, until I realized what I had done.



Considering that there's a perfectly functional fuse less than 7" away from the fuse in the original block, I think that in the future I will just wire in permanent connections. But it made for a fun day. As the heat cooked the water from my body, I burned my hand repeatedly upon my work light, the two hatches of the two storage covers fell on me a lot until I lashed them in place with a bungee cord, and other amusing and interesting injuries and disasters helped me beguile the time.

Pouring a gallon of water into the tank to prime the pump did nothing. I used the connectivity setting on the multi-tester to see if the ShurFlo was still working. It was. I tried testing the circuit to that, which the double plastic connectors to it made very difficult until I found some wired connectors I could use. There was power, but no ground. I think.

I got a battery charger and supplied 12 v. DC power to the pump. It whirred. One of the reasons I gave myself 'The Box' was so that I'd have time to order and install a new ShurFlo or Pump. Or both. It was neither.

I finally managed with testing wires to test the connectivity of the wire from the switch to the pump. I had to cut off the insulation and glue I'd had to use when the connections had come loose after I replaced the old pump. That was fun. I re-crimped all the old connectors with the ratcheting crimper. Connectivity improved--the 'BEEP' got less tremulous.

Winston likes to play practical jokes upon me in an effort to see how irregularly he can get my heart to beat. I decided to have a crawl under him to see if I could find a severed or disconnected ground wire. I found none, but I did realize that I had slid into a puddle of liquid under the van.



The heater switch? AGAIN? No! It ran back toward... THE ENGINE... But it did not reach it! A very cautious taste... Not coolant! Just water!

Remember that gallon of water I'd emptied into the tank to prime the pump? The drain cap wasn't on that tightly. And so a good time or sheer panic with soaked hair and a soiled shirt was had by... No one. At least I knew that the water level indicator was still working, it went from 'RED' to 'NONE' as the balance of the gallon slowly drained.

I tested for voltage and finally got a reading at the pump connector when I grounded to the fuse box ground. That was it. During all the body work, the ground to that circuit had failed. Does anybody know where the ground to that circuit actually is? The wire disappeared behind the cabinets.

I decided to go for a quick and certain fix. Step 1 was to reconnect the connection of the 'new' pump to the cable leading to the switched wires. I used conductive grease, insulated connectors, shrink wrap, a butane mini-torch and ran through a great deal of time and aggravation doing that and making sure the connections had stayed connected. I put electrical tape over everything.

I next tried and failed to remove the filler hose to the fresh water tank in an effort to get a better look at the large and very obvious ground under it. Further study showed that that ground was to the AC box.

Rather than meddle with THAT, I instead made a rat-tail ground to a screw protruding from the grounded box, employed a nut and toothed washer, coated that with conductive grease, and rigged insulated connectors to the older ground wire from the pump. By this time I was 5 hours in and about four pounds of water weight lighter.

It was somewhat anticlimactic when it all worked and I realized that I had finished my repairs in the restoration. The pump works just fine, now. As I put the tools and other gear away, I clobbered my head on a projecting beam. That was pleasant.



I should still replace the small gasoline pre-filter, put that <substance named in a post that they for some reason deleted> into the gearbox, and fill him with water and propane. I am glad I delayed refilling his cabinets and cupboards, I'd have had to take a lot of it out again during today's delightful and entertaining activities in 100 degree heat.

I hope to have pictures of the restored, installed faceplate and a bit besides when the restocking, propane, and fuel filter are done.

And I am very tired.

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[mariusstrom]

[msinabottle]