The mystery of John Muir

[Just us buses]

Hey now, just found this thread. While due to age and experience I can't agree with all his methods (like using hammer and chisel on axle nuts and flywheel bolts) I still love John Muir. I met him once briefly (thread in stories forum "famous people...) I can't believe the hobby would be what it is without him. God bless John Muir; RIP
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It doesn't matter where you start, it all comes together; it all falls apart.

[Randall]

An author named Christopher Boucher wrote a novel with the title, "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive".

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-keep-your-v...ctInfoTabs

Quote from Barnes & Noble website --
"It’s hard being a single-dad raising a son—especially if your kid is also a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle.

"Because How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive is not only a dizzyingly beautiful novel, it’s also a handy manual with useful chapters on “Tools and Spare Parts,” “Valve Adjustment,” “How To Read This Novel,” and, most important of all, “How Works a Heart.”

Welcome to Christopher Boucher’s zany literary universe, a place where metaphors shift beneath your feet, familiar words assume new meanings, objects talk, trees attack, and time actually is money. Modeled on the cult classic 1969 hippie handbook of the same name, How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive is an astonishing tour-de-force that tackles some of life’s biggest questions: How do you cope with losing a parent? What’s the secret to raising a child? How do you keep love alive? How do you get your car to start?"

[Spezialist]

[KTPhil]

[Randall]

[ach60]

A family member gave me John Muir's Idiot Guide when I was 12 or 13 years old.
I read it from cover to cover on our family's summer vacation that year, my father thought it was pretty strange thing to read,
but told me much later in life, that it was better than my brother Jeff's stupid comic books.
I'll always have a warm spot for John Muir's Idiot Guide.
The thing is that later as an adult I read John Muir's resume, he had worked 1 year for the same company I have worked for 32 years.
His resume made me suspect he was a bit of a know it all ,and a flake, guys like this when I meet them in real life are often a disappointment.
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Good Luck
Al

[amishman]

Did you know he also made a cassette tape of VW engine sounds to help diagnose issues? I happen to own one. For sale btw (shamless plug lol).

Kinda of a neato somewhat rare item that goes nicely with his manual.

I still dig the book and gave me some confidence to tackle some work myself.

That and the cool BugMeVideos of course made by someone else.

TJ

[kmuir55]

Hello, everyone. I just finished reading this forum and found it very interesting, even though I'm not a vw mechanic. I do love Volkswagens because (1) it was my first car that I learned to drive, (2) they have been in my siblings' lives and (3) I am actually the youngest of John Muir's original four children. I am 60, my brother is 70 and my two eldest sisters are gone now. John and my mother divorced while she was pregnant with me and I was almost born in Guanajuato, Mexico. I never knew him, although I have always been fascinated by him. I've been told that he visited me when I was young, but unfortunately, I don't recall. I have read the VW book and the Velvet Monkeywrench. I made contact with his wife Eve prior to her passing. I think I would have gotten along famously with him. I think I got the "hippie gene". It's on my bucket list to have a 1969 VW bus someday. Just wanted to say hello and thank you for all the kind comments about him. I wish I would have known him.

[amishman]

[KTPhil]

No better time than now to live the dream and buy your Bus!

You know the impact John had on millions who never met him, either. His works live on in most of us since we started with his book and still carry the enthusiasm he inspired us to find.

[Chris in Pineville]

John Muir's Compleat Idiot manual has been one of my favorites for decades.

I was exactly his targeted reader: blue-collar hippie in 1976 with a '68 bug,
no money and limited mechanical skills!

Got the book at the Tampa public library and it guided me through a rebuild of the '68 then later through ownership of a 67 bug and a 67 samba.

I never returned the book. It is on the table as I type this, well worn and grease stained. After I developed a conscience in the 80s or 90s, I bought a new copy and mailed it to the Tampa library with a letter of explanation.

Muir's book and my experiences with it sowed the seeds that led me to become a skilled Model A Ford mechanic and enthusiast over the past 35 years.

[Cusser]

[Fish]

[Joe 20]

Just referred to one of my copies (the grease stained one) today when doing some work. It is still my go to VW book when my memory fails me.

[finster]

[Zundfolge1432]

Around 1975-6 when I first started working on VWs John Muir’s book was it besides, Haynes or Chiltons or Henry Elfrink. I certainly didn’t have money for a Bentley manual and it was too technical for me to follow. So I studied Muir and it did help me along with a friendly VW shop which took pity on me and allowed a kid to hang around and empty the trash, sweep floors. Hopefully people are smart enough to overlook using chisels to tighten bolts and disabling all choke mechanisms. Muir’s work will stand the test of time.

[iowegian]

Funny how the opinion of Muir's book has changed over the years on tehSamba.com. When I joined, a lot of folks said it was only handy if you ran out of toilet paper or needed to start a fire. Ah----the Days of Yore.

[pyrOman]

[Zundfolge1432]

I’ve always liked that book because it’s designed for the layman with zero experience. I’d imagine more than one person found courage and self esteem following a successful rebuild using it. The section on what to look for when buying a used Volksie is worth the price of the book alone. Rap on timing😀

Sadly there is always a contingent of nattering nay bobs of negativity.

Not my words credit Spiro Agnew.

[oprn]

It's an awesome read at the very least and a Godsend to anyone maintaining a STOCK VW. Non acceptance here is mostly due to this being predominately an aftermarket performance based site. John wrote his book when VWs were German made and slowed down the traffic. Today's VWs are Chinese made, American assembled and go like stink.

Two different cars.