Long Long Ago

Ludwig's new drive axle (with new CVs) arrived yesterday and I was all primed to put it in today, but it's raining and raining so it's gonna have to wait. And, since Melissa's away and has absconded with the camera, I thought I'd scan in some old photos taken during those halcyon days when we didn't have a camera that ran on ones and zeroes, but instead one that operated via a stone-age process involving a special chemically-treated paper that was called, in the language of the time, "film".

This is where Ludwig sat from sometime in August? 1993 (when he went kaput on 02McDonald) until April 2004: in a metal barn on the Melcher farm North of Stanton Nebraska, where I grew up. That's Ludwig tucked away in the corner. His cellmates, from left to right were a 1989? VW Cabriolet, a 1974 Porsche 914-4, and a 1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Q: Which of these two vehicles are most similar? A: Ludwig's engine and transmission are completely interchangable with the little yellow Porsche's engine and transmission, the main differences being the Porsche powerplant is fuel injected and larger (2000cc cf. 1700cc, I think).

01Melcher and I moved him down to another metal barn which serves as Melcher's shop. The floor is really wet in this picture because I had just taken out all the interior and hosed out 11years of mouse excrement.

Common sense dictated that it'd be a good idea to give the brakes a decent going-over (the ability to stop is more important than the ability to go, to paraphrase the Idiot Book), so here's Ludwig with all his wheels off while I worked on them, with a lot of help from Groaner.

Just who in the hell are 01Melcher, 02McDonald, and Groaner anyway? Really, it's better you didn't know. Satisfy yourself with these images, the above of 01Melcher and the one below of Groaner.

Groaner in his natural habitat

These dudes and 02McDonald (who, like myself has a natural aversion to having his picture taken and hence is absent from this series) are some guys who I hang out with, drink beer with, and work (or "work") on cars with--often all at the same time--and who each were absolutely indispensible in Ludwig's resurrection.

This fresh 1800cc engine arrived from MOFOCO in Milwaukee ready to be dressed and put in Ludwig. I'm ambivalent about economy engine builders, but so far we've been satisfied with this engine. The next rebuild (we intend to own Ludwig forever, in case you couldn't tell) will be at our own hands.

Sorry about the butt-shot. After much trial and tribulation, all of which I take full responsibility for, Ludwig was drivable and we took him to Melissa's parents house in rural Pleasant Dale to put his interior back together. Melissa's parents really threw themselves into helping Ludwig along, and he wouldn't be where he is now without them. They also gave us a big chunk of carpet leftover from their living room and this is me cutting and fitting it. That awesome side-step below my feet (and prominent in other pictures here) is no longer with us, as I smashed it into a curb a few days later in Lincoln and pretty much destroyed it.

Putting the new canvas top on is not much fun, but a pneumatic stapler certainly helps. I was digging fiberglass out of my arms for days afterwards.

Melissa during the final stages of pop-top installation

One day after he was all outfitted, we arrived to see that Melissa's dad had waxed the camper, shining him shinier than he'd been in years. Though the headlight eyebrows don't allow him to properly express it (I like them, even if they make him look kind of pie-eyed), Ludwig here is pumped and ready to tackle the 1600mile trip ahead. Thank goodness he only had to wear those Godawful-looking Nebraska tags for about a month. I also must apologize for putting that WESTFALIA sticker on the wrong end of the bus--it's supposed to go on the back, I realized later.