SoCal Bay Windows in Profile

Jaw on Floor

My mind nearly imploded when I read about this bus. No, not because it's so extra-specially nice (it is), but because of how much it just sold for. Unbelievable.
As more and more enthusiasts (and "enthusiasts") get pushed away from Splitty ownership because of this kind of lunacy, it's a foregone conclusion that we'll see values for the bay window--the Splitty's ugly (uglier?) step-sister--climbing more steeply in value; they're on the way up already, if you didn't know.
Splitties up, Bays on deck, Vanagons in the hole.

VWs of SoCal

Spring is Here

Odd as it may seem, this simple (?) spring proved the most difficult to procure of any part necessary for Ludwig's conversion from Weber progressive to stock dual Solexes.

It wasn't very expensive (well, maybe it was for a spring), but it was elusive. Every ACVW wrecker I called had to be convinced of its existence, and tried to talk me into buying a generic spring at a hardware store, but (1) I'm not to keen on guessing about things like what a spring's tension is supposed to be (it keeps the carburetors' linkage under load against the force from accelerator cable); (2) no hardware store or auto parts store in town had anything close anyway. Busted Bus finally came through.

So Close

The coil (left) arrived today and the engine yoke (right; Esmé calls it the "half fan") got those holes drilled in it today. The yoke means once the case studs come from German Supply I can put Ludwig's engine on a stand and flip it uʍop ǝpısdn to install the heat exchangers. I don't even remember how I did that last time, but I know I didn't use an engine stand. Ah, youth. The coil means that the engine will start when we want it to (knock on wood).


Still to do:
Wire the new fuel pump
Prime/paint the battery tray "repair"
Plumb the vapor recovery system
Change the transaxle oil
Mate the engine to the transaxle
Install the drivetrain (engine/transaxle combo)
Break-in the engine


I guess it's not so close.

SC SC

Nota bene: if you're a Single Cab driver, please don't drive with the sides down.

Hey, that's Fang Fang back there!

Wolfsburg Hurricane Club, est. 1991

As I sd to my
friend, because I am
always talking,—John, I


sd, which was not his
name, the darkness sur-
rounds us, what


can we do against
it, or else, shall we &
why not, buy a goddamn big car,


drive, he sd, for
christ’s sake, look
out where yr going.


I Know a Man, Robert Creeley

SoCal VWs

More from the Guest Photographer - Battery Tray

The close range flash from this photo actually caused Mitch to shriek. The photographer thought it was hilarious.

A pretty good shot of Mitch and me working together to get the new battery tray screwed in.

Mitch labels wires. I like that. Mitch labels wires much in the same way that he crosses his fingers for good luck, and likely with a similar level of effectiveness.

I'm not sure how much it helps Mitch's progress that he often has such a close-range audience. But he sure curses a lot less.

And she's very encouraging too.

Partial soundtrack

VWs of SoCal

Two for the price of one in the last shot. Did I mention that Melissa took many if not most of the photos in this series? Oh. Melissa took many if not most of the photos in this series.