Early and Late

I didn't know it before we got Gertie, but apparently 1971 was a split year for Type IIIs.

And it turns out that Gertrude is an early 1971.

Before it got sold, this 1971 sat not far from our house, along my bike route to work.

The baby blue one is a late 1971. From my cursory examination of the data, one of the easiest ways to tell them apart is that the "Volkswagen" script is horizontal on 1971s, but is slanted on 1971½s. Also, '71½s didn't come with pop-out windows as standard equipment. The blue Squareback's hubcaps are incorrect, by the way.

Another subtle clue: on Gertie, the knob that you use to reset the trip meter is chrome and hard to remove. On late '71s, it's black and easier to remove.

Huhn.

The Social Ladder

I got a chuckle out of this tidbit from Big Blue's blog the other day:

Part of my amusement probably is because I've occasionally constructed a similar scale in my head which isn't very different from this one.

The major change I would make though would be to eliminate Eurovans from the list altogether. Eurovans belong on a list of VW campers about as much as pineapples or claw-footed bathtubs do.

A Sunday's nap with Gertie

Today we spent Esmé's nap time with Gertie. We managed to accomplish quite a bit, even though it may not seem like much. Gertie's so photogenic, hence the excessive number of pictures.

We haven't been driving Gertie the past couple weeks. She has a bum window that needs some fixin' before she'll be on the road again. We're hoping to get the part we need off one of Mitch's previous ACVWs when we're back in Nebraska. This shot nicely shows the contrast between the original yellow under the window seal and the rattle can yellow exterior.

My sister requested more photos of the dash awhile back, so here you go Lisa.  I love how clean and simple Gertie's dash is. And her original color is so nice and buttery. Above (clockwise from top left) is the window wiper control, the ashtray, the two knobs that control the fresh air vents, the fresh air vents, and a black plug that does nothing except fill what would otherwise be a hole in the dash. (It's the blank for what would've been the gas heater control, had Gertie been sold in Canada or to a Yank who'd requested it as an option.) The original AM radio is below, and the light switch looking thingy on the left is the rear defrost which more than likely doesn't work.

The fresh air vents are a nice example of the simple German construction I love in our ACVWs. The two knobs control the air flow through the passenger and driver side fresh air vents, which consist of one round vent in the dash and fresh air at the base of the windshield. Two of the vents weren't working when we got Gertie because a duct under the dash wasn't hooked up. I fixed it a few weeks ago while Gertie, E, and I waited in a parking lot for Mitch to run an errand. It works splendidly now, and I'm super happy I get to help Mitch work on our cars, even if it's just the smaller stuff for now.

Mitch was more than happy to let me help with this little project. We needed to get the speedometer out of the dash in order to have the odometer repaired. Mitch isn't such a terribly huge guy, but 6 feet is more height than what easily fits under the dash of a Squareback, let me tell you. I have the photos to prove it, but he looks so miserable and uncomfortable squished under there I don't really want to post photos of it. It's sort of painful to watch. I was so squished (and impatient) that Melissa actually did the vast majority of the work; she's being modest. We started by taking out the clock (formerly in the right opening) so we could get at the speedometer (formerly in the center opening) more easily. It took more than a few hours on a few different occasions, but we finally got them out and we didn't even break anything. Gertie's steering wheel is pretty fantastic too. I like hers a lot more than the "newer" Squarebacks' steering wheels.

Here's an example of the dash wires we had to work around and through to get at the speedometer. We were a bit nervous that we'd accidentally pull out a bunch of wires, but we didn't.

We spent some time cleaning the tail lights today too. They were pretty gross, as I'm sure you can imagine if you remember this.

She looks kinda nekkid (but shiny) without her tail light lenses.

Gertie hasn't had a proper lens over front left marker light ever since the crash. Remember how sad she looked? 

It's nice to see Mitch relaxed. But there was no swearing at previous owners or cursing at bolts today, so in my estimation that's relaxed.

Apparently, the blinker housing parts are somewhat of a pain to find. We are still feeling pretty darn happy about the free parts we scored. Mitch spent some time taking the blinker housing off the Fastbask's front fender.

Mitch hammered out Gertie's fender just enough so he could replace the blinker and lens. 

It's not a perfect fix, but it's a bit of a safer ride than it was. You know, after we repair and replace the window.

Sad End for the Road Warrior

Regular readers of this blog--and hundreds of people in the online ACVW community--are probably aware of Colin (aka amskeptic) who for years has travelled around the country in his trusty 1973 passenger bus tutoring owners (including us) on the ins and outs of their old VWs.

Unfortunately there was an accident yesterday and his bus, informally dubbed "Road Warrior" due to its 588,238 miles, has departed this Mortal Coil. A young lady in a Mitsubishi Eclipse hit him at somewhere between 60 and 65mph (with her foot still on the gas) on the High Plains of Eastern Colorado. Colin had gone into the shoulder and slowed down to 45-50. That's a closing speed of over 100mph.

Against those who would denounce old VWs as death traps, I am pleased to offer Exhibit A:

(photo courtesy Quadratrückseite)

Colin walked away with a scraped leg, swollen ankle, and stiff neck.

Bodes Well

Yet another crew tosses their hat into the "let's drive this old VW Bus all over the place" ring as Angela, Jason, and their son Bode have outfitted Red Beard, a 1971 Westy, for an extended road trip that will end when they "run out of money". Follow their adventures here. (Linked at right also.)