Skip to main content

I finally embarked on installing my new cylinder head tins from Awesome Powdercoat.

I had the engine lowered down on the motorcycle jack and I needed to raise the back of the car so I could pull the engine out through the wheel opening.

I raised the back with a bottle jack.  I didn't use a floor jack in from the side because I didn't want the car to move sideways as I raised it.

I stupidly failed to use jack stands under the back after I raised it.  I did have my QuickJack under the car.

As I pulled sideways on the engine it caught somewhere and pulled the car sideways too, tipping over the bottle jack.  The falling car dented the top of my fan shroud.  I also have a massive oil leak and I don't yet know the source of that.  I am hoping the car body isn't damaged.

So far, my stupidity has cost me almost $500 for a new fan shroud and a second floor jack to get the car back in position.

20220623_15313820220623_15310520220623_15304320220623_144315 

1957 CMC (Speedster) in Ann Arbor, MI

Attachments

Images (4)
  • 20220623_153138
  • 20220623_153105
  • 20220623_153043
  • 20220623_144315
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

I know that there are a lot of people who swear by stock tin, and I get it.

The setup I've got on the 2110 (not on the other motors) is an Awesome Powdercoat supplied Scat 36 hp (although the EMPI is just  as good) doghouse with stock VW flaps, modified sled tin, and a Mexican thermostat (that fails the wrong way). I've got the shroud modified to accept a T4 oil cooler on the stand, and OG cylinder tin. I've got all the little this-'n-thats that nobody uses.

It works really well. It was 98* the last time I took the car out, and everything stayed cool and comfy.

Your mileage may vary.

@Robert M, I have Weber DCNF carbs and my manifolds may be lower than yours which would improve the clearance.

I agree. The 36hp shroud can certainly be fitted with flaps/thermostat. I also am pretty sure the 36hp shroud is narrower than your existing shroud, so you should gain clearance.

P.S. You're not stupid. Things sometimes happen when you're getting stuff done. This is an opportunity to get a cool-looking shroud, that works.

Last edited by DannyP

I feel better now knowing I am not the only one this happened to.

I still need to get the car back in position. I may not try to swing the back over. I may just leave it skewed until the wheels are on the floor.

Maybe I have removed the shroud when the engine was under the car.

I did too much of this job in haste.  When I was trying to pull the engine back away from the trans. I discovered the heater box cables were still attached. Then I discovered the hoses were still attached to the valve cover vents.  The last time I pulled the engine I didn't have valve cover vents.

My wife totally doesn't understand the need for making "improvements" to the car.  She is pretty disturbed about all of this. Fortunately, the topic of related money spent hasn't come up.

Last edited by Michael McKelvey

My wife came from a blue-collar family. Even though mom was a nurse and dad was a factory worker for the great yellow father, they would often run out of money before they ran out of week.

My family wasn't like that. Those of us who were tradesmen always had an eye toward hanging out our own shingle - nobody wanted to be a wageman. I thought I did, but as I got further down the road the more I got really restless. Those of you who really know me - can you even imagine me working for somebody else? Yeah, me neither, but I did. For 10 years I did.

When I took the plunge in 1997, Mrs. Galat had one request: "just give me a check every month. Please don't talk business with me - I know I can't handle it". She wanted the same amount, enough to cover household expenses, and a bit left for her to dispose of as she would.

In the beginning, there was no extra for "Stan's fun project"s - but by 2000, there was a pretty healthy surplus after all of the obligations (including an aggressively funded 401K, health insurance, college savings, etc.). I asked if I might have a fun car, and Jeanie said, "Sure. Anything but a Corvette. Don't be that guy". I was crestfallen, because what I wanted was a C2 'vette.

As fate would have it, I saw a Vintage Speedster on the cover of Kit Car magazine, and was bitten by the bug. They were just a VW Beetle, under the skin. How expensive could they be, anyhow?

Fast forward 10 years or so, and I'm on my third car and am building my second engine for the third one. I found out exactly how expensive they could be, anyhow.

Jeanie never asked, and I never told. I made sure there was the agreed upon (adjusted) amount in her account every month, and she was happy. Though thick, thin, fat, lean, broken, strong -  that check is always there, and she's never complained about the car. Even when I built an entire house around a lift for it, she was OK- as long as the check was there.

She's my closest confidant now, and I discuss business with her all the time - but she's still very, very hands off... and so am I. The trick is in not crawling around in her books, and she's OK not crawling around in mine. I care not if she spent $500 on high-end artist's paint brushes, and she's not asking how much it costs to ship twin-plug heads to Denmark.

FWIW, all of this stuff pales in comparison to what it costs to build stuff (garages, houses, etc.) anyhow, and the return on investment is way better.

Separate accounts. It's been a really good thing in our marriage.

Last edited by Stan Galat

Separate bank accounts are a good thing for us too.

If you think aircooled VW stuff is expensive, you don't want to know how much watercooled P-taxed stuff is!

Currently looking into rebuilding my 3.4 Cayman S(295hp) motor into a 3.8(380hp plus). Even if I do the work, the parts cost almost as much as I paid for the whole car.

Here's an example: Billet VW forged connecting rods run about $400 a set, so $100 each. The Cayman factory rods are known for stretch/failure, they are not forged. New aftermarket rods are $1200 a set, so $200 each. That's really not bad for what you get, as that is the weak link of the M97 engine.

Complete gasket set, new main and rod bearings, new water pump and new case bolts is $4000-5000 dollars. Hope your crankshaft is good, because they can't be reground(no undersize bearings available). I don't want to know about new, a used one is $3000. Yep.

Cylinder wear is another biggie. Send your case halves to LN Engineering, and they'll machine the old out and install new billet aluminum with Nikasil coating for over $5k. At least that comes with new custom pistons. And a 6 month wait.

I haven't even talked about cylinder heads yet, they have 4 valves per cylinder and 24 hydraulic lifters...

The last thing is the tools to do the work, which are specialized and expensive. Of course.

A bone-stock rebuild(by a reputable company) is 13k.

She'll never know unless y'all tell her.

@DannyP posted:

If you think aircooled VW stuff is expensive, you don't want to know how much watercooled P-taxed stuff is!



You want to get into serious P taxed parts, start looking at performance aircooled 911 parts...  I just built a 3.8L out of a 993 donor.  GT3 oil pump, Ti retainers, RSR cams, 50mm PMO carbs, backdate rockers and heads (964 mechanical stuff), and the list goes on.  Parts bill alone, excluding the $25k donor motor, was over $40K.  P-car HP is NUTS!  But it's OH-SO FUN.

@Stan Galat posted:

My wife came from a blue-collar family. Even though mom was a nurse and dad was a factory worker for the great yellow father, they would often run out of money before they ran out of week.

My family wasn't like that. Those of us who were tradesmen always had an eye toward hanging out our own shingle - nobody wanted to be a wageman. I thought I did, but as I got further down the road the more I got really restless. Those of you who really know me - can you even imagine me working for somebody else? Yeah, me neither, but I did. For 10 years I did.

When I took the plunge in 1997, Mrs. Galat had one request: "just give me a check every month. Please don't talk business with me - I know I can't handle it". She wanted the same amount, enough to cover household expenses, and a bit left for her to dispose of as she would.

In the beginning, there was no extra for "Stan's fun project"s - but by 2000, there was a pretty healthy surplus after all of the obligations (including an aggressively funded 401K, health insurance, college savings, etc.). I asked if I might have a fun car, and Jeanie said, "Sure. Anything but a Corvette. Don't be that guy". I was crestfallen, because what I wanted was a C2 'vette.

As fate would have it, I saw a Vintage Speedster on the cover of Kit Car magazine, and was bitten by the bug. They were just a VW Beetle, under the skin. How expensive could they be, anyhow?

Fast forward 10 years or so, and I'm on my third car and am building my second engine for the third one. I found out exactly how expensive they could be, anyhow.

Jeanie never asked, and I never told. I made sure there was the agreed upon (adjusted) amount in her account every month, and she was happy. Though thick, thin, fat, lean, broken, strong -  that check is always there, and she's never complained about the car. Even when I built an entire house around a lift for it, she was OK- as long as the check was there.

She's my closest confidant now, and I discuss business with her all the time - but she's still very, very hands off... and so am I. The trick is in not crawling around in her books, and she's OK not crawling around in mine. I care not if she spent $500 on high-end artist's paint brushes, and she's not asking how much it costs to ship twin-plug heads to Denmark.

FWIW, all of this stuff pales in comparison to what it costs to build stuff (garages, houses, etc.) anyhow, and the return on investment is way better.

Separate accounts. It's been a really good thing in our marriage.

Michael--so much great support and input.  You are one of the most stalwart DIY guys on the forum and I salute you for that.  My sympathy for this mishap.  Have you considered Jake Raby's solution to upgrading the cooling fan?  Looks unlike a VW bug part and works.  Good luck getting past this issue my friend--I am certain you will!

(Loved Stan's post, above.  The man can write.)

@Michael McKelvey- Sorry to see this happen to you, Michael.  I'm just glad no one got hurt and it wasn't worse.  You'll get it back together and (in time) it will be nothing more than a laughable memory.   As people have said, we've all had those "what was I thinking?!" moments- work around cars for long enough and things happen.

I know that at least some repro 36 hp fan shrouds come with directional vanes inside and guys (as here) report them cooling as well as a doghouse shroud.  They are the same width, look period correct and with a little work will take thermostat flaps.

Last edited by ALB

@Jack Crosby, I am not aware of the Raby cooling fan upgrade.  Can you tell me where I could find out more about it?

@James, what happened was totally unrelated to the QuickJack.  Before starting the work the car was on the QuickJack. I then raised the front slightly and put it on jack stands.  To raise the rear I used a small bottle jack placed at the end of the tunnel.  The bottle jack was now the only support at the rear.

When I was pulling the engine to the side to try to get it through the wheel opening it caught on something. This pulled the car sideways, tipping over the bottle jack and as the car rotated, the front jack stands tipped over. The rear of the car came down on the engine shroud and the front came down on the QuickJack.

The engine was tilted sideways at about a 30-degree angle. I now think my oil leak was from the disconnected valve cover vent.

I am hoping I don't have damage to the underside of the car.

I agree about Stan's writing ability.

Last edited by Michael McKelvey

Michael, stuff like this happens to everyone who works on cars - I think someone already mentioned this, but it bears repeating:

Stuff like this happens to everyone who works on cars.

The important thing is that you weren’t seriously hurt beyond your pinched fingers and pride.  I’ve known mechanics who have been messed up in all sorts of ways over the years by things falling on them or flipping around at them or things breaking off and launching at them in a fit of pure spite.  One guy escaped totally unharmed, but the car he was working on fell off the single-post lift it was on, landing on it’s side in the space between garage bays (on the opposite side of the lift from where he was).  Thank God, they made single post lifts illegal around here (I probably would have tried to buy one if they hadn’t ).

Some day, years from now, you’ll look back on this and realize that you made it to that ripe old age in spite of what happened along the way.  I may start a whole ‘nuther thread on just that!

Yeah, I guess it is comforting to know I am not the only one.

The car is back on the QuickJacks, although still skewed in the garage. I think I will not try to swing the back over until the wheels are back on and the car is on the floor.

I have thought about removing the shroud while the engine is still under the car. But, it is so much easier to work on when it is out from under the car. I only need to lift the back about 5".

It is interesting how much conversation my mishap has prompted.

I've pulled a bunch of motors.

The way I've done it with rear-engine aircooled cars is to leave the front wheels on the ground. The highest I've had the front wheels is on those little wheel dollies, then they're maybe 2 inches off the ground. But even so, the front suspension is compressed with the weight of the car, keeping the back end higher.

This way, the back is high enough to remove the engine when stands are under the rear torsion tube. I place the engine on a dolly and roll it out

WOW! Glad you weren't seriously injured by that mishap, Michael. It's happened to all of us that have spent any time with DIY car projects. Luckily it appears to be simple to repair and relatively inexpensive.

"My wife totally doesn't understand the need for making 'improvements' to the car.  She is pretty disturbed about all of this. Fortunately, the topic of related money spent hasn't come up." - @Michael McKelvey

I know I may sound like a boring record about my MUSBJIM frame-of-mind regarding my Speedster, but if my wife even cared to ask about my Speedster expenditures the answer would be "...well, in the 7 years (and 47,000 miles & smiles) since I've bought the current VS the only expense I've incurred has been the 7 oil-changes, 4 tune-ups and a clutch cable".

Last edited by MusbJim

I was able to buy a car lift demo unit at SEMA.  I bought it for car storage.  Later, I found the lift made pulling type 1 motors safer as the car is always on 4 wheels and stable.  Once the motor is separated from the transaxle the car is lifted out of the way.  I was never comfortable with the jackstands and floor jack balancing thing.  I always had somebody spotting when taking that approach.

Car lifts today, if you have the right flooring, space & oh yeah budget, are super tools.  The unit I got 4 ton capacity, 4 posts, 110v, does not require floor anchors, came with casters and drip trays.   I've had it for 12 years (knock on wood) without hiccup.

@Ewatub, I totally agree that a lift would make the job easier and safer.

When the woman across the street got divorced her husband left a lift behind.  She didn't use it for cars. She just used it to get 2 levels of stuff storage.

I really wanted to roll it across the street.

Now she has sold the house and moved away.  I don't know if she left the lift behind for the new owners.

I haven't been able to convince my wife that a lift is essential. I thought she would like being able to put her car inside in the winter.  To store a car I would have to modify the garage ceiling and roof trusses.

Funny how different couples work out the best way to handle money. We celebrated our 49th this year. The first year we had separate checking accounts.

We've shared an account since then with the philosophy that all of our money belongs to both of us. There have been years when she made a lot more than I did and vice versa. She set up her own business when our son was born and after a few years became the full time home manager as my career did better.

Until I retired, we had a monthly budget that included an equal amount of discretionary allowance for both of us. As much of the budget as possible went into our son's college account and my retirement account.

Now, our agreement is that we just let each other know when we were going to spend more than $100 on a discretionary thing. Capital or large spending is planned out together years in advance (house painting, bathroom remodels, reroofing, trips, etc). Unplanned spending is discussed as it comes up.

The recent cost of a new starter for the speedster was one of those unplanned spends. She expressed unhappiness about how long the speedster was out of circulation while I did the repair.

She was almost tapping her feet at me yesterday because she was READY to get out of the house and take a ride. I see that as the best support I could want for owning one of our little cars.

We eventually ended up at Maui Brewing on the hill overlooking the south coast, drinking our favorite beverages (Big Swell IPA for me, chardonnay for her), eating happy hour food, and watching dozens of visitors enjoying their trips to paradise.

I'm a lucky guy...

My wife Connie thinks nothing of working with me for hours on end in the garage, wiring, installing windshields, tops, seats and more. Getting greasy, inhaling paint & exhaust fumes, pointing to tools I just laid down and can't find, listening to me invent new four-letter words and phrases and keeping my glass full too. She rarely say's a peep about car expenses and just the other day say's,..... "Isn't about time you buy another bike for yourself" ? ..........That my friend's is both rare and priceless.

Last edited by Alan Merklin

Michelle routinely helps me in the shop when I ask her. She helped wire under the dash, and will hand me tools when I'm lying on my back. We put the motor and trans in together. She always helps me with brake bleeds too. The help is very much appreciated.

As to the finances, we have multiple accounts. We have a joint house account and individuals also. And like Stan, what's mine is Michelle's and vice-versa. I always share how much I'm spending on stuff, but like Stan, as long as the bus keeps going, she doesn't concern herself with the details.

When I retired, I had been looking at Caymans for a year. When I showed her the one that I eventually bought, she said "Why don't you buy that? You deserve a retirement gift to yourself."

That right there is gold. Pure gold.

I’m always amazed at the real life honesty that comes out in these posts. I’m a doctor so I’m ok financially. I think that financial matters with the wife should be completely transparent. I’ve probably gone a bit too far allowing my wife to take care of all of our expenses except for pension, stock investments, real estate  and  whole life investment strategies.  I’m a doctor so I’m a idiot when it comes to money. Smartest thing I’ve ever done was buying a small house in Charlottesville to house my kids while they were educated and now could serve for rental income or if things go well a nice retirement residence.
I know that most people will not  agree with this but the next best thing I did was investing in a whole life insurance policy. I started investing in this when I was 36 and if I continue to feed this policy I will get 3 times as much out of it as I’ve invested. If you are willing to go the long term and you are willing to die at some time a whole life policy can be very valuable for you and your family. I actually bought an intermeccanica paying no capital gains using the policy.
I know this isn’t real useful to most people on this site because the investments are long term. But buying a house in a college town where rental income or appreciation will always be guaranteed is a no brainer.  Or investing in a whole life insurance plan early in life where appreciation is little affected by the stock market is awesome.  I’m just a dumb doctor when it comes to investments but those are the two best things I ever done.
I’m not sure buying clown cars is a great investment but it’s sure brought me a lot of joy.

Last edited by 550 Phil

Michael. You are right. What I’ve learned is that the only way you can really benefit from a whole life insurance policy is to die. My wife will live a lot longer than me. Basically I will put $550,000 into this policy over 30 years and then pull $800,000 out of it until I die by my estimates by about 88 years old. Then when I die my wife will get a million dollars. I know I won’t benefit from all of it but it’s still an incredible pay off.

$550,000 in and $1,800,000 out.

Last edited by 550 Phil

Wow Michael I am a bit late to this post but I am really glad nothing worse happened to you!  If you live long enough you realize all of us screw up, the first time you do something or differently is the only way you learn and age is no help

As to the list posts to get  certainly have morphed into financial budgets to permission to buy,  to retirement planning and I had quite a laugh at some of the strategies to avoid conflict between the spouses.  Helpmate def’n your exact opposite is there any wonder there are moments of intense diversion.

BTW. I certainly won’t try to match penmanship with Stan our resident wordsmith.

To be clear - everything I have is Jeanie's, and everything Jeanie has is Jeanie's.

Seriously, we share absolutely everything. We divide household responsibilities along traditional lines, and find it a lot easier to just keep separate accounts. Nobody is hiding anything, but we're not combing through the expense accounts either. Living below our means makes a lot of “fuzz” possible.

The separate accounts are just a way for us to keep ourselves in check - she knows what she needs to be happy and so do I. We discuss the inflow, not the outflow - how much is enough. What each of us does with what we have decided together is "enough" is no longer a matter of debate.

I did this with everything that matters. My kids college money. Their weddings. Everything.

It works.

.

My wife was an art major in school and was lucky enough to attend a UC campus where the artist Wayne Thiebaud happened to be a regular member of the teaching staff. So, by chance, she ended up in one of his classes. I think her appreciation for art, and especially for art deco design is maybe the main reason this is the only car I've ever owned that she has forbidden me to sell, no matter what its value may become or how much parts and repairs may cost.

I wonder how many reprieves from the auction block or from the crusher this car's pretty face has won it over the years.



SpeedsterTopView02

.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • SpeedsterTopView02
Last edited by Sacto Mitch
@550 Phil posted:

Michael. You are right. What I’ve learned is that the only way you can really benefit from a whole life insurance policy is to die. My wife will live a lot longer than me. Basically I will put $550,000 into this policy over 30 years and then pull $800,000 out of it until I die by my estimates by about 88 years old. Then when I die my wife will get a million dollars. I know I won’t benefit from all of it but it’s still an incredible pay off.

$550,000 in and $1,800,000 out.

I rarely post what I do, but we sell these.  They are designed for people with consistent higher incomes.  We call them LIRPs. (Life Insurance Retirement Plans).  They create a huge tax advantage if they are funded properly like Phil does.   Today many of them also have chronic and critical illness attached the death benefit. 

X2 on Marty's post - We've got similar, cascading life plans plus a plan for long term/extended care, if we need it.  Both of us have relatives who lived to about 100 (tough, old Irishmen and women) and we've got another 30 years to go so we well funded that length of time starting in the 1980s and maxing everything during the 1990s.  We have several plans, some providing income and some still growing for use later.  We were lucky to have the company invite all sorts of financial people in for us to interview in the 1990s and choose which ones we wanted to team with.  That made a huge difference in our retirement schedule and later life to make us comfortable.

Got no mortgage anymore, the cars are paid for, the kid's college plans were fully funded for them, we make monthly payments into our vacation fund and are checking things off of our bucket list.  

We've never seen the need for separate checking accounts, so once I retired I got the occasional hairy eyeball on some purchases.  I was surprise that the lift was welcomed by my wife - She sees it as a safety device.  Me, too!

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

More to Michael's original post, I've done something similar but without the Quickjacks.  I get the car up on my highest jack stands, so that's about 24" off the ground, fully extended.  I get it up there with a floor jack pushed in from the side so there is that car movement toward the side (toward the operator) as it's going up, so I plan ahead for that.  

Once it's up, level and stable on four jack stands I can get under there and release everything at the engine (and there's a lot to mess with, between electrical wires and heater wires and such) then I can loosen the mating bolts and begin getting it out.

I use the same kind of motorcycle jack as Mike to hold and maneuver the engine level so you can jiggle and pull and it usually comes away from the transmission easily and you can drop it down.

Then, just like Michael, you find that the engine, on the motorcycle jack, even when all the way down, is still too tall to bring out the back of the car - the fan shroud  interferes with the lower valence so you have to jack the car up still further to gain clearance.  All I used to have for that was the roll-around floor jack and a big block of wood to jack the rear of the car up high enough to clear and let me tell yah - It was WAY UP THERE.  Then you look at the front jack stands holding the beam up and hope that the car doesn't fall off the stands 'cuz it's really up there in the back.

Once I got it out (laying the fan shroud down towards the front of the car helps with clearance) I could let the rear back down on the stands while I did my engine things, and then repeat everything in reverse to put it back in.   It was risky, sure, but what'cha gonna do?    That was the only show in town and I was lucky nothing disasterous happened (that I remember).

I'm looking forward (not really) to pulling the engine with my new scissors lift - lift everything up to disconnect stuff, bring it down to the motorcycle jack height to pull the engine out, lift the car way back up while the motorcycle jack stays put to pull the engine from under the car and then let it back down (or just leave it up there).  I'm ready, whenever.  I just am not looking forward to it.

X2 on Marty's post - We've got similar, cascading life plans plus a plan for long term/extended care, if we need it.  Both of us have relatives who lived to about 100 (tough, old Irishmen and women) and we've got another 30 years to go so we well funded that length of time starting in the 1980s and maxing everything during the 1990s.  We have several plans, some providing income and some still growing for use later.  We were lucky to have the company invite all sorts of financial people in for us to interview in the 1990s and choose which ones we wanted to team with.  That made a huge difference in our retirement schedule and later life to make us comfortable.

Got no mortgage anymore, the cars are paid for, the kid's college plans were fully funded for them, we make monthly payments into our vacation fund and are checking things off of our bucket list.  

We've never seen the need for separate checking accounts, so once I retired I got the occasional hairy eyeball on some purchases.  I was surprise that the lift was welcomed by my wife - She sees it as a safety device.  Me, too!

I keep buying lottery tickets...sometimes you win. 

I rarely post what I do, but we sell these.  They are designed for people with consistent higher incomes.  We call them LIRPs. (Life Insurance Retirement Plans).  They create a huge tax advantage if they are funded properly like Phil does.   Today many of them also have chronic and critical illness attached the death benefit.

I actually forgot the best part.  All 1.8 million that this plan will provide is tax free.  I know some of you remember the Intermeccania I had.  When I bought it I was in the process of putting both my sons through med school.  I had no disposable income.  Probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done but I borrowed $40k from the plan to buy the IM.  The dividends from the policy paid for the car.  And I paid NO capital gains on that money.  I've made anywhere from 5-9% on that policy every year.  Even when the stock market is in the crapper.

@Ewatub posted:

Alan:  If you aren't the richest you are certainly one of the richest of SOCers.  Some would say lucky, but I don't think luck had much to do with where you're at.  If you've not already done so, be sure your Connie reads your post.  We should always recognize people, especially those close to us, do well.  You did good sir.

I sorta got a lump in my throat reading your post , thank you. Yes I am rich..( Richard is my middle name) that being a terrific wife, many great speedster friends, skirted some major health issues, the speedster hobby has generated some pocket jingle and found that my "ticker" is fantastic for a 71 y/o.  I do have a nice size term insurance policy but that expires in 5 -1/2 years.  Today, I took the Meyers Manx dune buggy I just restored to my first car show in yeas, the compliments were just unreal......

IMG_1496 [2)

Attachments

Images (1)
  • IMG_1496 (2)
Last edited by Alan Merklin

@Sacto Mitch : Your photo of that creamy example raises the question of how the speedster species can survive when every one is born female.

Love it  

I hope I never talk myself into changing the engine but if I do I probably would have one of a few really skilled mechanic friends that I have who spent their lives fixing cars, trucks and forklifts that go 10 stories high help me.  After all this time they still enjoy doing stuff so it can be quite fun to learn off these guys.  

@Michael McKelvey wrote: "The difficulty is that the engine has to still face the rear and it is hard to pull the jack sideways.  Maybe I will try rotating the engine on the jack."

If your motorcycle jack is like mine, it has swivel casters on the front and straight-ahead casters on the rear.  I wonder (without going out in the heat to check it out) how hard it would be to get another pair of swivel casters for the rear?  (Amazon might be a good source, or maybe even Home Depot/Lowes).  

Then, it would not only be (theoretically) easier to position the engine when going in or out, but you could simply push the jack and engine sideways and out through the wheel well opening (although the spring plate is still in the way, but to the rear of the brake is open.)   You could also rotate jack and engine (once you removed the quick-attach handle) if needed for better clearance.

You would have to match the wheel size and drop of the front pair and having the rears lock might be a good thing, too, although the current rears on mine do not lock and it's been fine to work with.  100# capacity each should be plenty.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TITAN...el-Caster/1002282454

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

I've managed a list as long as a Scroll but my most harrowing experience is when I torch cut off a stock VW pee shooter exhaust and it blew up right in from of my chest and face ( raw gas in muffler) ...The flame somehow went out the other pee shooter tailpipe that was not directly in front of my face..........

Last edited by Alan Merklin

@Jack Crosby, I am not aware of the Raby cooling fan upgrade.  Can you tell me where I could find out more about it?

@James, what happened was totally unrelated to the QuickJack.  Before starting the work the car was on the QuickJack. I then raised the front slightly and put it on jack stands.  To raise the rear I used a small bottle jack placed at the end of the tunnel.  The bottle jack was now the only support at the rear.

When I was pulling the engine to the side to try to get it through the wheel opening it caught on something. This pulled the car sideways, tipping over the bottle jack and as the car rotated, the front jack stands tipped over. The rear of the car came down on the engine shroud and the front came down on the QuickJack.

The engine was tilted sideways at about a 30-degree angle. I now think my oil leak was from the disconnected valve cover vent.

I am hoping I don't have damage to the underside of the car.

I agree about Stan's writing ability.

Michael, the replacement for the VW bug fan shroud is the Jake Raby DTM system.  Not only will it cool your engine better than anything out there, but it adds an exotic appearance to your engine which looks nothing like a VW Beetle engine.  Just Google 'Jake Raby DTM" for info.  driving att day at 75-80 mph I have never seen oil temps over 185 degrees. Hope you are well, my friend.  I hope to see you at this year's Smokies gathering!

Last edited by Jack Crosby

@Jack Crosby, thanks for getting back to me.  When I first read your post I thought you said there is a Raby setup that DID look like stock VW.  Then I realized you were talking about the DTM system.

I have gone ahead and ordered a 36hp style shroud with the heat outlets.  I have ordered it through Awesome Powdercoating and they will modify it to accept the thermostat flappers and powder coat it.

It will be interesting to see if I can notice any cooling difference between it and the stock shroud I have been using.  I am slightly concerned that their heat outlet system seems to block air to the cylinders a bit. I suspect it also won't move as much air through the heating system.  As I noted in another, topic, I plan to add tiny fans for the defrosters.

With my stock shroud, my oil temps stayed around 180 degrees.

I would love to attend the Smokies gathering but we are still being very cautious about Covid, partly because my 94-year-old mother-in-law lives with us.  The last time I attended I got left behind by the more aggressive drivers and there was no GPS to guide me back to the hotel.  I have thought maybe there should be 2 groups of drivers - the really fast drivers and the slightly more moderate drivers.

Yes. Stan and those darn Spyders do get a little out of control sometimes. And unfortunately even if you have your cell phone sometimes there won’t be enough internet signal to get google maps going. When I go on trips where I think that I might lose internet signal I bring a conventional GPS. Remember your phone’s GPS is always working but you can’t load the maps without internet signal. A convention GPS already has the map on its hard drive.
People will say that their phone’s GPS still works without internet signal. That’s only is you load the route and the map where you have internet signal. After it loads the map and the route it no longer needs internet signal. Like I said it’s satellite triangulation always works just like a conventional GPS. Bring your Garmin.

.

Phil, what you're saying is true about your phone needing a cell signal to display the maps unless you download the maps (for free) beforehand.

But downloading the maps is no big deal. You can do so up to a few weeks beforehand - say, before you leave home - or even the night before from your motel room (if you've got reliable WiFi there).

I've used an iPad for GPS navigation on trips to Europe. I was able to download the whole of the UK in a few minutes, using Google Maps, and it worked a lot better than a dedicated (paid) nav program I'd used on previous trips.

Just saying.

.

Last edited by Sacto Mitch

.

You can fine tune tighter than a whole state.

Just call up Google Maps of the area you want, draw a rectangle around it, and download that. It is time-stamped and expires after a certain period, but I think that's a month or so.

@Ryan (formerly) in NorCal is the expert on how this all works, and on the best apps to use. I was meeting him once and he was able to email me a link to a real-time map that showed his progress along the freeway as he sped toward us.

I haven't used my old Garmin in years.

.

.

.

P.S. Just did some checking.

You've got to be signed into Google for this to work.

Was able to download a large chunk of the smokies in just a minute or two - it was about 80 Mb. And the downloads are now good for a whole year.

First navigate to the area you want to download (maybe start by searching for 'Smokey Mountains', or any town nearby. Zoom to the whole area you want to include.

Once signed in, you'll see a red icon for your account (probably with your initial on it). Click on that.

Select 'Offline maps', then 'Select your own map'. You then have the option to download.

.

@Jack Crosby, thanks for getting back to me.  When I first read your post I thought you said there is a Raby setup that DID look like stock VW.  Then I realized you were talking about the DTM system.

I have gone ahead and ordered a 36hp style shroud with the heat outlets.  I have ordered it through Awesome Powdercoating and they will modify it to accept the thermostat flappers and powder coat it.

It will be interesting to see if I can notice any cooling difference between it and the stock shroud I have been using.  I am slightly concerned that their heat outlet system seems to block air to the cylinders a bit. I suspect it also won't move as much air through the heating system.  As I noted in another, topic, I plan to add tiny fans for the defrosters.

With my stock shroud, my oil temps stayed around 180 degrees.

I would love to attend the Smokies gathering but we are still being very cautious about Covid, partly because my 94-year-old mother-in-law lives with us.  The last time I attended I got left behind by the more aggressive drivers and there was no GPS to guide me back to the hotel.  I have thought maybe there should be 2 groups of drivers - the really fast drivers and the slightly more moderate drivers.

I did the trip again last year and I found everybody got to drive the pace they were comfortable with and the pit stops were paced so that everyone ended up together before we set off again.  This is a to do  event for me as I take little time off and the only thing that interferes with this is for me is the threat of a hurricane.

The key element to this not being lost in the woods is that the route has been verified by our local man on the scene, Carlos.

What Mitch is describing sounds a lot like the "Ride With GPS" app we use for bike trips.  You select either an area in which to set up a route to follow or you can select existing routes shared by others.  I believe it works with cars, too.  You can then define a group who log in (email addresses) and then you can see where you are on the route and get in-course directions (visual and audio) as you ride along, as well as see where everyone else in your group is.  My group rode the Empire State Trail in New York last week and they used it to drive to the start motel in New Jersey the day before the start, too, with the "directions to route start" feature.

I mostly use Waze around here, but I don't know how that works if I venture into poor cell coverage.  My fallback is my Tomtom GPS.

@Gordon Nichols I noticed you didn't apply for a temporary visa to get into NY LOL!!!

That app sounds cool.

RE: SMO:

I might drive quick if Michelle is NOT in the passenger seat. When she is, we'll be moving slower. Mike B is right, we stop often and catch up. The year Michael M came, I believe Kelly got a few people lost. Stan, Lane, Ron, and Carlos stopped and waited by an abandoned cabin for a while. We sent a couple scouts to backtrack but nobody was there.

Heck, I think we waited about an hour by that cabin.  It was kinda creepy.

The reality is the the number of cars this year is such that we may have to do just what someone said and have "fast" and "slow" (or at least "not quite so fast") groups, although that may be difficult with only one local (@Carlos G) that really knows the roads.  We'll play it by ear.  As always, the first day will only be somewhat fast as it is our scenic drive.  I will suggest that everyone who believes they won't keep up either have maps or a GPS that will work in the mountains, just in case.  It will increase everybody's comfort level because when you have more than a handful of cars separation is inevitable.  Many folks' whole reason for coming is the spirited drives so we can't mandate that everyone goes slowly.

Last edited by Lane Anderson

Heck, I think we waited about an hour by that cabin.  It was kinda creepy.

The reality is the the number of cars this year is such that we may have to do just what someone said and have "fast" and "slow" (or at least "not quite so fast") groups, although that may be difficult with only one local (@Carlos G) that really knows the roads.  We'll play it by ear.  As always, the first day will only be somewhat fast as it is our scenic drive. I will suggest that everyone who believes they won't keep up either have maps or a GPS that will work in the mountains, just in case.  It will increase everybody's comfort level because when you have more than a handful of cars separation is inevitable. Many folks' whole reason for coming is the spirited drives so we can't mandate that everyone goes slowly.

All of that (^) is great advice from the organizer of the Tour de Smo.

Those of us who are making this an annual pilgrimage come to drive. This is a "driver's event". We're a big tent, and would love to see you all. There are plenty of things to do in Brevard if you want to come and just hang out with like-minded people.

But large chunks of most days in the main group are going to be spent wheeling at a "brisk" (75%- 85%) pace. We don't cross the center line on blind curves to pick the very best line, but we move right along through the mountains. Forewarned is forearmed.

If you have a breakdown, nobody is going to just leave you, but having some sort of plan is a good idea. At a minimum, a pad and pen to leave a not under the wiper if you have no cell signal and accept a ride from a stranger would be a great idea. My car has taken a ride in the Ron and Maddy Emergency Recovery Trailer, as have others'. We might not stick super-tight, but we do stop to regroup and anybody's absence is noted.

As to the "why?" of the pace - driving is the point of this entire thing. There is no shortage of events I can attend locally if I want to sit in a lawnchair and jawbone about my pride-'n-joy as people wander by and put their sticky hands all over it, and there is already a Speedster/Spyder event held every May in Pennsylvania built around that sort of thing. There are precious few roads like those we drive on in the Smokys, and I take a week out of my life every fall to exercise my car with haste and vigor.

The comradery is great whether you are bombing through the mountains or haunting the many art galleries etc. If you are on the fence - the women do their own thing most days, and Brevard is a much more "wife-friendly" place than the Maggie Valley.

Having maps, tools, and your wits about you are pretty much de rigeuer - as I said, nobody is going to leave you behind. If you run with the main group, you'll leave a better driver than you came.

Last edited by Stan Galat

@DannyP wrote: “I noticed you didn't apply for a temporary visa to get into NY LOL!!!

I didn’t make this trip.  It started in Battery Park in lower Manhattan and rode along the Hudson up to Schenectady (350 miles or so).  I’m not comfortable on deep urban streets anymore (Already been hit enough) so I passed and that meant that I didn’t have to get the eleven different anti-NY-disease shots required to visit your fair state.  Otherwise, if they snuck in without the shots, they would all be infected with “New Yauck” accents that last for weeks unless they go to rehab or something.  I mean, you’se guys are harder to unnah-stan than us guys in Massachusetts!

I’m doing a video of the trip and I get to see it all that way.  They gave me over 800 still photos and over SIX HOURS of raw video footage from a week on the trail to turn into a 20 - 30 minute video.  It’s so long in it’s raw form (67 mins right now) that I’m thinking of getting “David Attenborough” to narrate the darn thing and start up a Youtube channel.   We could be like “The Muppets take Manhattan”

”The Cyclones (that’s us) Ride The Hudson Valley”    🚴

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

Apparently that cabin during the 2018 run was a market/trading post back in the day. At this point, your in the middle of nowhere.

A smaller group for the zippy day is easier to manage. I even supplied a printed paper map, ala old school, for that ride.

I can put together a google maps "cruise" route and someone else can transfer it to  a "sharing on a mobile device" format so that it's self guiding. Sorry, I'm as simple as my car.

As was suggested, I went with the 36hp fan shroud.  I got the version with heat outlets.

The shroud is installed and the engine is back in the car.  The only thing left is installing the hoses on the shroud heat outlets.  This is complicated by the CB breather partially blocking the right side heat outlet.  It is also annoying that the heat outlet diameter is less than a stock shroud resulting in commonly used hoses being too large.

I originally wanted to use the black corrugated plastic hoses. As received, they were too short and the openings on both ends were too small.  I spent a couple hours with a heat gun stretching them and enlarging the openings. I managed to install a hose on the left side.  But, I think the hose is too stiff to have any hope of fitting it around the CB breather and connecting it to the heat outlet.

I also tried using the aluminum hose often installed.  It got all crumpled up when I tried to get around the breather.

Next, I am going to try this hose:

hose

It is Silicone-Impregnated Fiberglass, Steel Wire Reinforced.

Has anyone else used this shroud/breather combination and successfully installed a hose on the right side?

I am going to cut off the enlarged ends of the black hoses and fit them over the shroud outlets to make them 2" to match the hose.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • hose

I didn't like the orange hose so I installed black hose.

Old shroud:

Engine Comp 2

Engine Comp 1

New Shroud:

New Shroud 1New Shroud 2

In the second new shroud photo, you can see that the hose is pressing down my throttle linkage. So, I may have to change the breather.  Unfortunately, If I do that I may have to revise my braided stainless hoses to the breather.

Attachments

Images (5)
  • Engine Comp 2
  • Engine Comp 3
  • Engine Comp 1
  • New Shroud 1
  • New Shroud 2
Last edited by Michael McKelvey

If I may make a suggestion, @Michael McKelvey - why not make (or have made) a custom aluminum duct to get clear of the breather. You could always use a shorter piece of flex tube between this duct and the heater boxes. A round to rectangular transition is pretty easy to make, and you could slot the round end so you could clamp it to the shroud.

You could build it out of posterboard for a bit of "Cardboard Aided Design" then take the pattern to a fab shop to be tigged up.

It's just a suggestion, and my wife tells me that I think everybody's entitled to my opinion.

Last edited by Stan Galat

It is amazing how what started as a little upgrade has mushroomed.  While my original cylinder tins were probably good enough,  bought into the Awesome Powdercoat ones being an improvement.

Then I damaged my shroud and my car tipped.  I had to buy a new floor jack and a new shroud.

After the new shroud was installed I discovered there is a problem with the CB breather.  I am going to replace it with a costly CSP Tower Breather.

The new breather will require purchasing various AN and NPT fittings and making new braided stainless hoses.

I haven't added it up but I am probably around $1000 for what started as a simple change.

It is amazing how what started as a little upgrade has mushroomed.  While my original cylinder tins were probably good enough,  bought into the Awesome Powdercoat ones being an improvement.

Then I damaged my shroud and my car tipped.  I had to buy a new floor jack and a new shroud.

After the new shroud was installed I discovered there is a problem with the CB breather.  I am going to replace it with a costly CSP Tower Breather.

The new breather will require purchasing various AN and NPT fittings and making new braided stainless hoses.

I haven't added it up but I am probably around $1000 for what started as a simple change.

Isn't that how it always starts?

For what it's worth, I'm on another forum for 718 P-cars and they use the exact same terminology. Welcome to the Madness.

It seems the clown car madness gets into just about everything.

I saw a video where a gearhead enclosed steel shelving with plywood making the shelving into closed cabinets.  The subject gearhead was focused, used shop grade plywood, slam bam done.  Quick & cost effective.

My approach also used the shelving as the bones, but I went off the reservation with birch ply and poplar edging for the boxes and panel double doors.  In short, I likely spent 3 or 4 times as much time and money for the same functional resSult. 

I was absent when the economics of focus were covered. 

Sometimes, like some of what Michael experienced falls into the "stuff happens" column.  Those who look for stuff to fix, will find stuff to fix.

It is amazing how what started as a little upgrade has mushroomed.  While my original cylinder tins were probably good enough,  bought into the Awesome Powdercoat ones being an improvement.

Then I damaged my shroud and my car tipped.  I had to buy a new floor jack and a new shroud.

After the new shroud was installed I discovered there is a problem with the CB breather.  I am going to replace it with a costly CSP Tower Breather.

The new breather will require purchasing various AN and NPT fittings and making new braided stainless hoses.

I haven't added it up but I am probably around $1000 for what started as a simple change.

Did you have to take us down the Covid Breather, deep dive with breathing again  I does add up a lot faster than we think all the time.

Here is the new shroud with the CSP breather.  The CSP breather has one large outlet on the top, 3/4" NPT. Anything I tried attaching there hit the engine compartment hinge arm.  So, I added a tee on the back (front?).  In the engine compartment, front/back is confusing.  I think the part of the shroud or breather that I can see is the front.  Others would say the side facing the front of the car is the front.

In any case, there is very little clearance between the left side of the tee and the machine screw in the alternator plate.  I had to attach the hose before mounting the breather and the hex end of the hose has to have the flat side toward the shroud.

20220921_19540520220921_19541420220921_195422

Attachments

Images (3)
  • 20220921_195405
  • 20220921_195414
  • 20220921_195422

Dang Michael, I wish I’d have known you were going to order a new alternator stand. I have a freshly powder coated 356/912 breather gathering dust in my garage. IIRC, Gene Berg makes a stand to put them on a Type 1 engine.

4E7F927A-B541-4E42-873E-6F243E6562F1

I don’t know if that would have helped or hurt, but it would look cool.

When I did my Shroud/thermostat flapper project, I was going to use it, but I figured it would be wasted on a Spyder and bought the angled EMPI filler instead.



ps: IIRC, Eric’s (Formerly EVCO House of Hose) sells the original aluminized/cardboard-type heater hose in a variety of sizes.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • 4E7F927A-B541-4E42-873E-6F243E6562F1
Last edited by dlearl476

After doing all this, I took the Speedster for a first drive today - Andrig fan, Scat shroud, CSP breather, Awesome Powdercoat cylinder tins.

I had hoped for a long drive but it turned out to be very short.  When I ventured out of the garage it was running very rough. Back in the garage, I discovered the throttle linkage was disconnected on the 1-2 side. I had disconnected it when installing a fresh air hose.

With the linkage connected it idles about 3000 rpm.  I do appreciate the ease of disconnecting the Vintage Speed linkage from the carbs. 

I am getting continuous popping.  I welcome comments about why that might be.

I am starting to think investment in the Andrig fan was a mistake.  I don't think I like the whistling sound it makes.  I think I will order a new welded and balanced fan.  The last one I bought was from Berg.  Again, I welcome suggestions as to who to buy the fan from.

After doing all this, I took the Speedster for a first drive today - Andrig fan, Scat shroud, CSP breather, Awesome Powdercoat cylinder tins.

I had hoped for a long drive but it turned out to be very short.  When I ventured out of the garage it was running very rough. Back in the garage, I discovered the throttle linkage was disconnected on the 1-2 side. I had disconnected it when installing a fresh air hose.

With the linkage connected it idles about 3000 rpm.  I do appreciate the ease of disconnecting the Vintage Speed linkage from the carbs.

I am getting continuous popping.  I welcome comments about why that might be.

I am starting to think investment in the Andrig fan was a mistake.  I don't think I like the whistling sound it makes.  I think I will order a new welded and balanced fan.  The last one I bought was from Berg.  Again, I welcome suggestions as to who to buy the fan from.

You can buy a balanced and welded fan directly from Pat Downs.

https://shop.patdownsperformance.com/

I am getting continuous popping.  I welcome comments about why that might be.

AFAIK, “continuous” popping is caused by timing issues.

One thought: did you have your spark plug wires off? Double check they’re all in the right place.

I live on top of a pretty big hill. If my carbs need TLC, I’ll get some mild popping descending the hill when the motor is cold. But it goes away as soon as I get on the throttle at the bottom of the hill.

@dlearl476, I don't think the timing got altered when I was working on it but I will check it and the plug wires.

Yeah, neither did I when I did my big remodel, until I reversed the coil wires at the end of a long day and cooked my points, condenser, and, as I found out a month later when I threw my OG Simpson 260 on it, my coil.

After I replaced the P/C, it took me a month to figure out why it would run WFO and idle, but anything in between was riding a bucking bronco.

I replaced all the nuts on the exhaust system and I suppose that could have resulted in a leak.

Yes, a little leak could cause some popping, so could running lean or rich IIRC. Ignition issues are going to cause major backfires and poor running. But I found out this summer that an A/C VW motor will idle just fine on 3 cylinders. Sounds funny, but it runs.

I was disappointed by not being able to drive it more today.  We had a nice sunny 70-degree day.  It was the first drive this year.

Tell me about it. I broke my motor on July 30, caught Covid the same day, and since I’m better I’ve been so busy I haven’t done so much as a compression test on it.
Meanwhile, “leaf season” is pretty much over and the roads I love will all be closed for the winter by the time I get it fixed. (Who am I kidding, they will probably be open again by the time I’m done.)

Last edited by dlearl476

This could be many things, and you’ll have to chase down the various possibilities one at a time, but here’s my recent tale of woe.

My engine had been out of the car for about a month while some transaxle work was being done. Nothing on the carbs, linkage, or exhaust was touched and it was purring when  parked.

With everything back together, there was suddenly a persistent popping that the mixture screws wouldn’t fix. It was happening at one particular rpm (2500), and I could make it pop at will by holding it at that engine speed.

It turned out to be just dirt in one of the idle circuits that somehow magically appeared sitting on the bench, unused, for a month.

The weird thing is that as many times as I have cleaned those circuits over the years chasing down one gremlin or another, that had never before been the cause, but it seldom sits that long without being run.

So, if it’s been sitting high and dry for a while, maybe check the carbs (including the float bowls) for dirt, even if you’re sure it can’t be that.

Just the simple fact that fuel lines were disconnected and reconnected means that something got disturbed or dirt was possibly introduced. Even tilting the engine on R & R could cause some dirt to move from a place where it didn't cause problems to a place where it now IS a problem.

Check your plugs and wires. Scratch that, check the entire ignition system. Tug on things, check your connection points. Chances are it is something simple but easily overlooked.

I third the idea of clogged idle circuit. Same symptom I get when the number 1 carb idle jet is clogged. Not sure why it keeps happening even after installing jet doctors.  Happening so often that now I just remove the air cleaner and mixture/volume screw and spray carb cleaner down the snorkel tube and it runs fine again.

If you don't also remove the idle jet itself(and from the holder too AND clean all of it separately) that would explain why it keeps clogging. I would remove the jet and the screw and squirt carb cleaner in both directions.

I might also suggest two more things:

Remove carb top and clean the float bowl. I guarantee there's something in that one carb. Maybe water got in that one side.

Secondly, maybe there is a hose or filter degrading on the #1 side.

@Robert M, I ordered a welded fan from Pat Downs. So, at some point, I will be trying to sell my Andrig fan.

My car often runs a little rough the first time I start it after a long rest.  The first thing I need to do is adjust the throttle linkage.  It idles at 3000 rpm with the linkage hooked up.

I'm hoping to have Friday off and some time to go see pat at his shop. If he hasn't packaged it up already I'll get it done for you.

Living in a very cold climate the vanes and T stat are important. I have a great storage place now and rarely drive in the Winter. Because of all the cooling equipment my engine rarely gets warn enough to produce much heat. Without the vanes what warming it does would likely take much longer. I had to add them after the fact as they were not present on my car when I purchased it from Kirk.

@majorkahuna posted:

Without the vanes what warming it does would likely take much longer. I had to add them after the fact as they were not present on my car when I purchased it from Kirk.

Same here. I pretty much had to drive a few miles up a grade to get my car up to “operating temperature.” With the new shroud and thermostat flaps, it warms up much faster. (Oddly enough, it also stays much cooler overall)

FWIW, the exhaust headers on my Spyder preclude using an actual VW thermostat so I just rigged up a choke cable to manually open/close the flaps. Last “winter” I never opened them once. I’m talking 40°-55° days.

Somehow, through all this, my throttle linkage got misadjusted.  It is a little hard to understand since the pivot is attached to the engine case and that didn't change and the carbs didn't move.

I mentioned above that I was getting a lot of popping and the idle was at about 3000.

When the linkage was disconnected from the carbs it idled at about 1000.  When I connected the left carb only it still idled at about 1000.  When I added the connection to the right carb the idle went up to 3000. So, I shortened and adjusted the rod to the right carb and now the idle is good.  Also, the popping is gone.

Stupidity -

I've always wanted to believe if we live long enough, experience will outrun stupidity.  Like many SOCers my tune up routine is muscle memory, uh, check that, rote.

Having the clutzy gene, whenever I take off the air cleaners, I wad  small rags, and put them in the carb stacks, so I don't gracefully drop something in the carbs.  This works well, unless you forget to take the small rags out when you restart the car.

After blurting out dirtyphilaramicpacaloomis!!, I ordered caps to cover the carb stacks, they are bright red, though not stupid proof, less likely I will miss taking them off.

Actually, the language I used was so harsh, the neighbor's cat gave me a dirty look.

Post Content
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×