Nothing to see here...move along.

The local ACVW show was a bust...there were 9 swap spaces.  No exaggeration - nine...one short of a solid ten.  I didn't take any pictures because there really wasn't anything to photograph.  It rained off and on during the two hours I stuck around chatting with Lou - he paid for a swap space hoping to offload the rest of his shit.  I found out later that he didn't sell much of anything.

I walked the swap space in less than ten minutes, walked the 'show' part in another ten minutes and spent the rest of the time shooting the shit with Lou.  I can't say I'll go back out to this show next year.  Last time I attended this show was about six years ago and it wasn't much better.

A day of progress

It's hot today - near 90°F.

After a bit of a rough start to the day, I got back into tweaking the things I fucked up a few days ago.  I took everything back to 100% stock settings and the car fired up and ran - slightly rough.  I had to adjust the idle a bit to get it to continue running.  The idle is still low.

I've got a few weird things going on with the engine...the carbs are in sync, timing is set, valves are adjusted, point gap is good, fresh oil, new 93 octane fuel...but the engine will hunt a little after it warms up.  The only thing I know that contributes to idle hunt is a bad vacuum signal.  I did the suck test on the distributor and it works properly.  The hose is brand new German Continental.  The car runs fine, accelerates without hesitation, doesn't backfire or stumble.  Just the idle hunt...I've never run into this before so it's alien territory.

Once I put about 10 miles on the car, I returned home, removed the roof rack and washed the car - I've never washed this car - so it was nice to see it come clean after sitting for nearly a year in the garage covered in dust.  The roof rack is now suspended from the ceiling in the garage.  All of the window seals are shot so I expected to find water inside the car.  The hatch seal isn't on the car and the front trunk seal is crunchy...The car didn't really leak inside like I expected so that was a pleasant surprise.

The front steering is still a bit off - the steering wheel isn't centered (alignment shop screw up) and it wanders a little too much for my taste.  There's no real delay between the wheels moving side to side and the action from the steering wheel but the car tends to wander on the road at speeds over 30 MPH.  I checked the top control arm adjustment and it's nice and tight...new ball joints, new tie rod ends, new steering damper.  It's possible that my perception of how the car should drive vs. how it actually drives are not the same.  My V60 RD has very wide tires, the car itself is wide, it weighs twice as much as the Variant and has almost six times the horsepower.

I'm going to one of the few local VW shows tomorrow - I thought about driving Nigel but I'm not quite happy with the driving mannerisms just yet, it's pretty far away and it's supposed to rain.  The rain bit wouldn't normally deter me but I never hooked up the wipers when I converted to 12 volt.  It's one of those things that I keep telling myself that I need to do then wind up doing five other things instead.  In addition to that, there are a couple of odd noises while driving that I need to figure out...one sounds like I'm dragging a grocery bag under the car (I'm not - I checked).  I don't know what's up with that yet.  I'm thinking about taking the camera and making a video of a drive around the 'hood to see if I can capture the sounds.

Along with all of the other stuff, I sold off two of my early ignitions that I'd kept for parts - one was broken at the front, the other at the rear...working on selling off a few other pieces as well.

I tried to sell the front beam that I stripped down bare but the shipping cost is too high so no one will buy it.  I think I'm going to use it to test my painting skills (they're weak) and as a clamp to disassemble the steering boxes that I have.  It's time they come apart and I figure out how to rebuild them.  In the same vein, I scrapped three rusty heat exchangers today - I pulled a couple of spare parts off of them and put them at the curb.  Within 20 minutes they were gone.

"Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor."

A while ago, I found the rear right backing plate...I recently found the rear left backing plate.  I prefer the NOS parts because the used parts I've purchased all suffered some damage that was a pain in the ass to fix.

I have late backing plates on the transmission for the 65 but those will stay on that transmission through the course of the build.  Nigel, however, is going to be as correct as my ability to find the right parts.

Original battery cable for the positive connection with the connection for the voltage regulator, starter and it has the grommet to go through the body already installed.

This part was not cheap but it looks like it was worth it!

Contact plate for a Koln ignition column.  At one point a while back, I had several of these and sold the spares thinking that I'd never need another one...until I wound up with a second Koln column which I didn't think would happen.

I bought this as a replacement part, not a spare, so it'll be put to use nearly immediately after the housing and arm are painted.

This is one of those parts that almost never comes up for sale:  NOS gasket between the 'wrap' turn indicator housing and the lens.

These will go into my stash of parts.

Used but nice condition set of blue dot knobs for the vent controls.  The outer left knob was chipped on the underside in shipping but I'm fairly confident that I can glue it back together some late night after a beer when there's nothing else going on.

Probably the last set of these cupped window cranks I'm going to buy.  They're about a 7/10 overall.  The knobs turn well, not severely damaged.  One arm has pitting on the reverse side (can't see it when installed).  In otherwise real nice condition.  I think I've got five sets of these now...probably a good time to stop.

An ignition switch for the early cars - this one is a bit of an oddball.

I thought I was going to get this and use it for parts but immediately realized that several of the parts are different and can't be interchanged with what I've currently got to fix.

I may know of someone who has a use for this so it won't go to waste.  This will probably turn into one of those 'lessons' I learn later: it's some super stupid rare ignition and I should have kept it.  I'll cross that bridge when/if I get to it.

For now, I'm going to focus on putting parts together to form a car vs. buying parts.  If I make some progress, there will be a post.  No post = no progress.

Flying like a cannonball, falling to the earth, heavy as a feather when you hit the dirt

I got some time to tinker with the engine tonight - I checked the valves again and, somehow, made them worse...so I'll be revisiting them again maybe tomorrow.  I used the distributor as the guide for TDC but I now suspect that the distributor is off by a couple of degrees.  The car will run but it's not happy about it.  It's a good education for me - I've never been real good at setting/adjusting the timing and it's about time I learned to get it right.

I did swap out the odd carb linkage lever so both sides are the same and correct.

Car: 2
Me: 1

"Holdin on to a scene but they're just memories"

Monthly update: No progress made.

I need to pull the fuel tank and check/adjust the steering box but I just haven't had time - spent every free moment working in the yard trying to wrap up that list of projects.  I think it's 95% done now so I should be able to get back to tweaking Nigel and then drive him around a bit.

Things to do:

1. Pull fuel tank and check steering box for play
2. Adjust rear brakes a bit, replace trim rings and hub caps
3. Adjust shifter slightly
4. Adjust the idle
5. Test the tach to see if I fucked it up (long story)

Seems simple...but it'll probably take me another three months to do it and then I'll be complaining about having this car for 3 years and never driving it.  This Winter the car is going into storage so I can park the Volvo in the garage.

The most difficult thing is to recognize that sometimes we too are blinded by our own incentives.

I found a stash of 40 NOS door bolts yesterday after cross referencing the partial part number with the book...so those will be arriving in about a week or two.

I haven't spent much time on the car - most of my time has been spent working on the yard planting things for the season - but I'm looking forward to getting a few hours together to see how well I can lean out the carbs and have a listen to my valve adjustment results.  I need to get a timing light so I can do the final tweaks to the timing and get the car set 'just right'.  It's real close but I want it to be right.

The other parts I was waiting for have arrived so I can put the horn bar back in the car, fit a new horn...pull the fuel tank while it's low (bought a new, larger gas can) and adjust the play out of the steering box (or swap it out if that doesn't happen).  I think that once those two things are done, the car will be drive-able for more than just around the subdivision.  I should swap out the driver's side pop out window with the slightly better condition frame with seal to prevent any water leaks...but I'm kind of avoiding it for now.  I wasn't able to get any of the other sets apart successfully so I'll probably just pull the glass and scrap the frames.  I'm not going to spend the time drilling out the tiny screws for frames I don't need.

I've got plans to pick up the pan for Ferris on Monday - so there's likely to be more action on that side for the next week or two.  Two cars to work on but barely time for one.

"Realists do not fear the results of their study"

The parts arrived last week but we had some excitement around the house so I didn't get to work on the car until yesterday for a short while.

I tried several chemical options - brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, MEK - all of which evaporated too quick to have any real effectiveness.

I wound up going back to using the Dremel with brass wire wheels - which was very slow but it worked.  I went through 7 wheels before it was done but it worked...so, mission accomplished.  It's odd at how complicated it was to do something so simple.

Part of the work involved adjusting the rear brakes, parking brake cables, and, of course, putting new oil in the car.  I pulled the crunchy 'road draft tube' but couldn't get the new one in place due to diameter differences.  I'll try that again another day.

Another thing on my list of stuff to address - the torsion arm bushings - I noticed that the torsion arms are near the cover plate which is an indicator that the bushings are probably due for replacement.  I'm considering waiting until this car is pulled apart for restoration.

I didn't get to attempt adjustment of the steering box yet but that's next on the list of things to do.  The front is still a little more squirrely than I prefer...although some of that could be due to the substantial difference between my DD and this car.

My timing is, sometimes, good...

Just happened to pop on to TheSamba.com at the right time to snag these window cranks!

No news on the car just yet - waiting on receipt of the replacement parts to get started on the fix.

I'll clean the bottom of the engine, replace the strainer/cover plate, then check the valves and put the oil back in and see what happens.

Somehow, I've got to figure out how to get the car leaned out a bit once it's back to 'running' status again.

We've got a lot going on around the house this next week so progress may be slow for a while.

Everything's fine today, that is our illusion

I wound up using the pop out that has decent seals for now - I haven't been able to get the screws loose on a set of frames.  It took a while to get the pop out into the frame but I got it - using a plastic putty knife, pulling the windlace and having patience.  The left side is still the old frame.  I'll get to that later this week.

I screwed around with the carburetors again today - wound up with the same result: running rich but running well.  I drained the oil after a short drive around the neighborhood only to find that the strainer and the two paper gaskets are adhered to the engine with Permatex adhesive.  After some work with the plastic putty knife, I was able to get it off.  The strainer is covered in Permatex and the engine still has half of the gasket stuck to it - working out how to get that off in the next couple of days.  I want to make sure I don't do any damage to the engine case trying to get this shit off.

I tried to use a degreaser on the strainer before I do it on the engine and it didn't work.  The photo here shows the strainer (a good thick one) after soaking and a first round with a paint scraper - doesn't look like I accomplished much because I didn't.  I may experiment with a few other methods so I know what to use on the engine case later.

The cover plate required cleaning with a wire wheel on my bench grinder - it's clean but I discovered that it's also warped and the drain plug is damaged...so all of these parts are due for replacement.

Of course, I don't have any spares of these parts so I had to order the parts.  I have placed more orders in the last two weeks than in the last six months.  I'm hoping that this rash of ordering will come to an end soon.

The 'up' side to all of this is that I can pop the valve covers off and check the valves - one less thing to check in the near future.

Teach a man to fish...

I bought a pop out rubber kit from ISP West.  I pulled the right side pop out off of the car to assess the situation.  They're pretty well toast.  I have a pair that has decent seals in the event I cannot get a frame pair apart without a ton of effort.  I'm probably going to wind up replacing the window seals soon-ish and then, potentially, again, when the car is fully restored - depending on the condition of the seals when I get to the car.  I'm hoping to start this car in 2-3 years.

 Adjusted 6 spare linkage rods plus the two already in the car - so much easier when you have the right tools!

On top is the connecting rod as it was on the car and the bottom one is adjusted to the proper spec using VW 691 tools loaned to me by Jack.

The car idles better, it idles lower and, although it's running a bit rich, it's running smoother.  I'll get to the running rich part very soon.  Great progress for a rainy day.

I pulled the Koln column apart to send a couple of pieces to Jack - who was kind enough to loan me the tools to adjust my carburetor rods.

I noticed that the back of this ignition switch is black vs. the more common brown.  I looked closer and noticed the Koln logo (circle K).  The wires will need to be replaced because they're kinked but the switch is in great shape.

The contact plate has been cleaned, screws are contained and bagged, the column head is completely stripped down.  Next up is paint removal and preparation.  I also need to remove the high beam button from the NOS turn indicator I bought because the wires are damaged.  I'll have to replace the wires with OE style wire, paint the lever and reassemble it.  It'll be nice to get one of these back together!

It's the little things

The bolts I found to potentially replace the OE door bolts wound up being too small.  Everything is good except the head size.  I may swap over to a flanged bolt if I can't find proper button head bolts - the hex head would be easier to remove and they're hidden by caps anyway.

 I replaced the original shocks on the rear today - these things were shot.  No resistance at all.  I checked the fronts and found that they're in decent shape still - meaning that they've been replaced at some point.  I'm guessing they've got maybe a few years left before they need to be replaced.  Let's hope they last until the restoration.

I completed the assembly of the rear right side brake and replaced the drum.  I haven't dropped the car on the ground just yet.

In addition to this - I swapped the electronic flasher unit back into the car in anticipation of LED front turn lamps that I received on Thursday.  Those turned out to be rather disappointing - not very bright at all.  I ordered  a set from AliExpress - I've been rather satisfied with my purchases so far - so let's hope that continues.

 I pulled out some of the carburetor linkage that went to RediStrip - just to see what I've got and what can be used.

 I discovered that I have two sets of early non adjustable linkage.  I checked them and, with the exception of one that's slightly bent, they're all within spec.

Getting the broken ball out should be fun someday.

 This piece has an ingenious 'fix' that had to take a steady hand and a nutty amount of time.  This looks like a 'I'm stuck on the side of the road and need a fast fix' kind of thing.

 These parts wound up in the scrap bin - corroded, bent and cannot be fixed.

I'm a rather vocal critic of ISP West - given that they're supposed to be focused on Type 3 restorations/parts and I've largely been let down by what they offer and/or what I've received vs. what I expected to receive.

Yesterday, their repop carb linkage showed up and I have to say: I'm pleasantly surprised to find that the left side linkage piece is preset to the factory spec length!  Should make tuning the carburetors a little easier.

The saga of the right rear wheel

 A small miracle lead up to this point...I hope that miracle carried over to the brakes - since I had to disconnect the wheel cylinder.  I'll crack the bleeder once it's all back together again.

The large o-ring that's supposed to be between the bearing and the backing plate was missing and the smaller o-ring was flat - two very likely reasons I had a leak on this side.

 Getting this thing out wound up being a lot easier than I expected.  I went into this task expecting it to be a giant pain in the ass.

I took a Dremel and flattened the area where it broke off - I was thinking that I'd have to go the typical route of drilling into the broken bolt and using a left handed drill bit or removal tool.

I used the Dremel to make a cross on the surface to center the drill bit and as I started drilling, the piece started to rotate...so I got a slotted screwdriver and, basically, unscrewed it from the hole - slowly and carefully.

This is where things ended for the night - not yet done but pretty darn close.

I received another set of spreader bars but I think they're too long because, once again, I can't get the drum back on until I put the old ones back on.  New parts aren't the same unfortunately.

Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose

The bolts for the rear bearing cover came in yesterday - I didn't get enough time to drill out the broken bolt but I plan to do that today after work.  I will be replacing all 8 bolts as a precautionary measure - who knows what's up with the seven that remain...

A well known Type 3 source contacted me this morning with photos of a group of parts he'd decided to put up for sale.

A fellow Type 3 owner hooked me up with a part that we've both been looking to find for several years.  I now have two complete sets of these to finish both cars!

The funny part is that they're coming from the same guy who's got the door levers (notice the wood pattern).

In other news, I'm helping out a guy in New Zealand obtain parts - which had led to me buying some of the parts I need to acquire myself.  All told, there are about 7 boxes of parts from 5 sources coming in the next week or so.

I sourced some suitable replacement bolts for the door hinges from a local hardware company, McMaster Carr, and they'll arrive in a few days.  If they work, it'll be a fantastic find - they're $7 for two sets.  I'll know soon enough.