April Fool? More like Fox Wagon Fool...

[Banned wagon]

the "orange marshmallow" is a the factory seam sealer. it tends to get pretty thick in the rear corners.





(opinion)
from what i can see in the pictures you are not stripping all the paint and rust off and treating the rust and priming the metal, before slathering any fiberglass resin or filler. I fear you will make a entire now car out of glass and all the rust will be happily rusting away unseen under it all.

[KRAMMIT]

I was VERY CURIOUS as to what that actually was....THANK YOU, Banned wagon, for letting me know....I thought it might have been leftovers from a previous patching job...it kind of resembles the appearance of GREAT STUFF insulating foam after a couple years of exposure to the elements...I only say this because I have USED that stuff on my White '87 Wagon to fill gaps (...BIG ONES...!) and after a couple years, it LOOKS SIMILAR to the factory sealant....!

With RESPECT to the rusted areas NOT being treated BEFORE covering them with resin mixture; I must admit that my pictorial presentation DOES have many GAPS in it...! I'm VERY PARTICULAR about how I treat my STUFF...I TRY to WORK CLEANLY so as to minimize the amount of CLEAN UP work at the END of the JOB...I LIKE to keep my TOOLS CLEAN and ESPECIALLY my electronic gadgetry...so, I may NOT have captured digitally, an image of the GREEN rust remover on some areas....but I DID go through TWO bottles of the stuff last summer...

...applying it to EVERYTHING ORANGE (except the marshmallow) that I could find....areas that I may have MISSED, I hope would have been addressed by my having had the car OILSPRAYED (Rust-Proofed IS SOOOOOO INACCURATE...!) after I had finished work on it for the summer...a buddy of mine works at a Krown facility, I removed the rear tail lens', and rear interior panels to make access easier...he let me watch and instruct where to NOT drill to get inside; (I didn't want them to drill through my fresh handiwork...!) I also hadn't put the carpet down as yet, (still haven't!) so, they were able to get to a lot of places within the frame....

So, I'm hoping that what Banned wagon has described DOESN'T happen, WHO KNOWS what this ABSURD Canadian climate will dish out next (Last winter was the MILDEST I have EVER experienced!)....?

But, IF some RUST does appear; I guess I will, in a few years, be making a post saying, "YOU TOLD ME SO...!" I hope I never have to make THAT post....!

May I take this opportunity to say, THANK YOU, to Banned wagon....! I have made but LESS than 50 posts in this particular corner of cyberspace....AND for someone like Banned wagon, who has posted MORE THAN 100 TIMES my input...(MOST CERTAINLY A UBIQUITOUS ICON TO THIS FORUM....!)..I AM TRULY HONOURED that you would take an INTEREST in my INAUGURAL THREAD....MUCH LESS, POST A REPLY....! I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT as I am relatively NEW to THIS FORUM...!

I also have to say that it is DIFFICULT to be a sidewalk /driveway mechanic....it is EVEN MORE DIFFICULT to be a sidewalk/driveway BODYWORK amateur....not having the LUXURY of a covered, climate controlled environment; forces one to deal with the ELEMENTS (and also a SLOPED work area!) which ISN'T a BIG deal when it is nice and calm out; but, when the WIND PICKS UP, or the increased HEAT due to exposure to the sun, or the inverse, sudden sun showers...etc...not excuses, just declarations of fluctuating conditions...but, certainly factors that are prevalent and to be considered and dealt with accordingly......to work INDOORS...WOW...! That WOULD be nice....there is ACTUALLY a 2 car garage attached to this house...but it is currently being used as a MASS STORAGE DEVICE...! (And also MY HANGOUT to get away from.......THEM....!)

Once again, THANK YOU to ALL who take the time to reply to this thread (I DID go and get some PLASTIC MIXING CONTAINERS [THANX "lilgreydentwagen" !] and am anxious to see how they affect curing times...!) and I hope that you will continue to follow...

So far, I think my pics are up to mid-September....so, there isn't much more to show...

That ALIEN was ACTUALLY ME in my double-layered TYVEC sanding get-up with respirator...I used a RIDGID 5" oscillating palm sander with a 100 grit disc with a variable speed control; at half speed, it spits out a considerable cloud of dust; at FULL SPEED....YOU WEAR IT...!! I had a FAN set up to feed fresh air to my working area; but I have YET to FIND a FAN that can SUPPRESS the effects of the WIND...so, not wishing to ITCH for the NEXT WEEK....this was my approach...(yes, I wore goggles as well...!)


Before i begin with the onslaught of pics again, as a testament to the WATER REPELLING abilities of this resin mixture with the cloth...for the last TWO DECADES the eavestrough at the corners of my house have LEAKED MISERABLY...!; with MUCH LESS care than I was taking on my car; I did this EIGHT MONTHS AGO...

...AND NOT A SINGLE DROP SINCE...! Any moisture is due to OVERFLOW from the downpipes being clogged....(which I just yesterday cleaned out; the corners [3] LOOK GOOD after that duration of exposure.) It was refreshing to NOT have the habitual skating rink to the front door this past winter...
Again, I am NEW to working with this stuff, had a curiosity to satisfy, thought you might like to see too....thanks for your patience....

Now, back to FIBREFEST 2011....!

After getting my fabricated mouldings fastened...I felt there was something else needed...in accordance with my putty/resin glaze approach...why not here too?


....the right side...


....the left underside seam...(haven't had the front up in the air as yet...let me get to it....!)


...the left side AFTER GLAZING with the mixture.....(you can see the reflection of my finger in the gloss...! )


...the other side...


...the floor pan on the right side...


....early morning dew on one of the PROBLEM AREAS....


....after a MAD amount of SANDING with the palm sander...the left side...


...the area of the GAPING WOUND (to the bottom right of the pic) ...


...the right side...(kinda looks dark out again, don't you think...?)


...note the FLINTSTONESQUE FINISH to the arch....it doesn't get much better than THAT!.......no, I MEAN IT...! This stuff is QUITE SOLID...and THAT'S about as GOOD as I can GET IT...!!! (...for now...)


It was FAST approaching October...and my days of WORKABLE WEATHER were quickly drawing to a close....TIME to get some PRIMER and PAINT on THIS FOX...! (Perhaps you disagree; but, I was THERE; IT WAS TIME...!)


...rear left corner....


...the right side...


Though I DO have a compressor...it has ONLY a 7.5 Gallon reservoir....NOT SUITABLE for painting a car because I would use all the stored air in a few seconds...then have to WAIT for the tank to refill...so, I went with a few spray cans of automotive primer that I had laying around the garage; apparently being saved for JUST THIS PURPOSE...(cuz I ran out just as I finished...!) Having a LARGE capacity reservoir would have been nice, but, wouldn't have done me any good at the time due to me NOT having a spray gun....I DO have an AIRBRUSH; but, that would have taken WAY TOO LONG (7ml reservoir!)

...just unclip my handy dandy spray can trigger (I LOVE THIS THING...!) to change to paint...(I let the primer dry a couple hours....)...and PRESTO..! (do magicians EVEN SAY THAT ANY MORE...? Does anyone EVEN KNOW what a MAGICIAN IS any more....? Ahh, the LOST ARTS....) Some Silver paint....though I think the car might be GREY....looking at it now....maybe just faded versus new...


...from a different angle...


....the right side with paint...


...another view...


...the rear sill and bumper rail...


...a better shot of the bumper rail...(...not much...!)


....a view from the right rear of the car...


...with lens and bumper cover back in place...


...and the right side...lens is missing due to it being CRACKED...(I am currently trying to FIX IT...can't seem to find a replacement anywhere....if I'm LUCKY ENOUGH to EVEN FIND a Wagon....THAT LENS is either MISSING or MESSED UP worse than the one that I have...!)

Whaddaya know...Its DARK AGAIN....(in the photos)...! After a summer of spending MORE TIME BENEATH this car than ACTUALLY IN IT....I feel a SHRED of what ALAIN must be going thru (HIS BUILD has been an on going project for FIVE YEARS) with respect to doing work, and NOT being able to enjoy your efforts...I MUST ALSO SAY that my car ISN'T A FRACTION OF THE MACHINE THAT ALAIN IS PUTTING TOGETHER.....!!
...we might have the same emblem on the grille...but that is where the similarities stop...

But, for me, for now, this is what I have accomplished....to this point....the CALENDAR IS TICKING...there is still MORE to follow......(plus I'm hungry....think I 'll go get a pepperoni pizza in the Silver wagon....the White one won't start...I think Eric (efritsch) is RIGHT; there MUST be a bad GROUND somewhere....there's a GHOST IN MY MACHINE...!)

Next up: ...gonna drop the rear end and see what FUN there IS to be HAD on the FRONT END of the car....

[alaincopter]

Definitely looks better in paint! Turned out better than it seemed it was going to when you first started. Fiberglass resin really is tough to sand. After you had sanded as much as you could though, it would have been nice to fill in the low spots with body filler, which is much much easier to sand afterwards to make the whole thing smooth.

Either way though, whenever you fiberglass over the original body sheet metal, it is never going to look stock again unless you grind everything down. Definitely looks solid and stronger than it was though! Would like to see that one in person sometime

[KRAMMIT]

Thanks for the reply ALAIN...! I know what you are saying about the addition of resin the body sheet metal NOT going to look like STOCK without a TREMENDOUS AMOUNT of grinding /sanding.....I realized at some point last summer that this was NOT going to look PRETTY after I was finished....and at the SAME time reminded myself that it IS a GREAT DEAL more structurally SOUND than it was BEFORE I started...which was what I set out to do....aesthetics be damned....function first...! But, QUITE RIGHT; not very visually appealing...it does look better with some primer & paint....the ONE thing that I am confident of...is that these arches are SOLID...! (The New CARS that I see every day look pretty, but, when you press on ANY metal panel...it "oilcans" because the gauge of the metal in the panel is SO THIN!) SHOPPING CARTS BEWARE...!!

[ChevyAndVW]

clipper kits fit perfect of Foxes =) i just got 1 for mine and putting it on after the new metal rockers r replaced.

[KRAMMIT]

That would be cool...! I would be INTERESTED in seeing pics of THAT...! Feel free to post some pics of the "CLIPPED" FOX on this thread...! For one, to break up the monotony of my presentation; and, for two, to show what more SENSIBLE FOX OWNERS would do....[I JUST REALIZED what I have WRITTEN.......A SENSIBLE FOX OWNER.....!!! .......still laughing...!!!]...rather than take on a NEW hobby...! (...BUT, then what would I have DONE all last summer...?)

Please DO post some pics of your updated ride...! I have thought about trying my hand at making a front air dam to bolt onto the bottom of the existing Fox bumper cover....maybe extending, perhaps another 2 1/2 - 3 inches lower, and wrapping around the sides to deflect around the front tires.........maybe I should STUFF MY PIPE AGAIN
and see if the DREAM comes into focus......!

[KRAMMIT]

Looking at the time stamp on the pic (October 9th, '11, 1:25pm), this must've been a weekend that I had some time to play.....dropped the rear end down, put the front end up RIDICULOUSLY HIGH in the air (for being on a sloped driveway....!) with these axle stands that my Dad made (back in HIS day!) [apparently he COULD WELD!] in his younger years.....he used to RALLY RACE back in the SIXTIES when the rules were VERY SLACK....!! Not GROUP B or anything ABSURD like that.....BUT, he WAS APPROACHED to go PRO; but, DECLINED; wanting to START a family and so forth....which I suppose I should be THANKFUL for....otherwise I wouldn't be writing this...

But, I DIGRESS....!!! the front left wing, behind the front wheel, in front of the door pillar....

Yeah...I know.....there is supposed to SOMETHING there...isn't there...?

From a step back...


A shot of the upper left wheel well, by the shock tower....


....In front of the shock...(you can SEE, the LEAVES are TURNING....!)_


...The front Right wheel well, to the rear......(You can see where there was some CREATIVE WELDING done by my friend ED, at VANGRO WELDING....shameless PLUG....GREAT GUY THOUGH! ...I DID treat this area with the ACID.....!)


...upper edge of what is LEFT of the original edge of the fender lip; right front....


....right front arch...panned out.....(that's optimistic!) [Still got the SNOWS on WOODY!! *note* White Wagon was known as WOODY, due to the wood panelling that was applied all around; hence, 2nd White Wagon = Woody II .....Woody I: DONATE PROSPEROUSLY !!!! I MUST remember to STRIP the vinyl that I applied....to expose the wood-grain vinyl that someone applied; BEFORE they drove the car to Toronto from CALGARY some years ago.......(I SAW IT ADVERTISED AS A 5-SPEED....!!!! S - U - C - K - E - R !!!!!!!!) [....IF...YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE THE LEVEL OF DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER DRIVING A 5-SPEED SINCE 1984 TO REALIZE THE ABSENCE OF A FIFTH GEAR.......devastating........! HOWEVER!!!!!! I HAVE GROWN TO LOVE THE 4-SPEED TRANSMISSION......!!!!

I know what you're thinking.....pack another pipe dream....! But, in all honesty; a first gear that goes to 70 km/h...? and I have YET to TOP out my fourth.....maybe cuz I haven't found enough road......or horses......!
....in THIS CITY...FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR TOO MANY IDIOTS in THIS CITY who DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE.........!!!!!! {my Scirocco of 13 years had been SMOKED by some KNOB coming out of LA TRATTORIA with ONE TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY VINOS in HIM...mashed the right front signal back to where the alternator should be....!!!!!} this was back in '98....given my VERY UNSTABLE NATURE with having things ripped out from underneath me....in my early thirties...my life had ALREADY BEEN TURNED UP-SIDE****ING DOWN by a number of occurrences that were NOT in my favour..... YOU HAVE NNNNNNOOOOOOO IIIIIIDEEEEEEAAAAAAAA HOW HARRRRDDDD I BIT MY TONGUE; NOT TO HARBOUR ANY ILL-WILL TOWARDS THIS INDIVIDUAL..IN THE PRESENCE OF POLICE OFFICERS..!!!!!!!!!!!! I STILL HAVE THE SCAR...!!!!!!.......


...What a luvly bit o'rust, whot?


Perhaps the MORE MORBID viewers were anticipating some scarred tongue shots......in all HONESTY....I took some pics ......NOT SUITABLE FOR ANY VIEWERS...! I DELETED THEM.....that didn`t make my tongue feel any better though....it did bleed for a day or so....didn`t wan to go for STITCHES.....can you imagine...? *NOTE TO SELF*...OUCH!

[KRAMMIT]

I WILL say that I developed a WICKED RAINBOW SORBET DEPENDENCY for a period of about 6 weeks afterwards.....anyone who gets their tongue pierced, and pays money for that kind of pain....? I don't quite understand the 'why' completely....or AT ALL! for that matter.....at any rate.....back to my buffoonery.........

So, since I have been on this site, I have learned so much more than I thought I knew about older VWs, Foxes in particular....I HAVE to LIKEN this revelation to the game of GOLF; in that, just when you think you have figured something out, that will LEAD WAY to THE REALISATION that you REALLY DON'T KNOW VERY MUCH AT ALL in the GRAND scheme of things...(at least where I AM CONCERNED)...!! So having written that, understand what I really MEAN, when I say, "I don't even KNOW, enough to KNOW, that I DON'T KNOW!" (...after a few pics, this MIGHT make sense....)

This is a shot of the rear section of the front right wheel house after the welding, and my putty/glazing job on the underside of the passenger floor up to the welds....(I had the rear end of the car up in the air; that was as far as I went, because I knew I was going to drop the rear and get the front end up in the air as high as I could...)


Here is the LEFT side...(nice GLARE! The Old Man would SKIN me [old school photography buff!] for taking a shot like THAT!) ....THANKS KODAK...!! For TAKING ONE FOR THE WORLD...!!! {they helped create digital imaging which eventually LED TO THEIR DEMISE...!}


...a better view of the decayed ROT that is my ride....


THIS is what was left after I took the Dremel to the spot previously viewed as, 'upper left wheel well, by the shock tower'....(from the top, hood raised, left side, near antenna)


Well, I thought I KNEW (which can BE A DANGEROUS THING...!!!) wtf I was doing by this point....I was just ANXIOUS to get this thing SEALED before winter fell; in the event that it HAD to come into the GAME due to a Malfunction on Woodys' (my 2nd Wagon; just in case you haven't REALLY been paying attention....someday, I will peel the white vinyl from Woody I, to show you what the ORIGINAL WOODY looked like back in the day...) part.....THAT NEVER HAPPENED...! Woody II (not actually decorated with the HIDEOUS vinyl, but WOODY STILL! IF ONLY IN SPIRIT: due the fact that HIS EXISTENCE is LARGELY been made POSSIBLE by the donation of several components......I remember one day in particular, that I took off of work, to switch the brakes and surfaces from vehicle to vehicle.....QUITE A SIGHT actually.....kind of wish I had the means to record what I did in a stop-frame photography-type-manner! (a la FuzzyBunnys' 'Check THIS out!' Post) If you haven't SEEN it.....DO CHECK IT OUT...! He hand his pals; over a 7-9 min (can't remember exactly) segment; make a CONVERTIBLE (permanent!) out of a COUPE one day...! TOO KOOL...! ....anyway...where was I ...? Oh yeah, also took the exhaust, the gas tank, the fuel pump, alternator, starter, mirrors, rear hatch, drums, discs, water pump, radiator....the list DOES ACTUALLY go on...but those were some of the things that came from Woody I over to WOODY II; that makes him the "boite de merdre" that HE IS TODAY...!!! (P.S. I NEED TWO SETS of rear shocks for WAGONS BIGTIME...!!! HENRY at FRISCO AUTO PARTS LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I SAID "FOX" .....prick....I have been LINING HIS POCKET$ FOR YEAR$....!!!!) oh how SOON THEY FORGET....!!! I miss NASSAR @ N & D Parts...!!!! He WAS THE MAN....!!!! ...ANY FOX PART; FRONT N CENTRE; REASONABLE PRICE; PLUS ADVICE...!!!!!!!!!! how do you put a price on that.....?!? {I'm just sayin'.....IF I had a DOLLAR; (inflation, cost of living, etc.); for EVERY TIME I HEARD: "THIS WILL OUTLAST YOUR VEHICLE!" , when SOME JAGMO was putting on another part to my relic.....I'd be driving a MUCH FANCIER FOX than I am currently....!!!!} [why is there a RED LINE under JAGMO...?] .....ahhhh.....days long gone by.......[JAGMO=ABSOLUTE MORON; DRIVING A JAG/LIMO!] (THIS GUY MADE ME WANT TO BURY MY FIST INTO HIS FACE UP TO MY ELBOW....!!!)..... did I mention that I find this thread very therapeutic.......?!? I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE your patience/tolerance/empathy/condolences/sympathy for NOT being LITERATE ENOUGH to KNOW where to BEGIN a NEW paragraph.....!

But I DIGRESS...(I almost feel that there is a ventriloquists' dummy sitting on my shoulder; HECKLING ME....!!!) ...here's a shot of the underside of that same spot; after the application (it was MORE of a marination) of the rust inhibiting acid; yup, yer right! I didn't grind away the crappy parts before spraying any self etching primer....before covering the affected areas.....so, we'll SEE what happens over time.....the pic...

...Kinda looks like a PING-PONG ( I KNOW THOSE GUYS...!) NET; doesn't it?
PLEASE-- DO NOTICE the TEAL TINGE around the edges of the (VERY UNEXPECTED!) gap in the wheelhouse opening....(marination)...Sure....Ultimately, you would like to ELIMINATE ALL RUST......but, I don't live in THAT kind of climate......nor do I have access to that kind of equipment....

So, I put some more mesh around the opening to give the putty something to stick to....


Looking directly down from the opening...I applied some tape to the flapping metal in an effort to try to re-create what was once there....


....What the hell do you do with this if you have NO IDEA how to weld...?


....I started in daylight...finished in the dark....putty fest....

I sorta treated it as a grade 9 art project....just started putting putty here n there to
see what would happen....whadayaknow...? It STUCK...!!

JUST realising....I'm quite tuned.....and it's going on 3AM.....! ON A SCHOOL NIGHT NO LESS.....! had a 10.5 hr day.....gonna be FACE-DOWN in the Toyotas later on today......(I work at a dealership!) ....'til next time....

[Chris-88Fox]

Awesome job dude! those pictures of the rear after its been painted look sweet.
Keep up the good work!

[KRAMMIT]

Thank You for the reply Chris-88Fox...NICE TO HEAR from a fellow CANADIAN FOXER...!! Thanks for the regards...!! It has come a LONG way from what it was when I found it....however, it has a LONGER journey STILL...before I will be remotely complacent with its ongoing mending...!! In no way does it look like a SHOWROOM PIECE; but, I ONLY DRIVE CARS IN THE SHOWROOM IF YOU PAY ME....and THIS CAR....I drive for FUN...but, THAT hasn't HAPPENED YET.....80% of the components I wanted to replace BEFORE driving it, are NOT so readily available.......(DAMN GREEDY-ASS PROGRESS!!!).....getting SICK of hearing, discontinued, no longer available, obsolete.....YEAH..? Well, IF it IS obsolete....HOW IS THIS THING STILL RUNNING...? Wait a minute, I was making a post....back on topic here...

Currently, I am experiencing a TREMENDOUS EXHAUST MANIFOLD LEAK which is SO LOUD; (how loud IS IT...?) ....it is sooooooo loud.....that I can't even tell if the VALVES ARE CLACKING...!! When it gets dark....I can SEE DETONATION in the third and fourth cylinders.....!!! As I tick along the road, enjoying ABSOLUTELY HORRID fuel economy...I almost feel like dude in THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY PT.I with the ticking of that old Range Rover..........(I WISH THAT WAS A JOKE...!!!) Finances will dictate how this gets resolved....right now, I'm so broke, I can't even PAY ATTENTION.....currently trying to locate a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold....oh yeah, my grade nine art project......

Looking back at my work...I should have been given an "F" for the work on THIS particular part of the car...looking closely, I realised that I have pretty much BUGGERED any chance of getting this wing off of the vehicle in the future....by

[KRAMMIT]

....By gooping all kinds of putty over the SEAMS of the Panels...oh well, maybe a HOT KNIFE and a BIG bag of PATIENTS...! ...IF that time comes...


This is the right side...there would be a little LESS grief if I had to remove this wing...but not much...


The above application, I, for some reason, decided NOT to use the respirator....this is the evening when I discovered the never ending headache.....if I were to do it again without a mask (which I WON'T....EVER!) I would have a fan set up feeding me fresh air; my head was stuck in the wheel house, which effectively contained the vapours to simulate an environment about a STEP and and HALF below, "....deliberately concentrating and inhaling vapours...." you can see the different mixtures of putty, some reddish...some greenish...
The right side would've earned a "B-"....

The LEFT side...[I'm not BIG on failure...(WHO IS?)...but, you gotta give credit where credit is DUE....!]....I GIVE ME A BIG PHAT "EFF"....(as in 'I effed up!')

HOW SO..? Well, a NUMBER OF WAYS ACTUALLY....:
1) I neglected to tell the welder that the rotted drainage holes that he cut out and replaced (with SOLID metal).......are NECESSARY...!
2) I FAILED to MAKE THIS REALISATION until about 9 MONTHS after the FACT...!! (YUP! Through the winter, such as it was, spring run off, April showers, etc.) it was very odd, I thought, that there should be a trail of WATER behind me for THREE HOUSES worth of road......when I took it for a spin.....made me begin to consider: WHAT HAD I DONE....?!?
3) I DRAGGED MY HEELS on getting the PROBLEM RECTIFIED....I didn't relish the thought of LYING on my BACK; CAPTIVE beneath the Fox on stands; in my driveway; getting SHOWERED with HOT METAL SHARDS while drilling for AGUA in the BELLY; okay, LEFT NIPPLE; of my twenty-four year old, near-vintage VW.....(I used a hoist at work; MORE on THAT later...!)
4) I ABSENTMINDEDLY didn't use HARDENERin my LAST TWO APPLICATIONS of the summer...(went thru 7 litres of resin; yielding 15[!] 2 oz applications per tin!)...why is it still tacky after THIRTY-SIX HOURS...?!?...HOW-DY.? HARD-DEN-NER...! {The Party}....can you guess where...?!? (...I seem to be writing this AS THOUGH I have already posted a couple dozen pics that are CLEARLY not on this thread as yet........DOES ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCE CONTINUITY ISSUES WITHIN THEIR LIFE...?!? ....perhaps its just ME....)
More on the DRAINAGE ISSUE to follow...

A shot of the left side from a step back...looks atrocious, I know...


This is what it looked like, after the putty had hardened; and, I did a little sanding/contouring...


The black plug near the bottom is one of the receptacles for the screws to fasten the fender liner...had to drill it out anyway...


On this side, I wasn't trying to reconstruct anything, merely trying to cover over and waterproof the welds....


...that surprise hole that was in the left wing/fender from above...(had lots of mesh to support the weight of the putty)


The left side again, with resin applied over top over the putty to seal...


...a SCHPRITZ of paint....


....from a step back....


....from a FEW steps back...

GOOD FROM AFAR....but, FAR FROM GOOD....!!

The right side...after the same resin-over-dried-putty application, after a schpritz of paint...


From a step back.....


From a FEW MORE steps back...(gonna drip some 20W-50 on those bricks as SOON as I can...!)

It is getting late (....or early...), this will make some sense.....someday..... soon....I....uh...ANTICIPATE....YEAH! THAT'S THE WOIRD....anticipate.....I have learned NOT to make promises.....

Ciao fer now....

[Banned wagon]

haha the car reminds me of the Adobe

[KRAMMIT]

For some reason, I think it has to do with International Video Streaming Rights, The above mentioned HuLu video (which I haven't seen) cannot be viewed outside of the United States...

My only understanding of Adobe, traditionally...huts that were made of MUD and FECAL MATTER....and I can`t really disagree...it does look like its had a LOT of mud n CRAP slapped on it...(or a program, but, doubt THAT was the implication...)

At any rate....it was far too late in the year to concerned with aesthetics....at this point....I was interested in finally getting the ownership in my name and getting it plated....a safety inspection certificate was issued with out incident....that was GOOD..! The emission test was not such an initial success....having been UNDER the car MORE than IN the car....I really didn`t know much about the vehicle mechanically, other than that it has a CRAPPY exhaust system, and that I was able to DRIVE it home......

I am wondering about something: It failed the emission test in the oxides of nitrogen category.....miserably...(almost FOUR times the allowable limit)...I was told it was due to the motor running HOT.......there is a TREMENDOUS exhaust manifold leak...this is my WONDER....: because the exhaust manifold is leaking; immediately combusted gases are escaping between the BLOCK and the MANIFOLD, instead of being channelled away beneath the car and expelled through the tailpipe......would this escaped, freshly combusted gas; SUPER HEAT the engine compartment, to the point of the motor running in a constant state of NEAR OVER HEATING (the needle is ALWAYS above the red light!); thus, making the oxides of nitrogen reading higher than it WOULD be WITHOUT the manifold leak...? wouldn't the mani leak throw off the readings...? they tested the car as a 1.5L Yaris motor [which I personally felt insulting!], which right off the bat yields an unfair expectation limit......
I put a cat on it, (there isn't supposed to BE ONE ON IT!!! Early IGLOO ISSUE...!!!)[CDN'87-'88], even though there isn't supposed to be one present...! It reduced the hydrocarbons and the carbon monoxide to negligible amounts.....but the oxides of nitrogen were STILL above acceptable parameters....(by Ontario standards)....I hear d somewhere that the people who administer the TEST

[KRAMMIT]

....I heard that the people who administer the tests aren't supposed to do so; IF THERE IS AN EXHAUST LEAK....!! Which underlines my theory that this is an ENORMOUS CA$H GRAB by the government.......EVER SEE A DUMP TRUCK START UP AT A STOP LIGHT...? As IF my tiny little car emits as much SMOG in a YEAR!!!! as a DUMP TRUCK emits in a day of driving....

(my wireless router burped! ...before I could proof read!)

So would the leak account for the outrageously hot reading...?

I managed to get the car to pass...took it to an OLD SCHOOL friend of mine that said he, "turned back the timing, as though it was barely alive; and messed with the CO (3mm hex) adjustment a bit!" I think he was being sarcastic...

Here's the diagram of the oxygen sensor and its location...

....from the book we all know and love....

...and HERE is what I actually see when I look in the appropriate area under my hood...

....anyone see an O2 sensor...?

How about from THIS angle...? ...don't see a CO tube either....


....no wires going to a fuel management system....

Have I got the ONLY TWO early IGLOO ISSUE Foxes with NON-CATALYST LABELS UNDER THE HOOD; still alive....?


I am planning a manifold upgrade....even as this is being written....for BOTH Wagons.....

But that will be ANOTHER time.....

[Shagin'Wagen]

Have I got the ONLY TWO early IGLOO ISSUE Foxes with NON-CATALYST LABELS UNDER THE HOOD; still alive....?

I know my Fox is non-catalyst.

[KRAMMIT]

NICE!! That makes three that I know of that are still surviving...!! Thank you for your reply Shaggin'Wagen...! I used to work for a sign company that made the signage for the Canadian Tire in Sherwood Park (I'm sure there is more than one by now)...my first Wagon died when I was working there...I managed to get a few pics of the Fox that started it all for me (the car that I had a week to find; after my Scirocco of 13 years got HAMMERED out from beneath me; and my insurance company hung me out to dry...!)

...WOODY...I made a post of his last moments...I can't seem to find it anywhere...perhaps it got moved or deleted...the title was, "Woodys' last moments...", involved a minutes worth of shuddering agony of video...one reply was that it wasn't death; just an excuse for a 16 valve and 5 speed swap...!!

Note the STYLISH WOOD PANELLING that someone in Calgary did to this car before driving it here to Toronto, back in '98, when I got it....

I covered it over with white vinyl about two years after owning it...!

It was a GREAT CAR...had AIR that probably still works, If there were a working motor in it...

The body is pretty rotted...it has been sitting for almost a decade...who knows though......

My second Wagon, the '87 was looking pretty ragged towards the end of last year....was kind of concerned about MTO (Ministry of Transportaion of Ontario), officers in white cars with green markings; they have MORE power than Provincial Police, as far as regulating vehicles on the roads goes....anyway...I didn't want to GIVE them any reason to pull me over and give the car a (WAY TOO) thorough inspection....the rear wheel arches were falling apart...(sound familiar...?!?) so, rather than try to do something elaborate, I found a way to provide the "ILLUSION" of a healthy wheel arch...via some Jetta wheel arch mouldings...!!

The Left side...


...and the Right...

...a little BLACK SHARPIE MARKER HERE...


...AND HERE...takes the 'sting' out.....

I trimmed the flares some time ago, didn't do a very good job...hence the touch-up...

I DO apologize for the lack of any "in process photos"...right at the beginning of the procedure, while drilling locating holes...I remember saying to myself, "MOVE your finger BEFORE the drill bit PASSES THROUGH THE METAL....", my right hand apparently wasn't in on the conversation....decided to pull the trigger without letting the rest of my body know about it.....the WAFER THIN metal proved no match for the JAGGED, BROKEN drill bit; which punched through only to encounter SERIOUS RESISTANCE from the FINGER that I was supposed to get out of the way......(insert what you imagine my exclamation might have been HERE!)...I had to look at my right hand and yell, "STOP!".....then had to PUT THE DRILL IN REVERSE to get the bit OUT OF MY FINGER....!!!!

After a quick first aid session, I drilled the rest of the holes, then fastened the arches with 11 screws each....not easy with a throbbing finger and a reluctance to repeat the folly...!!! So, that is why there are no in process photos, not an excuse....just an explanation...

I would say mission accomplished...! Too bad I didn't take any BEFORE pics...it was HIDEOUS...maybe when they come off to fix the arches properly...there will be plenty of pics...

More to follow....

[Shagin'Wagen]

NICE!! That makes three that I know of that are still surviving...!! Thank you for your reply Shaggin'Wagen...! I used to work for a sign company that made the signage for the Canadian Tire in Sherwood Park (I'm sure there is more than one by now)

Nope, still only 1 Crappy Tire here in the Park.

Good luck with the project!

[Henrique-RS]

Nice to see your restoration over this Fox wagon, it seems to have a lot of work to be done there.

I have never seen a VW fox with so much rust like yours, do you live somewhere close to the sea, or did the car lived? I guess "sea air" is what you call it, I can't figure another reason for so much rust in some hidden parts.

Sorry for my bad english, I'm brazillian.

[Shagin'Wagen]

Nice to see your restoration over this Fox wagon, it seems to have a lot of work to be done there.

I have never seen a VW fox with so much rust like yours, do you live somewhere close to the sea, or did the car lived? I guess "sea air" is what you call it, I can't figure another reason for so much rust in some hidden parts.

Sorry for my bad english, I'm brazillian.

Ontario uses a lot of salt on the roads in the winter... unfortunately, it likes to make cars melt.

[turbinepowered]

Looking at the pickly fresh condition of this Fox makes me realize that living in the Southeast means I have NEVER dealt with rust before.

Looking good.

[KRAMMIT]

Some are more susceptible to it than others...some are in DENIAL and refuse treatment....some live an entire lifetime with it; but eventually succumb....but, SOME get a form of treatment that GIVES THEM A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE...!!

Still only ONE CRAPPY TIRE in the Park, eh? Then I DEFINITELY made the signs that were up in your store between '03-'07....!! (haven't you noticed the abundance of wrinkles in them lately...?) I find it HILARIOUS that CRAPPY TIRE is referred to as such nationwide....!! Thanks for the reply Shagin'Wagen....!!

Quite right about the SALT usage on the roads in TORONTO ESPECIALLY.....(mainly because the Ministry has allowed such an ABUNDANCE of unqualified motorists to have licenses; much LESS have those SAME motorists on the road during the winter!)....that the roads are actually sprayed with a BRINE (serious salt content) solution the evening PRIOR to a blizzard/heavy snowfall; then, after any accumulation of snow, out come the salt trucks to turn the roads into about 4-6" of a salty/slushy/paste that sticks to wheels, wheel wells, rocker sills especially (I LOVE MUDGUARDS!!), body panels, and anywhere else you might think this SLUDGE would get into a car when it is bombarded with CORROSIVE CRUD for a minimum of 4 months of the year...(LAST YEAR WAS AWESOME!)...I think it only snowed twice; of any amounts worth noting...

This car is getting a second chance at life; my other Wagon, Woody, is in DENIAL...I found a pic of the BEFORE state of the wheel arch....PRE-JETTA FLARE facade.....:


I think you will agree, worth the effort (minus the drill bit in the finger part..!), to NOT draw any attention from the MTO boys....the left side is a little better, but not by much......

Henrique-RS...Thank You so much for your reply...NICE to hear from Brazil...!! Your English is WAAAAYYY BETTER than MY PORTUGUESE...!! Trust me on THAT...!! It hasn't snowed here like this for a couple years...but here is a pic from February '08 (YOUR SUMMER..!)


That Fox in the forming ICEBERG is the ORIGINAL WOODY....I regret NOT taking the motor from the white Wagon that is STILL GOING; and just putting it into Woody I, he had A/C..! Should have got a computer sooner......! Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.......if we knew THEN, what we know NOW.....

turbinepowered--Thanks for your reply..! --The above photo is NOT an indication of what the ROADS look like; this was in my driveway...the snow is a nice, fluffy, white, easy to shovel...(but, maybe you GET snow, don't know HOW SOUTHeast)...on the roads, the snow isn't snow any more....it becomes this slushy, black slime, that WON'T FREEZE, so it can seep into EVERY NOOK and CRANNY with its CORROSIVE NASTINESS just the same as rain...[maybe like ACID RAIN from the ground UP..?]!! (a shovel full of slush is about 15 times heavier than the same shovel of what you see on my driveway....) Metal will keep rusting if left untreated; the fibreglass that is all over the underside and rear wells/arches SHOULD help this car last LONGER than it would have, had I decided to do nothing.....

Got a NEW problem to contend with now...the Main fuel pump is BUZZING LIKE A NYMPHOS' VIBRATOR....which actually makes me laugh every time I hear it (when I picture it in THAT context..!)...though I shouldn't; I had a look at the transfer pump last weekend.....

But that will have to wait for next time....

[KRAMMIT]

I found the video of Woody One, the LAST moments of life...(I think I called him a 'Poor Ba$tard'; if that offends you.....please don't watch the clip...)...it was actually his last minute...


The final reading 474,652 (.9) ....The tragedy is...everything had just been fixed, replaced, renewed....brakes, alternator, water pump, gas tank, muffler, rear hatch, to name a few....all those components are keeping Woody II alive as they found their way to continued use....though now even the brakes, muffler and gas tank (again!) have been replaced since.....!

[KRAMMIT]

On the thirteenth of July (A FRIDAY), it was about 38C in Toronto (hometown!); NOT that I'm TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIC or anything; but....maybe I should be....

It was about twenty to six (just before closing!); I got a chance to go for lunch; as stated, it was SUPER HOT for the time of day....I had been experiencing intermittent FUEL DELIVERY for a week now...While on the way back from picking up my lunch....IT HAPPENS...!! The fuel pump decides to take a REST...!! I waited for about five minutes to let it cool down....it starts....gets me up to the intersection to make a left.....then dies again.....then the light turns GREEN...!! Fortunately, no one is behind me....I get out, and, in SWELTERING HEAT, push my wounded Wagon through the intersection making a left (1300 kgs is A LOT TO PUSH by yourself [40c temps aside!]...!) and again, VERY fortunate; another left in front of SYMPATHETIC TRAFFIC, into a gas station.....I was experiencing "OUT OF FUEL" symptoms; might as well put some FUEL in it...the gauge was reading 3/8 fuel....I thought perhaps something not right with the sending unit...3/8 of a tank; AND I'M OUT OF FUEL....?!? I put in $25 and the gauge went up to 7/8 full...!! That struck me as odd...I haven't had a NEAR FULL tank of fuel for $25 since the MID-NINETIES...!! Whatever the case...after the rest and the pushing and the fuel...IT STARTED again....enough to get me down the street to the dealership to close up shop...!

Too stressed from the days' events (I ALSO LOST A MOLAR...!! But, that's ANOTHER story....!), I decided to leave the investigation until Saturday....Decided to clean up a bit before surgery, I like to work CLEANLY....makes it easy to finish up...!! Did some pre-op vacuuming....

TRUST ME...!!! WAY BETTER THAN IT WAS...!!

A shot of the fuel gauge (on the Scirocco cluster!) after the $25 worth of fuel...

If the car was "out" at 3/8....hmmm...something is not quite right....{OH, BUT, IT IS...!}

A view of what is under the carpet in the cargo area....


WOW...!!! In all honesty; I haven't seen this part of the car before.....!!! QUITE Familiar with the UNDERSIDE though....this looks pretty clean....for the bucket that I'M FINDING IT OUT TO BE....!!


Alright; let's get to it....the transfer pump access plate....sooooo much easier to get to than in a coupe or sedan...just sayin....


When I removed the plate; I unplugged the electrical connection......this is what I saw....:


Kinda looks like SOMETHING IS MISSING.....DOESN'T IT...?!? I decided I HAD to DEAL with this little SIDE project FIRST....I wiggled the protective boot away from the connector; I was concerned that the tab on the left HAD BROKEN or CORRODED AWAY TO NOTHING....

NOPE...!!! WHEW...!!! NOT THE CASE..!!! It had just been pushed back into the boot far enough away from the connector to NOT WORK...{LITTLE DID I KNOW...!}

The little TAB on the electrical connection needed to be bent a bit; so that it would STAY in the appropriate POSITION within the plastic connector...


Not sure if anyone NOTICED the colour of the wire going to the lead; Black/Violet....according to the "Bentley Bible"...V/B = power to transfer pump....I had found my fault...! {...NOT...!!!} (who IS that...?) {HINDSIGHT...!!!}

So, with the tab bent slightly out to STAY within the connector....I will get some POWER to the TRANSFER PUMP in an effort to keep the MAIN pump form failing...


So, feeling pretty confident that I had FOUND the reason why I have been HAVING TO PUSH so much lately...I decided to have a LOOK at the in-tank pump anyway...

Before removing the cap; must secure the fuel lines...


I loosened the clamps to the lines...


....then slid the clamps down about 3", then snugged them up again; just so they didn't slide down under the car to a spot that would be a REAL PITA to retrieve them from...kinda OBVIOUS where they have been fastened forever...

I gently pushed all around the leading edge of the hose with a medium, flathead screwdriver to get it to come off of the pipette unscathed...

When the fuel delivery lines come away from the connections...I like to plug them with Golf
Tees, a gradual taper is BEST....

I snugged the clamps to the tees...NOT TOO TIGHT or you will force the tee out....a coat hanger to keep the lines "up"..

Holy Schmolly....better clean THAT up a little...DON'T reallly want ANY of THAT in my tank...:


A little wiping and scraping...


A little bit MORE wiping and scraping...


WOW...!!! LOOK AT THE EDGES OF THE CAP.....!!!


I mean; the edges are STILL THERE....!!


This is TREMENDOUSLY USEFUL when trying to remove the cap/transfer pump from the tank....:


Get TWO of your BIGGEST SCREWEDRIVERS....and place them against the edges of the cap like this....ONE HERE....:


....And the OTHER one here....:


Then, from the shoulders, NOT the wrists, rotate left through 90 degrees; and the cap/transfer pump assembly will come away from the tank...

MY APOLOGIES for the LACK of photos of what happened when the transfer pump came out of the tank.....It WAS ACTUALLY 7/8 FULL...nothing WRONG with the sending unit at all...the assembly never made its way out of the tank this day.....there was TOO MUCH FUEL in the tank to mess around....didn't want to spill anything on the driveway...the level was WAY TOO CLOSE to the opening to chance spillage....I just put the assembly back in the tank....{BIG MISTAKE....!!!!} (there's THAT VOICE AGAIN...!)

I was concerned that I chiseled away the rust proofing that was there; so I smothered the area in axle grease....


...and put the access plate back in place......


Only to THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND for Friday the 20th of July......but; I'm afraid.....THAT will have to wait until next time....!

[Shagin'Wagen]

Still only ONE CRAPPY TIRE in the Park, eh? Then I DEFINITELY made the signs that were up in your store between '03-'07....!! (haven't you noticed the abundance of wrinkles in them lately...?) I find it HILARIOUS that CRAPPY TIRE is referred to as such nationwide....!! Thanks for the reply Shagin'Wagen....!!

Yup. Just one. As for naming it, my brother in law calls it "Newfie Speed n Sport"

[KRAMMIT]

"Newfie Speed n Sport", eh? I've only heard CT referred to ONCE by that name....by a friend named Keith; only, he just called it "SPEED n SPORT!".....cuz, well..........Keith IS a NEWFIE...!!! Thanks for your reply Shagin'Wagen...!!

The following Friday was not one of my best in a long time....I was eager to get to the Post Office and retrieve the Second of these...(THANKS CP!!)


OOOHHH YYEEEEAAAAHHHHH....!! It's BEEEEYYYOOOOTTIFULLLLL....!!

The Lovely Dual Downpipe Manifold....

Still waiting for parts to arrive for the replacement procedure to begin....(stay TUNED for THAT one...!)
The BOSS was eager to close up shop right at SIX; so he and his wife could get downtown to catch the Jays game....I leave work; get to the PO; get my parcel; then had ONE IMPORTANT ERRAND to run....had to meet a buddy to repay some borrowed coin; he needed it back, I appreciated the loan...I was to meet him at the bottom of York St. and Queen's Quay (pronounced 'KEY'); probably one of the BUSIEST tourist traps in Toronto during the summer months (HarbourFront); I get on the highway; make a few good lane choices along the way, to find myself sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, (pedestrians are making better time!), with about 1.5 km (just under a mile) to my destination....IT STARTS...!!

My FUEL PUMP starts BUZZZZZZZING AGAIN...!! OH NO...!!! Not NOW...!!! For the remainder of the CRAWL along Queen's Quay...I was nursing the car, trying to conserve, well, who KNOWS what the hell I was trying to do...? Just HOPING that it wasn't going to leave me stranded; AND BLOCKING a single lane of MILE LONG TRAFFIC....!!!!

I make it up to the intersection where I was about to make an allowed U-turn; the car in front of me goes...the light turns YELLOW.......and THEN IT HAPPENS...Woodrow the THIRD, CUTS OUT AND DIES...!!! Oh yeah; I forgot to mention at the beginning of the story, that it is 38C outside (37C=98.6F) and Very HUMID...! Having said that....it was way TOO HOT to get out and PUSH...!!! I did enough of that in the LAST POST...! "REALLY...?!? HERE...?!? THIS IS WHERE YOU WANT TO REST...?!? FRIDAY NIGHT; EIGHT O'@!*^%$#~CLOCK...?!? SERIOUSLY...?!?" There had to be THREE THOUSAND people at that intersection at that point....cars, trucks, buses, sidewalks are PACKED with pedestrians....it felt as though ALL EYES were FIXED on the tiny little stalled out VW in the middle of the intersection....!!

Like I said, TOO DAMN HOTTTT to push...!! I was already quite warm from BASKING in HOT AIR from the fresh air fan (NO A/C!!) for the last half hour.....not to mention the ANXIETY FACTOR experiencing a SUDDEN SPIKE...!!! DEEP BREATH (...of DIESEL EXHAUST from the BUS; passing on the right...!) Don't LOSE IT on the CAR.....that will ONLY COMPOUND the already OVER-ABUNDANT attention.....HOW ABOUT A BRIEF GAME......of......START THE CAR--RIDE THE CLUTCH; START THE CAR--RIDE THE CLUTCH; START THE CAR--RIDE THE CLUTCH for about a HALF DOZEN rounds; THAT, in conjunction with a STACCATO-STYLE U-turn, and I was able to get to the curb, out of the way of MOVING traffic, facing the way I wanted, and decided to just wait it out...(...like I HAD a CHOICE...?)...I figured the MAIN pump was doing the buzzing; likely OVERHEATED from having NO COOL AIR flowing under he car for the last twenty minutes....after about ten minutes, I tried the ignition...IT STAYED LIT...even though I knew it needed more time to cool, I just wanted to get away from the main intersection, and made my way a bit further down the street....

I sent my buddy a text, apprised him of my situation....he made his way to me....I settled up my debt, said, "Thank You", he said, "No, Thank YOU!", then gave me a look that said, '...get this thing home in one piece...!', and got out....after four stops along the way; at the final rest stop, (because I was next to the curb, stopped where a right turn lane was about to begin) I was HECKLED by CABBIES...!!! ...shouting, "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM ?!?"....can you imagine...? To one I replied, "...As IF YOU'VE NEVER EFFED UP TRAFFIC BEFORE....!!!!" Got started, stayed lit, got some room to SKATE....got home in 90 minutes; from what is usually a 20 minute drive....When I got home; I had a MINOR heart attack because I had convinced myself that some CRACKHEAD had jacked my cooler bag from my front seat while I was in the Post Office (bad area); turned out I had LEFT it at work in the HASTE to get out so the boss could see the game...Wonderfully SURPRISED to be reunited with my STUFF....!!! Never done HEROIN or anything like that; but, the WARM FUZZY feeling I had for a half hour or so that morning was INDESCRIBABLE...such a relief...!!!

BUT, that was Monday....the ENTIRE WEEKEND, I was FREAKING OUT because I thought someone else had my stuff, some paystubs, a M/C bill, my address...not a good feeling...I was half-expecting a break-in.....In an effort to keep my mind from wandering....I decided to clean out the car a little bit on the Saturday; I saw the pencils there before, but, thought, "Cool! The Previous Owner PLAYS GOLF..." ....mmmyyyeeeaaahhh....NOT ACTUALLY the case....


...maybe I'm reading too much into it, but, I think the previous owner LIKED to PLAY THE PONIES...!!! Which might explain why the car was eventually abandoned; left in the state of DISREPAIR; in which it was found (...but it DID DRIVE....)

FLAMBORO DOWNS used to be a venue for CHARIOT RACING or also called the 'TROTS', (NOT the DRINKING variety), I'm not sure if the "Downs" are still open or not....if he DID play the ponies...that would pretty much ensure that this CAR RARELY had a FULL tank of gas...more likely, it would be running on FUMES most of the time....which could explain why the transfer pump is COOKED...!!


The pump on the rag, in the middle, is the CULPRIT...!!! I tried to spin it using mini jumper cables and the battery; the other two worked, my fly zapping racket makes more of a spark than the pump did....it's DONE...! Hopefully I haven't BAKED my MAIN PUMP in the year and a half I have been driving this car without a functioning transfer pump...!!! Lucky for me, WOODY I has BOTH a MAIN, AND a TRANSFER pump to donate to the cause; the transfer that I tested from WOODY gave a STRONG SPIN and has a good TORQUE when briefly activated.....HIRED...!!!
this is the screen of the NON-FUNCTIONING pump...

EVEN IF it was working; it would be hard-pressed to perform properly with this screen...

The screen of the NEWER pump.....

I cleaned out the debris with some compressed air....

I must say, the grease was a good idea...IF....I never intended to get into the tank again....but, since I'm wanting back inside a WEEK LATER....it made the removal of the transfer pump cap MUCH more difficult, even when wiped away....but, eventually got the cap/pump assembly out....it takes a bit of manipulation (BEST DONE WHEN THE TANK ISN'T FULL, like it was LAST week...!) but will come free of the tank....got my tees in...


Just undid the electrical connector and the hose clamp; swapped units, tightened the hose and connected the power...maneuvered the assembly back into the tank opening; used the CROSSED SCREWDRIVER method to tighten the cap; fastened the fuel lines and the connector {(that now has a WORKING transfer pump to deliver POWER to...)} {...remember the voice of HINDSIGHT...?} for the power...closed the access panel (no grease this time, going to wait for a spell...to see...) and have been driving FUEL DELIVERY ISSUE FREE EVER SINCE...!!! So, I have THAT going for me....which is N-I-C-E !!!

I think I will keep the spare MAIN fuel pump in the car with me as a back up....Woody II is reliable enough to NOT need to carry tools and spare parts.....Woodrow the Third.....NOT SO MUCH....!!!


I have had PLENTY of opportunity to drive in HOT, HUMID, EXHAUST LADEN, B-T-B TRAFFIC...and not a peep out of either of the PUMPS...!!! ...which is N-I-C-E....!!!!

Then; on Monday morning....on the way to work....all excited about having fixed my fuel issues.....at about the 2k mark on my 8k trek to work...one of the SHIFTER BUSHINGS decides to CALL IT QUITS and BUGGERS OFF leaving me with 1st, 3rd, & 4th....making 2nd and Reverse........ WISHFUL THINKING......!!!!

NOTE the FUNKY ANGLE of the GEAR SELECTOR SHAFT COUPLING in relation to the SHIFT LINKAGE on the RIGHT....the coupling shaft NOT being in the CENTRE of the linkage; does NOT allow selection of 2nd or Reverse from the cabin.....

For $7.50 CDN, and some company HOIST time....I put one of THESE back into the equation....

I bought TWO; as the left and right BUSHINGS are IDENTICAL on the LOWER part of the linkage...I installed the one as quickly as I could; just so that I could drive NORMALLY again ("CAN'T YOU &%$#@z TELL I DON'T HAVE A SECOND GEAR...?!?") but, while I was under there....realized, THEY ALL need to be REPLACED...!!! They are all ordered...just waiting for the oblong, upper left bushing, and its dust boot........but THAT will have to WAIT until NEXT TIME...!!!

[alaincopter]

Really enjoying reading your episodes! I don't mean to laugh at other people's disgrace but I gotta say I was rolling reading and picturing the scene at queens quay

It's a a real gem to have the Woody adventures documented here and I really like your writing style - good work you're doing to it too

[KRAMMIT]

Thank you very much for your reply Alain...!! BY ALL MEANS....LAUGH AWAY...!!! Comparatively, THIS THREAD doesn't have a lot of fancy modification going on in it; SO, I am trying to compensate for the MUNDANE PROJECT TOPICS by at least making this an ENTERTAINING READ...!! I am a FIRM believer of being able to LAUGH at YOURSELF...!! Until you learn to DO SO....you shouldn't really consider the option of laughing at others' misfortune....that certainly DOESN'T mean to say that I take relish in finding amusement in OTHERS' MISGIVINGS whenever I can, just because I've learned to LAUGH at my OWN periodic ineptness....however, I DO seem to have a knack for seeing things from a slightly different perspective than most...usually with a CLASS CLOWN type of spin on it...initially viewed as moronic and unnecessary; but, when reviewed, "...well, that IS kinda FUNNY...!"

But MY social STIGMAS aside....I'm GLAD that you ENJOY my episodes and hurdles....I don't imagine that very many people would consider divulging their screw ups to the world...but MISTAKES are merely opportunities lo LEARN....! I recall my grade ten German teacher saying, "VE GIT TOO SOON AULT; UND TOO LATE SCHMART...!!" Which means to say that we DON'T LIVE so long to make ENOUGH MISTAKES of our own....so we SHOULD definitely TRY to learn from the MISTAKES OF OTHERS....!!

For me; that's what this Forum is all about....not so much the mistakes part; but, the learning from OTHERS...!! So, IF you are NOT KEEN on the inevitable HUMILIATION that results from being stalled out in the middle of a VERY BUSY INTERSECTION during PEAK TOURIST SEASON....a little preventive maintenance goes a LOOOONNNGGGG way...!! I KNEW there was something up with the pumps...just wasn't thorough enough in my INITIAL investigation....eventually the problem WILL be resolved; the IDEA being to MINIMIZE the TURMOIL along the way....! Anybody can sign their life away for THIRTY GRAND for the next FIVE YEARS and buy a NEW car and enjoy an, effortless, overpriced, service-fee-laden, motoring experience....Dealerships do NOT make much money on the SALE of a vehicle; they make money on the SERVICING of that vehicle....TRUST me on THAT...!! IT TAKES a person of STRONG CHARACTER to sign up for FOX OWNERSHIP and ALL of the associated EXPERIENCES...such a commitment requiring DEDICATION; and the WILL to do things RIGHT..,..or at LEAST WHATEVER WAY you can MANAGE or AFFORD....: the ALLURE OF THE FOX....!!!

Having said that; I MANAGED to AFFORD some dealer ordered shifter bushings....
This is the UPPER RIGHT "top hat" bushing...


The LOWER BUSHINGS; there are TWO of them, identical, to fit on the gear selector shaft coupling...


Then the 'oblong' bushing; fits into the UPPER LEFT position within the shift linkage assembly...


.....and its' DUSTBOOT......


Now that I have the set....time to take it apart AGAIN...I put this wrench on the nut only for the photo op...I actually used a 13mm socket/ratchet; while holding the head of the bolt with this wrench...

If you notice...there is NO BUSHING on the RIGHT side of the gear selector shaft coupling....

When the nut is removed; the LEFT side of the assembly pretty much falls into your hand...the RIGHT side will do the same once you pry the ball loose from the support rod...


With the two halves of the shift linkage assembly apart and away from the vehicle; the area looks like this...the two shafts are NOT EXACTLY parallel...

This photo ACTUALLY has the gear selector in the REVERSE position from the cabin; but the transmission is actually in FIRST GEAR...!

So, GRAB hold of the selector shaft and...

Move it about until you find reverse...it will be easier to engage the forward gears....there is a SMALL area where NO gears are engaged (N); find neutral, think about how the shifter has to move to get reverse, move the selector shaft in the appropriate direction, and you will eventually hear the telltale "CLICK"; that we all know to be reverse...


Gotta continue this later...just noticed the time...

[KRAMMIT]

On that morning when I was on my way to work; confident that I resolved my FUEL delivery issues, and the shifter bushing CHECKED OUT....I had a DEJA VU just after it happened...well, maybe MORE of a FLASHBACK to two summers ago; I was on my way to see SANTANA at the Molson Amphitheatere with a Hottie from the local "BALLET" (which is ACTUALLY DOUBLY FUNNY; BECAUSE HER STAGE NAME WAS "DEJA" !!!)...no issues all the way down to the venue (on the waterfront), JUST as I was searching for reverse to PARK...SAME SYMPTOMS....!!! When reverse is selected from the cabin; the car actually GOES FORWARD...dude who pulled into the spot beside me said my CLUTCH was gone...I didn't agree because I COULD actually find and engage gears...just NOT the ones that I wanted at the time....with little time to spare to get to the show; I just said, "I'll worry about it AFTER the show...!"

The show was FANTASTIC...!!! We even got in there early enough to catch the last three Steve Windwood tunes...!!! After the show; had to get my BALLERINA friend out to her house on the OTHER side of the city...I learned VERY QUICKLY how to drive the car without 2nd or reverse, so as to NOT look like a PUTZ in front of my date...got her home, then made my own way back across the city along the highway with no problems other than the obvious lack of access to all gears...

The next day...dropped into a couple places that specialize in older VWs (keep in mind this was during a time BEFORE I owned a computer; had NO IDEA THIS FORUM EXISTED...!)...described my problem to them....and heard assorted evaluations from, "You need a new clutch", to "Your transmission is SHOT", then the last guy looked at my car and said, "WOW...! A FOX WAGON....!! Where'd you FIND THIS THING...?!? I used to HAVE ONE OF THESE...!! Nah man, no big deal....check your shifter bushings...!!! Less than TEN BUCKS from the dealership...!" I chose DOOR NUMBER THREE and decided to go with the last guys' diagnosis...

Sure enough...! I asked a tech at work if he had some time if he could look at it...got the car on the hoist...it was the upper right "top hat" bushing that had split, allowing the selector shaft coupling to poke through the bushing...losing the ability to find 2nd or reverse from the cabin...acquired the necessary bushing from the dealer...I (at the time....knowing SFA about ANY of this, thought it was COMPLICATED...!) sat in the drivers seat with the car on the hoist while the tech messed about with the linkage....sorta like being at the DENTIST...your sitting there...you can FEEL stuff being DONE to you...but you can't really picture what's going on......it seemed to be taking a while....I wondered what was taking so long....

NOW that I have PERFORMED the operation MYSELF....I realized the time was used trying to fit the NEW bushing into the bracket....

In order for me to get the bushing into the bracket; I had to compress the open end and fit it into the bracket....the "capped" end won't compress...a bit of silicone lube and some help from a small screwdriver, a table vise, and VOILA...

The above pic is of the LOWER right bushing....My FLASHBACK experience made me think that the "top hat" bushing was gone, as that was the bushing that failed before (on Woody II; this is 'the THIRD' !)....so I bought the wrong bushing...

Since they aren't (on their own) PERISHABLE, it will SOON be installed...

So, just wanting to have all my gears back again; I set the shifter into reverse; moved the selector shaft coupling so that reverse is engaged within the gearbox....then began to assemble the linkage....

AND YES...!! The down pipe IS TOO SHORT making the exhaust rattle against the LINKAGE....MOST ANNOYING....but soon to be remedied when MARK gets back from GREECE....around the middle of August...

Merely content with having access to all gears....I put it back together, having replaced ONLY the lower right bushing....


I drove around as such for about 600 km; noticing it was EASIER to engage SOME gears than OTHERS....likely a result of the NEW bushing in only ONE of FOUR spots.....then got the complete set of replacement bushings; except for the dust boot for the upper right bushing; which is still in decent shape...the UPPER LEFT DUSTBOOT though....needs to go...


The 'oblong' UPPER LEFT bushing didn't look too bad; but, if I have it all apart anyway, and HAVE all the APPROPRIATE pieces....might as well be THOROUGH....


With my trusty 13mm socket/ratchet; dissemble the linkage once more...and this is the LEFT half of the assembly...

This bushing was still in decent shape....but, like I said, It's all apart and I'm already dirty...so might as well RENEW EVERYTHING while I'm in the mood to mess around with it...

Trying to remove the old bushing, which upon closer inspection, was worn on the inside of the business end of things; being QUITE comfortable in its' home; PROVED to be a DIFFICULT REMOVAL just using a screwdriver....until I WISED UP and just CUT THE OLD PIECE out with a knife....Having done this the previous week to the right side of the linkage...I went to the vise with a can of silicone lube and a small screwdriver....had the lower left bushing in the bracket in a few minutes...

The UPPER LEFT 'oblong' bushing was looking pretty USED on the inside of the business end...


Of course the BOOT IS MASHED beyond usability; at least for MY LIKING......happen to have another one right here...


This is the LOWER RIGHT bushing that had been previously replaced ASAP; I WANTED MY SECOND GEAR BACK....!!!! [I see posts of complaints about the (PRETTY DAMN BULLET PROOF!) stock 4-speed gearbox.....TRY DRIVING A 3-SPEED FOX...!!! I'm pretty good at it now...but, NOT without a good deal of PRACTICE...!!]


This is the UPPER RIGHT 'top hat' bushing...easily removed with a knife....


Now when I was trying to get the New 'TOP HAT' bushing in place; I was using the PREVIOUS method of compressing the OPEN end of the bushing and trying to STUFF it through the opening in the bracket....after almost HALF AN HOUR of SCREWING AROUND with this method with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to show for my efforts; except for a couple of NEW PUNCTURES on my left thumb; right near the first knuckle, next to the "web" connecting to my index finger......I looked MORE CLOSELY at the bushing itself; and realized that the BARBS on the cap could be PERSUADED to compress enough to fit through the opening in the bracket....

The lower bushings had enough of an opening; that when compressed, would fit through the opening in the bracket; the UPPER bushings have to go in to the brackets the OPPOSITE WAY...!!! Once I REALIZED THIS....I had all the bushings in the brackets within FIFTEEN MINUTES....!! (I used the silicone lube and a vise...just line up the top of the bushing with the opening in the bracket, squirt some lube on it, turn the crank on the vise making sure that it is going in squarely...then use some pliers to seat the bushing the REST of the way.....the vise will only get the bushing into the bracket so far; but, ENOUGH to make it EZ to finish the job..!)

The LEFT side with NEW bushings...the dust boot just fits easily over the installed bushing...you can see the EJECTED bushing to the right of the bracket....

This is the RIGHT SIDE BRACKET with the bushings fitted...plus the re-used dustboot that was still in decent condition...


The LEFT SIDE; back in place...


The assembly; back together.....new bushings installed...

[*note* the slightly darker colour of the UPPER RIGHT, "top hat" bushing; a sign that I was having a (*&^%$#@ of a time trying to fit a SQUARE-ISH BUSHING into a ROUND HOLE....! ]

NOW....YOU WOULD THINK that this car would be EASY to SHIFT at this point....with all new bushings and so forth.......that's NOT actually the case....the interference caused by the exhaust pipe makes selection difficult on extended drives.....(ie; when the exhaust is HOT) I remember Mack @ Amarz Exhaust telling me that the exhaust moves around under different loads...makes me wonder if my MOTOR MOUNTS are in need of inspection.....if the motor moves....the exhaust is going to move even MORE.....hmmmm....ALL IN DUE TIME.....don't take on too many things at once...pick your battles on your OWN TERMS.....WHERE POSSIBLE....PLUS....on a NOT TOO OPTIMISTIC NOTE....I suspect the CLUTCH may ACTUALLY BE on ITS LAST ROUNDS....maybe a cable adjustment can buy me some time until NEXT SUMMER if need be....but; for now, I am going to own up the shifting difficulty to exhaust interference....

Hmmmm.....seems I have NO MORE PICS to upload......well, as was previously suggested, "NO PICS.....DIDN'T HAPPEN".....!!! Maybe I have a few more.....just to get things up to date....

At some point this summer; I have to turn my attentions to Woody II....he is in DIRE NEED of rear suspension......So I placed an order to German Auto Parts....got some F & S original equipment rear shock absorbers....

TWO THINGS ABOUT GAP: 1) if you live n Canada; the quoted shipping cost will only get your parts to the BORDER.....what they don't tell you is that you will be responsible for a BROKERAGE FEE, DUTY, and HST.....!!! The amount will vary upon your order...just saying...be advised....if the parts are NOT AVAILABLE in your locale; then you need the parts, just be PREPARED if you have a Canadian address for the ADDITIONAL shipping charges....!!! I was happy to get the rear shocks; HOWEVER, they sent me an EMPTY BAG, which should have contained a LOCK NUT for the top of the piston....

2) The warehouse personnel (ORDER PICKERS!) do not inspect prepackaged items for completeness (...like say for instance.....ummm....I dunno....SHOCK ABSORBERS...?!?)
What the hell good does it do to go through the entire procedure of re and re-ing the rear shocks if you don't have the FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE to secure the TOP of the SHOCK....?!? Needless to say I was LESS than IMPRESSED; to have PAID OUT THE YANG for shipping, only o have my order incomplete....but, in all fairness to GAP (who are usually great to deal with!), Justin added a $5 credit to my account for a $1.70 nut to account for the discrepancy...which I STILL had to go to the dealership to acquire....

But that will have to wait for NEXT TIME....as I have read some one say, "I must go and custom fabricate a sandwich for myself"....roast beef I think....yes....also a mountain of laundry needing to be scaled before the next installation....

[KRAMMIT]

The laundry got done; the sandwich was good; but, THAT was OVER TWO WEEKS AGO....!!! I have been VERY LETHARGIC this summer in comparison to LAST....mostly because Woody II didn't have something different to DEAL WITH every week...unlike Woodrow the THIRD...!!!

The SHIFTING on "the THIRD" is still LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE....it may have to do with the exhaust pipe interference....but I think that the linkage needs to be DISSEMBLED once more; I want to try another approach that I read that QuantumSyncro posted in the 'Shifter Linkage Alignment' thread, where, the selector lever is left in N; he said he used a LARGE SOCKET over the shaft and taped it to the tower in the cabin to KEEP IT HELD IN PLACE....the reason why I want to try this approach is that I am having difficulty engaging second sometimes....which may be due to the linkage being locked in place with R engaged...it may not allow smooth access to second due to the offset....until I try it for myself and compare....I won't have an opinion for certain.......another suspicion I have for the ABUNDANCE of PLAY in my shifter is that perhaps the bushing in the linkage between the shift lever and the shift rod; in the Bentleys there is a cylinder shown, haven't had it apart to be able to tell whether it is a nylon bushing or a metal sleeve.....the bushing in the SUPPORT ROD on the transaxle is quite sloppy as well....so, MANY PLACES..... to check for unnecessary PLAY....!!!

As I may have alluded to before....Woody II was an UTTER BOITE DE MERDRE when I bought him...but, wanting to STAY in a VW, I had been driving a Fox Wagon for the past 6 years....I had made ONE GOOD Scirocco from TWO BAD ONES before my HASTENED INTRODUCTION to the FOX.....I could do it AGAIN...!!! (Just in case any body was wondering, "Well, if it was such a POS...why did you BUY IT...?!?")

The place I bought it from; owned by a retired racer named Horst Kroll...(I refer to him as HORST KRAPPPP...but you'll see/read why...) at Kingston Rd. and Kingston Road....(Yeah, I KNOW....'shoulda been SUSPICIOUS RIGHT THERE...!!!)...sold me this car, not only with a big hole in the floor where the spare goes...but CERTIFIED it with the DRIVERS FLOOR not connected to the rocker panel...I was YOUNG and UNAWARE of the whole USED CAR GAME....this SAC O $HINOLA SHOULD NOT BE A LICENSED VENDOR OF MOTOR VEHICLES...!!!

After the FACT...I WAS PISSED...!!! Not only for being Naive and a Schtupp...but felt compelled to toss a MOLOTOV thru the front window of his office.....good thing I RARELY act upon my URGES....his SHOP OF HORRORS is on the OTHER side of the city from me...the BULL$HINE that I went through to be DISSATISFIED was OVERWHELMING...!!! I decided to cut my losses and just DEAL with it....IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW.....aw, why bother...?!? He is probably already WORM-FOOD-PUSHIN-UP-DAISIES by now anyway...what goes around; COMES AROUND....

The silver lining of this story is that I had to replace he rear shocks about two weeks after taking ownership of the vehicle...and through this process; LEARNED A LOT about MANY THINGS; (...like how REAR suspension affects how he FRONT handles; how the tail of the vehicle is ALWAYS A STEP-N-A-HALF BEHIND the rest of the car when the rear shocks are DONE; and how the ASS END of the car, WANTS to get on the highway before YOU DO when its slippery out...!!!) ...but the SLIPPERY SNAKE on the other end of the line HUNG UP ON ME AFTER I CALLED HE AND HIS, EQUALLY-CROOKED, SQUARE-HEADED MECHANIC: BUTCHERS...!!!
The Ministry of Transportation NEEDS to pay him a visit.....AND REVOKE HIS LICENSE TO VEND...!!! I digress...the BUTCHERS did THIS to the plate in the rear shock absorber assembly...


The above is a pic of the underside of the plate (washer) that sits beneath the UPPER SPRING SEAT in the rear suspension....look what he did to the top of the piston on the shock....


This 3" washer is supposed to be TRANSFERABLE...!!! NOT BRAZED TO THE PISTON OF THE SHOCK...!!! I was definitely NOT AMUSED...!!! I remember CUTTING THROUGH the piston with a hacksaw; with the intention of TRAVERSING the CITY; to INSERT IT FORCIBLY...INTO SOME BODILY ORIFICE OF THIS SCHMUCK....!!! Good thing it took me TOOO long to cut through the piston....I MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE DONE IT...!!!


Once again; wonderfully WAY OFF-TOPIC....I get back to the thread....through this ORDEAL at KROLLS AUTO (if you get a chance to buy a car form there....DON'T; ...if you get a chance to TAKE OUT the Porsche in the front with a TOILETBUSTER in the gas tank, lemme know....I MIGHT HAVE ONE...!!) I learned the value of the RING...!!! (NO...NOT THAT RING...! ["...preshyous..."])

There is supposed to be a ring that fits over the circlip on the piston....


I have heard RUMOURS that, in Southern climates, these rings are REUSEABLE...let me ASSURE YOU....in the land of TOXIC SLUSHIES....these are one-time use only....

THIS....is the RING....

...without the RING....I have found that the PISTON is allowed to TRAVEL up into the CABIN or TRUNK...

It just clears the threads nicely...


....until it gets to here...where the circlip prevents it from sliding further....


There it sits....ready for another 4-5 years of service....

(But ONLY IF I get off my butt in the next 4-5 WEEKS...!!)

I had been getting them from Henry (Frisco) for $6 ea...they are only $3 from the dealer when ordered prepaid...(how else would you get them?) Henry better have me over for dinner someday....I am FURNISHING his RETIREMENT...this is the VW part number in the event that anyone is interested...


These two particular rings are going into Woody II; I am still waiting for a couple more parts (bump stops) before going into surgery...only makes sense to do it once...properly...

In the bag where I discovered the Kroll Orifice Accessory; I found a bolt for the bottom of the shock...

...Kinda makes me want to look for something .....STRONGER...!! Wish I had an AFTER pic...

It is definitely the right size for the job...'at least I have something to go shopping WITH!'


But, that will have to wait until next time...its past my bedtime...AGAIN.....and on a SCHOOL night no less...!!

[KRAMMIT]

During the two weeks that I didn't make a post...I DID manage to take in the second day of HEAVY T.O.....there was a GREAT DEAL of rain on the first day of the show (Marilyn Manson; Slipknot) that I DIDN'T have tickets for....a link to some pics....click on "view as slideshow" for best result:

http://s1106.photobucket.com/albums/...cpZZ1QQtppZZ16

There is also a one-minute video (camera restrictions!) after the pics...
I have a couple more videos as well...still yet to extract them from my iPod...

Just to make this a vehicle related post; Woodrow the Third, performed well, in that he got us to the show and back; while also guarding the cooler for after the show...also made the journey across the city to drop Dan near the DVP by his place; I live near the airport, about a 60 km (37.5 mi) difference round trip....no issues....that I was paying attention to anyway; it was a GREAT DAY that ended for me about 6am the following morning....outdoor shows are a BLAST...!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM...!!!

[KRAMMIT]

So, as I was sitting here in my hangout (...my garage...kinda looks like a scene from one of those Popcap Hidden Object games...."The Case Of The Lost Cause".....!!);


I was enjoying the seventh episode of season five of Breaking Bad...(GREAT SHOW!)....I, for whatever reason, just decided OUT OF THE BLUE....TO HIT PAUSE....it was as though something within me said, "Go start Woody II and drive him around the block...!" I have been starting the car every couple of days; to keep the engine seals moist, throughout the summer...haven't really been driving him much because of the lack of decent shock absorbing ability in the rear, and also the lack of adequate road coverages....probably the WORST thing for a car....just sitting....like a kiss of death....my mind is REELING with all sorts of CLICHES and EXISTENTIAL COMPARISONS....but I will SPARE YOU the SCATTERED THOUGHT PATHS that seem to HAUNT my HEAD....suffice it to say that the LACK of feeling NEEDED; DECREASES the WILL TO LIVE......USE IT OR LOSE IT....(stop that!)....YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE; UNTIL IT'S GONE....(quit it!)....at any rate; I took Woody II for a spin....

I was busy MARVELING at how well and EASILY he shifts...the other day; Woodrow the Third was giving me hassles finding 2nd gear...I got PISSED and forcibly TOOK 2nd gear with the shifter; and heard/felt something snap/crack/ no pop (unless you FIND 2nd gear and LET GO of the shifter), then it feels as though the shifter POPS out of gear; but the transmission is still in 2nd, just the SHIFTER POPS out of place....a MOST UNUSUAL feeling; but, actually makes the car MORE DRIVEABLE somehow....I scooped the shifter housing from Woody I last week...(that post will be soon to follow)

Smooth shifting aside...about three quarters through my test route; I decided to put the heat on and check that every thing circulates properly...I turned the fan on, had the temp set at cool and all I could smell was something that reminded me of the smell of the INSIDE OF A BICYCLE INNERTUBE...!!! AWWW...THIS ISN'T GOOD...!!!! Of course, being curious to see what would happen with some heat, I slid the lever to hot, turned the fan to high....there is supposed to be HEAT.....WHERE'S THE HEAT...?!? Oh....I SEE THE HEAT IS STILL IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT (the temp gauge is 15/16 full...no flashing light...!!) UH-OH...THIS IS NEW...something oily/greasy is blowing out of the vents....AND ALL UP MY ARM...what the...? COOLANT...!!! OF COURSE...why not.....
It got all over everything...driving home trying not to touch the greasy shifter was a challenge....got home; parked it....what a mess...


...It dripped into the storage area...


...pooled in the vents...


...what's that BEIGE thing in there...?


It looks to be a PRESTONE FLAVOURED MAPLE KEY....!!!


Well, at least there isn't any collection on the DRIVERS' SIDE footwell...

Woody I, as I recall, back in early May of '01.....IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SURGERY....he had a HEART TRANSPLANT....and upon being cleared for release from Dr. Jons' place.....not 400 yards down the road....decided to BARF UP his COOLING SYSTEM CONTENTS ALL OVER MY SHINS AND ANKLES....I WAS LIVID...!!!!! Not to mention; quite LITERALLY......STEAMED...!!! I remember making quite the scene at the foot of someones' driveway...."I give you a NEW ENGINE and THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME...?!?" After my rant; I decided to GO FOR BROKE and poured all the water I had on board into the reservoir....hit the highway...and was home in fifteen minutes...got into the driveway....and shut him down...! I think I made it home safely; there were no leaks...other than the one assaulting the driver...the motor was strong...TOO STRONG for the cooling system apparently....this would have ALL BEEN FINE at the time; but, I had been ASSIGNED as the TRANSPORTATION to a TOOL SHOW at the HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM in NEW YORK CITY for three other FANS......in a WEEK....to make a WICKED WEEKEND SAGA short (if you manage to meet me IN PERSON; I'll tell you the FULL LENGTH version!!), I was OVERJOYED to learn of the OPEN-END RECALL on heater cores for Foxes; once I found an AVAILABLE dealership, had the operation performed GRATIS (BEST KIND!); made the 15 hr trip to NYC (its much shorter, but there were MANY STOPS along the way! {Full Length Version!}); WITNESSED THE MOST LIFE-ALTERING PERFORMANCE I had experienced, of a BAND that I had NEVER SEEN....then returned to my ordinary, mundane, existence.....(wow...how did I get here...?)....oh YEAH....NO COOLANT on the feet...

However, in the passengers' footwell....different story....

....the telltale signs of needing a HEATER CORE.....BUT, THAT WILL HAVE TO WAIT...
....until next time...it's late...!

[KRAMMIT]

So I haven't made a post for a couple of weeks; mainly due to an ANNOYING rear brake problem....a while ago I noticed a WUB-WUB-WUB coming from the rear right wheel...I suspected wheel bearings....sure enough, when inspected, they were showing signs of wear...scoring on the races...and the grease was all broken down...

So I bought NEW drums....


....and had a couple wheel bearing kits in stock....


First I had to go FORAGING in my Dads' tool chest for this...


...THEN had to brush upon my German....


Some UNSUCCESSFUL recollection forced me to flip the page to find the English version...




"....tempered for hard use and long life." I'll say....I wasn't EVEN A THOUGHT in 1959...


Here is what is in the set....


Now to choose the correct size to seat the race...figures; the largest one for 200mm drums (Wagon)


Seems to fit....maybe a little TOO well...! As I recall, I think it'll get stuck if inserted to far...


I use an old race from a worn out bearing....




...flipped up side down to help seat the new race in the new drum....


...lining it up EVENLY is a MUST...


...it'll swim around a bit initially...


....but when you feel it grab instead of swim...


...a couple gentle TAPS from your favourite persuader....


...and the drifting tool...


...and the race should be seated properly....make sure to check from the other side of the drum that it is SEATED FULLY...


...keep the bearing seal handy...


...it'll go here after the grease-packed bearing is in place....


The outer bearing race is inserted the same way...using the appropriate seating tool...


...this side is easier due to more selection of sizes of seating tools...


Now, you would think, with new drums, new bearings that this would be a simple swap and re-grease.....so did I.....not the case....

But that will have to wait until next time....(hopefully it will be resolved by then...!!!
....yeah....this has been going on for a couple of weeks now...)

[KRAMMIT]

I JUST finished putting it all back together for about the fifth time....I must say I am getting pretty GOOD at it...."Ubungen macht den Meister...!" ...as Herr Erdmann (R.I.P.)would say...."Practice makes the master" is the literal translation...

After TWO WEEKS (and 500 km)of dragging my ass end around town...I have managed to get the rear braking system to work properly...I just did a couple laps around the block WITHOUT any binding; the drums are COOL to the touch, (the right one would STEAM if I spit water on it...!!!), and the wheels now LOCK with TWO clicks (AND ALSO RELEASE FULLY) of the parking brake lever....and NOT;....STILL SLIDING.....!! ...while pulling the lever OUT OF THE FLOOR....as it used to be.....

I only had the presence of mind to take a couple pics....but they will likely be included in my upcoming, 'HOW NOT TO DO REAR BRAKES: FYITA' segment...........(still laughing...!)

It was only a MONDAY...but a productive one.............too tired too type.....time to drift off to some nice, relaxing, soothing......MuDvAyNe.......bye for now....

[KRAMMIT]

Well, it has been nearly a MONTH to the DAY since I made the ABOVE, PREMATURE POST about having made the rear braking system WORK PROPERLY; the system may have worked properly for my lap or two around the block....but the test lap didn't include driving instances such as: FORTY DEGREE SLOPES with a STOP SIGN at the bottom of the hill; or JACKASS DRIVERS who CUT YOU OFF then SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES...; or Construction Zone Traffic Knobs with STOP signs in their hands that VAULT out into traffic and decide YOU must stop...; or a half dozen OTHER things that happened to me on my way to work the next morning that caused me to have to hit the brakes harder than I would have liked (a TWO TIRED SQUIRREL was NOT ONE of them...!)....needless to say....by the time I got to work (only 8.5 km away), my rear right drum was STEAMING HOT...!!

A pic of the OLD DRUM....


TIME TO GET TO IT...!!! Chock the front wheels at the end of my driveway...




I like to lay down a piece of FLEX (banner material: two layers of 4mil vinyl, with a fibreglass scrim or screen sandwiched between) beneath my operation so as not to SOIL the sidewalk with the ABUNDANCE of CRAP that I manage to knock loose from under my cars...


I have never jacked up a SEDAN; but, I would surmise that the same approach is needed to get the car up in the air.....I don't have a SUPER LONG JACK HANDLE (...that's a bit PERSONAL; don't you think...?!?), so I find it MUCH EASIER to get to the axle beam from the right side of the car...


I suppose....depending upon one's own particular exhaust configuration...if you had a left side exit, there would be better access from the rear....anyway, my exhaust configuration basically follows the STOCK (/LAME!) set up...also depending on the size of your jack; gotta be VERY CAREFUL of the fuel system components while gaining access from the right side...especially if the floor of your Fox isn't at the stock HEIGHT anymore...for whatever reason.....mine happens to be DETERIORATION; but I hear people LOWER their cars INTENTIONALLY......as the Bentleys points out; ALWAYS USE AXLE STANDS...!!! One on the right...


And another for the left...

...an elderly couple strolling from the apartments across the street reminded me to BE CAREFUL and NOT, "...end up like THAT YOUNG MAN over on Princess Margaret Blvd who got CRUSHED by his Honda...!", ...I assured them that I was taking every precaution to NOT let that happen... a few years ago; in an adjacent neighbourhood, a young dude in his twenties was using only the jack to support the car.......TRAGIC ANYWHERE....but more of an IMPACT when it happens LOCALLY........the lesson to be LEARNED HERE: never trust JACK by himself...!!! ...and also GOOD to have a BUDDY present while you're working....just saying...

So with Woodrow the THIRD up in the air....


I took off the rear left wheel (...to SIT ON, as I do...) and the drum to find....

....that the shoes are practically UNUSED...now, keep in mind that these pics are from the INITIAL TIME that I took the rear brakes apart (...I have made a separate post asking advice since...) and it had been about SIX YEARS since I had considered doing a brake service on my Wagon, so, when I saw the cylinder NOT LEAKING; I was content that it was functioning properly because it wasn't SOAKED with brake fluid....and left it alone at this point....BIG MISTAKE...!!!

Damn! It's almost TWO AM....!!! Trust me when I say that I don't want to INTERRUPT my pictorial presentation here....but, again.....it's a SCHOOL NIGHT....!! I want to get back up to date; there is SO MUCH MORE TO FOLLOW....I mean a LOT....and that's just what I can see I have parts for......'zum nachste zeit...! Bis spater...!!

[KRAMMIT]

So, as I begin this segment, to set the timeline, this took place on the first weekend in September....Nice, Sunny afternoon...got the rear left drum off to reveal the BARELY WORN shoes....this is also the FIRST time I have had the rear brakes apart (since I have OWNED the car) to see what state the rear brakes are in...


The axle doesn't show any signs of HEAVY SCORING, though there are some discolourations...it was still SMOOTH to the touch...


The drum looks as though it hasn't seen any FRICTION for quite some time.....again, BARELY USED...!!


This needs replacing....I usually get about two or three uses out of one, or until it looks as such...


The wheel cylinder LOOKS good; however I am only basing that on the NO VISIBLE LEAKS approach...


At any rate; it's about time these parts were REPLACED...keep them on hand for future consideration....


I set up my NEW assembly (minus the adjusting bar and wedge) with springs, etc...


....got the new wheel bearings ready to go....


...the new drum with the races already seated....both inner and outer......


.....ah, what the hell....here's the new drum as well....


Time to get these rusty things off...


I can't tell the difference...can YOU tell the DIFFERENCE...?



I did have a bunch of pics getting the shoes off...but after having the assemblies apart over a half dozen times inside of three weeks....I deemed the pics quite useless....the EASIEST way to get the shoes away from the backing plate; after the retaining springs are removed; that I FOUND, was to use a medium sized, flat head screwdriver....and insert it upwards between the LEADING shoe and its' support, at the bottom of the assembly; find a decent bite, and firmly pry TOWARDS the FRONT of the car.....TAKING CARE NOT TO HURT the rubber BOOTS on the WHEEL CYLINDER with the top edges of the shoes in the process....to unseat the bottom of the brake shoe assembly....

...If the parking brake cable has been disengaged from the lever, (like it describes in step three of the Bentley), the assembly pretty much falls into your hand.....

Of course, I didn't peruse the Bentley prior to having at it...."I know how to do these rear brakes....I did them SIX YEARS AGO".....and that served me right....but was only a small part of the equation...the first time this was apart, the shoes got replaced; the second time it came apart was to replace the parking brake cable that I thought was the reason for the brakes binding the first time around...but, I don't want to get ahead of myself here...

The old shoes to come off...


Because I neglected to disconnect the Parking brake lever; there is a great deal MORE tension on the cables' return spring...being careful not to damage that little plastic washer...I suspect it keeps the spring from melding itself to the lever....


So with the shoes on the ground; just had to transfer the adjusting bar and the wedge to the new shoes....


I just left the needle nose vise grips on the cable until ready to put the new assembly back on...


Unseat the end of this spring and the two shoes will separate....


Then detach the lever from the arm...




...to get THIS piece in your hand....


THIS SPRING; and the BOTTOM SPRING seem to have the most tension...I like to wear gloves and ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION when messing around with my cars....(had to go to the hospital when I was in my twenties to get a piece of RUST OUT OF MY EYE...!!! As MUCH FUN as that was; NEVER AGAIN will I go under the car WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION...!!!)

A squeeze with the "WILDE"s....


...to get the spring to this point....


....where it can be unseated relatively easily with a flat blade screwdriver....


.....aw nutz....it's after 1:30 in ze morgen.....I must become UNSEATED FROM IN FRONT OF MY COMPUTER....that's it for now....time for some EYELID THEATRE......!!! I wonder what's playing.....