Friday, September 9, 2011

1st and 2nd back in gear

Well, after trying to figure out all the wrong ways why 1st and 2nd gear weren't working, I finally got some sound advice from the guys over at Wolfgang's (smart guys over there). I tried adjusting the clutch - to no avail. I made sure the bushing up front was in working order, and the two connections for the shifting linkage were in excellent working condition. The one thing I couldn't figure out was the "fence" that keeps the shifter in the right place at the floorboard. You see, the incredibly smart German engineers that developed my Type 2 Volkswagen as a commercial vehicle to move heavy loads around the city in really narrow alleyways, also thought it was important to have smooth easy shifting. Underneath this seemingly thin piece of sheet metal is a very thick piece of stamped steel to create a fence in the floorboard.


The fence keeps the steel ball at the bottom side of the shifter from chewing up the floorboard when those big burly deliver guys were shifting all the time - watching out for cyclists at every cross street.


That light gray piece between the black holder and the spring is the fence. That machined ring around the shift rod slides against it to give it the perfect placement for 1st and 2nd gear. If the fence is off by a few millimeters - it won't work.

One more thing - a 13mm wrench will fix just about anything on a VW - just about.



My next project will be to get my driver's seat back in where it should be. I have been driving around on a few Mexican blankets for the last several months.


Until next time...

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

First and Second are Missing

Well, here I thought Nellie would be fixed with just a few turns of the clutch adjustment wingnut, but the problem looks to be a bit more complicated.


I worked on the linkage for just a few minutes, and found some loose spots, but to no avail. I suppose this will just have to wait until after my next trip. Let's just say you need 1st and 2nd gear are pretty important in Redding - considering the amount of hill-stops. Starting out in 3rd was getting to be a little nerve-racking.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Enter Nellie - my 65 VW Bus

First Post -

Nellie is what I named my 1965 VW Bus sometime in the first year I owned her - 1988. Why Nellie? Just seemed good at the time. She isn't very fast, probably 55-60 hp - I can get her going 60mph on a flat freeway with no wind. I have another blog - Gate 87A - where I share about my travels around the US. My work takes me all over the country visiting universities and banks with regards to higher education lending. With this blog, I will share the "Great Adventures" of Nellie while I am at home in Northern California.

Here is a picture of my precious:


I am looking forward to sharing about her adventures - every time I take her out - it is an adventure. Like the one we had today:

Mrs. Smith and I were out and about at 7am this morning touring the city for great finds TheSmithHotel. We did fill up Nellie's appetite with a desk, glass-paned door, large baskets, a night stand, and many other wonderful objects with creepy spiders on them. We got some fuel - which Nellie liked. Then on our way home, she started acting up while shifting into 2nd gear. Not sure what happened with that adjustment, but we did make it home, and after she cooled down from a hard morning's work, I was able to adjust the clutch a bit so she would begin shifting again with no problems.

It just goes to show that you never know what the next great adventure will be. Stay tuned for more of Nellie's Great Adventure...