So I ran down the problems for the fuel in the crankcase. I believe that the extreme tow angle, couple with a weak needle valve were the culprits. I rebuilt the carb, drained and changed the oil, and there isn't any fuel in the crankcase anymore.

I went on to time and tune the engine, which led to an idle issue. A very common problem with a 1600 dual port is that there are quite a few things, and combinations of things that will cause a bad idle. I started down the list:

Idle jet and circuit in the carb clean and free of debris. Check.
Solenoid cutoff valve operational. Check.
Vacuum leaks at manifold, or on certain points on the carb. Check.

I checked over and over and pulled the carb on and off again and again, checking everytime I thought of a new possible cause. While reading over at TheSamba.com I found this article:

http://www.aircooledtech.com/34pict3_modification/

It explains how to modify the throttle plate to create more vacuum through the idle circuit, pull more fuel and correct the idle issue. Let's just say I did it and it works.

With it running smooth as silk, I went ahead and rewired the lights, oil sending circuit, generator light and reinstalled the dash. It is starting to come together like a dream.

Bus Story - The origin of my Westy

So We loaded up the little 74 Beetle and headed to Augusta, GA where we traded for our new 1970 VW Westfalia Day Camper.

The guy in the pictures is Tom (From North Carolina). Great guy. He has many of the same interests I do.

I never dreamed I would be able to get a bus. Always wanted one. Don't know why it worked out now, but I sure am thankful. The pictures tell the story.

Now that it is home, I am doing a safety inspection to ensure it won't hurt me, or my passengers. Right now we have a fuel problem. The fuel is leaking into the oil pan which thins out the oil and can cause engine failure. It is possible that it's trip down on the car dolly may have cause fuel to leak through the needle valve into the heads. The tow dolly carries it on an extreme nose high angle, and research indicates that these engines do not like to be stored non-level. Let's hope so, otherwise I'll have to save up for a rebuild. Here are some more pictures.

The Bus Chronicles Begin

Hard to believe I haven't posted anything in 2 years. Time gets away. The thing I want to blog about now is my latest acquisition. A 1970 VW Westfalia.

More to come soon.

Bikeweek 09

Yes, I went to Bikeweek with my wife. We ride a 2006 Honda VTX1300R.







We have had several motorcyles, all harleys. This is the first Honda I have had since my Honda 400 back in the 80's.



It rides nice, is loud and has enough power to be safe.





So we went to bikeweek in Daytona and stayed at the Thunder Gulch campground. Nice place run by a nice lady. We had to pay $68 a night, which was about half of what everyone else was charging.



We took off the first morning and visited Destination Daytona. It is at US1 and I-95 near Ormond Beach. Very cool place. There is JP Cycles, Daytona Harley Davidson, Triumph, Ultimate Seats, a trike shop and a bunch of other vendors. I bought a hamburger, a hot dog and 2 drinks for $17. What a deal!

School Days Part 2

Here are pictures from my other class... Intro to TV Production. It is at Deerwood Center. Very cool class. Cool location. Cool instructor.

The studio is well-equipped. Enough to satisfy the needs of ESPN2. They film the SEC Update there on Wednesdays. Very cool.

This will be one of the tougher classes I think. When your Final Exam is based directly on your performance producing a show... you can't bluff your way through.

School Days Part 1

For everyone who has been wanting me to share my school experience, here are some pictures from my graphic design class. You will first notice the halls I come down are displaying works of art. I like it.







The computer lab is ful of Mac computers, which is alright if you are one of those Mac people I suppose. PC Mac, it's all the same to me. The power is in the software, which runs on either.



Art is not limited by brand names, or a particular revision of software, or the latest greatest new piece of equipment. Art is your expression making its way out into the real world for other people to enjoy.

Gizmos

I received my new wireless flash triggers today. All the way from Hong Kong.





$29.99 worth of fun.








Although they look like every other great picture from a Nikon. These two were taken using 2 flash units at 12 ft from subjects. Triggered by my fancy new gizmos. The lense was approx. 8 ft from the nose of the dog.

In particular, notice the reflection in the eyes. (Hint: if you blow it up you can see the photographer.)