Collections vs. accumulations, was Re: How many collectors?

From: jpero_at_sympatico.ca <(jpero_at_sympatico.ca)>
Date: Sat Jan 19 21:33:33 2002

> Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 22:26:49 -0800 (PST)
> From: Ethan Dicks <erd_6502_at_yahoo.com>
> Subject: RE: Collections vs. accumulations, was Re: How many collectors?
> To: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
> Reply-to: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org

> Unfortunately, the 1975 Bus was not well maintained. Among the
> wiring repairs, I had to resolder the leads into the cold-start
> injector socket, because when I pulled the boot back to inspect
> the wiring, the wires came out with virtually no force - the boot
> was cut and taped... it looked as if someone else pulled them out,
> then stuffed the bare wire ends into the backs of the crimp pins
> and held it together with electrical tape. I wish that was the only
> thing I'd found like that, but it wasn't (wire-nuts and 14 ga wire,
> 300% too long, wadded and stuffed down behind the air handler, yadda,
> yadda, yadda).

Amazing! Do you know you may have some luck at junkyards? And
there's newsgroup you might know of related to old bugs and buses?

rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled

There you go. Been a lurker there for years, people there is
wonderful and knows where to get oddball stuff. No, I don't own any
kind of vehicles YET.

> In any case, since I own two mid-1970s EFI microbuses, I'd love to have
> a spare EFI brain of the vintage. They are essentially analog computers
> with about 300 discrete components, but documentation is scant. They
> could be repaired in a pinch, but I don't think anyone has reverse-
> engineered one, so debugging would suck.

If that 300 parts, this sounds like fairly big ECU box? Most of
current and 10 year old ECUs are about 1 foot square by 3" thick or
smaller than that.

My friend had '72 bus came w/ EFI originally on pancake 2.0L but he
tore out EFI and used twin carbs and 009. Worked out ok but when we
met and one or two years later, I commented to him if that he kept
the EFI in there and diagnosed things correctly, he would have a
wonderful bus w/ smooth running engine years to come. Soon after,
instead he traded it away for '68 Mercedes 300D. Nice car but HEAVY
and what a boat. Diesel in straight 5 engine, loads of torque. Bit
of a lope at idle, due to one of injector firing wrong amount of
fuel. :-)

I'm indifferent to his whirlwind of stuff he does or does not too
well but for me, I vowed to do things correctly on vehicles, that
does matter if one chose a vehicle that is not so troublesome and so
$$$ on upkeep. I know because I help him out on his jettas for last
3 years so far.

VWs of late 80's and later era is expensive on parts and bit fussy on
upkeep plus they don't wear well if not on good upkeep. The worst
thing on friend's pair of Jettas, both needs rear calipers bec all
set of 4 has seized parking brakes. Cost is about 150 EACH, oh yeah
don't ask about cost of discs...both needed good set of them.

That's why I chose to stick to Chyrsler and it's siblings (Eagle,
etc), must be manual stick or 3 speed auto, mid-size or smaller,
4cyl (not 2.6L), for my first vehicle. Yes, I'm on both mailing list
for minivans and EEK, researches on chyrslers.

Someday, I'll take a old VW as hobby car. :-)

> -ethan

Cheers,

Wizard
Received on Sat Jan 19 2002 - 21:33:33 GMT