Ever have one of those days?
Friday was one for me.
The indicator switch on my '68 Land Rover ute was buggered and the RHS indicator was jammed on.....yup, you could turn the LHS on but the RHS just kept going.
Next time you whinge about how hard your brand of parts are to find spare a thought for Land Rover owners.
Anyhow, I couldn't very well roam the streets in that as eventually the cops pull you up for driving with your hazard lights on.
Then our VW Bus, which is the family car and the missus drives every day, blows the starter motor.
So 2 cars not working.
A friend very kindly lent us their Nissan Maxima; it's a nice car and we really needed one to get around but I felt like a class traitor driving it.
Now, I've successfully replaced a starter on a '77 2.0 litre Bus before so I thought it couldn't be that hard.
I should point about now that tools and me have an uneasy truce - I don't touch them and things don't get broken and I don't get hurt.
As such this sort of attempt is for me akin to juggling chainsaws naked.
Nevertheless I managed to pick up a replacement starter on Saturday afternoon and started to try and remove the busted one until the light failed.
That proved to be more difficult than I remembered.
Then I also remembered that on the '77 Bus there was a hatch by which to access the engine bolt which passes through the bell housing.
After some phone calls and tips on how to get it out I had another crack at it this afternoon when I got home from some other commitments.
There is so little room I needed to get the take the RHS air cleaner off to get at it.
After much grunting and cursing under my breath I managed to get the busted unit out from under the car and then carefully assessed exactly which way to get the replacement in.
The lower nut is easy; it attaches to a stud in the bell housing, but the engine bolt is as difficult to put back in as it is to get out.
First I tried to get my eldest son Bryn, who is 4 1/2 to hold the bolt in while I snaked my hand behind the fan housing.
 


 
The little guy did his best and he had been a tremendous help with spanners (thank goodness he can count to 17!) but his arms just aren't long enough.
Plus being under there was freaking him out a little - although not so much he didn't want to climb under there again later on.
So I had to call in the heavy artillery.....the missus.
I wasn't real keen on that.
If it falls on me, well, no great loss - I suck at changing nappies and my life insurance is ok.
But geez, we'd miss her and more people would turn up to her funeral so the caterers would charge more.
However like most things she does she was happy enough to have a go and did it well.
 

 
In fact she was so good that when it came to tighten up the engine bolt and I couldn't locate the nut properly because my forearm was rubbed raw from the fan housing she stuck her hand over and tightened it up for me.
And I mean tight......I could only move it about an inch when I gave it a final check.
 

 
So then it was just a case of crawling back under it, hooking up the wires, putting the heater hose on and then getting back out and putting the air cleaner back on the RHS carb and connecting up the battery.
 



 
The result? She fired up first time no probs!! :D
And yes, the missus did take that last shot with a coin in mind.......  
Anyhow, the moral to the story is that a family who fixes VWs together stays together.
Now all I need is a Land Rover wiper switch! :undecided:
 
P.S. Stayed tuned for the next family project....pulling an old 36HP out of SUPER rusty Country Buggy.

Your description of you and tools reminds me of my friend Mark. He readily insists that him and a 1/2 inch wrench are one of the most dangerous weapons known to mankind.

Really sharplooking head mechanic you got there, his Mom aint bad either.

Mate, you're lucky that your good lady wife is so talented.
 
Maybe you should ask her to fix the Landie for you.
 
At least you had the customary beer beside you while you worked.

Yeah, I am lucky.
My missus is a top bird.
If I had the parts I'd fix the Landy myself in about 15 minutes.
BTW, what do you think of the pin striping on the VW?
 
P.S. If Ol' John looks at this post he may notice that I'm using one of the desert camo beer coozies(sp?) he sent me with "Where is Castell?" on it.

Quote from: kombi1976;85080BTW, what do you think of the pin striping on the VW?
 

I hadn't notice that untill you pointed it out.  Looks great. What is the symbol on the back?

Well, I've always liked the DAK (Deutsches Afrika Korps) symbol of the swastika over the palm tree.
But I'm no Nazi sympathiser and swastikas tend to make you a lot of enemies and the wrong sort of friends.
So I sat down about 18 months ago now and began to think about how to alter it but retain the military flavour of it.
Originally I was going to swap the Swastika for an original KDF symbol - basically a VW symbol with teeth around the outside making it resemble a cog or gear.
But a mob in the US had already used that combination so I looked for other things.
I do have a very cool crossed rifles and shield design but the missus drives the Split every day and she didn't like the guns on it so the rifles went and the shield stayed.
It's very subtle but looks the part, especially with the pinstriping.
There's also some very understated stuff around the indicators at the front so I'll post better pics for you to check out.
A guy whose daughter I used to teach did the work and he does a lot of stuff for hot rods and "bobber" bikes.
At present he's making me up a little black plate to mount on the front bumper like they have on military vehicles.
It'll have the palm-tree-over-shield on it with a "2" in gothic script below as VW buses are Type 2s.
Eventually I have some other stuff siqnwritten with a "Jägdwagen" theme, which basically means "hunting wagon" although very roughly.
It's sort of a mishmash of Jägdpanzer, which were tanks that were specially designed to seek and destroy other tanks and played a leading role in Rommel's Afrika campaign, and Volkswagen.
Which explains why it was painted in desert colours this way in the first place.

Kombi,
I've only personally known one Australian woman, and she was a heck of a mechanic too.  Said she was the only girl in a family full of brothers and grew up in the outback, she didn't exactly have Barbie dolls to play with.  Good deal getting yours to help out there, and extra set of hands is a must a lot of times, and it's gonna be a few years before your son gets big enough to be an asset.

Kombi,

Good on ya, neighbor(mate)! You Aussie's are adept and good to see the Mrs(better half!) and young'n working together to solve daily problems that arise!:biggthumpup:

Dog-gone! That "Castell coozie" was so camoflaged I darn near missed it! I will drink a "brew" in you and your families honor this evening(any excuse, you know).

Thanks for the "pm" concerning your further adventures down under!:biggthumpup:

Your "amigo" in Castell, Texas!!

Ol' John:Banghead:

PS. Weather has cooled down a bit in my part of the world, so its time to cook up the first batch of Texas-style CHILI this weekend!

Quote from: LLANOJOHNKombi,
Good on ya, neighbor(mate)! You Aussie's are adept and good to see the Mrs(better half!) and young'n working together to solve daily problems that arise!:biggthumpup:

Fortunately they aren't daily problems; in fact it's the first real problem we've encountered since the resto.
But yes, I really want to get my little guys having a go at mechanics.
My father is hopeless - give him a hammer and a box of nails and 99 out of 100 the nail he hits will be his thumbnail.
My mother is a hack and fixed things in a dodgy way because he couldn't.
So I'm trying to give my kids a head start.

Quote from: LLANOJOHNDog-gone! That "Castell coozie" was so camoflaged I darn near missed it! I will drink a "brew" in you and your families honor this evening(any excuse, you know).

I know the feeling.
I drank a brew to you too this evening......well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Quote from: LLANOJOHNThanks for the "pm" concerning your further adventures down under!:biggthumpup:

Any time.
Thought you'd appreciate it.

Quote from: LLANOJOHNPS. Weather has cooled down a bit in my part of the world, so its time to cook up the first batch of Texas-style CHILI this weekend!

Well, hot or cold I make my own brand of chili.
We had it tonight actually and the kids practically inhaled it!
Anything Mexi-style with  guacamole, rice, cheese AND sour cream has them going hard.
Now, you say it's getting cold again.
Did I send you a coffee mug last time?
If not I'll chuck one in the post for you.
Of course, it'll have the Big Merino on it. :D

kombi,

As to the "Merino" coffee cup..no..but I do have the shot glass you sent with the "Merino" emblem attached.  Did you ever locate the "Cougar" shot glasses?

Really glad to hear the whole family likes chili...!!!!:biggthumpup:

YUMMY!  and good for ya also!  I will send you a PM later with my new address and, if you would, send me your current address also!

Take care and best regards to the family!

Ol' John:Banghead:

A pair of ramps or some blocks and a jack would make that job easier, but good job gettin' er done. That little bottle of "lubricant" on the side can help on tough jobs. My kids love to "help" me too - sometimes it even speeds things up. My wife knows a thing or two about a wrench also. She has even replaced her own CV shafts on her car by herself! Right now I have a 90 b2200 Mazda I need to tune up, change fluids, bleed the brakes, put on a topper and get it sold. If I get $600 for it I'll be happy. I bought it for $1000 4 years ago and the only things I have done(besides normal maintenance) were fixing brakes and a muffler. Bought a 93 b2600i 4x4 for $1500 and don't need to pay insurance and license for 3 vehicles so off it goes. Have fun! I know I will.

Thanks for the reminder about those shot glasses.
I'll begin looking immediately.

I ususally wait 'til after the repairs are over before I get out the "lubricant". My hands after the life they've had are stupid enough without adding "lubricant".

My 2 boys were and still are a lot of help in the shop. With RJ Jr. in the 82nd Airborne now and RJ the younger going to collage full time it's hard to get some help sometimes, but the little Mrs. does manage to get a bit of grease under fingernails now and again.

Great pics kombi.

RJ

Quote from: LvrLoverA pair of ramps or some blocks and a jack would make that job easier, but good job gettin' er done.

For the record it WAS up on jack stands. :undecided:
It's pretty low, especially at the front.
I've scraped the steering box more than once.

QuoteThat little bottle of "lubricant" on the side can help on tough jobs.

I saved the lubricant until I was almost finished. Like RJ I need no help getting confused!

QuoteMy kids love to "help" me too - sometimes it even speeds things up. My wife knows a thing or two about a wrench also. She has even replaced her own CV shafts on her car by herself!

My eldest was actually very helpful. Mind you, his little brothers would've been less helpful. A fair bit less actually. And the missus is up for most things. Geez, she married me! :D

QuoteRight now I have a 90 b2200 Mazda I need to tune up, change fluids, bleed the brakes, put on a topper and get it sold. If I get $600 for it I'll be happy. I bought it for $1000 4 years ago and the only things I have done(besides normal maintenance) were fixing brakes and a muffler. Bought a 93 b2600i 4x4 for $1500 and don't need to pay insurance and license for 3 vehicles so off it goes. Have fun! I know I will.

Ahhh, Mazdas.
Mazda been crazy when I bought it!
Nah, just kidding.
Ford's line of smaller pickups sold here with the 2.6l turbo diesel are actually
rebadged Mazdas and although I'd hesitate to buy an older Mazda the news ones are quite good.
BTW, what is a topper?

Quote from: kombi1976;85360BTW, what is a topper?

 
A cargo cover, one that is more or less even with or slightly higher than the back of the cab and encloses the cargo (we call it bed) of the truck.