Thursday, February 24, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Read the manual!
Wowee, so whenever I get bummed that things are moving slowly, I just have to come back here and read this blog and remind myself that a little over a month ago, I was just beginning to take apart 8V92 #2. :)
So, where are we now...
This past Saturday was quite eventful! For starters, my heads were returned to me with a clean bill of health, thanks to my buddy Joe over at Pascale's! Thanks, Joe! He had pressure tested them in the big machines over there to make sure that they had no cracks anywhere; which, apparently, is a common problem with old Detriots (especially after such damage as mine was subjected to, the poor dear!!). And I spent the later part of the evening sitting right here:
I really like this picture; it replaces any of the need that I have for actually writing anything, because you can tell exactly what has taken place over the last month of work. (which, can I just quickly add - has been only 3 days total due to significant life changes! whoa!)
Perhaps you can tell the story to yourself. What do you notice here?
I can point out a few things that are significant:
1) My favorite tool, the Snap-On breaker bar. You can tell that I am removing big things with big bolts when I break out this one!
2) My second favorite tool, the orange soft hammer! I have been breaking things free (even after removing their bolts) that have been fused to the side of the engine block with age and neglect.
3) The things that you cannot tear down an engine without: my permanent marker and plastic bags!! I have been doing some labeling of parts!
So in 1-3, you can tell that I have begun to swap things over from one engine to the other. Recall that the accessories from the DDEC are different than the MUI (naturally, such as the engine computer and electronic components, but there is also a larger trans cooler and heat exchanger... erm... "thingy". Observe:
MUI:
Aww, little ittybitty heat exchanger! Note: You can see the coils in the first picture!! (at the very top)
DDEC:
It's a lot rustier and filthier, but also much bigger!
Back to the observations!
4) A block of wood wedged against the crankshaft?? Huh??
Oh yeah, maybe that one deserves an explanation!
So, for those of you who read my article in Bus Conversions Magazine, you know of my experience with the lovely humans at Connecticut Detroit Diesel. Well, anyhow, I had been told that the camshafts were different, and so even though I didn't trust him, I thought it best to remove them and compare the two between the two engines. I decided to set about this work on Monday, the day after a winter autocross that I had helped to plan and put on. At the autocross I had mistakenly poisoned myself with wheat (I am a Celiac!) whilst munching on some corn chips that someone else had offered me. (Who would've thought corn chips? Eh, oh well...) So this day, I was still feeling lousy, foggy-headed, and just plain out-of-it. WHAT A BETTER TIME TO DO SOME ENGINE REBUILDING, YEEAAHHH!!
Erm...
Anyways, so there I was, after removing my Turbocharger and Supercharger (this was the same as the other engine, so it went smooth as clockwork!) and the heads, of course, trying to figure out how the heck to get those darn camshafts out without removing the flywheel bellhousing. Not only is the bellhousing huge and probably weighs as much as I do, but it is attached to the engine stand that is keeping my engine in the air... There was no way I was gonna detach that! So... what to do, what to do!
I was standing there puzzled when my friends Jason and Cheryl came into the shop to visit. They had driven up all the way from New York to drive in the Autocross, and so they had stayed some extra days just to hang with us. They hadn't seen Urge since his engine had been removed, so they were excited to see the bigness. Jason had just rebuilt the motor in his VW golf TDi, so I decided to explain my predicament, hoping that he would have some insight. ...maybe I have to put jack stands under it and actually remove the bellhousing... Jason and I were contemplating, talking and looking things over. But it was Cheryl who noticed my two huge volumes of bus manual that were sitting patiently in the corner, waiting for me to notice them. "Whoa look at the size of the manuals!" she exclaimed in awe, "I bet the answer is in here!"
Lo and Behold! It was. Which leads me to observation #5:
5) The manual is OPEN! And to the proper page! These things were written for a reason. :/
and, perhaps most importantly:
6) The engine is... ON ITS SIDE?? What's that all about? Well, if a picture was worth all of those words, then what is a movie worth?
Let's find out, shall we?
So, you get the idea! Now I am onto the next step of engine rebuilding: the bottom end! Thankfully, with an engine as huge as this, there are ways of removing and reinstalling the bearing shells without removing the crankshaft, which is what I am planning to do!
One more thing to mention before I sign off: all of that work to free the camshafts, and it turns out that I actually don't need to swap them, because they are the exact same camshaft. WOOHOO! This is fabulous news.
Alright, that's all for now!
Until next time,
Anja & Urge
So, where are we now...
This past Saturday was quite eventful! For starters, my heads were returned to me with a clean bill of health, thanks to my buddy Joe over at Pascale's! Thanks, Joe! He had pressure tested them in the big machines over there to make sure that they had no cracks anywhere; which, apparently, is a common problem with old Detriots (especially after such damage as mine was subjected to, the poor dear!!). And I spent the later part of the evening sitting right here:
I really like this picture; it replaces any of the need that I have for actually writing anything, because you can tell exactly what has taken place over the last month of work. (which, can I just quickly add - has been only 3 days total due to significant life changes! whoa!)
Perhaps you can tell the story to yourself. What do you notice here?
I can point out a few things that are significant:
1) My favorite tool, the Snap-On breaker bar. You can tell that I am removing big things with big bolts when I break out this one!
2) My second favorite tool, the orange soft hammer! I have been breaking things free (even after removing their bolts) that have been fused to the side of the engine block with age and neglect.
3) The things that you cannot tear down an engine without: my permanent marker and plastic bags!! I have been doing some labeling of parts!
So in 1-3, you can tell that I have begun to swap things over from one engine to the other. Recall that the accessories from the DDEC are different than the MUI (naturally, such as the engine computer and electronic components, but there is also a larger trans cooler and heat exchanger... erm... "thingy". Observe:
MUI:
Aww, little ittybitty heat exchanger! Note: You can see the coils in the first picture!! (at the very top)
DDEC:
It's a lot rustier and filthier, but also much bigger!
Back to the observations!
4) A block of wood wedged against the crankshaft?? Huh??
Oh yeah, maybe that one deserves an explanation!
So, for those of you who read my article in Bus Conversions Magazine, you know of my experience with the lovely humans at Connecticut Detroit Diesel. Well, anyhow, I had been told that the camshafts were different, and so even though I didn't trust him, I thought it best to remove them and compare the two between the two engines. I decided to set about this work on Monday, the day after a winter autocross that I had helped to plan and put on. At the autocross I had mistakenly poisoned myself with wheat (I am a Celiac!) whilst munching on some corn chips that someone else had offered me. (Who would've thought corn chips? Eh, oh well...) So this day, I was still feeling lousy, foggy-headed, and just plain out-of-it. WHAT A BETTER TIME TO DO SOME ENGINE REBUILDING, YEEAAHHH!!
Erm...
Anyways, so there I was, after removing my Turbocharger and Supercharger (this was the same as the other engine, so it went smooth as clockwork!) and the heads, of course, trying to figure out how the heck to get those darn camshafts out without removing the flywheel bellhousing. Not only is the bellhousing huge and probably weighs as much as I do, but it is attached to the engine stand that is keeping my engine in the air... There was no way I was gonna detach that! So... what to do, what to do!
I was standing there puzzled when my friends Jason and Cheryl came into the shop to visit. They had driven up all the way from New York to drive in the Autocross, and so they had stayed some extra days just to hang with us. They hadn't seen Urge since his engine had been removed, so they were excited to see the bigness. Jason had just rebuilt the motor in his VW golf TDi, so I decided to explain my predicament, hoping that he would have some insight. ...maybe I have to put jack stands under it and actually remove the bellhousing... Jason and I were contemplating, talking and looking things over. But it was Cheryl who noticed my two huge volumes of bus manual that were sitting patiently in the corner, waiting for me to notice them. "Whoa look at the size of the manuals!" she exclaimed in awe, "I bet the answer is in here!"
Lo and Behold! It was. Which leads me to observation #5:
5) The manual is OPEN! And to the proper page! These things were written for a reason. :/
and, perhaps most importantly:
6) The engine is... ON ITS SIDE?? What's that all about? Well, if a picture was worth all of those words, then what is a movie worth?
Let's find out, shall we?
So, you get the idea! Now I am onto the next step of engine rebuilding: the bottom end! Thankfully, with an engine as huge as this, there are ways of removing and reinstalling the bearing shells without removing the crankshaft, which is what I am planning to do!
One more thing to mention before I sign off: all of that work to free the camshafts, and it turns out that I actually don't need to swap them, because they are the exact same camshaft. WOOHOO! This is fabulous news.
Alright, that's all for now!
Until next time,
Anja & Urge
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Motorhead Magazine
Urge and I are famous!
I walked into Tasca Ford on Friday to deliver something, and was overwhelmed by the service advisers exclaiming, "It's the Motorhead girl!" and asked me for my autograph... it was really cute. If only Urge had been there, too! He would have beamed with pride.
Motorhead is a local Rhode Island car enthusiast magazine. One of he owners came into the machine shop where I work to talk to us about some advertising, and he took a liking to the bus outside and the enormous engines inside. I did a little explaining about what was going on, and he thought it was good enough for a story in his mag, apparently! :)
I walked into Tasca Ford on Friday to deliver something, and was overwhelmed by the service advisers exclaiming, "It's the Motorhead girl!" and asked me for my autograph... it was really cute. If only Urge had been there, too! He would have beamed with pride.
Motorhead is a local Rhode Island car enthusiast magazine. One of he owners came into the machine shop where I work to talk to us about some advertising, and he took a liking to the bus outside and the enormous engines inside. I did a little explaining about what was going on, and he thought it was good enough for a story in his mag, apparently! :)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Fire and Hammer!
SNOW DAYYYY!!!
Wow, 8 inches out there and it is still falling! Go Rhode Island! Dave and I are one of the few who have decided to brave the streets and leave our homes in a car, let alone drive the car to work and actually do something! (and we're driving down to Jamestown tonight... mostly all via back roads! Hooray for studded snow tires! Hooray for diesel Mercedes RWD power!!!)
Not too much good it does to have the Service Manager in the shop today (that would be MOI!) because no one's calling, that's for sure! And every time I try to order parts, the suppliers are all closed! The only thing that I ordered today came from Texas! (and the guy was really cute on the phone, he kept on calling me "ma'am")
Anyhow, after writing up some quotes and making tea, I have started messing around with the bus engines again. The heads from the DDEC motor are going to be pressure-tested by a friend of mine, Joe, who works at a local truck and trailer repair place that has all of this wonderful equipment. Our pressure-testing machine is awesome, but is ... *sigh* alas! Too small.
The heads are all clean and waiting patiently for Joe to come by tomorrow evening. Hoorah!
So.. Jee... what should the next step be?
Take apart the second motor, I suppose! Remove those heads, start pulling stuff off and comparing. I will use the best parts of what I have, and make sure to switch over anything that is different. The guy from CT Detroit Diesel told me that the camshafts were different. DO I believe him? Well... meh. I will see for myself!
Undo the bolts for the turbo... check!
Remove the huge pipes from the turbo... erm... hmm... harder than I expected.
THIS CALLS FOR SOME FIRE!!!
Fire, and a BIG HAMMER!
Always fun!
Now, on a total side note: for those of you who know me, you know that I hate cats. HATE THEM! They make my eyes itch and nose run and skin get red and swollen... I am allergic to cats. Some more than others.
BUT!
Urge doesn't mind cats at all. In fact, he likes them! Urge has 2 faithful watch cats. I panicked the other day (I do this a lot about my bus) when I realized that I hadn't put mouse traps in my bus and feared that there was bound to be a rodent infestation! However, when I went to survey the damage, I noticed that there was nothing: no signs of vermon! No droppings, no smell, no stuffing stolen from the couch... NADA! No mice.
Maybe I don't hate cats so much anymore.
I saw their prints in the snow all around my bus, and it made me happy.
Doesn't mean that I'll ever get a cat, or start liking cats, but maybe now... I am neutral. :)
Wow, 8 inches out there and it is still falling! Go Rhode Island! Dave and I are one of the few who have decided to brave the streets and leave our homes in a car, let alone drive the car to work and actually do something! (and we're driving down to Jamestown tonight... mostly all via back roads! Hooray for studded snow tires! Hooray for diesel Mercedes RWD power!!!)
Not too much good it does to have the Service Manager in the shop today (that would be MOI!) because no one's calling, that's for sure! And every time I try to order parts, the suppliers are all closed! The only thing that I ordered today came from Texas! (and the guy was really cute on the phone, he kept on calling me "ma'am")
Anyhow, after writing up some quotes and making tea, I have started messing around with the bus engines again. The heads from the DDEC motor are going to be pressure-tested by a friend of mine, Joe, who works at a local truck and trailer repair place that has all of this wonderful equipment. Our pressure-testing machine is awesome, but is ... *sigh* alas! Too small.
The heads are all clean and waiting patiently for Joe to come by tomorrow evening. Hoorah!
So.. Jee... what should the next step be?
Take apart the second motor, I suppose! Remove those heads, start pulling stuff off and comparing. I will use the best parts of what I have, and make sure to switch over anything that is different. The guy from CT Detroit Diesel told me that the camshafts were different. DO I believe him? Well... meh. I will see for myself!
Undo the bolts for the turbo... check!
Remove the huge pipes from the turbo... erm... hmm... harder than I expected.
THIS CALLS FOR SOME FIRE!!!
Fire, and a BIG HAMMER!
Always fun!
Now, on a total side note: for those of you who know me, you know that I hate cats. HATE THEM! They make my eyes itch and nose run and skin get red and swollen... I am allergic to cats. Some more than others.
BUT!
Urge doesn't mind cats at all. In fact, he likes them! Urge has 2 faithful watch cats. I panicked the other day (I do this a lot about my bus) when I realized that I hadn't put mouse traps in my bus and feared that there was bound to be a rodent infestation! However, when I went to survey the damage, I noticed that there was nothing: no signs of vermon! No droppings, no smell, no stuffing stolen from the couch... NADA! No mice.
Maybe I don't hate cats so much anymore.
I saw their prints in the snow all around my bus, and it made me happy.
Doesn't mean that I'll ever get a cat, or start liking cats, but maybe now... I am neutral. :)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Bigness.
So, I have begun to feel very overwhelmed with the BIGNESS of this project.
There.
I said it.
I got about 2.5 hours of sleep last night. I was in bed by 9:30pm, exhausted and worn-out by a long night in the shop, waiting for a customer who never showed and working on a set of the bus's heads. But yet for some reason, the sleep wouldn't come. I tossed about in my crumpled blankets until almost 4am, wondering what the hell I am going to do. The alarm went off at 6:30 reminding me it was time to get to the shop to face my battle once more. Nothing worse sometimes than being in the same room with the motor - the elephant - and not being able to touch it. Not during a busy work day.
It sat there, ominously, taunting me.
Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself with that picture. I'll start from the beginning: vacuum testing.
So, a quick and simply vacuum test is a great way to check if your valves are good and seating properly and whatnot. There were a few valves that seemed a bit depressed into the head and needed to be checked out.
First, the valves were removed from their keepers and springs:
With a little bit of creativity, and a lot of help from Dave, the bus's right head was mounted onto the Rottler.
LET THE TESTING BEGIN!!!
Suction...
kind of...
almost...
Nope.
A little tapping on the valves and the vacuum would spike a bit and then fall back down... augh.
A little inspection of the valves revealed... blech! Pitting and nastiness. Some of these valves are no good... but HOW un-good are they?
Well, they have to sit down in the seats all nice to create a nice seal. Dave gave me a quick lesson on how to "lap" the valves.
It goes like this:
1: clean the valves.
2: apply the lapping compound.
3: suction the tool thingy to the head of the valve and rub your hands back and forth like you're trying to start a fire, and put a significant amount of downward pressure onto the tool.
Here's a video so you can see what I'm doing. Yes, it was pretty cold, even indoors and I am wearing like 3 winter jackets. Yes, it made it kind of difficult to move my arms!
4: repeat with all of the valves in question.
Then what?
Do the test again and see if anything changed.
Things changed, but not quite enough. And honestly, the pitting on the valves was lousy enough that I decided that I didn't want to use those valves anyways. Thus, the sad faces on the tops of the valve surfaces.
They need replacing.
Sadness.
I mean, I am all for doing it right - I mean, do it once, do it right, no matter what. The struggle is the financial burden. This is part of the reason why I couldn't sleep last night. I currently have a little under $1,500.00 to my name. Not bad for a young female with minimal responsibilities, a cheap apartment, fuel-efficient car, and no cell phone bill. BUT!! How about a girl trying to get across the country in a bus?
Yeah.
That's not going to do it.
Not with diesel being $3.30 a gallon, my bus getting 6-8 miles per gallon, and 3,000 miles to go. It's just not happening.
Let's say that the fuel prices go up more.
Let's say ~$4.00
Let's assume the worst.
Let's say Urge will get 6 mpgs.
Let's say that I get lost more than twice,
So let's estimate that it will take 3,500 miles.
_ _
3,500mi / 6mi/gal = 583.3gal X $4/gal = $2,333.3
So, it will take more money to drive to Oregon than I currently possess. HOWEVER, I will be selling my Mercedes in the spring when the salt is no longer poisoning the roads and I can drive my Rabbit on the road once more.
That's $1,200 to add to that.
Well, no (let's make it less to be on the safe side) $1,000 for the Benz.
That's $1,500 + $1,000 = $2,500, which will be enough for diesel.
But let's not forget that I need some new valves, and that I also need some new guides. Let's also not forget that I need to have some travel money for campsites as I drive across the U.S., that I won't be working in that time period, and will need a stash of savings to feed myself and provide the basic necessities... so that, plus however much it is going to take to get the bus in safe running condition. I definitely need some replacement valves to fix the leak in my air system, as well as a new gauge on the cluster that leaks, may need brakes, definitely need new batteries, both an engine bank and a house bank, need electrical components, need rust-inhibiting paint to finish the floor install, insulation, and flooring material, stainless steel plates to fasten above the rear wheel wells of the bus, a water tank or two (gray water and clean water - I already have a black water), a wood stove and fittings, and some plumbing materials to install my sink and the in-line shower heater (though the electric heater can come later) and the foot pumps to operate the sink and shower water... who knows what else... the broken windshield wiper and missing wiper motor... who knows how many other engine components (gaskets that I don't yet have, pistons, bearings, o-rings, etc.) I will need to do the job "properly" and (oops - almost forgot, sorry mom!) can't forget a carbon monoxide detector for above the wood stove... heh.
And no, I am not going joy-riding, I have an absolute NEED. I !!MUST!! get out of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and all of these East Coast states... I need to get home, to Portland, Oregon, where my soul is free and my spirit is satiated!!
Oof. So this is the conclusion that I came to after hours of processing and talking it over with a friend: the most that I can save each month to dedicate to the bus would be $1,000.
I make $400 a week, cash in hand.
That's 4 X $400 = $1,600 a month.
There are only 2 unwaivering expenses that I have each month, $200 for rent and $50 for the minimum payment on my student loans. $1,600 - $250 = $1,350
Now, I set aside the $1,000 per month, and now I have $350 a month to spend on food, fuel for my Mercedes, and whatever other necessities are needed in that time span, be it toothpaste or toilet paper or one of those things that you need that life would be very difficult without it.
Doable? For me? Absolutely.
It just means giving up a few luxuries that I, like many other people, indulge in. This would be the cup of coffee that I get out every now and then, kombucha tea in the bottles, buying everything organic, and some specialty gluten-free vegan foods that are nichey and really expensive. I mean, I don't want for much; I hate shopping, I get almost all of my clothes as hand-me-downs (or that I buy with store credit that I get from trading in all of those leftover hand-me-downs), don't go to movies, don't drink beer at the bar (and I don't like gluten-free beer), don't get my hair cut or my nails done or whatever else people spend their money on... movies, video games, I don't know. Nothing I spend it on.
I can do this.
Totally.
There.
I said it.
I got about 2.5 hours of sleep last night. I was in bed by 9:30pm, exhausted and worn-out by a long night in the shop, waiting for a customer who never showed and working on a set of the bus's heads. But yet for some reason, the sleep wouldn't come. I tossed about in my crumpled blankets until almost 4am, wondering what the hell I am going to do. The alarm went off at 6:30 reminding me it was time to get to the shop to face my battle once more. Nothing worse sometimes than being in the same room with the motor - the elephant - and not being able to touch it. Not during a busy work day.
It sat there, ominously, taunting me.
Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself with that picture. I'll start from the beginning: vacuum testing.
So, a quick and simply vacuum test is a great way to check if your valves are good and seating properly and whatnot. There were a few valves that seemed a bit depressed into the head and needed to be checked out.
First, the valves were removed from their keepers and springs:
With a little bit of creativity, and a lot of help from Dave, the bus's right head was mounted onto the Rottler.
LET THE TESTING BEGIN!!!
Suction...
kind of...
almost...
Nope.
A little tapping on the valves and the vacuum would spike a bit and then fall back down... augh.
A little inspection of the valves revealed... blech! Pitting and nastiness. Some of these valves are no good... but HOW un-good are they?
Well, they have to sit down in the seats all nice to create a nice seal. Dave gave me a quick lesson on how to "lap" the valves.
It goes like this:
1: clean the valves.
2: apply the lapping compound.
3: suction the tool thingy to the head of the valve and rub your hands back and forth like you're trying to start a fire, and put a significant amount of downward pressure onto the tool.
Here's a video so you can see what I'm doing. Yes, it was pretty cold, even indoors and I am wearing like 3 winter jackets. Yes, it made it kind of difficult to move my arms!
4: repeat with all of the valves in question.
Then what?
Do the test again and see if anything changed.
Things changed, but not quite enough. And honestly, the pitting on the valves was lousy enough that I decided that I didn't want to use those valves anyways. Thus, the sad faces on the tops of the valve surfaces.
They need replacing.
Sadness.
I mean, I am all for doing it right - I mean, do it once, do it right, no matter what. The struggle is the financial burden. This is part of the reason why I couldn't sleep last night. I currently have a little under $1,500.00 to my name. Not bad for a young female with minimal responsibilities, a cheap apartment, fuel-efficient car, and no cell phone bill. BUT!! How about a girl trying to get across the country in a bus?
Yeah.
That's not going to do it.
Not with diesel being $3.30 a gallon, my bus getting 6-8 miles per gallon, and 3,000 miles to go. It's just not happening.
Let's say that the fuel prices go up more.
Let's say ~$4.00
Let's assume the worst.
Let's say Urge will get 6 mpgs.
Let's say that I get lost more than twice,
So let's estimate that it will take 3,500 miles.
_ _
3,500mi / 6mi/gal = 583.3gal X $4/gal = $2,333.3
So, it will take more money to drive to Oregon than I currently possess. HOWEVER, I will be selling my Mercedes in the spring when the salt is no longer poisoning the roads and I can drive my Rabbit on the road once more.
That's $1,200 to add to that.
Well, no (let's make it less to be on the safe side) $1,000 for the Benz.
That's $1,500 + $1,000 = $2,500, which will be enough for diesel.
But let's not forget that I need some new valves, and that I also need some new guides. Let's also not forget that I need to have some travel money for campsites as I drive across the U.S., that I won't be working in that time period, and will need a stash of savings to feed myself and provide the basic necessities... so that, plus however much it is going to take to get the bus in safe running condition. I definitely need some replacement valves to fix the leak in my air system, as well as a new gauge on the cluster that leaks, may need brakes, definitely need new batteries, both an engine bank and a house bank, need electrical components, need rust-inhibiting paint to finish the floor install, insulation, and flooring material, stainless steel plates to fasten above the rear wheel wells of the bus, a water tank or two (gray water and clean water - I already have a black water), a wood stove and fittings, and some plumbing materials to install my sink and the in-line shower heater (though the electric heater can come later) and the foot pumps to operate the sink and shower water... who knows what else... the broken windshield wiper and missing wiper motor... who knows how many other engine components (gaskets that I don't yet have, pistons, bearings, o-rings, etc.) I will need to do the job "properly" and (oops - almost forgot, sorry mom!) can't forget a carbon monoxide detector for above the wood stove... heh.
And no, I am not going joy-riding, I have an absolute NEED. I !!MUST!! get out of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and all of these East Coast states... I need to get home, to Portland, Oregon, where my soul is free and my spirit is satiated!!
Oof. So this is the conclusion that I came to after hours of processing and talking it over with a friend: the most that I can save each month to dedicate to the bus would be $1,000.
I make $400 a week, cash in hand.
That's 4 X $400 = $1,600 a month.
There are only 2 unwaivering expenses that I have each month, $200 for rent and $50 for the minimum payment on my student loans. $1,600 - $250 = $1,350
Now, I set aside the $1,000 per month, and now I have $350 a month to spend on food, fuel for my Mercedes, and whatever other necessities are needed in that time span, be it toothpaste or toilet paper or one of those things that you need that life would be very difficult without it.
Doable? For me? Absolutely.
It just means giving up a few luxuries that I, like many other people, indulge in. This would be the cup of coffee that I get out every now and then, kombucha tea in the bottles, buying everything organic, and some specialty gluten-free vegan foods that are nichey and really expensive. I mean, I don't want for much; I hate shopping, I get almost all of my clothes as hand-me-downs (or that I buy with store credit that I get from trading in all of those leftover hand-me-downs), don't go to movies, don't drink beer at the bar (and I don't like gluten-free beer), don't get my hair cut or my nails done or whatever else people spend their money on... movies, video games, I don't know. Nothing I spend it on.
I can do this.
Totally.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Bus's Heads
Well, I finally pulled the heads off of the first motor (the original, the DDEC) after much struggle. All of the hoses had been rusted miserably together to form unbreakable bonds. A day of soaking in PB Blaster and I managed to break a few free, and only damaging one, which thankfully I have a backup for on the other motor. Whew.
After detaching the electrical injectors, breaking all of the enormous head bolts free and labeling everything obsessively, I ended up asking for a hand from a strong friend to muscle them onto a wheelie cart for me, then into (and back out of,) the washing machine.
Mmmm... Downy fresh heads!!
After they were clean, I learned how to Vacuum Test the heads. 3 out of the 4 cylinders held vacuum, which means that the cylinder that doesn't... needs a valve job! Augh. Well, not too bad, because I've been interested in learning how to do one of those. The problem is now to figure out: do the one bad one, or do them all? If one is bad... then are the others going? Or is this just the case of damage from my internal issue, and all of the damage that will be done, has been done?
But cost, too. I am dead broke. I could do the one cylinder, and it would save me in time and money... and the others ARE fine.
Oooohhhhh the decisions! DECISIONS! Input, anyone??
Here, I will include some more pictures of my motor for fun!!
(note: objects in pictures are larger than they appear!)
The heads, freshly removed from the block.
Thank goodness to rebuilding the VW engine first! Priceless things that you learn: LABEL EVERYTHING!!! No, don't even THINK about it, there is NO WAYYYYY that you will remember where that bolt goes in a month from now, I don't care how obvious it looks today!!! Label it!
I guess now you could say I am a bit obsessive about the labeling... BUT it will save my butt when I go to put the thing back together. I also stamped into the heads "R" and "L" and the numbers of the cylinders so that the labels on the injectors make sense. *sigh* I am such an overachiever...
HERE! Thoroughly cleaned heads, ready for the next step.
OH! And as promised, here is a neat picture of the intake.
Yes! That's right! The intakes are on the bottom of the cylinders. Tell me that's not awesome! Silly 2-strokes...
I love old things and outdated technology!
Now, speaking of, perhaps its time to go write some letters on my typewriter...
After detaching the electrical injectors, breaking all of the enormous head bolts free and labeling everything obsessively, I ended up asking for a hand from a strong friend to muscle them onto a wheelie cart for me, then into (and back out of,) the washing machine.
Mmmm... Downy fresh heads!!
After they were clean, I learned how to Vacuum Test the heads. 3 out of the 4 cylinders held vacuum, which means that the cylinder that doesn't... needs a valve job! Augh. Well, not too bad, because I've been interested in learning how to do one of those. The problem is now to figure out: do the one bad one, or do them all? If one is bad... then are the others going? Or is this just the case of damage from my internal issue, and all of the damage that will be done, has been done?
But cost, too. I am dead broke. I could do the one cylinder, and it would save me in time and money... and the others ARE fine.
Oooohhhhh the decisions! DECISIONS! Input, anyone??
Here, I will include some more pictures of my motor for fun!!
(note: objects in pictures are larger than they appear!)
The heads, freshly removed from the block.
Thank goodness to rebuilding the VW engine first! Priceless things that you learn: LABEL EVERYTHING!!! No, don't even THINK about it, there is NO WAYYYYY that you will remember where that bolt goes in a month from now, I don't care how obvious it looks today!!! Label it!
I guess now you could say I am a bit obsessive about the labeling... BUT it will save my butt when I go to put the thing back together. I also stamped into the heads "R" and "L" and the numbers of the cylinders so that the labels on the injectors make sense. *sigh* I am such an overachiever...
HERE! Thoroughly cleaned heads, ready for the next step.
OH! And as promised, here is a neat picture of the intake.
Yes! That's right! The intakes are on the bottom of the cylinders. Tell me that's not awesome! Silly 2-strokes...
I love old things and outdated technology!
Now, speaking of, perhaps its time to go write some letters on my typewriter...
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
catching up...
So, you really write articles for a bus magazine, you ask?
Why yes, yes indeed I do. And just for a little bit of fun, here is a cover and the table of contents, with our names prominently posted in writing. :) We're famous!
I write an article every other month. My most recent is coming out this January, so the following will be in March, however I always write them a month ahead of time, so March's will have to be written by early February. This is awesome, because it gives me time in between articles to get things done, and I am also driven by the need to have something to write about... and then I get my story out. Sometimes, the act of telling the story reminds you why you do something and what you believe, the importance of your undertaking, and to what extent you will go to accomplish your dreams.
*ahem*
But enough of that.
Onto the updating, which you may think is more important anyhow.
So, perhaps some of you know, perhaps some of you don't, but I am no longer a college student anymore! I have graduated. Hoorah. Last May, to be precise, with a degree in Psychology. I worked in my field for about 9 months before I realized that it just was not my thing... well, at least not the time, nor the application of my information. (Does anyone really use their degrees anyhow? Well, I'd like to again at some point, but certainly not in Rhode Island!)
Jeez, there is so much to explain between now and last February, but basically here is where I am now: (and the middle will fill itself in at some point) I am working at a machine shop in Pawtucket, RI (www.sparmachine.com). Two days ago was a huge blizzard, and somehow Dave and I managed to make it to work, but no one else did... so what else is there to do but work on a bus motor?
Here is a picture for fun:
This was my motor last week, right before I drove to New Hampshire for the Holidays. Well, after about 20 minutes of vacuuming filth and grime off of in between where the heads and supercharger came together. So, in the middle there is where the supercharger goes, and then the turbo on top of that. I have been spending evenings taking this thing apart, and it is no small task. I do my best not to become overwhelmed by the bigness of this whole project - just take it one day at a time. As my dear friend Jesse tells me, as long as I am doing something every day. It doesn't matter if it is only removing one bolt: as long as I am constantly moving forward. Once the project slows to a stop, then inertia can be an evil thing to have to fight against.
One of the motor's mammoth heads. And look! No headgasket! And if you think that is strange, see the valves? All EXHAUST valves. So, where are the intake valves, you ask? Well, you'll have to wait and see in my next post, because I had the foresight to leave my camera at home this morning!!! (rolls eyes) Don't forget - this motor is a 2-stroke. Yes, my bus is powered by an extra large lawnmower motor. Eh, make that weed-wacker, even.
Why yes, yes indeed I do. And just for a little bit of fun, here is a cover and the table of contents, with our names prominently posted in writing. :) We're famous!
I write an article every other month. My most recent is coming out this January, so the following will be in March, however I always write them a month ahead of time, so March's will have to be written by early February. This is awesome, because it gives me time in between articles to get things done, and I am also driven by the need to have something to write about... and then I get my story out. Sometimes, the act of telling the story reminds you why you do something and what you believe, the importance of your undertaking, and to what extent you will go to accomplish your dreams.
*ahem*
But enough of that.
Onto the updating, which you may think is more important anyhow.
So, perhaps some of you know, perhaps some of you don't, but I am no longer a college student anymore! I have graduated. Hoorah. Last May, to be precise, with a degree in Psychology. I worked in my field for about 9 months before I realized that it just was not my thing... well, at least not the time, nor the application of my information. (Does anyone really use their degrees anyhow? Well, I'd like to again at some point, but certainly not in Rhode Island!)
Jeez, there is so much to explain between now and last February, but basically here is where I am now: (and the middle will fill itself in at some point) I am working at a machine shop in Pawtucket, RI (www.sparmachine.com). Two days ago was a huge blizzard, and somehow Dave and I managed to make it to work, but no one else did... so what else is there to do but work on a bus motor?
Here is a picture for fun:
This was my motor last week, right before I drove to New Hampshire for the Holidays. Well, after about 20 minutes of vacuuming filth and grime off of in between where the heads and supercharger came together. So, in the middle there is where the supercharger goes, and then the turbo on top of that. I have been spending evenings taking this thing apart, and it is no small task. I do my best not to become overwhelmed by the bigness of this whole project - just take it one day at a time. As my dear friend Jesse tells me, as long as I am doing something every day. It doesn't matter if it is only removing one bolt: as long as I am constantly moving forward. Once the project slows to a stop, then inertia can be an evil thing to have to fight against.
One of the motor's mammoth heads. And look! No headgasket! And if you think that is strange, see the valves? All EXHAUST valves. So, where are the intake valves, you ask? Well, you'll have to wait and see in my next post, because I had the foresight to leave my camera at home this morning!!! (rolls eyes) Don't forget - this motor is a 2-stroke. Yes, my bus is powered by an extra large lawnmower motor. Eh, make that weed-wacker, even.
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