RECENTLY:
April 2008: The bus is happy living in the garage, rather than the old outdoors routine it had previously. Cleaning out the garage to make room for Volkswagens is always beneficial. I need to get a TX license plate, since I can only safely drive around in my subdivision on Saturdays to keep the engine healthy. If I get on a real road, I risk getting nabbed by law enforcement, and they seem to have a lot of patrol cars in Texas. First, I need a new muffler. The crappy aftermarket one I got 6 years ago from the Bus Depot rusted apart before I left New England. Now the bus sounds like a Harley. There's a place in San Antonio called the Buggy Warehouse that might have something that fits. I need to drop by there and find out.
June 2006: In June, I had to go to Houston for a trade show, with about 700 lbs of samples. It couldn't all fit in the beetle, so I took the bus. No problem getting there, but I broke down on the way back. It was just too hot and the bus went on strike half way back to home. I coasted into a Whataburger parking lot and called AAA. That AAA membership paid for itself when I got a 110 mile tow and didn't have to pull any money out of my pocket. I checked everything and it looked like no spark. Back in my garage, I replaced the distributor cap and rotor, and it fired up. Now, I avoid driving it on realy hot days. It's the opposite of living in New England, where I avoided driving it on very cold days. Overall, I will get to drive it much more in Texas. There will be a family reunion in July 2007 in Kentucky, and I'm thinking of driving the bus there, if it seems healthy enough. It's a camping thing, so it would provide sleeping space for almost half the family.
February 2006: Big changes for the bus and the family in 2006. We moved to San Antonio, Texas. It was 2000 miles from CT, so the bus went on a trailer. The great thing is that I can drive it basically all year now. The weather is pleasant except for 3 very hot months in the summer. The really great thing for the bus is that I now have a garage that will fit the bus, so it gets to live indoors.
August 2005: Back in August 2005, the bus took it's longest trip since we have owned it, traveling 1075 miles in two days. I drove it from Stratford, CT to Erie, PA, and back, to pick up Jack and his friends at camp. The bus ran well, getting 20 mpg as an average for the trip. It was great fun. I was more worried with every mile on the way west, thinking the breakdown would come at any moment. After I got there trouble-free, I was pretty confident of getting back in one piece, so I relaxed and enjoyed the ride.
JULY 2005:Yes, almost two years since I updated my site. Remember when the internet was this neat new thing and you stayed up until 4AM sometimes just surfing and seeing all the great stuff you could access from your comfortable home? Then, you started your own website so that you, too could join the revolution. You maintained your site faithfully for years, until you realized that your real life was interfering with your online life, and you had to choose the one that pays the bills and sponsors family harmony. Yeah, me too.
Anyway, it's been a while and the bus is running better than ever. Some nice things have happened to it since the last update. For starters, I got that new windshield in 2004. With it, I had all the nasty rust just below the windshield removed and new metal welded in and painted. What color you ask (like it matters on that face)? Yellow.
Last summer (04) I took my three oldest kids on the first camping trip outside the back yard. We went in the bus to the camppground in Mystic, Connecticut. It was great. Even though my fridge, stove and sink don't work, the beds work just fine. We picked up pizza right before entering the campground, so we didn't have to worry about dinner. Now some of you are saying, "That's not camping!" It's probably not some folks' idea of camping, but we had fun. I'm not really into laying on the ground in a tent. It was a good first effort and the children loved it. On another trip we will have a fire, cook our food, take marshmallows, and all that stuff. The important thing was that the bus got out and camped, like it was designed to do. The people in the 40 ft, $300,000 motor home looked less than thrilled when I pulled into the space next to them and popped the top on my little hippie camper.
In Fall of 2004, the engine started acting weird. It would run fine for a few minutes, then the idle would go lower and lower until the engine stopped. If I was at a light or stop sign, it was all over. If I was on the highway, I could sometines keep it going until reaching the destination, sometimes not. I looked everywhere for a vacuum leak, plugged fuel filter, loose wire, etc., but found nothing. I took the bus to a shop in Greenwich, CT called Frecchia Brothers. It's now a father and son shop, but had two brothers of the same name back in the 20's, when it opened. These guys know what they are doing. They found the problem and fixed it (some regulator device in the fuel injection system) and did a few other things too. I had them tighten up the brakes and the clutch, and put new boots on the CV joints. Since then, the bus has run very well. My mileage stays around 18. I think it should be slightly better, but can't figure out how to get there. I already keep air filter clean, my tires properly inflated and use synthetic oil (Mobil 1). Still, it's better than driving an SUV! I get much better mileage and ride in a vehicle with lots of character. Also, none of the neo-hippies will protest me for ruining the earth.
In June of 2005, I took Katie (12) and Jack (10) to a pilgrimage in Auriesville, NY (between Schenectady and Utica) and we camped out. It was a great trip, and the furthest the bus has driven since we got it. It was approx 220 miles each way, and the bus never had a hiccup. A few of the hills were a little slow, but it performed well; and I was relieved to get home without the use of tools (which were in the back just in case). Mileage for the mostly highway trip was 19. We got lots of waves, honks and hand gestures (all the good ones, of course) on the trip. Some people seemed surprised to see an old bus motoring along the freeway at 65 mph, and more surprised to see the clean cut family riding in it.
I hope to get to one of the local shows this summer. July is half over and I've made no plans, so maybe something in August. If so, I'll take some fresh pictures and add them to the site. I may throw a little paint on the front end too. A couple years ago, I used some Krylon paint and a stencil from an art store to put the word "FUNBUS" on the front. Unfortunately, I got what I paid for. It's pretty faded, and part of the "B" is chipped off. Now, people ask me why it says FUNGUS on the front of my bus! I need to do something about that.
One other repair worth honorable mention is the front bumper. It was a bit twisted and dented when I got it, with various coats of cheesy silver paint on it and plenty of rust. Over the winter, my project in the garage was the straightening, stripping, primering and recoating of the bumper, in it's original white color. All the buses of this era came from the factory with white bumpers, regardless of the colors of the bodies. I did a pretty decent job, and it looks nice now. I'll load a picture as soon as I get around to taking one. Until next time, thanks for stopping by.
SEPTEMBER 2003:Well, the bus only made it to one show this season, but it was a good one: the CT Bug-A-Fair in Terryville, CT. I didn't get to park on the grass inside the actual show because we got there after registration had ended. I really wish all the Connecticut shows were held on Saturdays, not Sundays. People that actually go to church (there are a few of us left!) have a difficult time getting to the shows before the end of registration. This would not be a problem if shows were held on Saturdays, as they are in many other states.
There were many great cars at this show, both in the air and water sections. I saw lots of buses that I hadn't seen before, and very few of the usual suspects (a small group with perfect buses who typically win all the awards every summer). It's nice to spread the love around once in a while. My favorite at the show was a new Mexican aircooled Beetle whose top had been cut along the arches, from the windshield all the way to the decklid, making the biggest, curved sliding ragtop I've ever seen. The job was nicely done. There were also a couple of really nice Type 3's in attendance and a super-rare Schwimmwagen, in perfect condition.
I took my 18-yr-old neice from Idaho and my 8-yr-old son. It was the first VW show for both of them and they had a good time. As soon as my neice sends me the pics she shot, I'll get them up on the site.
In other news, I have now camped twice in the bus. Both times with the children, who wanted to try it out in the back yard. It was fun. Once, I had the lower bed, and regretted it. I learned that it was a little too short for me only after I had already put two of the kids to sleep in the upper bunk. There was no moving them now, so I slept at a diagonal angle so my feet and head wouldn't hang off either end. The next time, I made sure I got the longer top bunk! I then learned that the top bunk, while longer, has a thinner, very-firm mattress. Now I know why the hippies smoked all that pot. It was purely medicinal, to ease their back pains after sleeping in the bus.
JUNE 2003: I learned that the Northeast Classic VW Show in Norwalk, CT will not be held at all this year. That's a shame, because it was my favorite among the local shows. I really like the venue at the old estate which is now a beautiful park. Litchfield Bug-In will be earlier this year, on June 14, but I'm not sure whether I can attend yet. It's possible that the CT Bug-A-Fair, in August, may be the only event I attend this summer. We'll see how it goes. My family is very busy this year.
MAY 2003: Spring has arrived, and the bus has been released from it's backyard captivity! I've driven it to work several times already. It's good for keeping the lease miles down on the Beetle during the Summer. A couple of weeks ago, the bus got to function as the hippest construction vehicle, when my friend Doug and I loaded it up with tools and went to Stamford for the annual building day of Christmas in April, Rebuilding Together, a very worthy charity we've been involved with for a while now. The Funbus performed admirably, serving as a giant, colorful toolshed and workbench, while everyone on the site came and went, getting and replacing things, changing drillbits and sawblades, etc. My parents came to town the same weekend, so my Dad finally got to have a ride, and compare it to his 66 split window, long since gone to hippie heaven. He was impressed by the power on the highway and the general interior condition (all things considered). It was a great weekend.
*This Summer's Big Project: to fix the windshield. Not only is it badly cracked, but also needs new rubber and some grinding and welding around the lip, to make it waterproof. Brian, the owner of a local body shop, Longbrook Collision, has agreed to do the job for a fair price, and I already have the rubber in my garage. There's a shop in New Haven that stocks the glass, so I am ready to go as soon as I front the cash (sometime between now and mid-June). I'm looking forward to driving in the rain without water dripping onto my shoes as I go. It's like a Fred Flintstone car sometimes. Not only do your feet get wet, but you can also see the ground below if you know where to look. But one project at a time!FEBRUARY 2003: Wow, real winter has set into New England, and it's no fun for an old volkswagen. The bus is living in the back yard again, waiting for spring, and show season. Here are a few shots of it's current state, under the 8 inches of snow that fell last night and this morning. Those white dots aren't signs of fuzzy photos; they're snowflakes, still coming down.
DECEMBER 2002: Merry Christmas, one and all! Now that snow is a regular visitor, the Funbus gets very little street action. I start and run the motor weekly, and take it out every other week or so for a run around town. Yesterday, I drove over to a farm near Bedford, NY, to meet up with my brother in law, who was working with some horses. It was approximately 140 miles, round trip. The bus did very well, but it was a cold ride and I had to wear gloves. The heater does a decent job of keeping it above freezing in the bus, when it is below freezing outside; but it's not exactly toasty! As usual, I got plenty of waves and honks as I drove.
Using my trusty Mac, I made my own supercool t-shirt, with my bus on the back. I scanned it, and posted it on an attached page. I'm going to try to sell Funbus t-shirts. I know my family members would want them (as long as they were free), but I wonder if the rest of the VW nuts out there would wear them. If anyone reading this wants to get their very own Funbus t-shirt, just drop me a line at [email protected], and I'll create one for you and send it out, for $13. See the link from the main page for more information.
NOVEMBER 2002: It's getting cold already in New England, so I had to do something about the freezing air blowing in behind the dashboard. The heater (such as it is) works now, but that just means that warmed air seeps slowly into the bus. It has to fight for supremacy with the cold air blasting in through those vents in the front panel below the windshield. I took off the covering screen to discover the source of my numb butt: the vents we not capable of closing when the blue lever on the dash was pulled all the way up. It wasn't hooked up properly. I took care of that, and now it's greatly improved. The cold airflow is now only coming in around doors and the jalousie windows on the sides.
Also, I did a little more painting on the bus because I wanted to, and hey, it's not like I can hurt anything at this point! I stenciled it's name across the front in 3" letters, right above the front bumper. I'll have to take a picture and put it on one of the picture pages.
OCTOBER 2002: I solved my vacuum leak problem. What a relief! It was driving me crazy with the erratic idle and death after every first starting effort. It's amazing how new rubber hose outperforms 25 year old fabric and rubber that's been baked to a nice crackly finish over the years! In other cool news, I have been testing for almost 600 miles now and am getting 17.5 mpg. This is awesome when compared with the 11 or so mpg I was getting before taking the bus to Jon Kleckner for serious help. Also attributable to Jon's fine handiwork is the fact that this cultural icon on wheels achieved a new top speed yesterday of 82 mph on the Merritt Parkway! Woohoo! The sound of the air rushing in through all the holes in the body and around all the dried seals almost drowned out the sound of the screaming engine. It was awesome. I think the cars I was passing were more frightened than I was. In garage news: I pulled off all of the old, useless a/c components, including the massive underdash piece. The condensers that rode under the bus were contributing to a lot of the incessant rattling that I'm trying to nail down, and I probably lowered my overall weight by more than 125 lbs. The other side effect is that I can now hear other squeaks and rattles that need identification. My goal is to eventually reduce the rattle factor to a range approaching that of a modern truck. I'm not crazy enough to think I can really get rid of all the stray noises the bus makes, or get to a noise level approaching a sedan. I just want to be able to hear the radio.
On a sadder note, I already wrecked my New Beetle. It was horrible! I was on my way to JFK Airport at 4 AM, in rain, and accidentally ran over something in the roadway that I couldn't have seen or avoided fast enough. There was a huge thump, followed by some secondary bad noises and the car lurching momentarily into the air. It scared the crap out of me, as I was visualizing all my oil pouring out onto the ground as I drove. I was on the Van Wyck, very near long-term parking, so I had to keep going, and prayed that I would get there. I still don't know what it was, but it ripped up the grillework and engine pans pretty well. Total repairs will be about $350, so I won't be reporting this to the insurance man.
Mid SEPTEMBER 2002:
The bus is back home from NJ, and running well. It has lots of power for hills and highways. My only complaint is the backfiring when decelerating, and the fact that it dies upon every first start attempt. The second start attempt always works. Strange! Im looking for a vacuum leak, but everything seems pretty tight, and I know Jon replaced all those hoses. Now that the motor is held in it's proper position by new motor mounts, the muffler is high enough to slap the heat shield loudly every time I hit the slightest bump. My rear suspension appears to have no flex when I hit bumps. It's like a buckboard back there, which is probably why the old motor mounts broke. Every little seam in the highway is like a hammer hitting the entire rear of the vehicle and shaking everything noisily. I have new shocks all around, but I think it doesn't matter because the rear is riding right on those big rubber stoppers at all times, without a gap for suspension travel. Any advice on how to fix this is welcome.
For many weeks in August and September, Funbus was in Jersey, with
it's motor mostly disassembled. A trained expert in these matters,
named Jon Kleckner, was discovering all the lurking problems I inherited
from the previous owners, and fixing the things I can afford and
that seem the most pressing. John has built thousands of VW and
Porsche engines for stock, street and race, so he knows what he's
doing. Here's a partial list of what he did to help Funbus
get healthy again: Replacing piston #3, honing all cylinders,
rebuilding one head, replacing the other head, replacing broken motor mounts, replacing all fuel
lines and vacuum hoses, replacing the starter, removing the a/c
(didn't work anyway and would put engine under terrible strain
when it did), replacing missing shrouding around engine and missing
heater components so engine will cool itself properly and avoid
repeat of prior damage attributed to extreme temperatures, replace
distributor (old one had no advance - it was seized), install
Pertronix Igniter in ignition system, replace broken bolt and
missing screen in oil sump, clean out - test - replace oil cooler, replace hydraulic lifters (yep, it's a 78!)
replace pushrod tubes and O-rings, and some other needed stuff
that I can't remember right now. Basically, it is a whole
new driving experience!
I took Ian to the Terryville, CT Bug-A-Fair in AUGUST 2002, a great show. There are pictures on a separate page on the website. Check it out!
The '97 Jetta has moved on to it's new temporary home at Curran VW in Stratford CT, corner of Main St and Route 1. It was my favorite car since my '78 Fiat 131 sportswagon. I made the move to a black 2002 New Beetle. See link for photos. The first person with $7995 or reasonable facsimile thereof can take the Jetta home today. When he appraised it for trade-in value, the used car manager told me it was the nicest 5 year old, 95,000 mile car he's ever seen (because I am a superfreak about my vehicles!)
My wife, cool person that she is, bought me the bus as a Christmas (2001) surprise on Ebay. I was a Jetta driver ('97) and always wanted to get an old aircooled VW to play with on weekends, but I never got around to it. Thankfully, someone else did, and now I have the Funbus! I've put lots of work into it while it lived in the back yard all Winter and Spring 2002, and now you can see how it's starting to pay off. Over the next few years, the bus will evolve, as I restore it more and more. The basics, like helping it steer and stay in the lane at highway speed, have been accomplished, along with some serious cleaning and some amateur bodywork and painting. The rest will happen gradually.