Don's Cars

Pedal Stop Tearing the Floor Pan!

2022-01-03T10:04:00.001-08:00

Fix for big feet in a VW Bug

2022-01-03T10:03:00.001-08:00

Weber (and Empi) Progressive Carbs and the VW

2021-12-11T19:52:00.001-08:00

We need to have a conversation about progressives. This is a bit of a rant about so many of us VW fans not understanding how center mount carbs work since much of this applies to center mount IDF's and others too. Even stock carbs! Weekend driver cars in warm climates... Those owners are the ones who say progressives are absolutely fine and anybody who has trouble is doing it wrong. In a VW... If you want to drive year round, your carb needs HEAT. The crappy Empi manifolds that most proggys are bolted to are BAD. Not only do they place the carb up over the alt/genny so the linkage is all borked, they don't truly allow the exhaust heat to flow through the manifold. The only manifold that addresses those issues that's currently for sale is the one Aircooled.net is selling. And if you're running aftermarket exhaust, IT DOESN'T MATTER! The aftermarket exhausts don't provide a hot side and cold side like the VW factory did. So the heat just pulses back and forth, pretty much only heating the ends of the heat risers and not the intake. This allows fuel to condense on the cold runners, creating a lean condition. Until you floor it, of course, then all that pooled fuel ends up in your cylinders often causing a big BANG. But getting the manifold heat isn't the only issue. You need heated air into the throat of the carb. Most cars from this era handle this by having a thermostat in the aircleaner that draws air from around the exhaust. It's air heated by the burnt exhaust, usually around the exhaust manifold. A dry paper air filter is an absolute necessity here, as the oil treated gauze most VW aftermarket aircleaners use will just cook the oil. So this becomes difficult to bolt onto our VWs. Then, if you add in the mechanical "009" style carb that so many seem to run, it gets worse. You NEED off throttle advance, and the only way to get that without a computer controlled ignition is with a vacuum can on your distributor. SVDA gets you pretty darn close, including the Pertronix Flame Thrower SVDA. A factory SVDa is better. Still, USE SVDA!!! TL;DR: If you aren't putting enough heat into your carb, and using an 009, your Progressive carb is going to be completely untuneable in anything but nice dry days over 60* or so. It isn't the carb's fault! I've run one on my 1835 for a couple years as a daily driver. I've also had other non-VW cars that had proggys. I know the issues. Poor idle even when warm. Heel-toe'ing the brake and gas. Stumbling when taking off at anything other than full throttle. Stinky exhaust from trying to jet your way out of it. Etc. I've recently decided I don't want to take my Baja to the point where I've done all of the above. Granted, it would have been cheaper than going with dual IDF 40's, but that's the direction I'm taking. Of course, they bring their own problems to the table. Like not having chokes, so cold morning starts will suck. I'm gonna miss that "touch of the key" start I get now on even the coldest mornings. DO your HOMEWORK! Understand what is necessary to make ANY centermount carb work well. If you aren't willing to do that, get duals!

Making LED turn signals flash correctly in a 1968 VW Bug

2020-09-01T08:53:00.002-07:00

Harbor Freight Aluminum Jack Repair

2019-08-20T05:28:00.002-07:00

I made a thing!

2019-06-22T08:13:00.002-07:00

Much easier to tune an air cooled VW with an analog tach. So I created one from a steering column mount tachometer.

Making and installing a hard start relay

2019-06-06T18:12:00.003-07:00

Prepping and Installing Cylidner Heads on the 1835

2018-04-08T15:59:00.002-07:00

Balancing VW Pistons

2018-04-07T11:27:00.001-07:00

Baja Bug Video EP-2: Throttle Cable Adjustment

2018-04-06T17:58:00.004-07:00

Baja Bug Video EP-1: Oil Leaks

2018-04-05T12:13:00.002-07:00

2006-2007 Saab 9-5 Fuse and Relay List

2018-04-05T08:38:00.002-07:00

I got tired of trying to find the fuse and relay locations in the manuals, WIS, or online whenever I needed it. I gave up and put it all together onto a single (double-sided) sheet of paper and laminated it. Now it's always in the car.

1968 VW Baja Bug

2018-01-02T13:04:00.001-08:00

Over the holidays I picked up a 68 Baja!

That SuperTrapp muffler has none of the baffles in it, so it's pretty much a straight pipe. First thing I did was buy a $30 Thrush turbo muffler. It was a slip fit over the header, so I just cut 2 notches about 1/2" wide and 2" long into the muffler's intake pipe. That allowed me to use an exhaust clamp to hold the muffler in place.

Some exhaust noise videos:

Over the next several days I dug in more and more. Found that the oil lines weren't the only leaks. The whole damn engine leaks.

I have more parts on the way, an 1835 short block from Fat Performance that came with the bug that I'll be building out, and more!

Accident, Video, and a new Saab

2017-03-10T08:17:00.002-08:00

August 30th of 2016 was a Day of Stupidity

My wife and I went to Del Taco for lunch after dropping her 2000 Ford Explorer off at America's Tire to get some new shoes put on. Leaving the parking lot and heading for the driveway I saw a woman driving a newer Ford Explorer pulling in. It appeared she was going to turn wide, so I stopped well short of the driveway to give her room.

To my shock, she kept right on going straight for me. She even accelerated a bit as she hit my 2006 Saab 9-5. As she hit me I noticed she was looking down at her phone instead of where she was going. My guess is she was looking at the text of her office's Del Taco lunch order.

I loved this car. 260hp from its 2.3L turbo 4. All the luxury bells and whistles. Comfortable and quick. My favorite daily driver ever.

The damage didn't seem too bad at first. The bumper cover mounting points broke, so it was laying on the ground. The woman kept asking, "Are we OK?" She was trying to get me to just call it good and let her go. I insisted on getting her information. No drivers license with her, but she gave me her insurance card. I really should have called the police at that point, but I was truly stunned that it had even happened. I figured with the dashcam, I would be fine.

I got some zipties and put the bumper cover back on as best I could so I could move the car out of the driveway and into a parking spot.

Here are pictures:

As you can see, the damage appears minor on the Saab, and almost nothing on the woman's Explorer.

After taking down her info and taking photos of her insurance and the cars, I let her go. I then called my insurance company.

Once they saw these pics and the dashcam footage, the response was almost immediate. The accident was her fault. They had me take the car to Service King for an estimate. I rented a car for 4 days while they had the Saab ($400).

The estimate came back at well over the value of the car. There was frame damage under the plastic. But since it didn't look really bad, I figured I could fix it up good enough to drive so I took the car back.

While this was happening, the woman who hit me couldn't be contacted. Her insurance, like most, has a "Cooperation Clause" in the policy. If she doesn't cooperate with them, they don't pay. And she wasn't returning calls or answering letters.

Eventually I told my insurance to go ahead and pay me out with my Uninsured Motorist policy. So I got around $4k. $5k minus my $1000 deductible. My finance company got paid off, and sent me a title with SALVAGE across the top. Uh oh. That meant I wouldn't be able to renew the registration on the car until I went through a bunch of inspections and certifications. One of those inspections was headlights.

My xenon headlights were jacked. I mean, they worked, but they were falling apart, the auto-leveling system had an error somewhere, etc. That alone would have been a bunch of money, then I would have to have brakes, bumpers, airbags, etc, all inspected. And I would still be left with a bent car after all that effort. I decided to say screw it and sell it.

So I started shopping. I found another 2006 Saab 9-5 in gunmetal gray on Craigslist with 90k miles on the odometer for $2900. I checked it out and it was in darn near perfect condition. So I grabbed it.

And here it is:

As of today, March 10 2017, the woman still has not responded to the insurance company. My insurance is handling everything in subrogation. Once they are able to close this, I can get my deductible and rental car reimbursement. I don't actually expect this to happen and have written off my loss. $1400 doesn't feel like enough to bother with a lawyer. But I may change my mind later...

Dual OBDII Devices in One Car

2017-02-12T07:22:00.001-08:00

Let's get back to cars!

Last week I installed both an OBDII Bluetooth scanner and an OBDII powered mobile hotspot for my Android head unit!

Temp-Droppings

2013-09-10T16:56:00.002-07:00

Well, the dumbass temp has been gone for a couple weeks now. Yet I keep finding temp-droppings, things he screwed up before he left.

For example, the printer toner? He never fucking swapped it! The AP department where this printer is located came by asking when they were getting a new cartridge.

---

"Printer is out of toner."

What are you talking about? The Temp swapped it weeks ago! Remember me arguing with him right in front of your desk?

"Well, I remember that, but the cartridge was never changed."

And you're just now telling me this?

"I figured you would work it out. Can I get a new cartridge now?"

---

So it turns out that the fucking dumbass THREW OUT THE NEW CARTRIDGE!!!!

IT Temp Diaries #21

2013-08-21T18:17:00.002-07:00

Just being around this dude is stressing me out. I don't get any work done when he's around because he's constantly interrupting me and talking and asking stupid ass questions. Not that him needing to know something is stupid, but the way he asks... IE: "What does <insert random word here> mean?" No context, not even complete errors. Just the one word that may or may not actually be in an error.

Happily, Friday is his last day. Can't stand him anymore. Not even for the one more week. Bossman agrees. Plus, we've been getting budget pressure, so lots of good reasons to dump him.

IT Temp Diaries #20

2013-08-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

I gave him another shot at the batch files he failed at before.

There are two files: A file named "ftpparams" and a batch file that uses ftp -s:ftpparams to call that config to download a file off a server. Simple. The file contents are in a "how-to" document with step-by-step instructions using edit commands on the CLI.

However, he's doing this in a Win8x64 box. No Edit. I didn't say anything...

"I keep getting file not found."
When does that come up?
"When I run this."
What's the entire message?
"File not found."
I seriously doubt that. Wanna try again? Are you *sure* it's when you *run* the file? (I keep giving him outs...)
"File not found."
*sigh* Show me. (Yep. He gets it on the VERY FIRST FUCKING THING IN THE INSTRUCTIONS, long before he gets to RUN the goddamn thing.)
"See?"
Dude. It's telling you that Edit doesn't exist on this machine. What do you think you need to do?
"Google!" He starts <clicky><clicky>
NO! Win 8 doesn't have Edit. So what do you think you should do?
"I can't Google?"
No, goddammit. Think for yourself.
"That's what Google is for."
Dude, you're failing at IT. You need a different text editor.
<clicky><clicky> "There's no Notepad!"
Yes there is.
"No there isn't, look!" He had right-clicked on the desktop and was looking in the New menu. "See! Only Text Document."
*goddamnmotherfuckingidiot* Ok, and if you create a new text document, it opens in Notepad.
"Well, yeah. But Notepad should be here!"
No, it shouldn't.
"It is in every other computer."
I'll give you $5 if you find another computer in this building that shows the word Notepad when you right-click on the desktop. But in the meantime, you need to use Notepad to create the config and batch files. Make sure you save them in the places the instructions say.

So he does everything with Notepad. Note the name of the parameter file. No file extension...

"Hey, it doesn't work. Notepad is broken."
*sigh* What troubleshooting have you done?
"I went through every line of the batch file."
You think that's where the problem is?
"Where else could it be?"
I <clicky><clicky> and use the command line to view the file.
"It looks right to me."
Look closer.
"Still don't see it."
What filename did the instructions say to use for the parameter file?
"Ftpparams.txt."
*sigh* Read it to me.
"...ftpparams. See, it's right!"
You don' t see anything different?
"No, I did it right!"
The instructions do NOT say anything about .TXT.
"But it isn't there!" He points at the Windows Explorer view.
Google how to rename a file in DOS.

15 minutes later...

"It still doesn't work."
I check his work. It's still named the same. I ask him to show me what he did...

ren ftpparms.txt ftpparms.txt

IT Temp Diaries #19

2013-08-20T21:04:00.004-07:00

Oh, and that toner... He threw the box away. I went and dug it out so he could recycle the old cartridge (HP toners come with a free ups shipping label).

It took 10 minutes for the guy to figure out how to get the old cartridge into the formed packing inserts. It was fucking hilarious.

IT Temp Diaries #18

2013-08-20T21:04:00.001-07:00

This should be safe. Riiiiight....

Install this 64a toner in the LaserJet 4015 printer in Accounts Payable.
"Ok!"
<15 minutes later... Even though the printer is 20 feet away>
"Wow. I've never seen a Troy printer before."
Yeah, they have two printers. One's a MICR for printing checks.
"Yeah. I've never swapped ink on one of those. It's pretty cool to do new stuff."
Wait, you didn't have MICR toner. And you shouldn't have touched the Troy, it's not out of toner.
"Well, I did."
But that's not the toner box I gave you.
"Yes it is!"
No. It isn't.
<we walk over to the printers>
Ok, show me which one you did.
<he opens the Troy>
"See! It says Troy on the toner!"
Dude, I didn't give you that toner. You did this one next to it. See?
"No, I did this one!"
Obviously not.
"Yes I did."
We're done here.

I walked away after that. What's fucked up is he *did* replace the correct toner. But he saw the other printer and somehow transferred his work to the other printer in his head, and fought me on which one he did.

IT Temp Diaries #17

2013-08-20T21:03:00.002-07:00

On this Windows 8 machine, I need you to remove the Lenovo bloatware including the Metro stuff. Remember that "uninstalling" from metro doesn't actually uninstall. I want you to learn how to remove the crap permanently.

Little while later...

"Ok, I'm done."
You removed the software?
"Yes."
So if I log in I won't see any of it?
"Yes."
What did you do?
"I uninstalled it."
How?
"I right clicked on the icon then selected uninstall."
No. That's not it. All you did was remove the icon.
"No, it's uninstall."

BTW: If you don't know/care, there's a folder in C:\Program Files that has all that shit.

IT Temp Diaries #16

2013-08-20T21:01:00.005-07:00

Talked to bossman tonight. Temp is gone.

What he "built" was a joke. 4 hours to list some links on the default Sharepoint template. Fuck that shit.

IT Temp Diaries #15

2013-08-20T21:01:00.002-07:00

Bossman finally gave him some specs.

"Create a homepage and add the corp logo and the following links."

He's been at it for 2 hours. Not seeing much yet.

IT Temp Diaries #14

2013-08-20T21:00:00.001-07:00

Didn't know how to add a printer from a print server.

Bossman still hasn't given the guy the specs for a new sharepoint site. I'm kinda at the don't care level. I don't want him back.

IT Temp Diaries #13

2013-08-20T20:59:00.002-07:00

Can't wait to see what joy today brings.

I had him setting up a Surface for a user yesterday. He asked, "So should I set up Outlook?"

Why would you do that?

"Well, so I can get my email."

It's not for you.

"Oh."