On my old splittie I had a string rigged from the accelerator pedal up
through a hole in the shelf below the dash.  A nice little seagull bone on
the end of that string to give a good grip.  Then, when the cable was all
seized up with ice I could keep the revs under control during shifts....Lift
foot, pull string, depress clutch and shift, than flatten foot again.  Or on
the rare occaision (other than while changing gears using the clutch) when
full throttle wasn't appropriate I could just grab the seagull bone and
moderate the accelerator pedal with the string.  (Most times, neither the
string nor the clutch needed to be part of the shifting process..)
  Don Hanson

2009/10/10 Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>

> if one if going to be that dedicated to the 'hammer method' .....
> then why not rig a hammer on a pivot near the starter ........
> spring loaded to retract for the next whack,
> and operated by a rope running up front.
> No need to go 'back there' to do the hammer thing that way.
> I think I'll make a kit and market it.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joseph Dor�" <josephpdore@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Saturday, October 10, 2009 8:40 PM
> Subject: Re: '84 Westy call on Car Talk
>
>
> My father owned a 1978 Westy and had cut a hole in the sheet metal
>> beneath the rear bench, for easy interior access to the starter, so he
>> could smack it with a prybar and hammer every time it didn't want to
>> fire.  Worked every time.
>>
>> Joe
>> Stratford, ON - 1982 Westfalia
>>
>>
>> On 10-Oct-09, at 10:53 AM, Stephen Grisanti wrote:
>>
>> A lady from Minnesota called with a starter problem.  The brothers
>> advised that she keep her existing bat in the car to whack the starter
>> when needed although she had bought a replacement starter.  Sounds
>> like she has the situation under control.
>>
>> Stephen
>>
>