Dude. Anne is going to KILL you if don’t show up in Berlin.

> On May 24, 2016, at 9:00 PM, Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> wrote:
> 
> There are 10 messages totalling 766 lines in this issue.
> 
> Topics of the day:
> 
> 1. finding crack in Amsterdam, part 2 (5)
> 2. Just a Heads Up
> 3. good head etc in Amsterdam (4)
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Date:    Mon, 23 May 2016 23:26:57 -0700
> From:    Mark Drillock <modrillock@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: finding crack in Amsterdam, part 2
> 
> After spending the 3 day weekend at the campground in Amsterdam I went
> early Tues morn to the storage place to let them know I was expecting parts
> to be delivered there from Van-Cafe.The parts had already been dropped off
> by DHL and they were shocked at how fast that happened from California.
> 
> Since the new head and gaskets were now in hand they said I could use part
> of their shop starting Wed afternoon and would come tow me back from the
> camp before lunch. On Wed this happened and they put my van on their only
> lift. I started pulling the exhaust and then the head, hoping there would
> be no other issues along the way. It all came apart without too much
> struggle and nothing broke in the process. Alas, once the head came free
> there was a visible crack all the way through the cylinder wall itself,
> making the cracked head the least of my worries. I could catch my
> fingernail in the crack and clearly would need to replace the piston and
> cylinder to get the engine running again, not just the head.
> 
> I called the shop guys over to show them the ruined cylinder. The manager
> asked if I was able to make the fix if the parts could be had. I said yes,
> but I would need a little help. He called around and found a parts place an
> hour away that said they could get a set the next day, Thursday. I would
> need to go to pick it up from the parts place Thursday once it was. Then I
> cleaned my work area and they pushed my van outside to a place where it was
> not in the way of their very busy operation. I rode my bike back to the
> campground where I had rented a small cabin to stay in while my Westy was
> at the shop.
> 
> So early Thurs we went out to the town where this VW parts store and repair
> shop was. I wanted to see their shop and ask about the possibility of them
> taking over the job if I couldn't manage it. The place was called
> Bus-Brothers and there were lots of bay window buses as well as what we
> call Vanagons parked out front and in the shop service stalls. I liked what
> I saw but it turned out that they were booked up solid for a few months
> with no chance of helping me with my problems any time soon. He also said
> that what I was trying to do wasn't a job many shops would try, as they
> would just tell the customer to get a rebuilt engine instead. The new
> piston/cylinder set was delivered during lunch while I was talking to them
> so I paid for it and went on my way back to my dead van.
> 
> Once back at the shop, I asked if there was a place I could work on the van
> where I would be less in the way. I would need all my wits about me to do
> this fiddly job and didn't want the time pressure of being in the way of
> their main service lift and their guys working around me. They opened a
> nearby garage door, pulled out the vehicle parked inside, and pushed my van
> in. So I had a nice covered work area with level paved surface to work. Did
> I mention it was raining?
> 
> I spent about 4 hours at the shop, getting both right side cylinders and
> pistons out of the engine. The shop closed before I was done doing this but
> they let me stay after hours, alone in the shop, and go about my work. I
> told them I would need to make a tool to pull the piston pins and they
> showed me where they kept lengths of threaded rod and other materials. I
> would need to cut one to length and use spacers and nuts to press the pins
> out of the rod ends to free the old pistons. It all came apart fine, just a
> little tedious and complicated. I could have stayed later but I wanted a
> fresh day to begin putting the new parts in. I was beat by this point
> anyway, as I hadn't been sleeping well with all the worries in my head.
> 
> Here I was, engine apart on Thurs night and my wife was flying from Calif
> to Berlin on Sat where I was to pick her up at the airport. This seemed
> unlikely as that was over 400 miles away and me with no van.
> 
> Mark
> On May 24, 2016, at 9:00 PM, Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> wrote:
>