Whew, I made it back and am back on the list, and Sunshine the '64 Camper (she
got that name on this trip) seems no worse for the wear.  We took her down to
Pismo Beach (didn't take her on the beach, as there are too many places where
salt and sand can get collected and make the cancer worse than it already is)
for 5 days of camping around our 10th anniversary.  She handled 70 MPH for
several hours on end (level ground), never pinged and show no inclination to
overheat.

We were the only VW Bus at the campgrounds, but I think that the steak, lobster,
and Dom Perignon on Thursday was probably the best meal served there.  Lots of
big, ugly RV's with generators, but we were quite happy, and with Sunshine's
distinct coloring, were easily recognized by the campground host when we crossed
paths in town.  My wife, Anna-Maria is looking forward to many more trips in
Sunshine now that she's running after two years of degradation, and Brandi our
old dog and  our Toby, the new puppy both love the Bus.

I am still having problems with the shifter, but am pretty sure that it is due
to slop at the connection between the front shift rod and the rear shift rod, so
I have a question for you gurus out there.  

Will the front shift rod (and lower shift plate) from a later model ('65 or
later) fit on Sunshine?  I replaced the shift rod bushings, but there seems to
excessive looseness in the shift rod / shift rod tube arrangement and am
concerned that the part of the bushing that is in the shift rod tube may be
worn, so by going to a later model front shift rod, it will give me more shift
rod travel relative to the shifter travel, hopefully making up for the excessive
play in the shift rod tube.

Thanks,
-terry, anna-maria, brandi and toby (both Chow mixes)