First-
     
     Sorry, I reposted yesterday's two submissions before reading the 
     latest digest - my posts came back "mailbox full", but I guess they 
     did get there.  Well, now you got them twice.
     
     Second-
     
     I've got a set of European headlight buckets on my '66 bus.  For a 
     while I ran them with yellow tungsten bulbs I picked up in Germany 
     instead of the clear ones.  Yes, I know they're not legal, but the 
     only hassle I ever got was from a Gate Guard at Kirtland AFB.  And 
     they sure looked cool.  Surprisingly, they were next to useless in a 
     moderate rain.  No fog here to speak of, so I can't speak to that.  
     One bulb finally burned out, saving me from perpetual lawbreaking.
     
     BTW, I agree that the late model Vanagon rectangulars leave a lot to 
     be desired (on low beam anyway) - are the lenses different in Europe, 
     or are they just as bad?
     
     Third-
     
     This may be well known, but if any of you are experiencing the 
     following scenario on any car:
     
          Turn on key, everything works; go to start engine, no dice, and 
          everything else dies, too; come back later (or turn on headlights 
          and turn them off) and it works again.
     
     you may want to double check all the battery cable connections for 
     tightness and corrosion.  Problem is if you are just getting a little 
     patch of contact, all the low amperage stuff will feed through it.  As 
     soon as you engage the hi-amperage starter, this litte patch of 
     connectivity arcs whilst trying to pass more current than it is 
     capable of.  The spot burns and interrupts all contact.  You get out 
     of the car, shaking it just enough to reestablish some contact, and 
     the whole mystery is primed to reoccur.
     
     'Course, this does not negate that it could still be a weak cell.
     
     Fourth-
     
     Following a concise telephone explanation of Sunday's 
     alternator-to-starter cable meltdown follwed by a drive-by look-see, 
     the local dealer gleefully replaced the cable, installing it on a 
     slightly different path.
     
     Diplomacy works!
     
     -Blaine