Classic Velocity

It helps to have a deadline. A goal with a due date that is not easily moved. In this case, the No Dough show in Port Orange, Florida. It is not really a show as much as a 4 day rally. A rally where you can do as much or as little as you want. And where you can spend as little or as much as you want. The plan is to spend most of the weekend, but before that can happen, the Bus has to be ready.

Ready, means the rear axle with the torn boot needs to be replaced. Ready means the gas smell when you corner is repaired. Ready means the Bus can be locked. Ready means wiring up the driving lights mounted up front. Ready means spark to all 4 plugs, all of the time. Fast forward to the Friday of the event. Departure was originally 3pm, but there is a problem. The new rear axle installs fine, spins fine, but on a test around the block, it binds up and then snaps the cage !! With the whole weekend in jeopardy, I return to the garage, uninstall the new axle, and reinstall the old one with the torn boots using a temporary patch of the boots. Off we go with darkness just a couple of hours away.

30 minutes later, we turn onto the interstate to save some time on the route. Bad idea. You know that awful feeling you get when you get onto an interstate ramp and see that it is backed up to a stop? If only you could reverse a few hundred yards and take the alternate (and in this case the original) route. A bad accident 8 miles up the road has us crawling along for 20 minutes. Not good for an air-cooled engine. We get off at a rest area as a precaution and allow the motor to cool while the accident clears. The axle boot repair looks ok, but has hardly been tested yet. Back on the road, darkness falls, but the Bus is running great, and the driving lights help on the dark rural roads. We passed through a little rain, which reminded me that I forgot to get wiper blades and had not fixed the washer leak. Small issues and we arrived late but grateful. A quick check underneath confirmed that the repair continued to hold.

The next day, with the Westy parked on the beach, a nice breeze flowing through the open top, a cold beverage in hand, and a parade of air-cooled VWs streaming past, all was right with the world…..