flea market finds

Nice haul...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond,CA

>The Snapon look like a right angle screwdriver to me, but who knows.

Scott, who likes his King waterstones all though their not Shaptons...

The Snap-On whatsit

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Does the Snap-On whatsit have a screwdriver blade through the middle of the square drive that rotates freely within it when you turn the knob on top? And is the square drive fixed in relation to the handle? If so, you've got yourself an automotive overhead valve adjusting tool for mechanical lifters (might work for some hydraulic lifters, too; my experience with hydraulic lifters is very limited).

For all you young folk that have never seen a car with plain overhead valves, the valves are actuated by a rocker assembly, like a walking beam steam engine (I may have just explained something by an even more obscure reference than the thing I'm explaining; sorry, but my son was a steam fan in his youth) that is operated by pushrods coming up from down by the crankshaft and which then pushes the valves open. Adjustment (valve lash to those who speak the Queen's English, though I doubt the Queen spent much time in her youth trying to get her latest clapped-out junker to either run or self-transform into a hotrod; probably had the second junior footman working on it, covered in old grease) is made by a headless screw, kind of like a setscrew with a slot in top, running through the rocker, and clamped in place by a jam nut.

Your valve adjusting tool, assuming I've read the picture correctly, gets a socket installed on it the correct size for the nut and serves as a wrench to loosen the nut. The integral screwdriver then adjusts the screw until the clearance is correct, after which you hold the screw in place with the knurled knob and tighten the nut. Much easier to do than describe, and far superior to juggling a wrench, screwdriver, and feeler gauge, as this is three tools, whereas most of us come equipped with two hands (ex-teenage girls' memories of teenage Romeos to the contrary). Memories of adjusting valves on an air-cooled Volkswagen bus come drifting through my mind, but it has been enough years that there is just a residual twitching motion in my shoulders.

That's the prettiest of them I've ever seen; mine is a die-cast thingie from the 1950's.

Re: The Snap-On whatsit

Jack Guzman from Maine

>I think you're probably correct considering the fact that Snap-on is primarily an auto tool maker.That thing is too elaborate to be a screwdriver.---Jack

How about

Dan Donaldson

>An even older version. The old Ford Flathead V-8's had the valves directly act on the lifters. The later ones had an adjuster on the lifter, but on the earlier ones, you had to seat the valve, install it, check the clearance, then if it was too close, remove the valve, grind a bit off the end, reassemble, and check again. If you go too far, reseat the valve and start over. I overhauled one of those when I was kid, and it took me all day to get the valves adjusted correctly.

What we have here is a...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond,CA

>Realy good daily triv. question!

Here's an example of the steam engine... *LINK*

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>Here in Sydney we have a fairly good technology museum called the Powerhouse Museum. It's called that because that's what the building used to be. It's very close to the city if you happen to be in town for a visit.

For me, the Boulton-Watt steam double acting steam engine is worth the price of admission alone. It was built in 1785 and it still runs.

According to the museum blurb, it is the third oldest rotative steam engine ever built. I imagine that numbers 1 and 2 are no longer extant but that is a guess on my part.


http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/opac/18432.asp

Re: The Snap-On whatsit

Dennis

>Thanks Bill, the screwdriver end is on a shaft that moves up and turns with the knob. I stopped by my local auto repair shop and they think that is what it was used for.

He is a snap-on collector and offered me $10 for it,hehe i should have sold maybe.

Dennis

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The Queen actually

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>worked in the military motorpool before she was crowned(?). I bet she not only knows what that tool was for she probably has used the equivalent english version.JR

Re: Carefull!!

Rob in Kansas

>It doesn't have modern OSHA safety precations so you better not run it!!! ;~)

I have a small steam engine that my Grandfather got in Itally durring WW2. When I took it to a local steam engine show I had some guy telling me that. He said without a modern preasure release valve it would explode. Well its preasure release valve is a fulcrum valve. It's even adjustable preasure by sliding a counterweight! Grandpa & I used to run it all time when I was a kid. Great fun to toot the whistle! Haven't done it much recently tho.

67 VW Bus with 27 windows and five doors

Victor Parisian

>Thanks Bill.

Boy does that bring back a flood aof memories:

After it sucked a valve near Ft Hood, Texas (That was the night that VW distributor in San Antonio burned to the ground) Three days later and about $900.00. I had my shinny new engine in and returned to my post at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.

I learned to balance the Complete Idiot's Guide to Volkswagans on my chest while I juggled the feeler guage, a wrench and the screw driver. Usually I was doing this repair while on my back in a parking lot somewhere. And don't forget about adjusting the points and timing more fun.

I had a lot of great fun times (beer, wine and girls) with that old van. ;-))) I kept it all the way through college then sold it after I went to jack it up to rotate the tires and the rust cancer underneith became very obvious as the jack was moving through it. :o

Victor who is home with a cold...

My first VW Bus

Todd Hughes

>My first VW Camper Bus was a 65 that I paid $100 for when I was in college.Had a bad engine and had to pay $100 to have it towed home.Bought a nice 68 bug with no title [divorce car] for $50 of a fellow who was as they say was a "motaveted seller".Put the engine in my bus. Sold the bug body for $250 for parts and my bad bus engine for $50...so got my bus for...well guess I came out ahead $50! Dropped out of school and drove around the country in it and it never let me down.Had it for years till a girlfriend put sugar in the tank of it and my VW convertable ...oh well was nice bus ....Todd

I abase myself

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>The royals really pitched in during WWII, not just in England but other places - it was sure a simpler time.

I didn't mean to insult her, though I wish the later generations had the grit of that one.

Cro-Magnon transportation

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>VW buses may not qualify as hand tools, but they sure don't qualify as power tools! My wife's was a 62, with the death heater (took its warmed air from a box through which the exhaust pipes passed, resulting in a tendency to pump carbon monoxide into the passenger compartment). We lost it when it blew up in W. Virginia after friends borrowed it. Great vehicle - made it across the U.S. (well, all but the last 50 miles) carrying more than it weighed by about 100 pounds. But boy were they high-maintenance vehicles!

Re: Carefull!!

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>I realise those photos don't give much impression in scale. This thing is at least two stories tall.

I love watching this thing run and there is another section that all sorts of other steam engines that are run as well.

Re: Cro-Magnon transportation

Victor Parisian

>Oh yes the heater... My defroster would clear a spot about 6 by 4 inches on the windshield. Used an old army blanket wrapped around myself to make up for lack of heat. Cruise control was a snow brush (I called it a snow chaser) stuck between the accelerator and the underside of the dash. This was great on the interstate. It kept me from getting charley horse in my leg from holding the accelerator to the floor. :0

Re: My first VW Bus

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>Huh...I never knew that Type 1 and Type 2 engines were interchangeable.

Re: My first VW Bus

Alan Hamilton

>Why did I...sob...sob...cry...Why did I...weep..sob...ever sell...sob...boo...hooo...my...sob...

I'm sorry...cry...weep...boo...hooo...I have to go be...choke...by myself...sob...for awhile....weep...

boo...hoo..hoo...,

Alan

...sob...

Re: My first VW Bus

Todd Hughes

>Befor 1968 when the bus,[type2] went to the swing arm transmisson there were no rear mount on the engines and a regular type 1 engine would bolt right on using just the 4 engine bolts,[2 studs 2 bolts] If the bus was a pre 67 6 volt you had problims if the engine was a post 66 and 12 volt as the fly wheel was bigger and wouldn't fit in the transmisson housing.You could use a fly wheel from a 66 bus which was smaller but still fit the later engines...but who had 66 type 2 fly wheels laying around? normaly I would just grind the trans. housing out a bit for the larger fly wheel to fit and convert the bus over to 12 volt.Had to use a special bushing for the new 12 volt starter or I liked to use a starter out of a auto shift car which didn't use a shaft bushing.....Amazing what a person can remember after 25 years eh? Once as I was pulling an engine out of a bus a trouble light exploded catching me [ made the most beautiful orange WHOOSH! as I caught fire] and the bus on fire and burned down the shop.A Cambodian friend pulled me out and saved my life but that was the end of my VW mechanic phase.....Todd

Re: Carefull!!

Rob in Kansas

>I was just being facetious. Your post reminded me of the guy I ran into.

Never made it to the Powerhouse Museum, maybe sometime in the future I�ll make it back to Oz!

almost forgot...

Victor Parisian

>If you were ever in an accident you were most assuredly the first one there. :0

Re: My first VW Bus

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>Yeah, those magnesium blocks burn good and hot. I don't know how many bugs I've seen on the side of the road with a rusted engine lid - the telltale sign.

I had a 1970 Ghia. One day I was just pulling into the garage when I looked into the rear view mirror; I saw flames coming up out of the air vents on top of the engine lid. Fortunately, I kept a fire extinguisher in the trunk. Other than melted plastic and hoses, there was no damage.

Re: 67 VW Bus with 27 windows and five doors

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>I have fond memories of my '70 Ghia until I remember adjusting valves every 3000 miles (that could be a knuckle buster.

Re: My first VW Bus

Alan Hamilton

>Jeff,

Yup. That's how I lost my second VW bus.

I was tooling down the freeway, my 2/60 air conditioner doing its best, Stones on the stereo, dark glasses, arm on the widow sill, looking good, when I looked in the left outside mirror. There was quite a lot of black and gray smoke in my wake.

Of course this wasn't the first time one of my VeeDubs had belched out smoke. But those times it was always accompanied by that familiar, but sickening "BANG! clank clank clank..." sound of number three's exhaust valve punching holes in the piston. This time it was silent.

I pulled over anyway, even though it was still running. I got the lid open and emptied my chemical fire extinguisher. The fire went out. I began to worry about how I was going to get home when there was a "whooosh" and the fire reappeared. A kindred VWer pulled over and emptied his extinguisher. He got the same result.

Volkswagon's clever design put the gas tank higher than the engine. Once the rubber fuel line burned away the raw gas poured unhindered into the hot engine compartment. Whooosh!

It was kind of pretty. It was a Westfalia and was stuffed lots of fabric, plywood and plastic--not to mention sleeping bags, plastic tarps, cassette tapes and lots more--that made all kinds of lovely psychedelic colors as they burned up.

The fire department showed up just in time to enjoy the fire at its height. The captain asked me if the gas tank had gone up yet. I asked him what happens when they go, thinking that maybe I should be much farther away. I've seen all those movies...

"There's a loud 'whoosh'" [again!] he said, "and all of a sudden there's lots more flame."

Just about then there was a loud whoosh, and...well...this story's already too long. Perhaps the movie version will be shorter.

Alan

Re: My first VW Bus

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Please tell me the water cooled Vanagons don't have this problem.

Pam, who's on her first Vanagon and now wondering if I should cut this resurrection short