Larry Schramm

If you do start restoring it, from the VW techs that I talk to the wiring would be a good place to start.

1998 Chev Blazer 252,000 miles 2000 Chev Blazer 151,000 miles 1998 S-10 Pick up 185,000 miles 2000 S-10 Pick up 148,000 Miles 1998 Chev Astro 213,000 Miles

My experience is that it will not take off the plating and sometimes will not take off the paint depending on the media that is used. The only draw back is it does take some time to get the parts clean. I will say that sometimes depending on how rusty the parts are I will use a wire wheel on them to get some of the dirt out of the cracks or threads.

Great heads up on the show. Watched the show last night and very interesting and informatiive. I will say that it was quite a transformation.

I have one of the vibrator cleaners like you have and I like it a bunch. You do need to put it out where you can let it run for 5-10 hours depending on the media used and how rusty the parts are. I have been very satisfied with the one that I have. I usually set it out side running and forget it for the day.

Keith, And what car(s) do you have and what era?

If you look between the top gear and middle gear on the bottom pix, is that not a gear barely showing down between the two gears? As a 3 speed transmission, if not a boat or car could it be used in maybe some type of machine shop application??

Now that is a big truck

Ernie, You are right on the two holes in the wrench. The current fire hoses that I used have two pins on each end that are used to tighten and untighten the hose to the hydrant of another hose.

With the engine off and you depress the clutch, does the clutch move in and out easily or is it hard to operate. If it is hard or sticks or hangs up in certain spots, that could be the problem. You would need to look at the clearances and condition of the transmission input shaft to the clutch spline. Make sure the splines for the transmission are really clean.

Is this on the top of the door by the window? Another pix away from the what you are showing would help.

You need to post them on a web hosting site that will host your pictures. After you upload your pictures to the website, you will have a url that you copy and paste in the quick reply box after you click on the second icon from the right and it will ask you for the url/web address. Hope this helps.

Part numbers are good, but pictures also help.

Do you have any clear ones that are convex out?

Is it there to keep the spokes from being filled up with mud?

Just a quick question on your chart, I follow the numbers for the vintage car and they add up to 19,300, but for the two new cars, how is the estimated total cost to own less than the original purchase price??

I just took my 98 Chevy Astro van with 214,000 miles on a quick trip to Florida which was a 2,500 mile trip over Christmas. No problem be cause like other older high mileage drivers I keep meticulous care and records of work done. A couple of years ago we drove it out to Calif towing a trailer and I think it had about 180,000 miles then.

The only slower experience in a diesel I believe is a 1982 vintage VW Vanagon/Westfalia camper. They had so little power that you could not even have air conditioning.

Might want to ask this question on the Reatta thread. The fuse layout should be the same as a Riviera.

The reason that I said that it was possibly a hydrant wrench is that I too was a volunteer firefighter for a number of years. Also, I have not seen any 5 sided bolts anywhere else.

Keiser31,.... We must have been typing in the answer at the same time and hit enter at the same time. Great minds think alike.

Do you have a picture of what you need?

This might be a stretch, but the pentagon looks just like the top of a fire hydrant bolt for opening the valve. The other end might be for taking the cap off???? just a guess

Steve, If you are not using a torque wrench to install the wheels on your car/truck, the rotors are subject to bad wear patterns that will give pulsation. This is especially true if you use an impact wrench. The brake pulsation usually shows up about 2000-3000 miles after the wheels have been r&r'd.

Charles, Thanks for the response, but this gage does not have any electrical connections. This gage has another piece missing and that is a rod that goes from the left side of the gage shown in the first picture to a float. That rod is connected at the joint to two gears that turn the gage at the top as the float moves up and down. My gage came off a 1917 Buick and also had the gears corroded from age. As to Mark's suggestion about freezing it I am going to try it, but I am almost to the point of carefully cutting the ring off to fix the rest of the gage... but not yet.