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Old 01-22-2017, 01:01 PM   #1
KGBnut
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Default Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

My daughter's Beetle broke down on the way home Friday night. It is only a bad fuel pump, but it is going to be a few days before the new one comes in.

To get her home Pop and I rigged up a system base on reliable Model A technology. Gravity never seems to fail. We could see people pointing and laughing at us the whole way...but we got her home. The gas can is one the Pop soldered a piece of tubing into some 50 or 60 years ago for the exact same purpose.

Ken
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Old 01-22-2017, 01:04 PM   #2
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Is there a "LIKE" button!
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Old 01-22-2017, 01:48 PM   #3
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Glad she home but that doesn't look to safe
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Old 01-22-2017, 01:57 PM   #4
Bob C
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

I had a fuel pump go bad on my VW bug and filled the crank case with gas.

Bob
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Old 01-22-2017, 02:14 PM   #5
jm29henry
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Did that work?
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Old 01-22-2017, 02:23 PM   #6
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jm29henry View Post
Glad she home but that doesn't look to safe


Did that work?

As a matter of fact it did work, and worked rather well. The car ran fine coming home.

Also, it was probably not the least bit safe. I did a lot to secure things before driving it, but still the gas can was swinging like a pendulum. My biggest concern was it swinging and putting tension on the fuel line and snapping off the fitting on the can. I made sure to take corners very carefully. I only had to go about a mile and a half. If I had to go much further I wouldn't have done it.

Ken
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Old 01-22-2017, 02:39 PM   #7
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Looks like there is a bug in your system.

Why didn't you tow it home with your Model A ? You could have walked the mile and a half home to get the Model A, then drive back and hook up to the Bug with a rope. Now THAT would have gained a lot of looks!
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Old 01-22-2017, 02:55 PM   #8
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Talking Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cool Hand Lurker View Post
Looks like there is a bug in your system.

Why didn't you tow it home with your Model A ? You could have walked the mile and a half home to get the Model A, then drive back and hook up to the Bug with a rope. Now THAT would have gained a lot of looks!


That sure wouldt.........
Las summer i was in the French Alpes with the model A tudor,climbing a steep hill about halfway up there was a big tractor/trailer with a burnt clutch.
I told the driver i would tow him to the top.
We tied a rope between the tractor and the model a and i started pulling.....up we went.
At the top we untied the cars and the driver said"that was going very well,only at the end there was a lot of smoke coming from your car"
I looked inside the cab,,,,,,,,,damn,i forgot to release the handbrake......
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Old 01-22-2017, 02:56 PM   #9
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

I was wondering about Bobc idea
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Old 01-22-2017, 03:01 PM   #10
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jm29henry View Post
I was wondering about Bobc idea
It's a very common occurence for them to dump into the crankcase. The diaphram ruptures and in it goes.. they also can pump fuel externally out the vent hole
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Old 01-22-2017, 03:14 PM   #11
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

I think I'd rather be safe and call AAA. Rather than save a few bucks and risk a fire or explosion. Wayne
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Old 01-22-2017, 03:20 PM   #12
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Thanks for posting
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Old 01-22-2017, 03:22 PM   #13
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Nice job KGB.
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Old 01-22-2017, 03:44 PM   #14
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

I have a similar can that I soldered a fitting on to about 30 or 40 years ago, and I still use it ocassionally.
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Old 01-22-2017, 03:46 PM   #15
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Back in the 80's, we had a country general store about 2 1/2 hours north of Melbourne. One evening, a guy appeared at the door of our residence behind the shop asking for a mechanic. The town was too small for that but once he explained the problem, I volunteered to get him going. I used a couple of 2 litre plastic bottles, an octo strap and some plastic tubing to rig up something similar to the OP. The Octo strap held one of the bottles to his sun visor (he was driving an early 80's Toyota) and a piece of tube syphoned fuel down to the carburetor. The other piece of tube was so he could syphon more fuel out of the tank when the first bottle ran out. He gave me a look I won't forget when I sent him on his way home to Melbourne (2 1/2 hours away). He rang next morning to say he made the trip home OK and was amazed it worked. He admitted he thought I was mad the night before but he had decided since that there is a VERY fine line between madness and genius.
I sometimes wonder how many times he retold the story.
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Old 01-22-2017, 05:38 PM   #16
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

I've had to do the same thing a few times when the 10% ethanol crap gas took out the fuel pump. I now have a blank off plate on my fuel pump opening, and use an electric pump. As much as I like to stay all original, it's more important to have the car reliable, and as long as we get stuck on the road buying crap gas, I will continue to use a rotary pump with no rubber parts, and no chance to dump gas into the oil.
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Old 01-22-2017, 07:07 PM   #17
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cool Hand Lurker View Post
Why didn't you tow it home with your Model A ? You could have walked the mile and a half home to get the Model A, then drive back and hook up to the Bug with a rope. Now THAT would have gained a lot of looks!
Lurker, that's genius. I wish I had thought of that.

Actually, I considered towing it home, but there really weren't any decent anchor points under the front of the Beetle. I did tow it about twenty yards, just to get it out of the road. I was just wrapped around what looked like a sway bar. I wouldn't have gone any further for fear of bending something important.

Ken
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Old 01-22-2017, 07:09 PM   #18
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

The Bug has a tubular front axle.. you probably could go around that .. but u did fine its all good ...
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Old 01-22-2017, 07:23 PM   #19
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Cool Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

The accelerator cable on my VW Golf broke one time about ten miles from home. I got a rope and tied it to where the accelerator cable connected to the fuel injector. I ran the rope from under the hood and through the driver's side window. It got me home, but I certainly got some looks on that one, too.
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Old 01-22-2017, 07:24 PM   #20
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Wasn't fuel pump trouble but had carb trouble once on an old 57 ford. I took the carb off and beat the end of the gas line almost together and wired the line where it sprayed a small amount of fuel down the intake. didn't run worth a dime but made it about 3 1/2 miles to home.
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Old 01-22-2017, 07:59 PM   #21
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Many years ago when I was young I had a 1935 Ford with a bad fuel pump that worked on and off, and no money to squander on another fuel pump I drilled a hole in the gas cap, installed an inner tube metal valve cut from an old era inner tube and I was all set. When the fuel pump failed I used my tire pump, about 4 pumps of the hand tire pump was good for about 5-6 miles. My longest trip was about 250 miles and 2 chums in the rumble seat manned the tire pump when the engine began to sputter and we just kept driving without a pause. When I replaced the full pump I kept the gas cap with inner tube valve through it just for emergency as long as I owned the car.
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Old 01-22-2017, 08:25 PM   #22
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

barnstuf: that is a cool story. Jeff
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Old 01-22-2017, 08:36 PM   #23
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

If you squeeze the can to you get fuel injection?
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Old 01-22-2017, 09:08 PM   #24
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

This has turned into an interesting thread.
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Old 01-24-2017, 06:53 PM   #25
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

These two posts are great! I am going to copy them to my Model A folder. I hope that's OK.

Gold Digger
Wasn't fuel pump trouble but had carb trouble once on an old 57 ford. I took the carb off and beat the end of the gas line almost together and wired the line where it sprayed a small amount of fuel down the intake. didn't run worth a dime but made it about 3 1/2 miles to home.

barnstuf
Many years ago when I was young I had a 1935 Ford with a bad fuel pump that worked on and off, and no money to squander on another fuel pump I drilled a hole in the gas cap, installed an inner tube metal valve cut from an old era inner tube and I was all set. When the fuel pump failed I used my tire pump, about 4 pumps of the hand tire pump was good for about 5-6 miles. My longest trip was about 250 miles and 2 chums in the rumble seat manned the tire pump when the engine began to sputter and we just kept driving without a pause. When I replaced the full pump I kept the gas cap with inner tube valve through it just for emergency as long as I owned the car.
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Old 01-25-2017, 07:50 AM   #26
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

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Model "A" ingenuity at it's finest!!!
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Old 01-25-2017, 08:04 AM   #27
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Got to love Bugs. I had a bunch back in the day. Once the throttle cable broke at the pedal. I pull it out through the dog house and ran it along side the car. It was a manual hand throttle, but it got me home.
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Old 01-25-2017, 10:41 AM   #28
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

I had quite a few old VW's too.My first car was the A,but it was really too cold to drive a lot in the winter.I bought a 59 VW,it had no heat but it was a lot warmer than the A.I broke the throttle cable on that one night,so I sat on the bumper and ran the throttle while my friend shifted and steered it.The intention was to just get out of the downtown Christmas traffic and find a place to park it,but we were doing so good we decided to make the 7 mile trip home.That was one cold ride home with one hand around the hood hinge holding me on,and the other one trying to regulate the throttle .
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Old 01-25-2017, 11:14 AM   #29
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Great story - "Yankee Enginuity" never owned a VW aircooled but would not mind - cool cars I think.
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Old 01-25-2017, 11:45 AM   #30
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

One winter night, many year ago, I was driving a Trackmaster up a mountain road on Baffin Island and the return spring on the throttle linkage broke. What to do? I had about 8 or 10 miles to go. I tied the gas pedal to my boot so I could pull the gas pedal back up. Of course in the mountains the 2 way radio wouldn't work so I couldn't report in. The road was covered w/snow drifts, so every 50 or 100 yards I had to accelerate to climb over a drift and then back off the throttle to go down the other side. Easy enough when the spring is there but not so easy w/a manual return. Finally got to the base I was going to and got raked over the coals for being so late.
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Old 01-25-2017, 11:54 AM   #31
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

If our friends of the law would notice this construction on the raod over here they would stop you immediatly and forbid you to continue your trip !
( and for me the empty unmolested oil can is worth more the a VW fuel pump)
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Old 01-25-2017, 10:10 PM   #32
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

Luv it!
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Old 01-26-2017, 02:53 AM   #33
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

The Australian outback is notoriously hard on cars. The indigenous people that live there are notorious for the same thing, but also for their ability to keep heaps of sh** mobile. A while back there was a great TV series called Bush Mechanic, which took the pi** out of this situation. There are a few clips on YouTube with some classic roadside fixes. It was made BY black fellas ABOUT black fellas, which makes it still P.C., right? Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/AmmDsv-CPdA
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Old 01-26-2017, 05:55 AM   #34
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Default Re: Not Model A, but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this.

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The Australian outback is notoriously hard on cars. The indigenous people that live there are notorious for the same thing, but also for their ability to keep heaps of sh** mobile. A while back there was a great TV series called Bush Mechanic, which took the pi** out of this situation. There are a few clips on YouTube with some classic roadside fixes. It was made BY black fellas ABOUT black fellas, which makes it still P.C., right? Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/AmmDsv-CPdA
The ford barn user named dumb person. Posted that as I remember.

Reminded me of what happened when car,bus or boat broke down 1968 in Vietnam. Those guys were as good as Macgyver


... Fixing with whatever was available !!
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