Didn’t get much done in the last week or so. Took the engine tin to the local “spray ‘n’ wash” and loaded it down with degreaser, then sprayed the hell out of it. Took off most of the gunk, and whatever was left on was easy to scrape off with a wire brush. Took the heater boxes and put them out on the deck to let the sun bake the moisture out of them. Luckily it’s been sunny and in the 80s and 90s recently. After the cleaning, I used the rust remover attachment on my drill and got most of the surface rust off the tin. Guess I’ll POR it and then when I do the engine right in a year or two I’ll have it all sandblasted properly. Hopefully the POR will prevent any further rust in the meanwhile. It all seems like surface rust anyway, probably not much to worry about.
I had a bit of a surprise from the Type 3 list recently. Turns out quite a few people on the list have used the braided fuel line which I used. It cracks *very* quickly evidently. My immediate thought was to just go through and replace it all once again with Goodyear FI hose, but I think I’m going to wait until I replace the bottom end of my engine in another year or two. This fuel line should be good for a year or more and I’ll just keep an eye on it. I really have to stop being distracted by trying to make everything perfect. I know replacing all this fuel line now would mean I hopefully wouldn’t have to do it again for years, but I need to concentrate on getting the car working for now. I’ve had the car for four months now and I still don’t even know what the engine sounds like! I have no idea at the moment what troubles I’m going to have to investigate regarding the rest of the car, particularly the electrical system and the suspension, so the sooner I get all this stuff done and the motor back in, the better.
I ordered one of the fuel filler neck seals from ISP West and it came in very quickly. Very nice piece too! I also got the last length of fuel line from Tom Miller, as well as some replacement vacuum hoses and fuel injector seals. I think they’re the wrong size though, so I’m glad I also ordered seals from Jim on the Type 3 list. Those should arrive soon along with my oil cooler padding. As soon as I get that I can start putting things back together. Just need to wash the new pistons & cylinders and then put some flat-black engine paint on the cylinder fins to help with cooling.
Stopped by the NH VW Show in Hopkinton last Sunday with my parents & the wife & stepson. That was very very cool. Only one Type 3 represented inside the show, but there was a Type 34 in primer as well. I had never seen a Type 34 in person before, so it was pretty cool seeing one close-up. Lots of very nice Type 2’s as well (as always). Picked up some needed stuff at the swap meet as well — ring compressor (cheap) and one of those sluggers that helps you take off your axle nuts. Also picked up a Type 3 key blank for $9, which is quite a bit cheaper than they usually go for on E-bay.