Church of the Latter Day Amish

[Chuey]

When I throw away an appliance, I take it apart to see if there's any cool stuff (parts) in there that I could adapt to other projects.

When our coffee maker quit, it provided some parts that I hadn't been able to find for the Cafe' Racer. I made contraptions to feed the crankcase ventilation yucky air back into the air cleaners. These are the foam oil soaked type. A manifold I made directs the vent to each side so both carbs share the task of venting the engine. I needed a tube or hose that would make a U-turn to complete the job. I was searching for a tube that could bend into a U in a very short distance. In other words, a very tight bend. The coffee maker had EXACTLY the perfect parts! Two silicone hoses of the perfect diameter and there was even a small difference in their lengths. Each end has an easy to squeeze spring clamp. One side needed to be a little longer and the hoses didn't even need to be trimmed. So that the hoses retained their round shape and didn't collapse in the coffee maker or on the Cafe' Racer, there were springs lining the hoses. It was so thoughtful of the coffee maker company to put Cafe' Racer parts in there for me.

Chuey

[Chuey]

A friend and former co-worker told me that he liked his VW because he could understand all the processes that were going on as he drove it. Our airheads have the same comforting attribute.

Chuey

[dwerbil]

Couple of funs posts, Chuey! Thanks.

[dwerbil]

"It just doesn't match the new toaster oven."

What was wrong with Avocado Green?

Blends great with Harvest Gold.

Ah, my kitchen and poly-suit colors from the late seventies.
(kidding, of course)

[DanielMc]

A friend and former co-worker told me that he liked his VW because he could understand all the processes that were going on as he drove it. Our airheads have the same comforting attribute.

Chuey

I had my epiphany around five years ago just after I returned a barn-find Moto Guzzi Le Mans 850 to the road. At the time I was running a BMW K1 and a Kawasaki ZZR1100. After riding it around the block I began questioning what fuel injection, water cooling, four cylinders and 16 valves was adding apart from weight. I'd assumed that the old Guzzi would only remind me that, although very pretty and as mechanically simple as a hammer, it would be agricultural, slow, noisy and uncomfortable. It did that, and much more besides.

In the end I went for BMWs which are less uncomfortable...

[Zombie Master]

A friend and former co-worker told me that he liked his VW because he could understand all the processes that were going on as he drove it. Our airheads have the same comforting attribute.

Chuey

Nothing says White Person like an old VW....nothing.

[Airbear]

An excellent thread, gentlemen. Thanks.
I'm into 'appropriate technology'. Old Airheads (two and four wheeled) make me grin. When I'm stuck beside the road I typically know why, and that is very appealing. I don't care too much about my $300 car, though I love the fact that it keeps working and I have another one just like it 'out to grass' in the backyard to cannibalise for parts. I have nine working computers at the moment, all made up from parts scrounged from junked machines, all freshly loaded with the software I need (also scrounged) and adequate enough to do the many things I like a computer to do. These are in stock, to be pressed into service as required and available to anyone who needs one. I don't like stuff that cannot be fixed because it has been designed that way. Stuff that Works by Guy Clark is a favourite song.

I like the article. It is well written and makes a good point about appropriate technology and philosophies pertaining to Airheads. Thanks for posting it.

[DanielMc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny9gPqvHOmc

[Airbear]

Ah'm a'thinkin' a little cowboy music is called for right here:

Stuff that works, by Guy Clark

I got an ol' blue shirt and it suits me just fine
I like the way it feels so I wear it all the time
I got an old guitar, won't ever stay in tune
I like the way it sounds in a dark and empty room

I got an ol' pair of boots and they fit just right
Well I can work all day and I can dance all night
I got an ol' used car and it runs just like a top
I get the feelin' it ain't ever gonna stop

Chorus:
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don't hang on the wall
Stuff that's real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall

I got a pretty good friend who's seen me at my worst
He can't tell if I'm a blessing or a curse
But he always shows up when chips are down
That's the kind of stuff I like to be around

Chorus

I got a woman I love she's crazy, paints like God
She's got a playground sense of justice, she won't take odds
I got a tattoo with her name right through my soul
I think everything she touches turns to gold

Chorus

[dougie]

When gizmos give up the ghost, I, like most here, have a go at repairing them.
Sometimes it works. When it doesn't, I cannibalize.
I have two old pipe tobacco tins marked "springs" and "electrical bits". And I usually keep any wires.