Re: Painting cars---Heavy Hoods

[Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org>]

On 21 Aug 2005 at 14:27, J. Jonik wrote:

> Yes...moving those hood springs is a trick requiring,
> as I remember, vice grips and pry bars and padded
> things to prevent the spring from whacking you good.
> Mine are at tightest adjustment. Must be just metal
> fatigue in the springs...if the extra layer(s) of
> paint aren't at fault for hood (or bonnet?) droop.

Make sure, as Dave suggests, that the hinge end of the spring is in a notch, 
not a hole. I suspect it's in the wrong place there. Then you get to discover 
how tight they REALLY get to be.

If your springs are really bad, I have better ones.

> Re/ Mileage for a 72 T3 FI being acceptable at about
> 22 mpg, that's a sort of relief...though the idea of
> VWs being "good on gas" is from an earlier time, I
> suppose, relative to 60s and 70s Belchfire bombs.

VW gas mileage suffered a lot as the engine displacement went up in the 60s and 
the emissions controls came in.  

> It seems that such cars may not be up to contemporary
> urban area highway levels because of the speed thing.
> Modern cars on 65 MPH highways go 75 and 80+
> routinely, thus making a 65 or even 70 mph VW almost a
> stand-still obstacle. 

All cars, new or old, benefit from slowing down. Your best fuel economy will 
come at some point where you've just shifted into your highest gear.


-- 
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~