11-19-2006 - Will Bimen's Velomobile

Sunday morning I had the pleasure to meet Will Bimen and his Velomobile. The Velomobile is pedal powered and designed much like a recumbent bike with a aerodynamic skin made of carbon fiber and Kevlar. Will said that he had started his trip in Colorado then progressed up to Illinois, then down to Memphis Tennessee, and is now headed back to Colorado. The Velomobile is equipped with headlights, turn signals and a brake light that is powered from a 12 volt battery pack. The battery pack is recharged via a solar panel that he places on top of the Velomobile. He said that on flat ground he can travel at a sustained 22 miles per hour and that a comparable bike, without the aerodynamic shell, he would only be able to maintain 17 miles an hour. If you would like more information about Will and his adventures or human-powered vehicles, then you should check out his web site at www.9th-hennepin.com

11-18-2006 - Let it roll...

Friday and Saturday we continued the re-assembly of the GTI. About 6PM on Saturday evening the GTI was finally all bolted together and buttoned up - Ready for a test drive. The first few experimental trips were without incident. So far, with about 100 miles on the clock the motor hasn't leaked any fluids, acted improperly and every function of the car works exactly as it did before the engine swap (Touch wood). In fact, except for the massive amount of time spent, the oily spot on the shop floor and huge metal lump sitting in the floor, I would think that the car was exactly the same as before the valve-to-piston impact. I'm glad that it's back on the road and thanks to Flash for his help and ingenuity in those critical times.

Trials and tribulations...

This weekend the work on the GTI continued. The old engine is now officially out of the car, and we have examined the top of the pistons by looking down into the spark plug holes with a flash light and there has definitely been valve impacts on cylinders 2 and 3. I have started swapping over parts from the old motor to the new and I think all of the new parts that are needed are on the way - until something else breaks.

On a side note, there has been a rat that has taken up residence in my shop about two weeks ago. The first week he was there without my knowledge and did a lot of damage. This past week has been a constant hunt to find and kill him. I am happy to say that the little bastard is dead and I can start cleaning up the mess he made. He ate a fuel line, some of the wiring and the carpet of the 911... Now I know what Rat Bastard really means!

Saturday night we started playing around on the Super Beetle and decided to put the new windshield seal in... Long story short - the windshield is now broken. Searching around I found a replacement for around $50 + shipping. I may check some local places to see if I can get a better deal.