blah blah blah
10.03.2009
Change Tires
9.29.2009
New Tags
8.22.2009
MB UNIMOG U1300 (Repairs Needed)
Took various photos, like the steering box leaks:
The throttle assembly (lots of rust there):
Installed driver-side lap belt.
Labels: unimog
8.16.2009
MB UNIMOG U1300 (Re: "No Signs")
The New York Department of Transportation website has a page on parking commercial vehicles, which it summarizes:
For the purposes of parking, standing and stopping rules, a vehicle shall not be deemed a commercial vehicle or a truck unless:
- It bears commercial plates; and
- It is permanently altered by having all seats and seat fittings, except the front seats, removed to facilitate the transportation of property, except that for vehicles designed with a passenger cab and a cargo area separated by a partition, the seating capacity within the cab shall not be considered in determining whether the vehicle is properly altered; and
- It displays the registrant's name and address permanently affixed in characters at least three inches high on both sides of the vehicle, with such display being in a color contrasting with that of the vehicle and placed approximately midway vertically on doors or side panels.
The actual text of TRAFFIC RULES (Title 34 Chapter 4, Rules of the City of New York), about signs:
(k) Special rules for commercial vehicles
- (1) Parking of unaltered commercial vehicles prohibited. No person shall stand or park a vehicle with commercial plates in any location unless it has been permanently altered
Labels: unimog
8.14.2009
MB UNIMOG U1300 (Heavy Duty Stickers)
7.11.2009
MB UNIMOG U1300 (Party)
7.07.2009
MB UNIMOG U1300 (2.5% US customs tax, 8.375% NY State tax)






Note: Hood Emblem Missing
(with VAT-added repairs in Ravensburg, via the Mignon at Bremerhaven, via Port of NY/NJ)
Labels: unimog
7.05.2009
Type 3 (Safety-Inspected)
I spent a weekend disassembling and reassembling the front suspension, for the third time.
To get to the torsion bars: remove wheels, separate tie-rod ends, separate calipers from steering knuckles (do not disconnect brake lines), and unbolt dampers from lower arms. You can remove the entire brake-disk, steering-knuckle, ball-joint assembly, with the help of a floor jack by supporting the arm to release pressure on the ball-joint bolt.
WANTED: Peiseler VW 261 angle adjustment tool
I found the Peiseler VW 261 tool on thesamba.com for $200 in good condition. This is a tool that has several uses throughout the car, primarily among them adjusting the front and rear torsion bars to set vehicle ride height.
TODO: Get a torch, to free the torsion rods from the torsion arms.
The torsion arm and torsion bar had rusted together, which is why I couldn't finish the job last time. The torch handled one arm. The second arm, my buddy Darren's 5-ton press had met its match, it ended with twisted metal and a loud pop. And at last, I could apply my Peiseler VW 261.
TODO: Set front ride-height
Adjusted steering box and re-torqued all steering bolts.
Adjusted wheel bearing play.
Passed safety inspection.
(original post, 11 hours)
To get to the torsion bars: remove wheels, separate tie-rod ends, separate calipers from steering knuckles (do not disconnect brake lines), and unbolt dampers from lower arms. You can remove the entire brake-disk, steering-knuckle, ball-joint assembly, with the help of a floor jack by supporting the arm to release pressure on the ball-joint bolt.
I found the Peiseler VW 261 tool on thesamba.com for $200 in good condition. This is a tool that has several uses throughout the car, primarily among them adjusting the front and rear torsion bars to set vehicle ride height.
The torsion arm and torsion bar had rusted together, which is why I couldn't finish the job last time. The torch handled one arm. The second arm, my buddy Darren's 5-ton press had met its match, it ended with twisted metal and a loud pop. And at last, I could apply my Peiseler VW 261.
Adjusted steering box and re-torqued all steering bolts.
Adjusted wheel bearing play.
Passed safety inspection.
(original post, 11 hours)
Labels: volkswagen
3.18.2009
Re: Truck Driving Skills Test

Meets standards for licensing? No.
APPLICANT TOOK UP TWO LANES WHILE STRAIGHT DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. INSTRUCTOR FORCED TO ACT.
2.25.2009
Re: Teardown
I measure the time spent on car projects in terms of afternoons. This project is to remove a VW type 4 engine from my Porsche 914 and rebuild it. Thus far, five afternoons.

Special-purpose tools required: 12-point 6mm allen wrench for the drive axle bolts, flywheel lock for removing clutch and flywheel bolts, 2-ton engine hoist.

Several missing parts, including the bottom right and left warm air guides (which cover the cylinder heads from below). Maybe they're not critical, but what about the thermostat. Where's the thermostat!? All I found was the thermostat roller:

- Remove rear hood and engine cover, exhaust and heating elements
- Remove air intake and throttle, disconnect fuel lines (label everything)
- Remove electrical connections, clutch cable, shifter, and starter motor
- Disconnect rear drive axles, remove engine and transmission
- Remove intake manifold and fuel ring, distributor, oil breather, alternator, fan and ducting
Special-purpose tools required: 12-point 6mm allen wrench for the drive axle bolts, flywheel lock for removing clutch and flywheel bolts, 2-ton engine hoist.
Several missing parts, including the bottom right and left warm air guides (which cover the cylinder heads from below). Maybe they're not critical, but what about the thermostat. Where's the thermostat!? All I found was the thermostat roller:
Labels: porsche, volkswagen