With a hint of fall in the air, Primrose came out of hibernation. It was time to install the replacement speedometer cable, the one ordered many months ago.
We had learned to make do, using our handheld GPS plugged in to the 12 volt outlet. It worked fine during the day, but without being backlit it didn’t help much after dark.
There are many advantages of the old VW campers being so popular. A big one is the availability of replacement parts. Several vendors specialize in nothing but van and camper parts. For example, try finding the tiny clips that hold the loose end of the sun visors. Ours had broken on our first trip. Thanks to these vendors, replacements were only a few dollars each.
Primrose was near the end of the long, long production on air-cooled vans. Throughout the years, changes and improvements were added along the way. In 1982, our speedometer cable was a two piece assembly. Upper and lower cables, mated to a junction box in-between. The new and improved aftermarket cable is a single unit. No junction box required, allowing you to upgrade an old camper with just a simple snap in replacement part.
Driving home was so nice, knowing how exactly fast I was going for the first time in hundreds and hundreds of miles. No more worrying “am I going slow enough in this 45 mph section?” Or thinking “how fast am I going through this 20 mph school zone?”
One more item off Primrose’s check list for the Big ‘O’. Next comes a side awning, so visitors can join us sitting in the shade during Happy Hour.