Re: Another Commute

[n9ads@domain.elided (Howard R Pletcher)]

On Tue, 11 Aug 1998 22:04:21 -0400 Tom and Amanda Lang
<rustnrot@domain.elided> writes:
>Drove the right-hand-drive '72 2wd Scout II, equipped with 258 engine
and
>727 tranny for the first time to work today.  A 30 mile commute.
>Thankfully no problems.  But a comment and a question.
>
>Comment first:  Driving along with the windows open it occurred to me
how
>much more pleasant it can be sitting on the right side of the lane than
the
>left.  No draft from cars coming the other direction.  Able to hear more
of
>what is going in the outside world.  Feel cooler breezes from the grass
and
>trees than from the other lane of traffic.  When it rained a little, no
>splashing from passing trucks on your face.  Hmmmmm, I got to thinking
why
>does convention say (except for maybe when needing to pass on a two lane
>road--I don't seem to do much of that anymore anyway) that we have
steering
>on the side *closest* to oncoming traffic?
>
I think passing is the main reason.  And it's probably not coincidence
that in the left lane countries, they standardized on RHD.  But on
freeway and city street driving, it's probably not much of a
disadvantage.

>Now Question:  This Scout did not come with a coolant return tank. 
Don't
>know if it was there at one time and removed, but I bet it was never
there.
> This is a bare-bones Scout, no rear seat, manual steering, brakes, etc.
>I'm adding a coolant return tank.  Do coolant return tank equipped
vehicles
>require a different radiator cap?  The radiator has an overflow tube
>connection welded at the mouth but the cap that is there does not weep
>coolant during the heating/cooling cycle (at least I *think* that's what
>coolant return system radiator caps do).
>
>
I can't tell for sure from the parts book that it should have had the
tank, but since the book lists one for the Scout 800, it reinforces my
recollection that those things became standard in the late '60's and I'd
say all Scout II's should have had one.

I don't think the cap is different.  At least, back in ancient times, we
used to make our own tank by just sticking the overflow hose into a
plastic bottle partially filled with coolant and everything worked fine
(right, John H?).

Without a tank, your Scout would weep coolant until the level drops to
the point that all you're doing is weeping air and drawing it back in
during the temperature cycles.  With the tank, you'll fill the radiator
right up to the cap as you have probably observed on other vehicles.

Howard Pletcher
Howteron Products Scout Parts

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