The VW Technical Blog

Boler #3

2011-01-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

This is the third, and possibly final Boler restoration I have undertaken. I found this one near Hamilton and made the purchase on spec, hoping to finish this one in a similar fashion to Boler #1 and make a sizeable profit.

This unit was in very good physical shape and needed the least amount of body prep and repair. I went through it in m usual fashion, as you can see in the photos, making all new doors again from MDF, routered with a large roundover bit, as well as a new table. The floors are laminate and the interior is fully painted again in gloss.

I had some of the L63H paint leftover, so I decided to use it again for this unit. I bought a better spray gun and got by far the best quality paint job this time than any of my previous work. I successfully laid the green down in three nice coats with no runs or dry spots.

I invested again in a TV for this one and had the cushions sewn again by my multi-talented friend Sara.

I listed this one with high hopes at the start of the camping season, hoping for a similar amount of interest as the first.

What I received was a whole lot of NOTHING. Very little interest and a number of failed promises to come and look.

In the end I reduced my price to less than either of the first two and let it go to a very nice local family. It was still a profitable venture, but after the heartache of selling this one for so much less I am hesitant to get into another.

I suppose I will have to wait to see what the future brings.

Boler #2

2011-01-06T05:41:00.000-08:00

After the unexpected success of Boler #1, one of the prospective buyers was very dissapointed they didn't get it. We came to an agreement if I were to find another project trailer, that I should call. Well, one of my friends was working in Sarnia and came across the Boler you see above. A deal was struck and I made the trip to pick it up.

I finished this Boler to the customer's requirements and ultimately got it out the door just before Christmas, 2009.

As you can see it was much more complete than the first one, but still needed its share of work.

This time I got wise and had another good friend do the sewing work. Her work is amazing and it made my life much easier.

Though not as lucrative as Boler #1 (which was done on a shoestring budget), I felt in the end I covered my time and materials for this unit and was happy with the transaction.

Boler #1

2011-01-06T05:27:00.001-08:00

In the mid-summer of 2009 I found a basket case 1970's Boler Camping trailer on Kijiji out of London, Ontario. I was looking in the London classifieds as I had a meeting there for work, so it was convenient to look at the Boler. I had been looking for a Boler for a long time, but their usual $5000 price tag was a little steep for my budget.

Unfortunately I have no "before" pictures, but suffice it to say this thing was ROUGH! The fibreglass shell had a good number of dings and gouges, worse yet there were some large holes on the far side from equipment that had been installed. The tongue was also extended considerably to mount a generator, and the whole interior was removed.

I wound up doing some research online and recreating an interior using lumber and MDF, then I completely painted the inside walls, ceiling, and new cabinets in a gloss white. I repurposed some surplus IKEA cabinet doors and painted them as well. A laminate floor was installed and I sewed new cushions in a wacky fabric.

The exterior saw its share of work as well. I hacked off the extended tongue and reused the steel to bring it back to a near-stock appearance. I rewired the unit, fixed the fibreglass, and ultimately painted it to match our Westfalia.

After the first outing in the trailer (Da Caves, 2009), I listed the trailer and there was a bidding war between two individuals. The successful buyer also planned to tow his behind a VW bus. In fact he ultimately had it repainted to match his bus.

1956 Oval January 2011 Update

2011-01-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

As you may be able to make out in the shots above, I treated myself to a rather generous Christmas gift... A car scissor lift. After hoisting Vanessa's new beetle and fixing the exhaust, I made up some custom adaptors and mounted the oval body on the lift.

I removed what was left of the drivers side heater channel and started to properly dissect the remnants from the car. What came next was the realization that the drivers side will need considerably more help than the passenger side.

Before I can replace the heater channel, I will need to replace the metal it connects to. Specifically on the drivers side this will require a lower door pillar, a section of the inner front fender area, the rear quarter (that will come last), the inner rear quarter, the rear under seat area, and the rear inner fender heavy steel part. Since no aftermarket stampings are particulary accurate, I decided to make my own parts for these areas...

In the images above you can see the start of the process, using cardboard for templates, a sharpie, a band saw, shears, and my metal brake / shear / roller machine. So far I am very happy with the results.

Not pictured is the modifications I've made to the heavy duty aftermarket door pillar. I cut only what was needed, then drilled and tapped the inner door mounting tab (the oval uses 4, it was only tapped for 3), and then drilled the second access hole and dressed the new hole to match original.

Next step will be further refining the panels, trimming them, and tacking them in place. Once in place I should be in a position to mock the heater channel in place, then the rear quarter.

As a sidenote, in most cases the cardboard parts I've made can be mirrored for use on the passenger side, which is handy. Although it is in better shape, I will need to use some metal on that side as well. I've also been able to use the passenger side as a model for the drivers side, then mirror it, where too little original metal was left to copy on the drivers side.

1956 Oval July 2010 Metal Work

2011-01-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Between projects in July 2010 I had an opportunity to work on the '56. It's not pictured here, but I carefully measured and removed what was left of the old front clip, then tacked the new one in place. I also carefully sectioned the rotten part of the front firewall off, then modified the aftermarket replacement and tacked it in place. The part of the replacement I used shares the dimensions and details of the original. If I had used the entire piece, it wouldn't look correct to the year (this area is under carpet, but still my intent is to be as accurate as possible). I also began the process of replacing the passenger side heater channel. I adjusted the turnbuckles to square up the car and bring it to original dimension, then fabricated the necessary replacement metal to ensure all the mounting areas are solid. This was the stage where I had to leave the car again, to work on other more pressing jobs in the garage.

I did eventually hang the doors and was amazed how the dimensions I had adjusted the car to made a beautiful door fit...

More next time.

1956 Oval Background

2011-01-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Way back in February, 2003 we purchased the 1956 VW Oval Window Beetle pictured above. Fittingly, it came from a now defunct shop called Brad's Bugs in Richmond Hill. I picked it up for $600 and traded some other parts I had lying around. We rented a Uhaul trailer and brought it home.

It was purchased with the understanding it needed a full restoration. The decision to buy it is a decision I am still very happy with. At the time I had no running VW's. I was looking for a solid base for a project and knew that I wanted to one day own an Oval. I absolutely love the lines of the oval and as far as collector cars go, not only is it a true vintage car, but by the oval era the bugs were quite driveable, able to reach highway speed, syncromesh in 3 gears, hydraulic brakes, etc.

I fairly quickly had it stripped down and started to collect parts. This phase of the project has been ongoing since 2003. In some ways I'm thankful it's taken so long. In that period of time I've become much more savvy and experienced in all aspects of restoration. I've also never made any hasty decisions that can't be undone. For example, at the time I bought the car I may well have slapped in as many aftermarket parts as possible, tacked it together and put it on the road. Time has taught me otherwise and I have been painstakingly searching for original parts, or devising ways to modify the aftermarket metal to resemble original.

There's no doubt the car requires a lot! Floors, heater channels, front clip, fenders, etc., etc., etc. As mentioned in another post I bought and resold a '57 a couple years ago, from which I will be using the doors, hood, decklid, gas heater, and possibly the engine. In 2009 & 2010 I sourced some original front fenders from Colorado and a front clip from Australia by way of California. The rear fenders are rough but original metal that I personally picked up in Cheraw, SC. At our first VW show in 2004 we got a gas tank, NOS exhaust, and a number of other parts.

At one point I bought an engine rebuilders stock of 36hp engines and parts. I sold most things off, leaving only the best for me.

Every now and then I pick up a few more parts and have a good number of mechanical parts ready for the rebuild including cables, hoses, brake lines, bearings, etc.

The car has bounced around from one side of the shop to the other, to outside storage and back inside for the better part of 8 years. From time to time I've put a little effort into one part or another. At one point I welded angle iron inside the car, with turnbuckles too, so that the dimensions could be brought back to original. This also helped brace the car.

Hopefully the next updates will shed some light on the processes since then...

The Westralia

2011-01-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

This was one of those projects that probably started as a late night classified ads find and a silly idea. The find was a compact pop-up camping trailer. The thought was, wow, a pop-up trailer that we could easily tow with the bus, why wouldn't we need one. It would be like having a spare room with us wherever we go. I took a couple hour drive east and picked it up, for $500 or so. Everythign was there, but maybe I should have driven home without it. The top was rotten. The fabric was wet and stinky. It was cute. And small, and it wound up in our driveway.

The ideas came next... Since the top is rotten, could we make one that looked like the top of the bus? It's already vinyl covered, could Bryon wrap it? Could he wrap it in Westy Plaid???

The top started as some plywood, a nail gun, and adhesive. It eventually got a layer or two of polyester resin and fibreglass cloth, then paint.

All the fabric was removed, cleaned, and restitched.

The result is as you see it. It peformed well for the summer of '10. It got us in HotVW's when we took it to the Michigan show (see above). That was October, '10 HotVW's, page 34. It also got my parents into camping, they now have a '85 Westy Vanagon. Other friends got to use it too. We see it as a potential back-up if the bus is ever down for maintenance.

If anyone is interested in purchasing it, it is not officially for sale, but for the right offer it could be yours!!! Email me!

1972 Euro Spec Super Beetle - Update

2011-01-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

It's been ages since I updated our projects. Unfortunately many of the restoration photos for this bug have gone missing, but suffice it to say the shots above show the results.

The car was a little more rotten than I thought, but by far it was one of the most solid survivor cars I have ever seen. Vanessa and I fell right in love with it. It's been very good to us, right from the first day we brought it home. The original owners told us it should run, but hadn't in a year, and would need a starter. Well, with a charge and two pumps it fired right up and showed us then and there the kind of experience we would wind up having with the car.

In the months following its arrival home I welded in a small portion of each rear quarter panel, and some other patches on the heater channels. Oil was changed, fuel lines were changed, brake lines (hard and flex) were replaced along with the master cylinder, calipers (yes, calipers, it has factory disc brakes), pads, and rear cylinders. I put another set of rear fenders on and ultimately decided to weld in a new rear apron as well to fix a poorly done repair from the past. A local shop mixed me some matching paint and I blended in the front section of the front fenders, the rear quarters, and painted the rear fenders and apron. We even got the sunroof to work with a new cable and seals.

I am very pleased with the overall result. The proof is in the usage it's received. In two summers of owning it we've put on over 8000 km!!!

This year we did a small tune-up, and part way through the summer put a new exhaust system on it.

This car is a real gem. It's won awards at Durham Bugfest and June Jitterbug.

Next year new tires are in its future, and so are thousands more km of fun I'm sure.

The Speedster - Last Post

2011-01-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

Since the original posts and build of this car, we've got our share of enjoyment from it. I've done a number of upgrades since the original build - Mechanically I installed Solex PDSIT 32 dual carbs, with larger venturis and jets, Pertronix SVDA Distributor, and a solid state voltage regulator. Cosmetically I finally covered the dash with vinyl and installed the Speedster emblems and stainless trim from VintageSpeedsters.

This past fall after much discussion, we decided to part with the car. After being listed for only a week I received an offer I couldn't refuse. The buyer asked that I include a safety certificate with the car and it passed with flying colours.

To sum up the project, it was a great experience. Never before have I owned or been around a car that got more attention. The entire process was a great learning experience, and the results spoke for themselves... After the initial show we continued to rake in awards and mentions for the car.

Would I do it again? A custom car build, sure, but I can't stress enough that a kit car is a kit car. I think I learned that as fun and beautiful as they can be, I am more of a production vehicle guy. It had its idiosyncracies that are easy to discount (sure, it leaks, but we'll just use it on dry days, or sure, it only has two seats but we'll figure it out, etc.). But in the grands scheme these nuances actually become the focus of the vehicle. You wind up waiting for the perfect circumstances to use the car, and when you're using it you are constantly concerned the weather will turn. We agree that we get one heck of a lot more bang for the buck with our '72 Super Beetle than we did the Speedster.

Our 1972 Euro Spec Super Beetle

2009-01-13T05:32:00.000-08:00

For the past number of years Vanessa and I have noticed an Orange Super Beetle, flat windshield ('71-'72) parked just inside or outside of a flower shop around the corner from her office. From a distance it looked very nice. I never got around to inquiring about it.

Recently, however, a classified ad showed up on Kijiji for what appeared to be the same beetle. It was listed as a European Spec Autostick car, one owner, with a bad starter motor. Now, based on our VW history, this one hit a soft spot. We loved our rotten yellow super beetle and all the memories in it. I also loved my euro spec '73 that I had to sell for financial reasons. This bug deserved a look.

On a snowy day last week I went to see the car. I learned the history. It was purchased in '72 in Salzburg, Austria. It has beeen all over Europe, to Rome, Poland, the Swiss Alps, etc. It lived in a carport in Vienna until 1999, when the owners, who had long since emmigrated to Canada, decided to import the car. It was registered for the first time in Canada in 1999 and has been used very little ever since.

This weekend past we bought the car from the original owner, an elderly lady.

The car is all original paint except sections of the rear apron, decklid, and fender, which have apparently been hit and repaired. The paint is very nice except all four fenders could use a repaint. Also the aprons need some attention.

Within 10 minutes of having the car home I had it running. It just needed a boost. It runs strong and very smoothly. The AutoStick tranny is a joy, but had a hard time getting in gear. I quickly diagnosed it as a broken wire in the shift lever, which I repaired and it now shifts like butter.

This car needs a once over in the brake deparment to be safetied, and will get a quick sympathetic restoration, leaving as much original as possible. This car will be ready for use by the time the snow is gone. We plan on using it regularly.

Here's a summary of the differences in a Euro spec, from what I can tell:
-smaller turn signals
-metal dash (no padding)
-km/h speedo
-retractable seat belts
-front disc brakes

The '78 Parts Bus

2008-10-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Niamh and Grant, new bus friends of ours, made a deal with me recently where I wound up with their '78 parts bus. It has a perfect BA6 gas heater that I am going to test, pull, and sell for them. today we all met for dinner after a trip to Uxbridge to pick up the bus, where I hooked it to my Pontiac. It was quite a sight - a G6 pulling a bus, with me, Jon, Grant, and Bryon all in the car... Actually there were no issues.

After a nice dinner we got it home and Jon and Brenda helped me push it into the driveway.

Not sure what my plans are for it yet.. Worst case I'll strip the engine and tranny for spares, and sort out the rest of the parts before scrapping. Another idea is to pull the parts, then convert it into a matching trailer for our bus... Mind you, other than the bottom 6 inches, the bus sure is solid and straight, so maybe a resto is called for, with a custom modern interior, like I've always wanted to do? Or a running rat-rod? Who konws!!

Oh well, there's no rush. I would like to get the heater working and pulled soon, so Niamh and Grant can get their $$$. I'd also like to get it running if at all possible so I can move it around, but we'll see...

Oval Update...

2008-10-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

During the Adrian's Bus posts, I had another little project on my hands... As some of you know I have a '56 Oval Window Beetle in my garage, awaiting a full resto. It has its good points (few) and bad points (many). I always keep my eye open for deals, and found a '57 Oval in Cantley, QC for $1000. From the pictures I had high hopes and got my Dad to come with me (in his car) to QC to pick it up. Special thanks to Dave Whittick for the loan of his awesome trailer...

As was predictable, the car wasn't nearly as nice as I had hoped. I could tell it had a great 4-tab hood, a great W decklid, and a workable 4 finger front clip, which is really justification enough for the price. In the end I decided the shell of the car was in worse shape than the '56 I have (specifically in the rear underseat area and rear clip). I decided to take the '57 apart and keep the good parts for my '56 while selling the duplicates from my '56 and anything not needed in the '57.

I've already made my money back. The shell is gone, and I kept the doors, fenders, front clip, rear clip (it's rough, good for the "H" only), luggage area behind the gas tank, the gas tank, the hood, the decklid, and all sorts of trinkets. It even had a perfect gas heater! Oh, and the siezed engine was easily freed up and it seems very nice!

Anyway, here are pictures for posterity. The next step is to strip some of the parts and work on them, and start integrating them into my '56 which I want to work on all winter long...

Adrian's Bus - The Final Post

2008-10-23T20:36:00.001-07:00

As seems to be my habit, the pictures dried up towards the end of this project. The weather got cold and wet here, and Adrian didn't need the bus in such a hurry, so I got a bit of a welcome break from working on it. I needed one after doing the full braking system.

Over the past week or so I got underneath again and spent some time connecting the heat risers, heat flappers, accordian tubes, etc. I wired the heat flappers open, then fabricated a metal duct from rear to front, with flexible tubing from the duct to what was left of the steel heat tube into the cab.

While underneath I noticed the shift coupler was broken and swivelling. The pictures below show the loose coupler and the finished coupler after my welding of it. This was a last minute and much needed job.

Also from underneath I cleaned up a lot of the wiring issues.

From the topside I installed the foam engine seal and straightened out the wiring in the engine compartment. I then went to work on the wiring up in the cab, which was in terrible shape. In the end I pulled the dash pod to access the wiring and found some creative work by previous owners, including a 1' long extension to all the wires connecting the ignition switch and pod. It was made poorly and was shorting out, which solved the problem of the engine not starting with the key. I then removed countless other wires (old non-working tach, numerous aftermarket lights, radio, speakers, etc., etc., etc..). I had almost everything working when I noticed some smoke from the headlight switch, which was toast. I luckily had a replacement I was able to install. When I was ready to put all the switches back in the dash, the signals no longer worked! I hadn't remembered the rain, but after pulling the fuse box and flasher I found the flasher full of water. It wasn't too far gone, though, so I was able to dry it out and salvage it the night before it was to be picked up.

In the end I did a considerable amount to this bus:

-full ignition tune-up including plugs, wires, coil, points, condenser, rotor, cap, etc.
-hookup of vacuum advance
-battery installation
-foam seal installation
-removal and installation of new heater boxes, exhaust, tailpipe, etc
-installation of heat risers, flappers, & modification and hookup of accordian tubes
-fabrication of new heat ducts & installation
-removal of unsafe gas heater
-front wheel bearings
-rotors, calipers, pads, shoes, wheel cylinder, master cylinder, soft lines, hard lines, etc
-review and repair of wiring
-mounting of new tire
-shift coupler repair
-fuel lines, filter, etc
-probably more I don't remember

Adrian and his dad picked up the bus yesterday and along with paying me gave me a great gift of high-end chocolates which I have now mostly eaten myself. Apparently they had a trouble-free drive home. Hopefully we'll see them next year with Adrian's '72 and his dad's '73.

All welded up.

All welded up.

Clamped in place.

The loose coupler.

Bye-Bye bus.

Adrian's Bus - The Brakes!

2008-10-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Nearly every component in the braking system was in need of replacement. After a wait for parts, everything is now replaced, including: master cylinder, steel brake lines, rubber brake lines, brake line clips, front calipers, front pads, front rotors, rear cylinders, rear shoes, etc. I was able to salvage the rear drums, parking brake cables, and hardware.

It was a messy job removing everything, but it was nice working with the new parts on re-installation. Once everything was hooked up, I used my homemade pressure bleeder to force all new brake fluid through the system.

Once that was done I (finally) put the wheels back on and took the bus for a spin up the road. So far, so good!

Next up is the heat hook-up, engine seal, and wiring, then I'm pretty much done!!

Adrian's Bus - Post 5

2008-09-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a chance to rebuild the hubs with new races, bearings, grease, etc... They are all installed on the bus now, waiting for new rotors and calipers. The pictures below really need no captions. Scroll to the bottom for today's update though.

Today was the start of problems... I cracked the connections at the rear brake cylinder and master cylinder and was met with crumbling brake lines... Adrian will have to pony up for new steel lines all the way around. I also took the master cylinder out and started swapping the reservoir / switches to the new one. I had a small issue with the stud on the brake booster, but I think I can get around this with some creativity. Finally, I found out the heat piping is totally shot underneath and will need replacement... Fun fun.

Adrian's Bus - Post 4

2008-09-19T16:49:00.001-07:00

The work continues... See the captions below:
Passenger side caliper on the right in good shape. Drivers side on the left, pads melted off and in very rough shape. Dropped these off at German Supply today. Rebuilt units will be ready next week.
A normal looking old rotor, from the passenger side.
The drivers side looks worn, but what's that line in the middle of the friction surface?
The outer ring was jammed in the caliper. The inner was free to rotate. This is absolutely unbelieveable.

The fire melted the ball joint boot slightly here. These are due for replacement at some point - perhaps the certifying mechanic can look into this.
Looks like the rear brake hard line will need to be replaced too. It was damp and easily broke.
This will soon be replaced (shoes and cylinder).
The healthy looking passenger side front hub.

The unhealthy looking drivers side. It did not turn smoothly, and the grease on the outside was blackened and dry.
The seal was melted away.
Once I started cleaning, the passenger hub was normal - the grease from it is on the right here. The burnt grease from the drivers hub is on the left. I wish the camera could capture the smell of this grease! I scrubbed and scrubbed my hands and I can still smell them just typing this!
Here are the cleaned hubs, with races removed. Next up? Buy some grease and get these babies installed again.

Adrian's Bus - Post 3

2008-09-15T18:08:00.001-07:00

As I am currently waiting for parts, there has been little rush to complete some of the first tasks. I've been able to take my time on them. I've almost completed the first block of work. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a few minutes to change out the plugs and wires and install the engine seal, then all that will be left is the oil change and final tuning of the carb prior to the next block of work. There are some captions below each picture... I annealed the copper rings per www.ratwell.com by heating them cherry-red with a propane torch and allowing them to cool. This softens the copper and allows a proper seal between the heater box and head.
The electric fan and heat risers from heater boxes to the fan were missing. After an email discussion with Adrian we decided to eliminate this, as all it does is provide heat at idle, and not much!! I welded sheet metal caps in place on the heater boxes to ensure a long-lasting seal. However, if circumstances change, a quick grinding can return them to like-new condition.
Here's the other side.
As you can see I have the heater boxes and muffler installed now. It sounds great!!
There is still one stud missing on this heater box. I need to source a 9mm x 8mm step stud from German Supply when I pick up the next parts.

I also replaced all the fuel lines and installed a filter in the system.
I sourced and installed a Canadian Tire battery so Adrian can use the warranty (if needed) anywhere across Canada.
Here's a shot of the fancy new coil and distributor cap.

Hopefully I'll get more parts this week and get back at it on the weekend... I should have most of the weekend to work so I can get the braking system up to snuff.

Adrian's Bus - It's Alive! Post 2

2008-09-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

I had an opportunity to work on Adrian's bus tonight for a little while. I drained the remaining disgusting varnish-like gas from the tank and cleaned the outlet. I removed the remainder of the fuel lines, with the intent to replace everything this weekend.

I got the urge to get it running about then.. I put a temporary gas can in the engine bay and put in one of my batteries. After fixing some electrical glitches I got it to turn over, but there was very little in the spark department. I played with the points a little and checked the coil, but got limited results. Then I remembered I'm tuning it up anyway, so I replaced the points, cap, rotor, coil, and condensor. The wires and plugs can wait 'till later.

Once that was replaced, with a little persuasion she fired right up!! Check out the video:

I won't get back at it until Sunday, but I have big plans: new battery, new fuel lines & filter(s), new plugs, new wires, and remove and replace exhaust...

I noticed the vacuum advance is not connected, nor is there any easy ported vacuum source. I will need to rectify this to eliminate most of the dreaded flat spot. I also noticed there are a lot of wiring gremlins. I will have to tackle this with an open mind and some good daylight.

Once I've worked most things out I'll try a covert test run and see what adjustments or rebuilding will need to be done to the carb.

For now, I'm happy and excited, and you should be too!

Adrian's Bus - Intro and Post #1

2008-08-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've recently started taking on outside VW work in my spare time, while I'm between my own projects. I've worked on a few peoples bugs recently but have also met a gentleman named Adrian through the BugPack group. Adrian has a '72 Bus that's been sitting for some time. He needs me to get it running and safe for a cross-country trip... Since he is currently cross-country in BC, I will be posting here as often as possible so he can follow the progress.

So far the experience hasn't been good for Adrian. I found a tow company that gave us a great rate on towing the bus from Brantford here to Oshawa. Unfortunately the word came back that a tire caught fire on the way here, and the whole delivery was delayed by a week. It's a fishy story, since tires don't typically catch on fire. So, it waited in Brantford to be flat-bedded to my home.

It just showed up at 10pm, 1 hour ago. It's dark and raining, so I haven't done a full inspection, that will follow. For now it's clear the driver's front tire is flat and the tire is totally mangled. In order to move it in my driveway I pumped up the spare and installed it. As I was doing so it appears I came across the cause of the fire and tire damage...

The outer part of the rotor is fused right into the caliper.. What's more remarkable is the inner part has broken free from the outer - see the clear line half way along the surface of the rotor? This allows the wheel to spin somewhat freely now. It's not clear whether it was like this ahead of time or it was slightly jammed. The friction would have turned it red hot for it to break like that - enough for the grease in the hub to catch fire. The tow driver actually confirmed it appeared to be coming from the hub, not the tire.

I feel the tow driver has no fault in this. There was no way for him to know this was going to happen.

So one thing's for sure.. This bus will need a new tire, new rotors and pads, and most likely brake calipers. I will need to do a full inspection on the brake system to come up with a list.

I stayed home tonight to receive the bus. Tomorrow is a VW camping event. I should get a chance to look into this further on Monday so we can get the parts on order.

Fixing an Oil Leak? No, Replacing the Bus Engine!!!

2008-07-12T18:59:00.001-07:00

Despite recent inactivity on this blog, there has been lots of activity in the garage. The Speedster broke a transmission mount at the June Jitter Bug. It was patched by John's Bug Shop and permanently repaired by me a few weeks ago. That meant pulling the engine again, new mounts, transmission straps, etc.

The bus had been running better than ever, but I was really working the engine hard to get it up hills, revving higher than I would have liked. Possibly as a consequence of this, the engine developed an oil leak at the engine-to-transmission seam, meaning the flywheel seal (aka rear main seal, even though it's on the FRONT of the engine) was the likely culprit. I ordered a new flywheel reseal kit from German Supply, as well as a crank seal and o-ring for the fan end of the engine.

This was the first time I've had a bus engine out. It wasn't too bad, but there were some big surprises along the way, so please read on:
Despite being my first bus-engine pull, it did come out fairly easily. The first surprise was the foam engine seal was shot. There goes another $50. These pics were taken after a lengthy pressure-washing of the engine and engine bay..

The tin was mostly solid, but wet with oil, rusty, and covered in overspray.
Here was the biggest surprise... My "2L" engine is a 1700!!! It is possible this CB case was bored out, but it has 1800 heads at best and unknown bore & stroke...

The fuel pump boss should have been a dead giveaway. Somehow I always ignored it.

This is a freshly rebuilt 2L with zero miles on it. I picked it up last year after I found metal chunks in the engine... After discovering my 1700, I decided to install this one.

So, the swap begins. I hauled the engine over where I could work on it.
I pulled my exhaust from the 1700.
I decided to use the shroud from the replacement engine too, since it had matching serial numbers. The CB engine also had a GD shroud... I pressure washed everything as an initial cleaning.

Vanessa spent an hour or so with a wire brush on the tin.

While I welded up some of the holes and rot.
Vee also prepped the tin for paint.
Though I was never a fan of painted fanshrouds, my attempts at polishing failed and I became a big fan of painting it... Two $3.99 rattle cans handled the shroud and the intake runners handily.

The rest of the tin took two more cans of gloss black. I know flat black is more "correct" but I couldn't resist.

This cheap paint looks really good!

Everything got two coats.

I put all the 1700 pieces back together and rolled it to the side of the shop for storage. For now I'll keep it as a spare.
Here the assembly process has begun.

This morning I started adding the FI components.

While the engine was out it made sense to change the input shaft seal on the tranny.

I used my hoist to lift the engine off the stand.

I dragged it over to the bus, then swapped it onto my jack.

It went in pretty easily, considering I left my tranny in place..
Once the cross bar was connected, along with the two bottom studs, I was ready to put the top bolts in.
I held the bolts from underneath while Vanessa threaded the nuts on.

Once I bolted up the exhaust I cranked the engine for oil pressure, then connected the coil and tried it. Crank, crank, BOOOOOOOOOM!!!! The timing was way off... I adjusted things, tried again, and it started right up!! I set the timing to 7.5 BTDC, slightly adjusted the idle, and went for a couple scoots around the block. It is a whole new bus!!!!

Here I am, happy, filthy, and hungry.

Sure looks different without the bumper.
I need to adjust the valves and hook up my CHT gauge before I go further than around the block.. Oh, and the bumper should go back on too!

Waxing & Polishing

2008-05-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

With show season fast approaching I decided it was time to get the Speedster polished and waxed. Bob's Bug has been at my place for the month too, so I felt I should get it looking its best as well.

In the case of Bob's bug, I also tried colour sanding and buffing some of the dry spots and orange peel from the hood. The good news is that it's possible to get it looking perfect. The bad news (for Bob) is that he'll have to do it. Knowing that won't happen any time soon, I used the Mother's clay-bar and zip-wax polishing compound where needed, then a thorough coat of Mother's cleaner carnuba wax for the whole car. I also painted the brake drums and installed the chrome lug nuts as well!

The Speedster was another story. First of all, I wanted as close to a show car finish as possible. Though the original gel coat appeared shiny and in good shape, I was amazed how rough it felt to the touch. I guess 15 years of sitting allowed a good deal of dirt and debris to work into the finish. I started polishing with a Meguire's fine polishing compound, but it wasn't agressive enough, so I switched to a Zip-Wax paste polishing compound, all by hand. You could not only feel, but hear the difference as you run your hand or a cloth from the unpolished to polished surface. After two nights of hand polishing the car was looking pretty great. I had to use some 2000 grit paper in some spots to remove blemishes, but the compound brought the shine back very well. After the polishing I picked up a Mother's Clay Bar kit and proceeded to clay bar the entire car. I was shocked that this process picked more black dirt up off the seemingly brilliantly clean surface! Following the clay bar I went to work waxing the whole car with Mother's Carnuba Cleaner wax. Vanessa used the same to polish the wheels. The results were pretty amazing to see. I really wish I had before pictures, but any of the assembly pictures would provide a good comparison... The final product I've been using is Mother's Instant Detailer, which is a spray bottle. I found it to be useful to quickly clean and polish the entire car if you've driven through any bugs or dust.

The Speedster - Convertible Top, Windows, Engine Tin & First Big Drive!

2008-05-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, another week has passed and much has been accomplished putting the finishing touches on the Speedster. Today was a beautiful 20 degrees and sunny and we managed to do a 200km+ drive to Bobcaygeon and back. What a thrill!

Two big issues I've been struggling with do not have any pictures to go with them. Both are worth mentioning because they were real hair pullers! The first was the setup for the carburetor. Even when this engine was in the super beetle it would stall at stoplights, or coming off the highway. It would also flood when it was shut down hot and would take a lot of cranking to start again. I spent hours adjusting, readjusting, and rebuilding multiple carburetors to find the problem. In the end there are three main things I hadn't considered. Firstly, I read that the pilot jet (sometimes called the idle jet) in the carb can sometimes be seated too deeply by overzealous mechanics like me. This will cause the idle adjustments to have little to no effect. I learned by backing it out slightly for highest idle, then using loctite to hold it in place, you can get the idle circuits to work properly. The second issue I solved was the flooding and rich running. It turns out the cheap rebuild kits I've been using allow the fuel level to go too high in the bowl. I solved this by reinstalling the original Solex needle valve, with a washer beneath it of the correct thickness to keep the fuel level a little lower. This prevents the fuel from overflowing through the venturi when the engine is hot. The final issue was more simplistic, just that the carb was a little loose on the uneven intake manifold. Two gaskets allowed things to seal up nicely.

The other issue has been the freeplay in the steering. Despite adjusting the steering box (a new one, by the way) every possible way, there was still 3" or more of play in the steering wheel. With the car jacked up I found the source of the issue... The steering coupling was slightly loose on the box, allowing the splines to slip a little before they caught. The tie rods also needed adjustment to set the toe-in. All is fixed up now.

There are captions under the pictures below describing the other processes: Here I've painted the top bows, and installed them into the top and then to the car for the first time.
The car had to be drilled and the snaps installed, both on the car and the top. I used a couple kits from the camping section at Canadian tire to handle this task.

The front bow has been installed here. It is a fibreglass unit, shaped to fit over the windshield. I had to modify it slightly, then install the chrome latches that hold it to the windshield. The fabric is glued to the bow. The manual recommends a very expensive and hard to find adhesive. I found that five coats of extra strength contact cement were more than enough. And it only cost about $3.99.
Here's the finished top... In order for an aircooled engine to cool efficiently, the bottom (hot) side of the engine needs to be separated from the top (cool) side. This means the engine compartment needs shrouding to seal against the stock engine tin. Rather than use fibreglass or steel, I found some 1/8" aluminum and cut and bent it to fit.

Once installed a late bus "H" foam seal was used.

Vanessa and I also installed the mirrors.

When it came time to put the side windows in, the ones included in the kit didn't come close to fitting. I made my own template out of cardboard, then found some 3/16" acrylic at Warehoused Plastic Sales to make my own windows out of.
Most replicas have a fibreglass bow inside the door where the windows mount. I did not want to install one, so I decided to install the window mounts on the top of the door. They are an aluminum ferrule, into which the chrome brackets fit.
To make the acrylic fit properly I bent it. This allowed for a good fit against the front windshield (I'll need to source a good weatherstrip) and also a good fit against the top.

This morning we washed the Porsche and Vanessa's bug. We couldn't resist a couple pictures of them together.

After these pictures we went for a beautiful drive through the Kawartha Lakes region. When we got home we changed the oil out for new 15W-40, and cleaned the strainer. I thought the good run with the lighter oil that had been sitting in the engine would be good to clean out any gunk..

Still on the to-do list are the following:

-raise the front end about 1"

-do a full cut and buff on the finish, then apply a good wax

-adjust tachometer for accuracy

-adjust speedometer for proper operation

-replace gas tank sender with VDO unit

The Speedster - It's Alive!

2008-05-14T19:13:00.001-07:00

After much wiring work, the car is fully connected! I eliminated over 2m of the wiring harness that was provided with the kit. All connections are soldered and heat shrunk. No crimped connector is just crimped, but also soldered. I adapted the CMC wiring diagram to fit my needs. I also put a voltage regulator on the firewall and fully connected the engine. All of this was done prior to the interior work, but made everything functional when I finally turned the key for the first drive!

The car has parking lights, or city lights which give it a cool eerie look.

Of course the standard headlights work too.
So, with most things buttoned up, I started it last Saturday morning, and moved it under its own power for the first time. Parked in the driveway I washed it, along with the other cars, and had the official appraisals done for insurance purposes. Thankfully the car was appraised for more than $10,000 more than I have into it, so my hard work would pay off (except we have no plans to sell!!) After the appraisal Vanessa and I took it for a quick shakedown cruise. Two blocks in I lost all power with lots of backfiring. We barely got home! I made some adjustments, then disaster - a huge pool of oil under the engine!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, an hour or two after the first drive, the engine was pulled out again. I knew the oil leak could only be the main crank seal.
Sure enough, it had leaked significantly - the bellhousing still had oil in it.

I pulled the clutch and flywheel to find this:

The main seal was sliced slightly, and the o-ring in the flywheel was very worn.

I picked up a new one Saturday night from German Supply. I had it installed, and the engine in place by 11am the next day. This time, no oil leak!

I'm still having some troubles getting a smooth idle. I removed the carb and found all sorts of debris in it. I must not have used a filter when I first started running the engine... I cleaned it out, including the chunk in the end of the pilot jet. I still can't get a reliable idle, but I believe the pilot jet has been overtorqued. Once I can warm it up again, I'll back it out to find the sweet spot, loctite it in place, and readjust the carb.

Currently I'm installing the convertible top. I'm also working on aluminum tin to surround the engine compartment. I need to install the front bumper strip and licence plate, then finish things off with the side curtains (windows). Then the car will be ready for a good polish and use! There are a few cosmetic things to keep working at, but the bulk of the main items should be done this week.

The Speedster - Seat Upholstery & Installation

2008-05-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

One of the steps I was most concerned with on this build was the upholstery of the seats. Originally we planned to have it professionally done, but put simply, funds don't allow right now. Hence, I attempted to install the upholstery set that came with the kit by following the less-than clear instructions. All in all they came out well. There are some wrinkles in the seat sides, but that was a necessary evil as I trimmed the padding so someone of my size could fit comfortably in the seats, which were apparently designed for midgets.

The first steps were the easiest... Putting a pinch moulding around the sharp edges of the fibreglasss buckets, cutting the oval cutouts from the seat back, installing plywood strips for stapling purposes, and installing seat sliders. Mine were from EMPI and worked very well. The bottom seat upholstery is actually a separate piece, pulled over a plywood base, glued, stapled, and later bolted down to the bucket...

After seeing it done by Danny Gray on the motorcycle shows on TLC I used an electric "turkey" knife to trim the foam to shape.
I used a small sanding pad on my die grinder to rough up the fibreglass in preparation for glue.

The vinyl is stapled to the inner strips, then stretched around the foam and glued with spray glue on the backside. The wrinkles are a result of the reduced side bolstering, but I tried to make it consistent on both seats and I actually like the look.

The rear seat was pretty easy. Basically a 1/2" plywood base, cut to fit the roll bar, 2" foam on top trimmed to size, and the pleated vinyl stretched over the assembly and stapled.

Here are the finished seats. I wasn't comfortable with just the glue holding the vinyl on the backside. I fashioned plywood strips, then stapled them (believe it or not) to the fibreglass with my air stapler. The fibreglass actually clinched the staples, so there is no way to pull them out! These cleats do a great job of holding the vinyl against the glue.

The door panels are 1/8" MDF, cut to size, with vinyl glued in place, then screwed to the door with stainless screws and fancy washers. The speakers were screwed in place and wired through plastic conduits looped around the hinges.

These shots show everything in place, with the rear seats covered in more custom cut and bound carpet.

Speedster Carpet Fabrication / Installation

2008-05-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Speedster kit came with a pre-cut and bound carpet kit... Unfortunately the red colour wasn't going to work with our scheme. The style of the carpet was also incorrect, being a cut pile rather than a loop carpet. After some convincing from Vanessa I agreed to make a new carpet set. Here are the results.

The pictures above show the original kit and the basic installation instructions from CMC.Back in the winter I traced the parts from the kit onto our new carpet. Recently I cut out the shapes, then sewed a carpet binding from Fabricland on all the visible edges. Unfortunately when I tried to install it, some pieces were way off. I wound up completely modifying some of the pieces and adding a lot more binding than the original kit...

I also spent time sewing boots for the e-brake and shifter from vinyl, also from Fabricland. I came up with my own pattern, then sewed in velcro to attach them to the carpet.
In time the fibreglass components will be painted, likely with a textured rubberized coating. These images show the binding and the stainless hardware I used to install the carpet. I also used PL Premium to hold the vertical parts.
Just as I was finishing the interior I ran into problems with the pedal assembly, requiring a whole new accelerator pedal, lever, and modern style cable. Funny enough, some of the simple carpet patterns did not fit well, but the floor piece with the complicated cutouts for the pedals fit on the first try!

Once the carpet was done I started working on the seats and their installation... More to come!

Catching Up on Speedster Progress

2008-04-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

I've been a little behind on updating the blog... These pictures were taken nearly a month ago, on March 15. That's when I decided to mate the body to the pan.

As you can see, before I did the mating, I connected the newly-chromed roll-bar, and prepared all the bolt-on brackets where necessary.

Since these pictures were taken, I've installed the steering column, bolted the body to the frame, installed the fuel system, and begun the task of wiring the car. As of this week, the car can be started with the key, and the generator is connected through a firewall-mounted regulator, and is charging.

I also connected the master cylinder, adjusted the drums, and bled the brakes.

The car truly runs like a dream. The new muffler makes a really deep growl at idle. I can't wait to open it up and see how it sounds!!!

The next task is to finish the wiring, which I am modifying considerably from the harness that came with the kit. I've been taking some liberties and improving things. So far I've eliminated about one metre of wiring from the entire harness, and lots more to simplify!!

Speedster Work Begins Again

2008-03-11T20:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I pretty near did it! I promised myself I would not work on the Porsche kit until the basement was done this winter... You've read of a few other diversions here, plus the fact I installed a complete FI system on the Westy recently. But the real fun has been getting back into the Speedster.

I converted the list of hardware from the CMC instruction manual into metric sizes and sourced all the nuts, bolts, and washers from Brafasco. Total cost was about $120 for a whole box of stuff, individually bagged by size.

Next I lifted the body back off the pan and set it on saw horses. From that point it was fairly easy to install the hood hinge supports and the hood hinges. Since the latch was already installed by the PO, I now have a working hood!

I also removed the roll bar and sent it out for chrome. I found a shop in Scarborough and made a deal. I'll report the price and quality later, right now the ball (and the bar) is in their court.

With the pan out in the open again, it was an easy task to install the new exhaust and J-Tubes. I wasn't happy with the J-Tube for the drivers side. It seemed a little askew and needed some persuasion to fit, but given the distance between me and the supplier, I just made it fit rather than send it back.

In our parts stash we have a complete set of VDO Royale series gauges. I drew out the gauge locations, then cut the dash and installed them for fit, as well as installing temporarily the rubber eyebrow over the gauges. In the end I decided the oil temp was the least important gauge, and we eliminated it because we were running out of space. It was also important to me to have idiot lights for the generator and oil pressure, despite having the gauges, so I installed 1/2" surface mount lights for these warning lights, as well as those for the signal lights and high beams. I also found a great deal on a Sony AM/FM/CD and installed that in the dash as well. Here are some images:

On Monday night I got the passenger side roll bar support installed, with some minor modification, and need to do the same on the drivers side next. This gives the roll bar something to bolt to on the rear connection. The front bolts right into the frame members.

I also dissassembled the carb from the engine and am working on rebuilding it. We're going to run the engine for a bit before we put the body on the car - it's much easier to work on while it's fully out in the open.

Before I mate the body to the pan I also want to finish up some work on the pedal cluster, and pre-drill the front body support for easy installation. I think I can have the body on the pan, ready for bolting, by the end of the week.

"Alice" - The Nosejob, Part 2

2008-02-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

My work on Alice is now done. It's Sunday at about 10:30. Bryon and Stacey just left after surveying the situation. I'll let the pictures do the talking, along with a couple captions: Here's a shot of the old metal superimposed over the new replacement piece I fabricated and tacked in place.
I made the patch out of two pieces of steel, the "L" shaped piece was cut to size on the band saw then clamped to the original piece to get the right shape. The lower part was cut to size then a quarter inch lip was bent using the vice. I married the parts together whilst clamped to the original piece, then I welded the seam and ground the excess lip.
Here's the passenger side.
This part was fashioned the same way.
The BusDepot kit required a small amount of trimming but tacked into place very nicely.
Here everything is tacked in place.
Now things are fully welded.

I welded the tire bracket holes solid, then later ground them down.
Here's things after a rough grinding with the angle grinder and a finish grinding with the air die grinder and a sanding pad.

This patch was needed where the gas heater return duct was removed.

Tomorrow Bryon and I will take the bus to his heated shop at work, where he and his brother will do the filling and painting. I think I'll pop down to adjust the valves and check on some final wiring issues.

"Alice" - The Nosejob, Part 1

2008-01-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

Stacey and Bryon's beloved bus "Alice" has been in my garage for a week and a half. Bryon and I have done a number of things to it so far, including:

Complete removal of the BA6 gas heater
Installation of heat risers and heat control flaps
Installation of "accordian tubes" and replacement centre heat tube
Adjustment of the shifter to allow the reverse lockout to function again
Installation of a ground strap from the battery to the engine (tranny ground strap was missing causing lots of electrical woes)
We also plan to adjust the valves, check the tranny fluid, and possibly install his deep cycle battery

During this process the need for repair under the front windshield came up. I offered to help (I'm learning to keep my mouth shut!). Bryon and I visited another VW dude in Grimsby on the weekend to pick up a BusDepot lower windshield replacement set as well as some other bits. Bryon did well, actually, and scored retractable front seat belts among other things.

Anyway, the carnage was exposed on Sunday night when I pulled the windshield and scraped away some of the rotten filler. The captions below detail the process so far:

So I guess this is why the bus was leaking?
Another shot of the rust.

So that's why the paint was bubbling! All the water leaking from the windshield seal would have found its way right behind the turn signals.
A little less on this side.
Bryon also wanted the tire mount removed.
Here I'm scribing the cut line for where the new metal will go.
Ditto for here, but notice it doesn't extend far enough, there's too much rot.

After cleaning the area I planned my attack.
I had a brainwave in Grimsby and had Bryon take the door slider beltline covers from the donor bus. These are easily removed, but have the right curvature (or so I hoped).
After cutting a section that had similar curvature I trial fitted it in place.
Here I've tacked it in place. The top will be trimmed to butt against the upper metal replacement next.
This shot shows the comparison of the old and new metal.

More to come! Stay tuned!

The Westy's Dual Battery Setup

2008-01-13T12:46:00.001-08:00

Vanessa bought me a deep cycle battery for the bus for Christmas... See the main blog for details... This week I reactivated the 32 year old relay and wiring for the original deep cycle charging system on our Westy. Other than sorting out and reconnecting the wiring, there was little to do to get things working again. I connected the fridge (all that originally ran from the factory deep cycle), the charging system, the Espar heater, and the "camp" side of my camp/drive switch that controls the stereo, tv, dvd, cb, and green lighting. Now we can run these items without fear of discharging the starting battery.

In the foreground is the original relay that controls the charging of the battery. In the background is the battery.Since Canadian Westies never came with the battery charging and fridge control panel, just this simple control, there is no provision for charging the battery while plugged into 120V. I want this since our Espar and electronics will draw amperage and it would be nice to do so without fear of discharging anything, when plugged into 120V. Thus, I permanently wired my 6 amp charger into the system. My multimeter can't even get a reading on the amps draw on the battery when not plugged in, so it shouldn't discharge the battery any. Now, it will automatically charge and power the deep cycle and accessories when the bus is plugged in!

The Westy's Espar Heater Installation

2008-01-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

** ORIGINALLY POSTED AT: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2757451#2757451 - check there for updates / discussion **

Even with my close-to-stock (aftermarket heat exchangers, insulated heat tube, more recently a bilge blower) heat hooked up, our end-of-winter trip to Myrtle Beach and Everybus in North Carolina last year was very, very cold. It didn't help that we drove through four record setting days, coldest temperatures for those areas in dates in over 25 years.

This year my interest in replacing the gas heater was piqued. I removed and sold my complete non-working BA6 last year for a very good price on Ebay. I thought about someday getting a more simple BN4. But then I came across Eberspacher's newer heaters, distributed in North America by Espar. Others on this forum have used them with success, as well as some similar modern heaters like the Mikuni and Webasto.

There is lots of info on their website here: www.espar.com and this is an example of what the modern heaters look like:

After finding out how much the gasoline variant of these heaters was new from local dealers I was pretty sure I wouldn't go ahead. The price was over $2000 with the necessary installation kit. The diesel versions are far more popular for obvious reasons - their main market is very hot right now - reducing idling of big rigs by installing their heaters for nightime heating.

I started watching Ebay auctions and found a brand new B3LC 3KW (12,000 BTU) gasoline heater for a reasonable price, including lots of extra installation parts. Apparently it was an R&D project to design a heat system for Bobcat. I had to pay shipping from Texas which is ironic because the Espar dealer is literally a mile away from my office in Mississauga, Ontario. Here's some of what came in the boxes:

Since I have a '76, I wanted to install it where the spare tire is stored, behind the drivers seat, with a duct coming out of the spare tire cover and one coming out under the drivers seat. My wife was dead-set against that and insisted that whatever we do not detract from the functionality or appearance of the bus. In short, she wanted it underneath, in place of the original BA6.

My camera crapped out as I was doing the installation, so I drew up some diagrams of the installation. It is mounted to a steel bracket, bolted into the frame under the bus. A return air supply was drilled under the rear seat and piped with 75mm ducting into the heater. The 90mm outlet was connected into a "Y" piece of sheet metal ducting which was connected into the main heat tube from front to rear. This provides recirculation of air from inside the bus to the front and rear heat outlets, along with the stock heat. To allow use while parked I put a one way dryer flapper in the main heat system to not allow the heat from the gas heater to escape through the engine. I insulated all ducting afterwards.

NOTE: I am not affiliated with German Supply. They are a great supplier and give out handy-dandy note pads, hence their logo below:

The only areas I had to cut the bus were to cut a 3.5" hole under the rear seat for return air (because I had previously removed the BA6 return air connection), and I had to modify the BA6 belly pan to accomodate the support bracket for the B3LC.

On a test drive yesterday, the outside temperature was about 0 Celcius (32 Farenheit) and it was hot enough inside we were sweating and had to dial the heat down to LOW! We are very happy!

One other note - I realized that some of my problem before was a leaky front air intake. My bus had its nose replaced a few years ago by the PO and he didn't properly seal around the intake. Some seam sealer took care of that and now we have no drafts!

The B3LC is hooked into my deep cycle so it can run while camping. It only draws a lot of amperage when it's first starting (because of the glow plug) so it could theroretically run many nights on one charge!

Here are some pictures of the finished installation:

These pics are the return air intake.
This is the 7-day timer/controller - A little overkill, but that's what came with the auction!
Here's the exhaust.
This is all you can see under the bus. The exhaust, combustion air intake, and fuel line. The metering pump is hidden in this picture, but is mounted on the outside of the frame rail.

The Speedster - Engine and Loose Ends Tied Up

2007-11-13T18:29:00.001-08:00

I'm proud to say that 17 days ahead of my self-imposed schedule, the rolling chassis and engine are complete! This will be the last Speedster post for a couple months. The body and rolling chassis will be "moth-balled" in the garage as we finish our basement renovations. Hopefully Santa will be generous and bring lots of the parts we need to finish the Speedster in the new year. As usual, there are captions under each of the pictures below:

The donor engine - the trusty 1600DP from our beloved and now scrapped '72 Super Beetle. This is the very same engine that took us all over the East Coast of Canada and the northern States.
Here it is (naked) with its cooling tin removed, after pressure washing, degreasing, and wire-wheel polishing.
Here's some of the chrome engine tin.

The start of the build-up. The rest of the components went in with little trouble.
Here is the first shot of it installed in the chassis. My clearancing of the transmission was not sufficient. I had to go "old school" and turn the engine over (first by the crank pulley and then with the starter) as I tightened it to the tranny. This let the flywheel cut away at the soft magnesium. I later removed the engine and cleaned up the mess.
Here's another shot from behind.
This shot shows the bowden tube and clutch cable (note the EMPI cable shortener). A new main seal, clutch, and pressure plate were installed on the freshly-machined flywheel.
Here's a shot of the shifter and parking brake installed. These will need to be adjusted before they will work perfectly.

As I mentioned, that's it for the Speedster for a while. The rolling chassis is a little incomplete, for the record... I need to rebuild the carburetor, free up the distributor advance mechanism, and set up the accelerator pedal and cable. For your reading pleasure, keep checking back at the Home Renovations section of www.ad-libs.ca for updates over the next month or two...

The Speedster - The Chassis is Done!

2007-11-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

Over two weeks ahead of the self-imposed schedule, the chassis has been fully painted and reassembled. The body was cleaned along with the garage, and both parts are now inside awaiting assembly. Tomorrow's project is finishing the engine and installing it. Read the captions below for more detail: The chassis after two coats of POR15 and two coats of BLACKCOTE by POR15 product.
The finished gas tank.
The beam.
On a protective foam perch, during reassembly.

The master cylinder and brake lines. The coil represents the amount the chassis was shortened.
A front brake, ready for its drum.

The rear brake, showing the new axle bearing seal, new cylinder, new shoes and hardware.
The paint detailed new drum installed.
The paint-detailed front drum installed.
Off its perch on the chrome mangle wheels with Porsche replica hubcaps.
A not-so-good shot of the bottom - where the real metal-prep work was spent, since the top will be covered with carpet.

The two halves.

Back in the shop with cold paws.

The Speedster - The Chassis Prep Continues

2007-11-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

The painting continues... Since the last post everything was flipped and the backsides sprayed with POR15. The full pint is gone now. Unfortunately the temperature has dropped significantly and the forecast is for nothing more than 5 degrees for the next few days. I've bitten the bullet and decided to let the heat and 500W spot lamps run around the clock until the paint coats have cured. The images below show a skim coat of filler which was used on the fuel tank and floor pans. This was followed by a sanding and spot putty regimen. I also used a seam sealer in (you guessed it) the seams. Then I sprayed the POR15 brand BLACKCOTE product, at only 30 PSI, per the instructions. I managed to cover one side of all the parts and both sides of the floor pan with one coat, using half a quart of paint. My goal is to get at least one coat on all the parts and two on the floor pan which seems to be a reasonable goal at this time. If I have any left after tomorrow's spraying I may go back over the fuel tank, brake drums, and brake backing plates with whatever is left the day after....

Filler hiding my ground-down welds.
Masking for the seam sealer.
A poorly lit shot of the bottom of the gas tank and front beam, showing the gloss.
Another low-light shot of the parts with one coat.
The bottom of the pan showing its newfound gloss.

The Speedster - Preparing the Chassis

2007-11-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

With Bob's Bug back to Bob and the camping season finished, activity of late in the garage has been concentrated on the Speedster kit. Our goal is to officially unveil it at the Michigan show in early 2008. With the season officially changing and the temperature going down, it's imperative we get all the painting out of the way. This meant quite a bit of metal work and dissasembly, but I'll let you read the captions below for the details:

This is the chassis as we received it. It was a professionally shortened unit from I.C.M. Industries in California but it was a little rough around the edges.
This is the intial degreasing of the transmission, an early to mid 1960's model. After scraping the vast majority of garbage from it I moved it outside, used a chemical degreaser, and pressure washed it.
This shows the tunnel cut and the registration plate from the '72 Super Beetle fitted.
The previous owner cut an access panel here for installation of the fuel line and ease of clutch cable connection. I squared up the hole and later made a cover plate for easy access later.
Here Vanessa and Ashley start polishing the transmission with a wire brush.
Too bad Ashley doesn't have safety glasses too - she insists on being right in the thick of things!
I drilled four holes, inserted metric cap nuts, and welded them in place so the cover (on the floorpan reading 14ga) could be screwed in place.
This is the registration plate area after grinding of the weld.
Here's the cover plate in place.

ICM Industries has a unique cut pattern for the floors. They overlap in a number of places including the front of the pan. I wasn't happy with their welds or cuts so I spent some time re-welding and, as you can see in this picture, marking and cutting the overlap to make it symmetrical.

Here's one of the rear brake backing plates after a heavy wire-brushing.
A very dirty girl.
Whilst at the June Jitter Bug, we sourced a $5 gas tank that was a late model beetle tank that had been modified for use in a dune buggy. I had to do some cutting and welding to make it fit, which is par for the course for the speedster kit anyway. Here I am flaring a piece of 3/16" pipe for installation as a vent line in the tank.
This shows the filler in its new location with the new vent pipe installed.

Here's a patch over the old filler location.
A large shipment of parts arrived!
Another shot of the pan. There was quite a bit of welding patches and hammer and dolly work to get to this point. The bare metal areas are where the seat tracks normally are. The previous owner (or ICM) really hacked them off, leaving a real mess of the metal.
Here are all the bare metal parts. Vanessa degreased them all with soap and water. I then prepared them using POR15 Metal Ready spray. After about 45 minutes they were then rinsed again with water.

As you can see the metal prep changes the colour of the metal in some places.

Here the pan is ready for the first coat of POR15. This is going just on the bare metal areas.
Everything masked and ready for the first POR15 coat. The process will be POR15 to cover all bare metal (basically over 2 day since the first coat will have to dry before I can flip the parts and paint the other side), then POR15 brand Black-Cote gloss top coat will fully cover everything, including the pan and beam. This will be another 2 day process.
Here you can see the pan with the bare metal covered. Also you can see the bottom of the gas tank.
The beam with its first POR15 coat.
Everything else with its first coat of POR15.

Tomorrow I will flip the parts and use up the rest of the POR15. Once dry, everything needs to be abraded with 400 grit paper and the top-coating process can begin. My objective is to have everything painted this week and the full rolling chassis assembled by the end of November...

The Long Awaited Progressive Carb Warm Air Induction Post

2007-10-15T18:16:00.001-07:00

Due to popular demand, I've written up my two warm air induction systems for the progressive carb on the type IV bus engine.

It's a well known fact that the Weber Progressive carb has it's problems on the bus engine. It all stems from the long, unheated intake runners that take the fuel/air mixture from the carb, mounted over the centre of the engine, to the cylinder heads on either side. Remember grade nine science? If so, you'll remember the theory behind the latent heat of vaporization. This basically states that in order to turn something from a liquid to a gaseous state, it takes a lot of energy - for example, heating a pot of water on the stove to make steam.... Well, our carburetors turn liquid to vapour using a venturi principle, no heat. The heat energy, however, is still necessary, it's a scientific fact. Thus heat from the surrounding area is absorbed, making the intake runners cold to the touch, sometimes cold enough to form frost, even when the ambient temperature is above freezing. As these runners cool, they have the tendency to turn the air/fuel mixture back into a liquid which prevents the engine from running properly. In a nutshell, that's the science behind carb icing...

So, how do we solve the problem? Stock type 1 style engines used a heated intake manifold, which flows exhaust through itself to prevent the problem. They also used a warm-air intake system so the air that is being consumed is warmer than the ambient temperature. Carb icing is a real problem in airplanes. The solution there is carb heat, again a variation of warm-air intake.

I took a trip last April from Toronto to Myrtle Beach and back, by way of Everybus in NC. In the days before we left the weather turned unseasonably cold. I panicked and created the first warm-air induction system you see here. It worked great, letting the engine run perfectly for over 3000 miles, from below-freezing to 80 degree weather, including a blizzard in upstate NY and many miles of perfect icing conditions - damp, slightly above freezing. The biggest problem with the setup was that it was always on. It would draw warm air all the time, so I retrofitted a more permanent solution, which is also written up below.

Before the step-by-step, let's talk about warm air source... It's all good to get it to the carb, but where do you get it from? Well, my bus was originally a FI 2L. It was an early FI engine that had special rear tin that connected the air intake to a tube that ran across the top of the exhaust. Later buses did not have this provision. I don't run the stock exhaust, so this wasn't an option for me. After reading up on the subject, I learned that earlier type IV engines had a provision for a warm air intake from the #1 cylinder. It's a duct that connects to the lower passenger side tin where it scavenges warm air, and directs it through the firewall tin at the front (front is front) of the engine. I cut two 1.5" holes in my tin and copied this setup using ABS piping (2 90 degree fittings and a short section of pipe in between, secured with strapping)... This gives me a 1.5" fitting on the firewall for warm air!

On to the induction systems...

SYSTEM #1 - THE PROTOTYPE:The standard air filter is removed by unbolting it from the carb. The C-Clips are removed and discarded. Holes are drilled to allow for bolts to be installed and wingnuts. This allows the aircleaner to be opened and closed without access from underneath.

Showing the bolts in place.
Here's a tin box I bought at Storage Solutions for $8.
The lid had a plastic insert which I covered with a piece of scrap sheet metal that was bolted in place.
I traced the lower air filter shape into the tin box and cut it out.
I then installed the bolts and crankcase ventilation fitting through the bottom of the tin and into the original aircleaner base.

This shows the air filter reinstalled. Now you can see why the wingnuts were used to replace the C-Clips.
This image shows the 1.5" hole I cut for the warm-air intake. It is not shown, but an ABS plumbing fitting was used here, a threaded one with a nut (fashioned from a female threaded ABS fitting, cut on the bandsaw) on either side of the tin, thus holding the fitting in place.
This is the complete setup (intake pipe not shown). This unit works very well and was always warm to the touch while running, even in freezing conditions. I never experienced icing with this setup.

SYSTEM #2 - AIR INTAKE BOX RETROFIT
In the quest for a more permanent solution, I fashioned this out of a 1988 - 1992 Dodge Shadow (FI) Air Box. This was sourced from the wrecker and was the best I could find after looking at lots of cars. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything that used a progressive to start with, and the more traditional looking air cleaners (the round ones) were all too large....

It's hard to make out, but this shows the completed system installed. Look to the right in the image and you can see the air intake with its flap currently open, allowing cool air into the system...

Heres a closeup of the crankcase ventilation hookup.

Here's a view from the hatch looking down. As you can see this intake is well suited to the location of my incoming warm air and the layout of the engine bay.
This shot shows that I loosened the clamp on the squirrel cage blower and moved it rearwards so it doesn't interfere with the intake.
The air filter top removed.
Looking into the system. You can see the temperature valve on the left. It allows vacuum (connected underneath) to close the flap in the intake to take in only warm air. When it gets too warm the vacuum is released and the flap opens.
The new air filter, available anywhere. This one was $7 at Canadian Tire. I'm sure Walmart is even cheaper.

Here you can see the warm air hose connected to the firewall on the right, and the new "T" and vacuum lines I installed to provide vacuum to the valve in the air box.
A close-up shot of my warm air connection.
It's painted now, but this shows the fabrication I did to fit it to the progressive carb. The shape was pretty close and the surface pretty flat. I cut out the old lip with shears, then traced the shape of the old air filter on a piece of sheet metal, cut it to fit, and welded it in.
I also welded some 1/4-20 bolts in place to hold the lid on with wingnuts.
Here's a closeup of the cool air intake on the right and the crankcase breather hook-up on the left.

There are two big modifications to see here. Originally the warm-air intake was part of the plate on the left. It was only about 1" in diameter. I cut off that pipe with the bandsaw and cut a sheet metal plate to cover the area. The bracket you see was also welded to the sheet metal. It bolts onto the cross-bar on the intake runner for added support. The pipe on the right is the 1.5" ABS fitting originally used in SYSTEM #1. I cut a hole with a hole saw in the plastic casing here and installed it.

SUMMARY

Both systems have proven to work pretty well. The second one is new, I just made it on Thursday night, then went for a 300 mile tour on the weekend in temperatures just above freezing and lots of rain. There was no problem with this and the whole system and carb were warm to the touch.

The biggest (unexpected) plus of SYSTEM #2 is that it makes the engine quite a bit quieter. Tuning the intake air is actually a big portion of the noise reduction car engineers do. I was amazed how much quieter it runs at idle (before road noise takes over).

The biggest dissapointment of SYSTEM #2 was that by changing the location for the warm air intake on the air box I eliminated the positive switching of the valve between hot and cold air. It will now suck warm air until it gets warm enough to trigger the vacuum thermostat, then the flap will open and allow cold air into the system, but the hot air is not shut off by this process, so at best it's a mix.

For pure driveability SYSTEM #1 works great and is dirt cheap.

I hope this helps somebody...

The Good, The Better, and the Not-Ugly-Anymore...

2007-09-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

After the Uh-oh post I changed the oil on the bus a few times, looking for any more traces of the internal engine damage. None were found. That's the good.

I was motivated to have a back-up-plan on tap and thus picked up a zero mile 2L rebuild which I plan on cleaning up and finessing so it's a perfect turn-key bolt in replacement. That's the better.

The Not-Ugly-Anymore refers to the bus, which I worked on over the last weeks without taking pictures. The work included proper bare-metal patching and repairing to both front doglegs and behind the driver's rear wheel, blend painting of these areas with our touch up paint gun, and a hand-touch-up of the nose area.

I also installed a small Midland CB radio and a gutter mount antenna....

Oh, and I adjusted the valves.

Oh, and I changed the plugs.

So (hopefully) ends the work on the bus for 2007... Except I changed the oil again today, and the filter. Oh, and the rear brakes need adjusting before the trip.. I'd better stop typing before I rebuild the whole damn thing!

Uh-oh...

2007-09-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

These are things you don't want to find when you change your oil... I did. Well, not the quarter, but the rest! No sense rehashing old news. Check this out for the whole story: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=252605

Bumper Refinishing & Sage Green Touch-Ups Pt. 1

2007-09-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

No befores, just afters this time... Front and rear bumpers stripped, welded, filled and painted gloss white. Rust bubbles removed, filled, and blown in with Nason Ful-Cryl...

Bob's Bug Resto - SHE'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the final assembly of Bob's Bug. On Friday night and Saturday I finished my part of the resto, with lots of help from Vanessa. During this time I completed the assembly of the doors (all the finicky window rubber and glass), completed the wiring under the hood, installed the AM/FM/CD/MP3 deck, installed and wired all of the lights, refurbished and installed the speedometer, mounted the front hood, latching system, and seal, installed the carpet and seats, mounted the shift knob, then finished things off by installing the emblem on the hood. Next I gassed it up and took off for a spin! A YouTube video will follow the pictures showing the startup and first drive.

The finished interior.

The taillights, prior to bumper installation.
Headlight and custom front signal. The final touch.Look mom, no hands!
A little go-go juice.
All Done!

Or was it.... Vanessa and I detailed the car (and our bus) and took it for a drive to the Ajax Cruise Night at CTC with no problems, however I soon realized the wiper motor I had installed was a 6V unit and wasn't parking in the right location. After a bit of swearing I found the correct 2 speed 12V motor in great condition in my 6V motor stash!! I guess I should have paid a little more attention. Woe is me, though, as the motor wasn't correct, it was from a Ghia with a longer shaft and the wrong park location. At midnight Saturday I pulled the motor apart, re-indexed the parking mechanism, shortened the drive lever, installed a new pin system, reassembled and reinstalled. Now it works like a charm!

The car was finally ready for hand-off to Bob with a short to-do list to perfect it. Bob and Dianne arrived promply Sunday morning at 8:30 and we were off to BugFest (http://www.bugfest.ca/). See the main blog here for details: http://ad-libs-main.blogspot.com/

So, do I have any final thoughts? Sure. In the end the trials, tribulations, bloodied knuckles and late nights are worth it. This is the first resto I've actually seen from start to end. It was nice to make mistakes with someone elses car (and money). If I could do it over again I would have waited for a more complete car to come along, like the '65 we have waiting in the wings. Working from a rotten shell meant we were "nickel and dimed to death" in the final assembly stages. On the other hand it was neat to save some more German iron from the scrap heap. I will also spend a little more time on future builds working with the hood, decklid, and door alignment prior to paint. If you had asked me at any time, "would you do it over again" as I locked up the garage after a hot night of welding or body filler sanding, the answer probably would have been "no." But, alas, seeing the car complete makes it worth the pain.

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men Trying to Put it Together Again...

2007-08-15T04:38:00.000-07:00

With some assistance from Bob on the weekend and Vanessa last night, the bug is starting to come together. The headliner is in. The front, rear, and pop-out windows are in. The taillight housings are installed. The decklid is installed. The doors are on the body. The gas tank is in and hooked up. The wiring has been started. Still to come the rubber and glass needs to be installed in both doors, the wiring needs to be completed, the carpet and interior needs to be installed, the lights connected, bumpers bolted up, etc.

I'm Blue, Da-ba-de-da-ba-di....

2007-08-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

The day finally arrived last week to blow on the paint. After the final sanding of the primer with 320 grit paper I cleaned the vehicle with a grease and wax remover, then used a tack cloth to remove any lint or remaining dust (more on that later). The Nason Ful-Cryl was mixed 8 - 2 -1 (paint - reducer - activator). I applied the first coat too thickly and wound up with a few runs, but it covered well and looked pretty good right away. I did notice that I hadn't got all the lint, however. I decided to let it dry overnight then attack it in the morning by wet-sanding and re-spraying.

Here's a video of the first coat going on:

Here are some pics of the wetsanding the next morning:

These pictures were taken once the second and final coat was applied. This time I didn't get any runs but did get a little orange peel here and there. It should buff out down the line, but for now I am very happy with it!!

A Primer Course....

2007-08-03T04:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the progress on Bob's bug... The first group show the condition of the car / filler just prior to cleaning everything with metal prep:

Once everything was cleaned and hung I mixed up a batch of epoxy primer. This product went on very nicely with the gun set to about 60psi with the trigger pulled. It was a bear to clean it out of the gun, however.

With a door and a half to go I ran out of the epoxy primer. It was obvious that the car needs a bit more finessing so I opted for some high build primer surfacer to cover everything. Unfortunately the vendor told me I didn't need to thin the product so my first attempts were rather futile. Even after thinning it slightly it didn't lay down smoothly, but after researching I learned that's because I have a 1.4mm tip on my gun. A 1.8 or larger is preferred for this product. Regardless, it did cover very well and it filled many imperfections. Everything needs to be sanded now, then another coat (with a larger tip!) and more sanding, then it's time for colour...

Here's a hint of things to come.....

Bob's Bug - The Prep Continues

2007-07-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the not-so-fun job of prepping the car continues... This weekend I finished all the welding, continued the sanding, and started the body-fill work. As you can see I've added a dessicant air dryer to my compressor set-up for painting. I also located some appropriate switches for the new dash and prepped the dash for the four SPST switches and two momentary buttons.

I must say, the bare metal prep looks very good. It is a bit of a chore prepping the painted sections and feathering them into the bare metal.

More prep and painting to come this week.

Bob's Bug - Overdue Status Report

2007-07-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

You know what they say, "never complain, never explain..." Well, suffice it to say I have no explanation but it's been a long time since I've posted on the blog. Time for an update!

Late in the spring Bob took his bug out of storage. It started right up. He took some time to clean it out, insured it with the Silver Wheels Plan, then relinquished control to me.

I towed it home and began the process of finishing the restoration. Here's a listing of what's been done so far:

-auto-stick shift rod and modified bushing replaced with original german correct (manual) parts, rudimentary adjustment made with great improvements to shifting
-metal clutch tube shortened, bowden tube replaced and adjusted to eliminate shuddering
-rear suspension lowered one inner spline, dropping rear of car about 1.5" to match front ride height. Some springplate bolts broke requiring drilling, tapping, etc.
-dash cut to accept modern radio
-all welding completed including: elmination of all holes in dash, elimination of rear heat holes, elimination of speaker holes, elmination of gas heater holes, etc.
-majority of rough grinding completed, some left
-roof of car stripped to bare metal using angle grinder and sanding attachments. Lots of filler in this area
-hammer and dolly work done to match fenders to rear apron
-sandblasting started today - rear fenders, rear apron, partial quarter panels completed at this time... More to follow!

Here are some pictures of the sandblasting process:

My First Attempt at a Custom Exhaust!

2007-05-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

Remember that Schmidt-like urge to rush things I talked about in the last post? Well, the lack of step-by-step pictures in this post are a direct reflection of that urge.

So, why a custom exhaust? Other than stock, very few quality exhaust systems are available for the 75-78 bus. A complete stock system will run into the high hundreds, low thousands - a lot of money for any vehicle's exhaust, let alone an occasional driver. Other systems that are available include eliminator style exhausts (basically a tin can with the right connections) and header/quiet pack systems like the one I installed last year from BugPack.

The advice that was given to me was to get the cheapest thing possible so you don't mind regularly replacing it.

I was still surprised that already this year the exhaust started getting louder, followed by an obvious seam split and burst on the way home from the Michigan show. Thinking back, the quiet pack tip always had an upwards tilt, allowing rain water to get in the muffler (my spring start-up blew a slick of black carbon soup against the garage wall) so they aren't exactly made to last, let alone the support flange tacked in place right on the seam - what a design flaw!

Granted, as per the original plan, I could have picked up another quiet pack muffler for $70 and bolted it on with the four obligatory bolts. However, I don't want to be doing that every year....

So, with about $100 in parts I set out making this monstrosity which I am actually pretty proud of. The mufflers are universal units off the shelf at The Partsman, basically a jobber shop. They had poster with all the different universal mufflers they can provide, so I found the smallest oval, shortest unit with a sufficient offset of the pipes and 1.5" inlet and outlet. They were $25 each.

The lower centre section is the Bugpack manifold cut and rotated. The rest I made up out of off-the-shelf Canadian Tire bends and a bit of creativity.

My first observations after installing it were mostly positive. It has a very nice, quiet exhaust note at idle and at speed. The cans are hidden away in the recesses under the batter trays so all you really see is the twin tailpipes, so I am very happy with the look.

My negative observation was that I didn't account for the moustache bar engine support and I got a lot of vibration between the pipes and the bar. This week I modified the support brackets I engineered into the flanges and lowered the outboard pipes and cans about 3/4 inch, eliminating the problem. I also added a galvanized flange between the left hand manifolds which bolts up to the cooling shroud to support the left hand heater box - something that is missing in the Bugpack design.

Painting the Westy Top

2007-05-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

The biggest project so far this year has been the prep and painting of the Westfalia pop-top on the '76 bus. It was certainly an arduous task, fighting my Schmidt-like urge to rush it. I'm very happy with the results and my resolve to make the right decision every step of the way... For example, Tremclad paint at $30 a gallon, or Interlux Boat paint at $30 a quart? I chose Interlux. Scuff up the old paint or take it right off? I took it right off. Live with the solvent popping after the first coat or wet-sand it smooth? I wet-sanded it. Leave it with two coats or spray on a third? I sprayed a third... You get the drift.

As I mentioned I used Interlux Premium Yacht Enamel and their special thinner for spraying. Old paint was removed with 220 grit sandpaper on my dual action air sander. Detail work was done with 220 and 180 grit by hand. The inside of the luggage rack was sprayed with a paintable rubber undercoating to give it some resilience. Plastic filler and spot putty were also used as needed on the remaining surface. As if the two quarts of paint and filler (total of about $100) wasn't enough, I'm sure I'm into $100 in other miscellaneous hardware, sandpaper, filler, etc. If elbow grease had a price I'd be into much more!

I sprayed the paint (thinned about 5%) with my HVLP gun running at 55 psi with the trigger pulled and a 1.4mm tip. It isn't a true HVLP.

Here are some pictures of the process.

Paint stripped from rack and rubber undercoating visible.
Paint stripped from top, cleaned, masked for spraying.
Me (finally) wearing a proper mask.
The first coat after it dried. Note the far side has been wet sanded. The near side shows the sediment and solvent popping that ruined my day.
More detailed shot of the wet sanding. As a sidenote I eliminated the problem on subsequent coats by 1) properly filtering the paint before it went in the gun, 2) upping the pressure to 55 psi for better atomization, and 3) spraying thinner coats.Here's the finished product after three coats.The finished luggage rack.
Finishing the reinstallation and trimwork.

My overall observations are that the finished product is a night and day difference. I like the results of the paint I chose, but wish it had a faster flash time. 16 hours is a long time to wait between coats...

1966 VW Single Cab Transporter SOLD!!!

2007-05-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the rusty splitty single cab we had for sale. Thanks to Frank from NINEAPART for purchasing it, and Kevin at Vision Sign Craft for referring us to Frank!

Getting The Westy Ready!

2007-03-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

With Everybus in North Carolina, and our trip to Myrtle Beach fast approaching, it's high time I get to work on the bus! Last weekend was beautiful (despite my terrible cold) and the nice weather permitted me to start up the bus. It fired up with little trouble. Vanessa, Ashley and I even took it for a spin down to see Stacey and Bryon.

To get ready for the trip I have a pretty long list of things to do. Here's a few major ones:

-new tires

-oil and filter

-install CHT gauge

-adjust valves

-replace fuel lines

-replace heat tubes

-install heat booster fan

-connect pressure water hook-up

-install retractable front seat-belts

-install new pop-top front seal

So far I've done the following:

SEAT BELTS

-sourced new (old) Vanagon seatbelts from the wrecker

-cleaned and deodorized them (thanks Vee)

-make angle iron brackets for mounting

-welded buckle ends to current extensions as shown here:

FUEL LINES:

-removed old 5/16 lines and replaced with 1/4 lines using fuel injection hose clamps

-installed a "T" between the outlet and return lines on the originally-fuel-injection tank, rather than have a blocked hose like current

-installed new pump

-bent new "L" bracket to support hose near filter / pump

CHT GAUGE:

-following Scott Lyon's great tutorial here: http://www.germansupply.com/xcart/customer/home.php?gspage=customer/main/tech/cht/cht_install.tpl I started the installation of my CHT gauge

-In the name of "doing it right" I muscled the top left engine tin off the engine, then proceded to machine a recess in the head for the thermocouple

-my creative trick of the day was the plug I made to block off the spark plug hole so I could machine the head without worrying about the metal filings getting in the cylinder

-basically I cut the end off of a 14mm spark plug chase, then cut a slot in it so it could be screwed in and out with a straight blade screwdriver

-the rest was by the book, except that I used a small spring-steel stationery clamp to hold the wire to a cooling fin:

More updates to come....

The Lemon - A Final Chapter and a New Beginning

2007-03-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Each turn on this restoration opened the door to more problems. The five images below show what represented the final straw for this car. As you can see, the entire chassis was shot. Fixing really would have required a replacement chassis. Since the body was only marginal at best, it just didn't make sense. Akin to putting down the family dog, I decided to cut my losses with this bug, remember it for the good times, and move on...

Alas, the parts stripping and selling began in earnest. I kept the engine, transmission, wheels and tires. My dad bought a number of items. Some online buyers bought a bunch more, and some is still for sale. The remainder of the heap was loaded up in a Uhaul pickup and sold for scrap - 480 LBS yielded a $36 return.

So what's this about a new beginning? Well, inspired by a few magazine features in the past I've decided to turn the rear end of the bug into a utility trailer for use mainly behind the Westfalia. Here's what's left of the bug - note the cross-bracing I welded in to keep the shape. The trailer will retain its original suspension.. On Vanessa's suggestion, the front of the trailer will be closed in with the roof of the bug. More posts to follow on this project...

The Lemon Resto in Pictures

2007-02-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

Let's hope you have high speed internet for this post. It's heavy on the pictures! This details the restoration efforts over the late summer and fall of 2005. If each picture is worth a thousand words, I don't think I need to type another.

Super Beetle (The Lemon) Brief Summary and Update

2007-02-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

The blog idea really started after I put most of the work into our '72 Super Beetle. One of these days I'll do a pictorial post showing all the work up until now. A quick summary is that after our 3000 mile East Coast trip in 2005 I decided to show my appreciation to the Super Beetle by fixing some small rust bubbling and installing a set of pop-out windows. Well, one thing led to the next and I wound up with a huge welding project on my hand.... Left side heater channel, front firewall, rear quarter panel, inner fenders, rear seat area, etc. This was my first real welding project with my wire feed welder, which I quickly set up with a bottle and fine mig wire. I decided to try my hand at fabricating many of the panels and welding them in place. If nothing else it was a great learning experience... I got as far as painting the fenders when Bob's Bug came along, then the Westy, etc.

So, now I'm ready to finish what I started, only I'm much wiser now. I figured out that the engine was hanging 2 - 3 inches low in the rear due to bent frame horns. So, the decision was made to pull the engine and install a Kafer Cup Bar to straighten the horns. It's also an opportune time to fix the butchered exhaust stud area on the front (front is front) of the engine. I confess this was mostly my doing when I replaced the muffler a few years back. Not knowing what I was doing I broke both lower front (front is front) studs. I tried an extractor and broke it off in one of the studs. In the other I broke of a tap. Both the extractor and the tap are hardened steel. I wound up drilling, hacking, and butchering until I could (barely) get new studs in place, which I held there with JB Weld epoxy... It actually held up admirably.

Anyway, once I pulled the engine and got it up on my work surface I realized I was in more trouble than I remembered... It looked like I would almost certainly need to get new heads, which would take more bread than I have at this time. As a last ditch effort with nothing to lose, I decided to equip my Mig Welder for aluminum welding in an attempt to build the area up with weld, then drill and tap new holes for the studs.

Here's the step by step procedure:

This shot shows one of the mangled and oversize stud holes.

Here I am pre-heating the area with a small MAPP-OXYGEN torch. Aluminum dissipates heat very quickly and thus, a small welder like mine will get much better penetration if the area is pre-heated to 250 degrees or more...

OK, I know it looks ugly, but fact is this is the pretty side - my second attempt - based on lessons learned on the other side. On my small welder I needed the amperage and wire feed both set to maximum in order to get penetration. Though this looks like one large blob, it's actually five or six separate welds with oxidation removal in between with a wire brush on a drill. I tried to get penetration all the way around the surface area of the mangled cylinder head.

Here's the same ugly blob, ground down to the original shape.

Here I've fit an old gasket on the remaining stud to locate for the new hole. I centre-punched the aluminum and drilled with a 17/64 bit. I take it as a good sign that I totally dulled two titanium bits doing this - the weld must be stronger than I expected!

Here I am tapping the new holes with an 8mm x 1.25 tap.

And finally, here's the finished product, ready for new studs!!

So, final analysis was it was more than worth it to go through this process. Time will tell how strong the repair is. However, doing it this way saved me taking a strong-running engine apart. It also saved all the associated costs of new heads, pushrod tubes and seals, etc. Total cost for this repair was $20 in MAPP and Oxygen tanks, $10 in aluminum welding wire and $60 for the Argon shielding gas. However, the guy at Praxair will likely let me trade the gently used cylinder for the AutoWeld gas I normally use, so this may prove to be cheaper than I thought.