TheSamba.com :: View topic - 1971 Deluxe

Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:24 pm

Picked up a nice clock in the classifieds and stuck it in the dash. It doesn't work but looks good in the hole. Also, I had some old Kiwi shoe polish so I wiped down the dash and buffed it out. It looks surprisingly good...now to see how it holds up.

Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:51 pm

Nice. Good work, sweet bay.

Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:59 pm

I will never understand faketina, it's just weird to me.

Interesting idea with the shoe polish. Make sure to take a pic after a few weeks to see how it looks then.

Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:16 pm

I read in another thread that the shoe polish is not a good idea because of the solvent which can attack the plastic. I figure that the solvent evaporates quickly and all that is really left of the dash is the wax and pigment. Shoe polish is really just colored wax.

Even with the pebble grain I didn't notice any residue after buffing it out. I will try to get some good photos this weekend to show the "recently polished look" and will take some photos later to see how it holds up.

As for the "faketina", I am going for the "matchtina". I think it looks weird to have freshly painted sections next to worn down spots.

Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:23 am

Very nice

Fri Feb 06, 2009 2:28 pm

I had the bumper straightened and painted it with rattle cans of pastel white. The bumper is complete with splash pans and bumper guards. The guards have the proper spacers and good OG rubber bumpers (the reproduction units fit like poop.)

Also restored a side step by salvaging two units to make one. I painted the step brackets pastel white to match the bus. The color is close to what was originally on the brackets.

This weekend I am going to sort an issue with the distributor and get the side markers refurbished and installed.

After:

Before:

Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:00 pm

Beautiful bus, awesome work!

Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:40 pm

Thanks 4doora!

I cleaned up the side markers and got them installed tonight. I wasn't happy with the original side marker mounting clip arrangement for the rear markers. The original ones were super brittle and broke easily when I took them off.

I ordered some reproduction bases and the clips on those are a joke. They don't have enough spring to keep the marker base in place and are a bit short when you have new rubber on the base. The reproduction bases don't have the threaded inserts for the lens screws either. I ditched the reproductions but stole the rubber gaskets off of them.

With the clips not working I decided to "upgrade" the attachment and used some nylon screws to hold the bases in place. I shaved the heads down so they would sit flush and sanded the head diameter down so they would fit in the base holes. They turned out pretty good and now I have running lights.

I also installed the markers on the front. I have seen quite a few buses running around with the front markers on backwards, meaning the the thick end of the marker is aft. The fat section should be forward.

Sun Feb 08, 2009 8:30 pm

I picked up a NOS "silver socket" and plug on ebay and installed it today. It came with the older screw terminal which I prefer to the push on style. I put it in the same location you often see them on Westy's.

Per Ratwell's instructions I got power from the #30 terminal on the emergency switch (red wires in the photo). I used one of those push on splitters. I also installed an inline fuse. I bought a couple dozen Hella plugs to fit the socket and will convert over some chargers and power leads.

Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:18 pm

What is the "silver socket" used for? I love your bus.

Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:03 pm

rusty57 wrote: What is the "silver socket" used for? I love your bus. Originally a compressor (tire pump). http://www.ratwell.com/technical/SilverSocket.html

Sun Mar 01, 2009 12:12 am

Excellent job you're doing so far. I'm jealous about your hazet tools. They are so tricky and probably very helpful...

Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:31 am

rusty57 wrote: What is the "silver socket" used for? I love your bus.

Hey thanks guys.

As Ratwell describes, the silver socket is just an accessory socket. It is smaller than the US cigarette lighter style plug and a much more secure style connector. It is a German DIN specification and has come to be know as the BMW or Hella style connector here in the States. Modern BMW motorcycles use this style connector for the modern conveniences like heated gloves, GPS systems, etc.

I bought a bunch of original Hella plugs so I could convert my chargers and other plugs to fit the silver socket. Since then I bought several different Hella plugs which are fused, have an LED power indicator and fit the US cigarette lighter and the silver socket.

Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:11 pm

My shift coupler was majorly tweaked making shifting a little difficult. I also had a constant squeak from the old coupler. I installed a new Brazilian unit and things are smooth now. I used a Hazet grub screw wrench which made the job a lot easier. The screw in the Brazilian unit didn't have sharp enough threads to bite into the shaft tube so I used the old German one.

I also installed the clock and upgraded the dash bulbs per Ratwell's advice. Way brighter now.

Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:41 am

Great Job!

Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:25 am

I bought some "NOS" mud flaps off ebay and reproduction brackets from Chris Seeger off the samba. I used some NOS German hardware I had from some old muffler kits. The install went smooth and they look pretty good. The flaps are offset from the center-line of the tires but close enough for SoCal mud puddles.

I also made up a reproduction VIN key tag for my bus. It is in the style of a 1958 tag. I have these for sale in the classifieds.

Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:33 am

Wow your bus is coming along great! Pretty much doing everything i want to do to my '72.

Love the mudflaps ;)

Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:02 am

hey, thanks.

I also added a nice used locking deck lid latch. Hard to see in the pics though.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:50 pm

Here are some other things I have done to the bus that ended up in other threads:

Steering wheel exchange:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=310527&highlight=steering+wheel+tutorial

Fog light installation:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3...p;start=40

Glove box radio installation:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=115387&start=0

Accessory grille:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3...nging+sexy

Clock repair:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2...ock+repair

Tue Oct 27, 2009 1:07 pm