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Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:19 pm

This bus is a lot of learning curves already - but I think I'll take you up on that. I've painted several cars with rattlecans, I've always wanted to try with proper equipment. Once I get the bodywork finished I'll be in touch.

Stray

Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:02 am

Yesterday I cleaned up and repainted the brake lights and fried-egg turn signals.

They're not bad, I guess, but I want them to be as good as I can get them on my limited amount of money, so elbow grease and spray paint take the place of replacement, in this case.

It wasn't too much work to wire-brush out the old paint and mask them...

And now they're as good as used. :) I have the gasket for at least one of them, I suspect the other is in the bus. The PO was careful when removing everything, so most of the smaller parts I need are carefully bagged inn the back, I just have to find the correct (labeled, even!) bag for that part. I'm not sure if the lenses are intact, but I'm hoping they are. He also included a number of Baywindow parts, which I've just listed:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?...ton=Search
... in the hopes of trading these for some of the parts I need. I don't currently have a baywindow, and I have as many cars as my landlord will allow, so the parts aren't helping me any.

It's been raining all weekend, so I've been limited to stuff I can do indoors.

Stray

Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:13 pm

Today the windshields arrived! A great packing job, they're both intact and ready to install in the bus. I have the gaskets from CIP (and an extra pair, as I've screwed up gaskets installing windows in my bug.

I am worried about installing these, as my budget has flatlined and I still have lots of work left to do - sealing up the windshield area will let me work on the dashboard, the rest of the interior, etc... Is the windshield on a splittie bus much different from the side windows on a bug? Those were easy, it was the curved glass that caused me grief. Is this a job I should do with a friend's help, or should I scrape together the money to pay a pro to do it?

Stray

Sun May 23, 2010 8:57 am

Personal drama has kept me away from this project, but I finally have some time to put into it, and the weather's beautiful - it's almost a crime to be indoors on a day like this.

Today I started on the brakes. The bus came with a new set (all six) slave cylinders, and the old ones, while I'm not actually sure of their condition, are old enough that the boots crack and tear easily if I try to flex them, so there's really no reason to try and save them. I'm a bit puzzled by this lockwasher - while it looks logical enough, it didn't prevent me from removing both nuts (and the lockwasher between them). I don't have the Bentley manual for this bus - can anybody tell me if this is the usual way that VW secured the 1964 bus front brake drums?

And, if it is, how much torque I should use when I reattach it?

So, in all my various tools I don't seem to have the size of these brake line fittings.

Since I'm not planning to salvage either the line or the cylinders themselves, I could just cut these - but I'm going to need that wrench when I install the replacements.

Stray

Sun May 23, 2010 9:53 am

There should be a little tab that holds it in place on the spindle

(Good one on left)

That tab can break off over time and re-use.

Going from memory, the brake lines there are 11mm.
You want to use a brake line wrench aka a flare nut wrench. If you don't have a set, I like the set I bought from Sears a long time ago.

Sun May 23, 2010 11:40 am

Thanks, I'll look for a replacement one of those lockwashers, and an 11mm flare nut wrench.

I'm just back from the FLAPS, and now I'm even more confused. The first place I went to didn't have any brake lines that fit the cylinder that I brought with me. The second place was willing to sell me some that fit (that I'd tried the same thread in the previous store... and it didn't fit) but told me that I needed to bring them to a mechanic with a machine shop in order to flare the ends? I have a flare tool, and have used it with Subarus and a few other makes of car - it's nothing terribly sophisticated. The shop told me that the flare had to have a "metric bubble" and it was something so incredibly precise that my flare tool wouldn't work with this. They then offered to rent me a flare tool, but when I asked, they admitted that the one they were trying to get me to rent wouldn't work on it either!

So, were brakes so much more complicated in 1964 that this guy is right, or have I just brushed up against the FLAPS' guy's immense stock of incorrect knowledge?

Stray

Sun May 23, 2010 11:55 am

You just need to go to the right parts place... Or order from someplace like Wolfsburg West.

Those brake lines are off the shelf items, in the right FLAPS.

Sun May 23, 2010 12:33 pm

I'm browsing WW, and having difficulty finding what I need in German. I've had mixed experiences with Brazillian parts... CIP doesn't always tell me that the parts I'm getting aren't German, either. In fact, I've browsed six or seven parts places, and none of them seem to be German. Is this a place where any brake hose will do, if it's the right length and thread?

Stray

Sun May 23, 2010 1:04 pm

I think for wheel cylinders, German is certainly better, but for hard and soft brake lines, I think Brazilian will serve you well.

Tue May 25, 2010 7:29 pm

I now have both front brakes done as far as I can while awaiting further parts. I've stripped, primed, and painted both backing plates (broke one spring clip on each, fabricated replacements), installed the two new cylinders on each side. I still need to buy the adjusters. The shoes and drums are in good enough condition that I'll use them as they are. I'm planning to replace the bearings, as well, but that's an easy enough job. I'm still indecisive about the rims - I can either sandblast the rims and drums, and give them a coat of paint (plus new hubcap clips) or just do the drums, and use the chromed rims I have for sale right now. I like the chrome, but it would help the project considerably to turn those into money. I'm going to be ordering all the new brake lines at the end of the week - all the metal ones, plus all the rubber ones, no need to screw with the old lines at all.

I've also lugged the MIG welder up out of the shop and started working on the bodywork again. It's a lot easier than flux core, and I like the quality and appearance of the welds more, though I still have some burn through. It's hot enough during the day that the best way to work on this is wait until after dark and use lights. I doubt I'll be able to finish this by the beginning of summer, but I'm still going to try.

Stray

Thu May 27, 2010 5:45 pm

Today I got some more practice with the MIG welder, patched up a handful of small holes (under the seat in the passenger's compartment, and at the bottom of the windshield), welded up the outside of the three windshield pillars, welded some more of the bottom seam where the other dashboard section was grafted in, and finished some more of the bulkhead seam.

Still not a pretty weld, but it's getting better, and I'm not burning through as much. The welds are much easier than flux core wire, and even flux core is easier than AC stick (DC stick is its own world, but I can't afford one at this point).

I'm headed out to remove the passenger's rear brake - it's so nice out, it's a shame to waste the good weather.

Stray

Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:17 am

Many things have happened, but few of them were progress. The bus spent the winter under a tarp, buried in snow. The case I was planning to use for the engine was corroded too badly to save, so I've ordered the replacement. Tomorrow I'll be sending the crankshaft out to be reground. Today I took a lack-of-mental-health day from work, and am emptying my tools and stuff out of the bus, now that I have dug through the five foot snowbank that has engulfed it. I'm also going to catalog the parts I have, so I can sell off the ones I don't need and use the money to buy the parts I don't have.

So, the budget I had for the bus got torpedoed by a need for much more engine work than I'd expected, as the 1835 shortblock isn't viable. If I have the energy today I'll dig out more of the bus, so I can get back to work on the rust, the brakes, etc. On the bright side, I'm doing the engine correctly instead of quickly - the case has just been align bored and cut for 92mm P&C, the crank will be freshly reground by Aircooled Engineering, and the bearings will be correct. I'm going to be getting by with used 92mm P&C for now, as I can't afford the 90.5 set yet, but it's far less work to replace those than it is to split the case and send everything either to the machine shops or the recycling bin. I now have 041 heads and dual HPX carbs, as well... I don't like thinking about how much money I'm spending on this, but in the end it'll be beautiful.

Thu Mar 17, 2011 12:35 am

Hang in there!
Progress will happen when it happens.
We'll be enjoying watching the story unfold, slow or fast.

Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:38 pm

At this point, the engine is scattered across North America - the case (freshly line bored, full flow, cut for 92mm cylinders, from Quality German Auto Parts in California) is waiting for me at the UPS depot and I'll pick it up after work tomorrow, the crank is on its way to Air Cooled Engineering in Utah, the connecting rods are headed to MoFoCo in Wisconsin tomorrow, and the majority of the other smaller parts are headed to me from CIP in Canada! I should get some part from Mexico just to cover this continent from top to bottom.

We're still getting snow, so the bodywork is still on hold. I'm cleaning up the parts that I am reusing (Engle W110 cam, cyls (still need honing), pistons) and the ones I bought used - HPX carbs and 041 heads.

Fri Mar 25, 2011 9:18 am

I have the case, and have brought it to my mechanic to check it out. He pointed out a slew of things about used VW cases that I didn't know - the importance of the pin holes in the case for the main bearings, for example - and he's impressed with the quality of the machining on the case. At his advice, I'm going to boil the case to get out the chips and metal fragments from line boring. My crankshaft has arrived at Air Cooled Engineering, so they're going to get to work on that. The connecting rods will be a few more weeks.

If the weather is good this weekend, I can get some more work done on the bus itself while I wait for engine parts to get to me.