TheSamba.com :: View topic - Things PO did to Thing - Chapter One

Mon Feb 13, 2012 7:20 pm

Buying an old car with many previous owners is always a challenge, but Im constantly surprised. I bought a 74 Thing yesterday. The stock oil bath air cleaner was included, but not installed. A cheap chrome one, with the breather hose fitting plugged is there. Anyway, someone connected the charcoal canister hose to the breather (next to oil filler cap). So, air from the fan housing blows thru the canister and pressurizes the crankcase. PO mentioned he has never been able to get valve cover gaskets to seal. I wonder why?

There was some moisture and a little sludge in the hose and under the cap. Changed the oil with Delo to clean things up. Without the breather tube connected there is no smoke and very little blowby at all, so the engine is basically healthy.

Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:37 pm

In the scheme of things that is pretty mild as its easily corrected.

I have seen much worse.

Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:00 pm

The next thing I discovered, that will be a lot more work to fix is that all the external "loops" for the top have been ground off! Since that is a welded part, its going to be interesting to fix, especially since the paint is ok, so a repaint is not in the plan.

Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:16 pm

nikita wrote: The next thing I discovered, that will be a lot more work to fix is that all the external "loops" for the top have been ground off! Since that is a welded part, its going to be interesting to fix, especially since the paint is ok, so a repaint is not in the plan.

The Thing Shop does has repair loops available. One kind screws on the other welds on. Neither look right in my opinion.

Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:05 pm

DONT even get me started on the CRAZY stuff that some PO did to my Thing... :roll:

Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:23 pm

sixty9fasty wrote: DONT even get me started on the CRAZY stuff that some PO did to my Thing... :roll:

Mine installed carpet with padding (can you say "sponge") and then surrounded it with aluminum trim which was SCREWED to the pan every 6 inches.

Removed the carpet, siliconed the screw holes until I can get someone to weld them shut. :x

The Walmart "sport mirrors" also had to go. Found some plastic plugs at the local FLAPS (vacuum hose aisle) to fill the holes.

Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:48 pm

I have a small collection of those hoops original ones I cut off cars with a plasma cutter

Wed Feb 15, 2012 7:16 pm

mike-thanks a ton for the hood....what a deal and i appreciate you picking a good one

floor pans are nice and hefty too.....

8)

Tue Feb 28, 2012 4:22 pm

Next question on breather system. The breather hose fitting on the air cleaner is a different size than the fitting on the generator stand, next to the oil filler cap. I notice at least two different air filters when I look at gallery and classified ad pictures. One type, mine, has the breather hose fitting at 90 degrees and the other type points straight down. Is there a stepped hose fitting of some kind, or, what size of hose do you use? Is this a model year difference, or is there a vendor other than Mann? These are Thing-only filters, because the Bus and Ghia design mounts differently.

Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:27 pm

I guess my PO experience was not so bad. Got it from the original owner . The gentleman (rest his soul) used tile cement to glue blue shag carpet on the bed behind the rear seats. it took me weeks and gallons of acetone to remove it. Everybody knows blue shag goes with sunshine yellow.

Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:18 am

brooklyn thing wrote: I guess my PO experience was not so bad. Got it from the original owner . The gentleman (rest his soul) used tile cement to glue blue shag carpet on the bed behind the rear seats. it took me weeks and gallons of acetone to remove it. Everybody knows blue shag goes with sunshine yellow.

Well, don't get me started.
Know how I got my Thing? It was vandalized beyond use in an abandoned car storage locker. Sledge to the engine, seats gone, paint all over, four flat tires.

Now you know why I have been collecting parts and manuals for a year, this is going to be a real job.

When I am done, this Thing may not be stock, but it will be correct and durable and as close to stock as I can get it!. One exception will be the paint: desert beige.

And it will be equipped with a Kubelwagen-style space for the spare, inset into the hood and covered with a tire cover from a 1936 Citroen Traction Avant. Plus blackout light covers.

I have nixed the idea of an MG42 turret where the back seat goes....

Tue Mar 06, 2012 8:57 am

strelnik wrote:

I have nixed the idea of an MG42 turret where the back seat goes....

Hopefully in favor of the roll-bar mounted air-cannon :lol: