1977 Westy "Colonel Mustard"

[Colonel_Mustard]

Thanks, I love to have things organized and well documented lol.
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Sidbus]

Very nice work!
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57 Panel http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=453943
62 so34 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=533160
76 Westy http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=520076

[FlowerPowered]

Lookin' good! Hey, what paint brand are you using?
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76 Westy "Sunset"

[Colonel_Mustard]

Im not quite sure off hand, just some engine enamel stuff from canadian tire.

Well despite being terribly sick, me and my bro made some progress today.

Was going to fabricate a box for the front but Wal Mart had these for $25 so I thought I would go the easy route, considering the amount of work I have left to do:



Hitch is finished, just needs paint. My bro did a great job on the welding. Should fit up nice behind the bumper:



The camera screwed up these pics, cant take a good one up around the garage, but I started cleaning out the electrical stuff up front to get ready for the auxiliary fuse panel:





Started at the engine seals, before shot:



Removed rocker assemblies, push rods, and push rod tubes:





Nice new seals:



Oil cooler seals:





Oil pump seal, also did the internal o-ring:





Oil filler neck seal was replaced:





Also did the oil breather seal. Valve cover seals, oil filler neck seal, & dipstick boot will also be done.

Just about ready to start putting the engine back together. So many little things to do though (and a lot of big things), its a never ending project lol.
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Been really busy and sick lately, so progress has slowed down. Plus I am waiting on a few parts and supplies to continue with some things. Sorry about the poor pics but I dont trust any good camera in the work environment lol.

Engine with its new seals:



Painted parts:





New temp sensor:



Took a grove out of the head so the new temp sender sits properly, and made a clip to hold the wire in place:



Starting to piece it back together, waiting on a few things before I can finish:





Did a little with the wiring on the interior. Lots of junk coming out lol:



Put a secondary fuse panel in for the auxiliary battery, and tidied up some other wiring:



Shortened the wires for the fan/heater and wired that up. These will now be used in conjunction with a propane heater to spread heat, more on that to come:



Took out this old clock and put in an ashtray from the green monster, going to clean it up and dye/paint it if necessary:





Pulled the fuel tank and cleaned out all the crud that was in there, also cleaned up the engine bay a little. My plan is to scuff it up a bit and give it a spray of paint. It will do until the whole bus gets the body work and paint it needs sometime in the future:






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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Made some nice progress yesterday.

Wired my 3 way cig lighter adapter into the aux fuse panel and mounted it over on the driver side. Will be used for GPS, charging cell phone, etc.





GPS cord:



Second heater/fan wired into the panel, the heaters aren't any good but the fans will be used to spread heat from a propane heater. I will be making a little stand for that later:



Both heater/fans, 3-way cig adapter, stereo, interior lights all hooked up to the aux battery for use when camping:



Replaced the turn signal/headlight switches with the ones out of the parts bus as my signals werent working. Hopefully these are better:





Most of the wiring done, still a few things to do:



And to help keep the aux battery running all those things when camping:



New intake tube boots and alligator dipstick boot:



Time to start putting the engine back together.

Mustache bar mounts:



Some tin and fan shroud, intake and oil breather:



More tins:





Laying out the harness:



Fan on:



New intake gaskets:



Intake tubes with new boots:



More stuff:



And a before shot compared to where I was at the end of the day:




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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

I did get a little more progress done today.

Old battery tray out:



New one welded in, needs some seam sealer around the edge:



Got some hubs out of an old car to use on the trailer, plus some wheels and tires:



Sanded and cleaned the engine bay, did some masking and got some primer on it:





Certainly not going to be perfect will be a better looking home for the engine until the whole bus can get done at some point in the future. Using Cat primer and paint as it is available lol, wont be a perfect match but good enough for the summer:



Picked up some new hose for the water tank and pump:



Insulated the interior:











Then did a little more work putting together the engine. Put on the alternator and bracket, fuel injectors, coil, fan cage and scale, block off plates for the tins, wires, routed the wiring harness, alt belt, and misc. grommets:



Goal is to have it done by end of day friday. Fingers crossed.
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[hottschott]

Hey Colonel,

Just wanted to congratulate you on the amazing work you have put into your westie! Looks gorgeous! This is my first post/comment/reply to this site, just signed up today. Just brought home my 1972 Safari Edition Camper Van and I am so excited to start the restoration/customization project. Question for you: Have you had lots of experience prior to the Westie in regards to restoration, fixing, etc?

[Colonel_Mustard]

Thanks for the comment. No I havent. I have done tons and tons of reading on this site, asked a few questions, got a Bentley service manual, and some help from my brother. Just take your time and there isnt much to them really. All the info is either here or on Ratwells site.

Had another busy day today, pushing to get it done.

Seam sealed the battery tray and a few other spots:



The CAT yellow was a little too dull so I went with School Bus Yellow, pretty much a perfect match:



Before:



After:









Rubberized undercoating for the bottom of the battery trays:



Replaced the tubes for the water tank and pump:





New wiring for the water pump and fridge:



Also replaced all the old leaky and over-glued sink plumbing:



Finally fixed the prop for the bench seat:



Starting to put the interior back in:





Back to normal:





Doors and front mostly back together:





Started at the fuel lines, replaced some under the bus, removed the T fitting that went to the gas heater. Also did the seals and lines to the fuel injectors:



Old:



Wrong clamps:



Old lines:



New:



Will have all new fuel lines and proper clamps. Also will do the new vacuum lines tomorrow:



Little more work done to the engine, will be going in tomorrow (fingers crossed):


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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Another long day today, so close to firing it up again.

Unmasked everything in the engine bay and put in the gas tank:



Firewall back on.
Before:



After:



Changed the gear oil in the trans and bolted it back up. The stud for the ground strap broke off so we had to grind it and weld on a new one. Also had to use the set screw from the parts bus as I lost mine:



Broke the old pressure regulator so took the one of the parts bus (that really comes in handy), also with new fuel lines:



What exhaust leak? I hate this stupid exhaust, need to go back to oem:





Gapped the points, dwell meter should be here next week:



Adjusted the valves, my first time doing so, I hope I did it all right. Followed the Bentley so it wasnt so bad, then put the covers back on with new seals:



Replaced the hose clamp with the proper clamp from the parts bus:



Engine ready to go back in:



Getting there:



Took a while to figure out the vacuum lines and some of the electrical, but got all new vaccum lines on it and everything but the batteries hooked up. Also attached the rest of the fuel lines and put on the starting motor:

Before, note the unsightly rust on the wheel well on the right side that is gone now. Also keeping the fan out as it wasnt doing anything:



After:





Tomorrow: oil change, hook up batteries, fill with gas, finish wiring in the dash, drive
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

So Friday I did an oil change. Used my heater to get the oil warm:



New filter and gaskets:



Next, we bolted up the exhaust. Annealed the copper gaskets:



Mounted with some new rubber:



Crappy exhaust on:



Wired up the batterys with some new ground straps:



Filled it with gas.

Taped up the open fan shroud ports that went to the heat exchangers that I no longer have. Now I am not losing air that could be cooling the cylinder heads:



It ran, but not very well. Seemed like a vacuum leak, then I found my S-boot had a huge tear in it:



Put in one out of the parts bus and zip-tied and hose-clamped my vacuum connections.

Readjusted the valves, they were a little lose:



Put in new points and condensor:



New plugs:



New fuel filter:



New rotor and cap:



Timed it:



Aaaaaaaandd....it ran perfectly! Sounded great, ran steadily at 350 (much lower than last year). But then...



Oil is leaking very bad, that will be a project for this week. Guess I messed up some seal.


Put on my new hitch and bumper, fits pefectly:





Found some tie-downs for the batteries, havent had any all last year:





Had my brother make up a stand for my propane heater, it is catalytic so it is safe for indoor use:



Groove in the front fits into a heater slot so it stays in place:



Wired up the stereo:



Then took it on a nice long run and besides the oil leak it was perfect, until heading home it started to lose power and sputter again. Hopefully its something simple, will be tackling that this week.



Left to do:

Finish up some wiring
Find and fix oil leak
Figure out why its running poorly and fix that
New plug wires
Wire light in engine compartment
Flip my engine seal

Hopefully its nothing too major and the engine wont need to be pulled again.
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Got another package today. Actron Dwell/Tach/Volt meter. This should help me finally get it tuned properly:



Also got my alternator cooling boot to replace my torn one:



Should be a few more packages arriving this week.
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Gotta track down this pesky oil leak. Shooting out everywhere:



Replaced my oil breather, because if it isnt working, the pressure will cause oil to leak from everywhere:



Removing stuff:



Oil covered parts:



Installed my engine bay light:



Put a quick coat of paint on my batter tie downs:



Added a few more stickers:



And finally mounted my plate:


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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Another package showed up today. Timing light and compression tested from Actron:




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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[tirekicker]

i'm biting my nails waiting to hear back from that oil leak. i hope it's not serious
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DhK
Phuckancer


(16:45:42) Russ_Wolfe: TK, you are like a Maytag washer
(16:46:44) tirekicker: and what's a maytag washer?
(16:47:35) Russ_Wolfe: If you are not agitating, you are not working right

[Colonel_Mustard]

Thanks, I hope I have found it and can fix it now. Just picked at it for a little bit today. Me and my bro are doing a bathroom reno for our parents, so I havent had time to touch the bus.

Hub off:



Seal and o-ring out:



Hopefully this is the only spot oil is leaking:



Got some new bike racks for the trailer i am building as my other ones are a bit rough:





Had a pop-top mishap on the last run so hoping I can make these fit:



Put my rear seatbelts back in:



Cap for my reciever:



Also got some federal ecovan 185R14C tires ordered in:


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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Killing the bandwidth lol.

Small update today.

My handles were really hard to open and would often not lock properly. Took apart some handles in the green parts bus:



Not perfect, but they all work much better now:



Gotta finish some wiring in the front and figure out a few issues, so thats still a mess:



Picked up a new power converter:



Changed my mind about my bike racks for the trailer, and went with one I could use on the bus too. Going to weld a receiver on the back of the trailer too. That way, I can have the bike rack on the bus, take the trailer without, or have the trailer with bike rack attached.

However, they arent meant to be used on a trailer, so Im not sure if it will be too unstable for them back there :S







Poor picture, but it folds down, so I can still get into the back of the bus when needed:



It is super heavy though, so off comes the hitch for a little extra bracing, just to make sure:





Also, the end of the bike rack that goes into the receiver is waaaaaay too long, stressing the hitch even more, so the rack will be getting (of course) some cutting and welding.

Got a package today:



Spare accelerator cable (broke mine on the engine install so had to use my spare, cant leave home without an extra)
Plug wires (one of mine broke)
Spare Cap, Rotor, Condenser, Points, plugs, and fuel filter (put all my new spares on the bus after the engine install)
Oil pressure switch
Steering damper
Flywheel seal

Will install the seal, wires, and switch tomorrow. And the rest goes into the spares kit. A must have when you own a bus.

Engine waiting the flywheel seal and new o-ring that I already have.



Cleaned my oil soaked parts from the stupid oil leak. Hoping the new seals will cure that:



Where my bus has been sitting since its one cruise May 29th



Hoping to get a lot done tomorrow, and try to figure out if my problems are something easy, or if my engine is f#$ked. Wish me luck.
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

Spent some quality time with the Colonel today.

Replaced my fan hub seal and o-ring:



Finally back together after a week and a half:



So far NO OIL LEAKS! Hoping it stays that way for a while

Adjusted valves
Set Points
Timed
Cleaned rotor and cap (rubbing tip of rotor over a tire is perfect to clean it)

Old plug wire :thumbdown:



New set of wires :thumbup:



Put my engine seal on the right way:



Had my brother bend a wrench for me to make getting at the 13 mm distributor nut a bit easier:



New oil pressure sensor:



Put all the engine bay back in order and fired it up. Was a little bit noisy, but after getting the dwell angle and timing perfect it was a lot better. Took it for a run and it was so nice. No sputtering or anything, ran smooth, temps stayed where they should be, good power. I was very happy.

Hooked up my Hella 500s
Fixed my cigarette lighter socket
Hooked up my tach correctly
Wired the light for my CHT gauge

Interior back together, have to do the speakers and give it a good cleaning:



The new bike rack is super heavy and comes so far off the receiver that it was bending the whole hitch. So, doing what my brother does, we made some modifications.

Old hitch and the rack, you can see the long arm on the bottom of the rack:



Cut off this long arm. The one inch solid steel bar in there added so much weight:



New, shorter arm welded on:



Then we beefed up the hitch even more. Extra gussets:





Boxed in the back of the channel:



Should be much better now.

Tomorrow I will do a compression test and get the hitch and bumper back on, install the steering damper and whatever else I have time to do. Then I may take it on a 4 hour drive....we will see.
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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Colonel_Mustard]

No good updates on the bus.

Thought I had the oil leak sorted a while back and took it on one trip, but it got worse, so I took it home and parked it for a while:



Got another oil breather from German Supply, with a new gasket, just to see if that would help relieve the crankcase pressure and stop the oil leak:



Also got a new signal switch and relay to see if I can fix that problem.

But the oil breather didn't help:



So, time to remove the engine:







Then stripped it down:







Not looking good for The Dub Show. Fingers crossed that I can get the engine sorted and actually use the bus before the summer is over.

Almost 3 months parked next to the garage trying to get finished:


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1984 VW Rabbit GTI
1977 VW Type 2 Westfalia
1972 VW Super Beetle

[Sloride]

You still haven't figured out that oil leak? Have you checked the two oil pressure release valves in the block? Maybe one of them is stuck and you are getting too much oil pressure.


Season is too short down there to have it sitting up.


Craig
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1972 Westfalia
2012 Subaru wrx
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada