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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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Some updates:
All my photos are here: https://picasaweb.google.com/107272623994188821165/1963Bus?authuser=0&feat=directlink
I took off the RGB's and axles. I determined that the transaxle is geared with a 4.375 Ring and Pinion with an .89 fourth gear. I have the center section packed up and ready to be regeared with a 3.88 R+P with an .89 fourth. I'm going to switch to large nut boxes as I have most of the parts laying around. I think that will give me a happy medium. It will be very close to the final ratio of a early bay window bus, which I'm used to and like.
I made my own bearing puller for the small nut boxes:
got the RGBs/axles all removed:
then started on cleaning and prepping the engine bay:
fixing some hacks:
not sure where the pics of the end result of the reverse light holes went... i'll take some more..
this section was a real PIA:
almost done... just before welding up that nasty gap on top.
_________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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bill may Samba Member
Joined: August 27, 2003 Posts: 14160 Location: san diego,ca
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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some progress on the '63. The tranny is at the rebuilder getting a 3.88 r+p, .82 4th, upgraded mainshaft/1st gear, super diff.
a lot of dirt was stuck between the rocker panels
I didn't anticipate the KF inner rocker to be too wide.
_________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 24670 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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Get the 1968-72ish non-FI gas tank. The bottom of these earlier bubble window bus gas tanks are much closer and better fitting like the pre-1968 gas tanks. Just requires some bottom center denting of the rear of the tank to clear the body sheet metal.
Have over 110,000 miles on our 1641 cc SP CWC engine and it is still running like new. Run any air cooled engine at too low or too high of RPMs and you are going to have cooling/engine longevity problems.
Having a full flow oil filter/pump like the Maxi 2 from CB is a must also. _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:51 am Post subject: |
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Eric&Barb wrote: |
Get the 1968-72ish non-FI gas tank. The bottom of these earlier bubble window bus gas tanks are much closer and better fitting like the pre-1968 gas tanks. Just requires some bottom center denting of the rear of the tank to clear the body sheet metal.
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The '74 tank fits in there like a glove without modification. I have a stock sized VDO fuel gauge that works with the '74 sender. has the correct resistance range. It was easier to go that way as opposed to making the stock gauge work with the float style sender. I may try to swap the chrome ring to that gauge to replace the black ring it has.
I got the rocker panel welded in last night. Almost got the welding done before I ran out of wire. had more wire on hand but no tips to match...doh
the contour of the klassic fab rocker panel was quite a bit off of what my '63's is. A made a few relief cuts to make it work
_________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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froggie Samba Member
Joined: July 17, 2006 Posts: 346 Location: Benton Arkansas
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:12 am Post subject: |
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GLHTurbo wrote: |
mine has the 4 sharp corners as well. Was debating putting the "gutters" over the top of them, it never had them. My glass is pretty beat too...think I'll yank a pane out and bring it to a glass shop.
and I brought mine home on a uhaul trailer too!
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i guess u haul trailers are the best way to get your panel home. heres my 60 walk through coming home.
_________________ 79 Bremen mini mark
funner than a bathtub full of fish hooks! |
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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working on the cargo door rocker. I put many hours into getting the old rockers cut out cleanly.
I was able to keep the floor in tact
the autocraft inner rocker fits like a glove:
I was also able to salvage the mangled rear jack point. It was able to finagle it back to shape and weld it back together
the transaxle is back from the rebuilder:
_________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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got the inner rocker welded in the other night
got the reduction boxes sealed up:
I was all set to start working on the middle and outer rocker, but the autocraft outer rocker is going to need work. I left the original latch plates on the floor in place (see above). When I align the rocker panel up with the latch plates it leaves a 4mm gap between the front rocker and the B pillar panel. thats a big gap. If I sit the rocker up flush to the B pillar , the latch guides on the rocker are too far forward to work. rrrgh...I either need to do some surgery on the latch plates or get a klassicfab rocker and see if it fits any better. Anyone have experience with the autocraft cargo rocker not fitting correctly? It super sucks that I could have kept the original latch guides there as they were in good shape but I figured it would be easier to just cut them out and use the ones embedded on the new part _________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 24670 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 5:42 am Post subject: |
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edgood1 wrote: |
It super sucks that I could have kept the original latch guides there as they were in good shape but I figured it would be easier to just cut them out and use the ones embedded on the new part |
Dang. Big rule with these old VWs is not to throw anything away till one is sure the part in question is absolutely replaceable!
Your work is looking great! _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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mtnbus Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2007 Posts: 732 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 7:37 am Post subject: welds |
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great work/thread ! |
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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Eric&Barb wrote: |
Dang. Big rule with these old VWs is not to throw anything away till one is sure the part in question is absolutely replaceable!
Your work is looking great! |
I know, I usually go way out of my way to keep as much original metal/parts as possible... I still have that little section with the original latch guides... its questionable condition-wise. It would have had to come out anyways to fit the middle rocker strengthener section. Seeing the quality of the newer body metal makes me re-think keeping the so-so original metal. The autocraft parts that I have are heavier grade metal than the original.Its not like 10-15 years ago where all we had was the JC whitney crap panels that were near impossible to weld they were so thin.
I can either transplant the original latch guide section onto the new rocker... or cut and weld the section on the new rocker... either way a PItA. I'll make it work properly one way or another. _________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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I spent 5 hours working with the new lower nose and outer valence sections. what a pain. I had to flatten out the ends of both panels and recreate the bends several times to get them perfect. pics to come... _________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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got some time today to work on the bus. I continued work on the nose. I painted the inner parts with masterseries paint last night.
I lined up the klassicfab lower nose with the autocraft lower valence and the lips in the valence was WAY off. about 3cm too high. I used the "V" in the front of the bus as the reference point and worked around that...definitely the autocraft part is wrong. thats strike two on them. My solution: cut the lip off and weld it to the lower nose piece, then plug weld it as a unit to the lower valence. This makes is much easier to fit...
In the time i spent fixing this lower valence I probably could have fabricated my own. It was too long, so I used a dolly to flatten o
ne of the ends:
nice and flat:
trimmed it 2mm:
used a block of hardwood and a body hammer as a brake
repeat the process, but this time bend it the right way:
fits perfect now:
kleco'd in:
...and welded on:
lower nose tacked in place:
very happy with the fit
thats all for today. _________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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type47fan1 Samba Member
Joined: December 03, 2011 Posts: 828 Location: McDonough GA
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2048 Location: Plymouth, MA
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