1976 Westy, my project

[Bala]

First, congrats to my parents on 40 years of marriage!
They hosted a party at their place to celebrate and the bus was welcome of course!

And I finally made the time to get the rear shocks installed.

Here are the originals. When I removed them they compressed extremely easily and didn't decompress at all when released. Also the passenger's side leaked oil once I got it off.

The top bolts were a pain to remove. A tip is that from under the bus you can access the back side of the bolts where they go through the chassis. You can’t really see them, but feel around and you’ll find them. Spraying them with PB Blaster was a huge help.

The new KYB gas shocks (P/N 344082) waiting to go in.

New as compared to old. The KYBs are just slightly longer when fully extended.

The top bolts were cleaned and looked to be in good shape, so I re-used them after cleaning the mounting holes in the chassis as well. The lower mounting bolts had some odd wear on them. Almost like the threads had been worn down. There wasn’t much thread depth left.

So I made a quick trip to the hardware store for some metric grade 8 nuts and bolts.

Here’s a shot to show how far the 344082s extend past the lower mount. These shocks fit great for me, but most parts places list them as being for syncro Vanagons I think. Apparently late bay rear shocks need to be longer than early, so be careful when ordering.

New shocks installed.

Took my son on a quick test drive to get some yogurt. There is a HUGE difference! No more riding over waves sensation and potholes and bumps felt much better. Success! Although, my son said he missed the “bouncing around” in the back.

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1976 Westy

1966 Beetle

[Kirk]

Thats not grade 5? I thought Grade 8 was all gold colored. I may be wrong. Thanks for the updates! I just installed my KYBs too, and man what a difference.
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MAKE FORUMS GREAT AGAIN

Bear
Coble
Super
Oppenheim

[Bala]

[Bala]

Knocking out a few more little jobs.

My ignition switch is probably corroded and worn inside, so the PO had installed a starter push button switch in the hole for the battery light in the cluster. I replaced the cluster, removed the junk switch and replaced it with one I thought was good. It was temporarily just hanging there until I decided where/how to permanently mount it. Well it turns out the replacement switch, though rated as though it would work, was junk too. It wasn't long before it was difficult to press it in and it stopped working all together.

The second switch:

Here is what I hope is my final switch. It's nice and beefy and fairly discreet looking with the rubber screw on cover.

Wired and heat shrunk:

I used one of the existing holes in the dash. Just had to drill through the vinyl cover and enlarge it a bit.

Installed:

It works great and, I think it looks pretty good. I'm happy with it anyway.

Also re-routed some wiring to get the alternator light to work (thanks busdaddy for the tips). My alt. dummy light was not coming on at all unless I turned my heater blower on. I moved that blue wire from the blower relay to the voltage regulator and it's all good! Ran a little jumper from the coil to the blower so it still works.

New three point seat belt and booster seat for the boy. I used the stock mounts and the both the seat and belt fit nicely and are comfortable.

And finally I replaced my lower shock bolts with some correct metric grade new ones.

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1976 Westy

1966 Beetle

[RONIN10]

Good work! I love it when I knock out lots of little things. Good bang for your buck.
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Andrew

Oscar: 1976 Westfalia Deluxe Camper, 2.0L FI, Manual Transaxle

[Stuartzickefoose]

sweet
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Stuart Zickefoose

2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDi 6 speed manual

206-841-7324
[email protected]

[Bala]

[Bala]

Got a few more things done in advance of a tubing trip a few weeks ago.

I had this leftover A/C unit from a Vanagon I sold years ago, so I thought I'd give it a try. For the surround piece I used a remnant piece of insulation my dad gave me (self-adhesive magnetic strips keep it in place). Used a couple brackets, a board and some straps to support it, and it's actually pretty secure. It's really just a prototype that I will improve upon. Now, I don't think I'll always use the A/C, but the family came with me on this trip and it was July in Texas, so I suffered through it.

Replaced my sliding door nylon block. Pretty easy job. Just remove the rail cover (probably the most annoying part really) swing the arm out through the little opening about half way down the rail and support the door on a jack stand. If it's the original block you will have to drill the rivet out, which is not difficult, and you don't have to actually remove any part of the assembly for this repair.

What was left of the old one.

The new one installed with a new bolt and locking nut (not as dirty as it looks, I used a brown multipurpose grease). Before I had to really slam it and even push in a bit as it closed for it to fully latch. Now the door shuts with minimal effort, in fact my 5 year old can even close it easily! Plus, it was all but impossible to shut it from inside before which when camping is pretty annoying. No problem now!

Also, I finally installed my fire extinguisher. It's been riding shotgun or on the floor for the past 2 years. It's too big to mount in the stock deluxe location on the rear seat base or even behind the driver's seat. I'll just be sure not to lock the hatch while on the road.

On to the camping...
We stayed at Camp Huaco Springs http://camphuacosprings.com/ in New Braunfels. About a 55 mile drive each way and the bus did great!

The place was nice and well kept, but not much room. The campers were really packed in there. Also, I prefer being on grass with plenty of room to stretch out.

My sister and her BF's RV on the left.

Not even enough room to put our tarp/canopy out.

Oh well, the water was cool and the tubing was great! Had a wonderful time with the family and extended family.

Hopefully or next trip will be a bit more rustic!
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1976 Westy

1966 Beetle

[m@]

I too have just read this entire project. I look forward to future posts and pics. I have been enjoying our '78 Westfalia immensely. This feed is so very helpful to myself and so many others and I just wanted to thank you. Here is a link to my new bus blog. Next week I will be sharing photos from "Big Wednesday" at San Onofre Beach here in Southern California.
http://www.abuslife.com
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I am thankful for all other projects I tackled without a clue, with the help of all of you.
'78 VW Westfalia Campmobile 57k original miles.

[Bala]

[Stuartzickefoose]

looking great!
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Stuart Zickefoose

2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDi 6 speed manual

206-841-7324
[email protected]

[Bala]

[secretsubmariner]

[Bala]

[quote="secretsubmariner"]

[Stuartzickefoose]

[quote="Bala"]

[Bala]

My front brakes had started to squeal really bad and were making me nervous. They functioned just fine, but some new pads were needed.

I pulled the old ones, and they actually had plenty of meat, just looked super old.

Lug nuts had stuck them selves to my fresh painted wheels. Had to bring out the big guns.

Lots of spider webs and junk that I cleaned out.

New compared to old.

Rotors look smooth with no damage, so I didn't mess with them. New pads went in super easy. I used some break grease on the back of the pads, but no metal spacers. And no grease on the pins or clips per the Bentley. So far no squealing and they work great. They pull slightly to the left when hard breaking, so new soft lines and calipers are in my future I'm sure.

I got some over the counter Duralast pads from Auto Zone. Why not. They seemed decent quality and have a lifetime warranty.

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1976 Westy

1966 Beetle

[Bala]

Now with the dirty work out of the way it was time for some "fun".

I've had my bus for over two and a half years and never given it a proper wash and wax. I've wiped it down once or twice, but that's it. It's a camper not a show bus. But I guess the time had come.

Before:

Soaping up and watering the lawn:

And after a really quick wax. Not a huge difference, but hopefully the paint will be a little better protected.

The next morning was the Oil Dripper's Spill Out show in San Antonio.

My pops met at my place and we had a nice cruise straight to our favorite Mexican restaurant in SA.

VIP parking.

And, our view from inside once the rest of the family met us in their "normal" car.

The show was really cool. Located at a place called Traders Village under a massive pavilion. Like 2 football fields massive.
So it was nice to be in the shade. And Traders Village is a pretty neat place. Amusement rides and games for the kids and more vendors selling new and used stuff than you can imagine. I picked up a few vinyl records for my collection. I swapped and basically paid for the trip, so that made me happy. Managed to get out of there with only buying one hubcap to replace a junky repro I've been wanting to get rid of and a little german badge for the grand total of 7 bucks.

My dad entered his truck in the show (got his first trophy, 3rd place in class!), but I was happy just to hang in the swap area.

Over all a really good show/swap. We'll be going down there for all 3 days next year. And the bus did awesome. No problems there or back, just a little oil consumption. The drive back was extremely windy and it was a little sketchy with my front end. I'll be addressing some slop up there for sure.

Anyway, another trip in the books!
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1976 Westy

1966 Beetle

[secretsubmariner]

Nice! I have new pads and shoes for when mine shit the bed. Was the install ok?


Also- I think this looks pretty good, too!

I want to put in some under dash lights, and I saw a button like that at Autozone that caught my eye. It seems much sturdier than some others I've seen. Good job!

Have you seen this: http://www.thethingshop.com/LENS-BRAKE-WARNING-LIGHT/productinfo/113919232L/

A clean looking dash is one of my biggest goals, so a bright red brand new brake warning light was necessary for the resto!
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-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[Stuartzickefoose]

those duralast pads...so long as you catch them before they hit metal, you can return them and get new pads for free....lifetime is no joke on these guys!


ive been mentally waxing mine the last few days...after volksfest i may actually get out and do it...that paint might actually shine up after all!
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Stuart Zickefoose

2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDi 6 speed manual

206-841-7324
[email protected]

[Bala]