Black Fastback Build Thread

[Brent]

[Dinopower]

I can sleep easy tonight Steve after seeing those washers lol.

I have to say I'm still confused by those mounts, I'd have dropped a bolt through them, but I'm sure I'm missing the point.

I hope you have a great vacation man, switch off from the fasty, spend some quality time with the family, that time is truly golden. You'll recharge your batteries and be right back on it.

Chris
_________________
My build thread

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=621824&highlight=

[Clatter]

Guess this is as good as any place to post up;
Things that get in the way of Fastback progress count, as long as it's VW..
Right?

All the way from Auburn to Salt Lake - 14 hours(!)
One stop in Battle Mountain, NV to eat.

Coming in to Salt Lake as the sun sets..

We made it from Salt Lake through Grand Junction deep into Colorado the next day.
I even got to stop at KCW, my favorite shop of all,
But was too excited and forgot to take a pic!
DOH!

Anyways, made it to Ouray the next day...
Here is a stop at Ridgway, right before we got there.

Anyways, we are at Amphitheater Campground in Ouray,
Possibly the nicest place I have ever camped.
Went through Ouray on my motorcycle 20+ years ago, and vowed to return one day.
So, a promise made right on..

Not a disappointment;
Lived in CO for most of about 25 years, and Ouray qualifies as most beautiful CO town.
(IMHO)

So, if you ever get the chance...

Will try and get some pics to prove it,
But the bus is going to be parked for a while.

_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Nate M.]

Sounds like a great trip thus far. Enjoy the time making memories with your family!!
_________________
Regards,

Nate M.

Squarsche build
Heavy Metal Affliction feature

For heaven's sake, put a type4 and a Porsche 5-speed in there. . . It's the right thing to do!!

[Clatter]

Love my type 4...

_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[suruba]

looks like you guys are having fun!

Glad I could help out this weekend. Your fish are A-OK!

Be safe on the way home, my friend. We'll see you when you get back.


Dave

[Clatter]

Dave, you the MAN!
SO helps to not have to worry, and have people around..

Had to take a pic of this hoax..
Four Corners monument. Malarkey! (Concrete Slab - BFD)
The booth in the background where they nicked $20 from us.
'Toilet Wagons' with their poo tanks steaming in the sun.
Cratered-out parking lot requires a rock-crawler.
The best part was the huge line of gapers to take selfies.
Mom made me wait in the laser/sun for an hour while these fools took one after another after another in a million different poses.
One girl wanted us all to wait for her to get a change of clothes, before she got called out by a couple of people in the mob!
(Not me too, of course)
I can say I've been there two times - my first and my last..

Mom's little sage bundles, and beams from heaven to signal that we are away from 4 Corners Monument...

What happened next was the Mother Of All Thunderstorms!
And then the wipers quit...
Note - RainX is a sham!

Next day we got to the Grand Canyon.
Cool weather, and a beer with a view (or two).

Now, we are in Sedona, and life is good.
Saw a couple other busses camped up here(!)
So, this place must be the place...

Back home soon,
And we can return to some Fastbacking!

Hope you guys don't mind the big OT session here.
There's a VW involved, and maybe the TOOB people can back me up,
Er,
Right?

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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Mike Fisher]

Adventures with bus & Family @ 11,018 feet are cool!

_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[Clatter]

So,
Since two of you were baited into answering...
I'm going to be another asshole neighbor; You know the one - He Who Keeps Showing Pictures of His Vacation to any/eveyone who unfortunately ends up nearby!


Sign of the times:
We can't resist just putting the kids on screens; DVD player, tablet, phone.
It keeps them from fighting, driving us nuts.
We just electronically lobotomize them, and they leave us alone.
However,
Like every drug, too much ends up being too much...
Here they are, at the Grand Canyon, something they say they always wanted to see, and they can't be bothered to turn away form the oh-so-precious SCREEN to actually look at anything...

Pretty soon screens will be the only thing any human does,
Other than the lower caste charged with supporting the Matrix...

Sedona!
Hhmmm.. Wonder who is from Santa Cruz??

Oak Creek - Above Sedona.
If there was a way to park my bus in the way, I'd show you a picture of Slide Rock; Epic!
The kids were, however, willing to leave their screens for this place.

Mandatory stop along old Route 66;
We actually drove a bunch of it.
Some sections were more interesting than others.
Some not so much - like the rez.
Didn't see one old bus to leave a note on, however!

Here was a section of the drive i was dreading - the Mojave Desert..
Like the rest of our trip, we got rained on every day!
WhooHoo!!!
Right around Needles, when we were all about to scream in agony from the 110F heat, it _Rained_ on us!

There was a fire along hwy 15, people were trapped in traffic, had to abandon their cars, and they burned up.
We got to see some pretty amazing eclipse-like sun-hiding-in-the-daytime scenes outside of Barstow from it.
So, something good came from it, i guess?

The next day, we ended up close ot home, in Paso Robles.
Fine Wine, Fine Dining, Cool Weather, and a Water Park...
It's good to be back home...

ANyhow,
There you have it...
Promise to leave it alone from here on.

Specs on the trip:
(And for 'fastbackdavid')

2,637 miles.

During the flat/tailwind areas, we got around 19/20MPG, with a best of 23.1(!)

Most mountain passes, it was around 15-17MPG, with Red Mountain Pass being the lowest, at 14.48MPG.
That's some RV mileage right there.. But a lot of 2nd gear, and heavy throttle foot at the same time.

This trip, i had the AFM spring loosened up quite a bit.
The heads (according to my POS VDO CHT) never got over 370.
The Oil temp (according to VDO again) pushed up there near 225-230-235 going across the Mojave at 65MPH in 110F heat.
Such is life.
Like I'm really going to stop and let it cool down, just to go and push it up there again??


It used to run a bit leaner, and the CHT gauge would sometimes get to 425+ on hard pulls.
20-22MPG were pretty normal during this time.
It's either spend money on fuel, or spend money on heads and P/L.
Guess I'll burn the fuel these days, easier to get than heads.


Funny,
Just got off the john, reading the August, 2015 Hot VWs..
(Helps un-bind me after a long road-trip. )
Steve Phillips, a guy who i would normally respect his opinion, says the car should be shut off immediately if the oil ever reaches 215F.
Dunno what world that guy lives in..
I'd still be trying to climb up to Auburn.
Some people just use their bus for local grocery runs, I guess...
If i have scored bearings from this last run, so be it!

Anyhow,
Some more Type 3 things to come soon..
Digging back in with renewed vigor!
_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

So, after unpacking, the ol' tunnel just _had_ to be dragged out..

Started bending up some fuel lines..
Have to snake them around, back and forth, to miss the access hatches..

Don't want them to foul these openings any more than we have to.

The front comes out good,
Then,
As you get furthur back,
Things get a bit wonky.
Wonky like Furthur with a second "U"!

Have to make sure to clear these bolt areas (seatbelt and hatch bolts);
Making sure the bolts don't end up hitting the fuel lines as they screw in.
As these things all move and vibrate, any sharp edges have to be missed, so things don't chafe.

The front area is fun, things bend like they should, and sit tight to their locations.
Later, as you get more towards the rear, the tolerances stack up,
And things don't seem to be as straight as they were.
One bend after another makes things crooked, and fit funny.
Not very satisfying work, if you know what i mean..


Here at the very rear, i'm making some very big, round, sweeping bends.
Because the fittings are to be welded to the tunnel, the tubing will need to be a tad long, so the fittings can be welded onto the tube.
Then, after pressure-testing, the fittings are welded flush to the tunnel.
This means that the line will have to be 'stuffed' into the tunnel, and made shorter end-to-end.
As the tubing is stuffed nto the tunnel, these big bends will enable the tubing to bow, and the fittings suck tight in.

If that makes any sense...

Hopefully soon,
The tunnel will be hauled over to the Stainless Welder, to get the fittings welded on.
Then this _should_ all make sense, and allow me to start welding in pans and lids.

Operative word "should"...

_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Bobnotch]

Looks like you had a good trip.
The tunnel looks good too. Is the "stainless welder" going to trim some of the excess tubing off?
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120

[MonT3]

Thanks for sharing the vacation pics. Those lines look good in there IMO. Look forward to you getting that pan put together!!
_________________
MonT3
67 Squareback
64 Squareback
63 Squareback
Engine rebuild
Trailer rebuild

[Boo-Koo-Z]

Did you pick up the new rear lid? Greyhound awaits you!
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64 N Model Notch,65 OG White Notch
65 Squareback
55 Vert Bug, 62 gulf blue patina bug
Desert Fox Spoiler Buggy
60 crew cab, 64 21 Window Deluxe Bus clone
63 OG Manilla yellow Ghia
73 Thing

[Clatter]

Well, Dag, Man, a couple of big ol'days....!

Yesterday was one of those where you run errands all day.
All of those schemes i been dreamin' of while away, they came to play (and pay).

First stop was to get another 1/2 gallon of epoxy and two tubes of seam seal ($300!! )!
Then, a stop at the FLAPS for some rubber fuel line that fits over the stainless hard line.
(to stop chafe/abrasion)
Then a stop at The Hose Shop on the other side of town -
Had me an adaptor hose made up to pressure-test my fuel lines -
-AN on one end to NPT (then air hose) on the other.
Was planning on maybe using it with my leak-down tester overnight?

Then, a stop at the Greyhound depot..
Look at this little beauty right here!
Lovely.
Thanks Joel. (again)

And, immediately, I began stripping.
Ever get that sense of deja vu?
Feel like I've been here before for some reason...

Spent a couple more hours last night, and this morning, bending lines.

Stripped off paint for welding fittings, and continued to bend.
It's gotten to where the more i bend and bend the worse it gets,
So it will have to do.
Like i said before, not very satisfying work..

Here's the fuel line being used as chafe/rattle-stop..

And final clearance for the seat belt bolts and hatch bolts.

Have to test-fit the lid to make sure my big wide bends don't foul the lid..

My Stainless Welder (and new friend) Darren at ArcTec.
Here's my tunnel about to get the treatment..
How classic is this place?
This guy has some skillz for realz..

It took some chasing with the old spray-bubbles to get all of those pin-holes.

I didn't get any pics,
But the fittings then got welded down to the tunnel.
He wanted to keep the heat low, so as not to disturb the fitting-to-tube welds.
This made them a little blobby, but they will get dressed down.
I have the thing sitting on the leak-down overnight,
And will check tomorrow.
If all checks out,
We'll be sealing this biotch up day after tomorrow, welding (tacking) on lid and pans.

We hopefully means me and DAVE!
DAAAVVVE!

He's a free man! And we get to JAM!


So stay tuned...
_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

Today started out well..

Got the decklid cleaned up.
Might take it by a local bodyshop where they have a spitznail gun (pin spotter).
Don't have one of those, and a couple of little dings aren't reachable from behind.

After a while, all of these different abrasive wheels found their way to the party.

It was actually quite the job - to get all of the places where the pans and lids are to be welded down free of any epoxy.
Need clean metal all around anywhere that gets welded..

Then, sure as the epoxy gets removed, a *light* dusting of weld-thru goes on.

Time to stick down the lid..
Say good-bye to the inside of the tunnel, folks!
I hope I hope..
Had to grease up and stab the shift bushing first, it was just too easy.

Closed!
(Cue the golden rays of sunshine...)

And some tackage...

Detail of how it goes:
Sheet-metal screws hold down both lid and tunnel edges for tacking.
(Screws are removed afterward, as here, see the hole?)
The tacks can get the tunnel flange tight on each side of the screw.
Some of these other places will get Clecos,
But here, the screws just work too well, as the head grabs both.

Had to restrain m'self from welding too much.
I don't 100% trust my pan-to-tunnel locations.
One more test-fit/mockup will have to go down before the pan gets welded for real.

And,
Hopefully,
This next mock-up will include that dang front clip.
More prayer emoticons---->

Dave?
*sniff*
You don't love me anymore??
*glub*
Was it something did, or said?
*sniff*

_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

Dave!


This was a PITA - Lifting up the whole shell and placing it on the pan, on the stands!

Dave started helping me get these front fenders back together.
They got mangled when i took them apart.
I have no idea how to get them straight.
Dave does.

Then came the arduous journey of getting every single pan-to-body bolt in at the _same_ _time_.
Notice the die grinder in this pic?
Not a good sign...

The way these pans fit (my) car, there just have to be compromises.
Don't know if all of these cars are like this, but, if the front fits, the rear doesn't quite.
If the one side lines up, the other is a bit off.
Etc. Etc. We won't even discuss the flange and holes; those are move-able.
After getting panicked that the pans would have to be re-welded,
I went through the whole check/feel/line-up procedure again,
And concluded that it was actually done right, and that the fitment i have is the best compromise considering what i have to work with here.
Sad, huh?

Part of getting final hole location is a bit of prying in different directions.
In order for the pan to be free to move, it gets liightly jacked up against the body supported on stands.
Like this:

The big 4x4 from the hoist is there just in case (remember, safety third).

I picked up the front clip and moved it again.

Fitting it all up, I'll be danged if it doesn't look like it can just get welded on!
Especially now that this little slit is cut right here..

ANyhow,
Dave was just rolling on those fenders when i kept distracting him to help me with this whole heavy lifting/moving/sketchy prop/mock-up thing.
And, after that (it took pretty much all day) those PITA fenders were just too much.
So,
Here they got moved into the shade.

Maybe with a fresh outlook, and some patience, they (he? ) can be persuaded back into shape?
They are really super frustrating.
When i start banging on them, they get worse.

Once these are put back together, everything front-end related will be sitting there mocked up.
And maybe, just maybe, that front clip can be welded back on...

_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[MonT3]

Looks good clatter. Looks like the pan mated pretty good with the shell where you made the sub-frame mod. So you might have to do a little clearance work on the mount holes - no biggie on that IMHO.

Are you planning on welding both sides of the tunnel? I saw your spot welds when you first tacked the pan and center piece on and was curious if your welds are going to get all three areas? Meaning the center tunnel piece, the pan half and the tunnel. I would think that the penetration on all three pieces would be challenging.

Hope you get those fenders dialed in too. Keep at it man as it looks good!
_________________
MonT3
67 Squareback
64 Squareback
63 Squareback
Engine rebuild
Trailer rebuild

[Clatter]

Monte!

MMooonnnntt-Teee!
Nice to see someone has stuck to this through all of My DrivEL!

I'm just like everyone else, I see that many words, and i just scan a few pictures and move on!


Checking my penetration on the floor-pan weld-down, you can see the tacks at least burning thru the primer..

Got to really aim/blast the flange head-on when doing this, as the flange needs to _Stick_(!)


Here's a series of pictures to show how i go about assembling panels:
Any input here is welcome, as I really NFI WTF i am actually doing..

First off, the edge of the panel flange gets marked with the ol' Sharpie.
Don't want to clean off any more epoxy than you have to, really.
Just enough so it doesn't interfere with welding the panel down..

Here we are drilling through the exterior panel for plug-welding.
There is no way to reach this with the spot-welder.

All of those burrs from the previous drilling are cleaned up with a 60 grit roloc on a right-angle die-grinder.
Plus, we clean off epoxy up to our line we made earlier.

Here, we next scuff the whole surrounding area with a coarse Scotch-Brite.
This will give some tooth for the weld-through primer to follow,
but,
more importantly,
to help the seam-sealer, that comes later, to adhere..

Finally - a *light* dusting of weld-through.
This is now ready for the panel to be welded on.

Here we have the whole rear apron and mounting area cleaned up:

Then dusted and ready to go on:

These things are next.

Seems kind of stupid to blast, and lay down epoxy, only to grind a bunch of it off.
But that's the nature of things - you destroy as you go, in order to build!


Here's another part that's going to get the same treatment - the rear kick.

Dunno why these things give me the hump like they do,
But,
It *should* fit!
I didn't really change anything - other than new pans (!!)
The tunnel is suddenly too high...

Push it down,
And the other side pops up!

Not like i didn't make it the same size as before...

I got a couple more in the scrap pile to verify my measurement...

Oh, well, such as it is..

Would anybody out there with a fastback pretty please go and look at their rear kick area for me?
Please?
I'm not 100% sure the panel, and the corresponding body kick panel area are supposed to be flush/straight across,
or does the kick panel stick up a bit over the little panels next to it??

Anybody?

This thing is really driving me nuts!

And, TBH, it's really burning me out..

Anybody out there in the Bay Area want to volunteer here?
Easy work like grinding and fitting..

I'll trade you hours for something else, anything else...
Build you a motor?
Maybe wash your car or clean your bathroom???

This is the stage at the project where it's been almost two years,
And the facking thing still is just a hulk!

Oh, and, Somebody buy my Oval!
I need the money to pay a painter to finsh the Fastback here.... (and get out of debt!)

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1817033
_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Bobnotch]

I think your "kick panel" probably banna'd when you opened up the lower part for your tunnel area. What you're probably going to have to do, is slice it down from the top center, and then lean the 2 sides down, and tack it to the floor. After that, you can weld the slice back up. I've had to do that on a couple of cars in the past too. Once it's all anchored in place, then you body hammer it flat and straight.

As for the rest of the project, it looks like it's moving along real good. Remember, the higher heat settings really work good for you. Since you're burning thru the epoxy on the inside, you're pretty close on the settings.

The front clip structure looks good in place. I guess you just need to hang the rest of the stuff on, then check your alignment before you start tack welding it in place.
Nice progress you and Dave are making. Keep it up.
Oh, I'm still here keeping an eye on the progress.
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120

[silvertonguedevil]

Probably one of the better threads on here. I was very entertained all the way through. I'm looking forward to watching more progress. Excellent job!
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-Greg