Dave's 1973 Wild Westerner Project

[vwwestyman]

[secretsubmariner]

YES^^ Totally in favor of that set up! Hope it goes well for you man, keep bussin'!
_________________
-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[vwwestyman]

I work with kids at a community mental health center. I was meeting with an older client today, and we were talking about working toward goals.

I told him that one time I had read "on a VW forum" (the samba) that one way to get going on a project was to vow to at least do something every day. Even if all you do is loosen one bolt, do something. By doing that, you'll break down the project into small little bites, and also the action of just doing something will spurn you on to further progress and you'll probably be inspired to keep working toward that goal. I then related that to his goal of getting a job.

I have used this in the past, and actually had already set the goal for doing it with my Westerner, but here is a good explanation of the Do Something principal that I ran across this morning.

So with respect to getting my Wild Westerner at least driving by Bustoberfest, I have set the goal of doing something every day, even if it is very small.

(After Bustoberfest I will likely take a break on the Westerner and focus on some other projects I need to get done around the house.

Today, I:
*Dropped of my heat exchangers to a place to be sandblasted. I wasted a bunch of time and money with acid dipping and such. Though I do think that will go a long way to getting any oil that had soaked up inside them out.

*Ordered the tune-up parts for the engine.

*Got to work with some graffiti remover to getting the black spray paint out of the engine compartment. (Still have a long way to go with that junk! Yuck!)

*Installed the filler neck and bolted down the gas tank.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[vwwestyman]

Updates:

I've worked on it all this week, every day just like I said I would. One day all I did was remove a little bit of the black paint in the engine bay, but I still did something!

Today, I finally got the engine in and it started!!!

It sounds like there is still a lifter or two that hasn't pumped up (the engine sat for at least a couple years before I bought it, I believe) so it is kinda noisy and unstable, but at least the darn thing started!

Now I've gotta find a thread on tuning the Weber Progressive carb that is currently on it.

Also timing it. The distributor does have a vacuum canister on it.

Isn't the "foolproof" way something like rev it up to about 2500 RPMs, time it to about 30 degrees advance, and let it land where it may for idle timing? If doing this, should the vacuum line still be unplugged?

I'm super tired, goodnight!
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[Tcash]

Lifters Link http://www.syncro.org/boston_bob-hydrauli-lifter-lore.html

[vwwestyman]

Drove it to work today!

Still a lot to work on/look at before doing much else with it, but at least it is running/driving!
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[vwwestyman]

Just ordered a set of Hankook RA08s for it, to be put on tomorrow.

I think I'll slap a coat of paint on the rims tonight. Won't be perfect, but will be a little prettier.

What color should I go with? Silver, white, or blue?
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[vwwestyman]

Just ordered a set of Hankook RA08s for it, to be put on tomorrow.

I think I'll slap a coat of paint on the rims tonight. Won't be perfect, but will be a little prettier.

What color should I go with? Silver, white, or blue?
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[secretsubmariner]

Silver!

White would be cool too.

Blue is my least favorite choice of the 3 you listed.

Put up some pics of your new shoes when you're done!
_________________
-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[vwwestyman]

[vwwestyman]

I suppose I should update this thread.

I installed the Vanagon motor a few weeks ago and have been driving the Westerner pretty regularly since. I also replaced the front calipers with rebuilt ones, along with the front hoses and rear shoes. No more strong pulling when braking!

I drove it to a campout with one of my foster kids last weekend. The engine ran great, except for when the points rubbing block broke on the way up. Luckily we were only a half-hour away and someone was able to come rescue us with a spare set!

I'm working to assemble a fuel injection kit, to get away from the Weber carb. The engine runs OK, but it could certainly be improved upon.

I'm also excited for the new middle sliders to be delivered! That will be nice to get in.

Here's a pic I took the other day.

_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[Wasted youth]

I guess I missed this last update more than a year ago. But found it through your latest posting about your 091 inquiry.

I am curious how your 2.0 Vanagon installation went on your Wild Westerner... and if you ever got the fuel injection set up installed.

My long-languishing 1973 bus has the opportunity for three choices of new engine: stock 1700 dual carb, 2.0 fuel injected 1977 model bus engine, or a 1981 Vanagon engine. Just trying to decide which way to go. All three engine set ups are 100% turn-key and basically running, but each will either need a partial or full rebuild.

[vwwestyman]

Wow, it really has been quite a while since an update to this thread. Nothing major has happened to it yet, but since then it has gone on a spring break trip to Omaha with my foster kids and my friend and her foster kids. On that trip, a semi kicked up a log and knocked the emblem off! Luckily that was the only real damage, other than maybe a dent.

I do have a pile of stuff ready to install, or I'm prepping to install. I'm hoping to get the Bus in the garage to get ready for this. I have the 091 transmission I've been working on prepping, and I think I finally have all of the fuel injection parts to put together an FI system.

I'm really looking forward to how nicely it should drive with the 091 gearing and FI smoothness and mileage. Over the first few weeks of driving it, I got the carb to work pretty nicely--once the motor is warmed up. But there is no preheat so starting and driving when the motor is cold is an exercise in frustration. The current mileage is in the neighborhood of 12-14.

The other big thing I'm hoping to get done very soon is window installation. All of the window seals are long-expired and let a lot of water in the bus in the rain.

Last spring I bought a set of 4 of the Just Kampers slider windows and they've been on a shelf in the garage too. I need to get ahold of a good windshield.

So the plan is once it is in the garage I'll pull the windows and clean up any rust and install all those. I'll likely go back and forth between the window project and engine project, working on the engine as paint is curing and such.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[vwwestyman]

[vwwestyman]

Here's another thing I've been noodling on for my Westerner.

I have nearly all of a "kit" to install a BA6 heater. Just have to pull the trigger on it. It would necessitate cutting into the metal heat tube, as well as a hole for the return tube.

I'm kind of waffling back and forth on whether to do this or not.

Here is the related thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=640646
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[Wasted youth]

Thanks for your input. I was also leaning toward the '77 instead of the Vanagon motor for the very same reasons: The '77 is basically the same as the Vanagon motor... until you get into all the crap that bolts onto it. All the Vanagon tin, fan shroud, exhaust and engine management controls have enough differences to drive a man to drink.

Getting the '77 to marry up inside the '73 body should be comparatively easier than the Vanagon motor. Plus, the '73 body supports the ECM mounting if you cut out the blank.

I really enjoyed the 1977 CE-1 I had with its fuel injection. Looking forward to that experience again.

[vwwestyman]

I spent a good chunk of today working on the 091 transmission that will be installed. I decided that as a part of the freshening project I'd go ahead and paint it.

Until I get the hardware installed, that is all you get.

I'm hoping soon to get it into the garage to start the work of pulling the engine, swapping the gearbox, and installing fuel injection.

Alternating with that work I will be pulling the windshield, back window, and middle and rear windows to replace the windshield and side windows (with JK sliders) and rear window gasket. I think there is only minor spot rust hiding under the gaskets of the side and rear windows, but the front windshield frame likely has, at a minimum, fairly deep surface rust. (If there is such a thing!)

Also one of my foster sons hit it with my Golf this evening.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[Tcash]

Do some research on painting the gear box. There have been mixed results getting the paint to adhere.
Good luck
Tcash

[vwwestyman]

Ha ha, too late! It's painted.

I asked German Transaxle if they had any special recommendation on a primer or something to paint it (remembering comments about paint sticking) and they said no.

So I scraped and degreased it really well, taped it up, and primed and painted it with engine paint.

It looks cool now, but I'm fully aware it might not always look that nice. Oh well.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[vwwestyman]

Got the bus into the garage tonight, and pulled the windshield and the two main windows on the driver side. Still need to get the vent window frames out on that side and remove all the other windows.

The windshield frame has some "deep" surface rust, but doesn't seem to have any holes. Whew! I've read some threads discuss drilling a couple drain holes for the frame. Something to think about.

The left middle window didn't seem to have any rust at all, which is nice.

The rear window, however, has very similar rust to the windshield frame.

A couple questions:

Did I understand a thread I found searching correctly that with the main windows out, the vent windows with their rubber should just slide toward the back and pop out?

Is there any trick to getting the "sliding door track cover" (in quotes because I'm talking about the left side) off? It has the fairly-typical rust and also would need to come off anyway to fix the rust in the window opening.

I removed the two screws-one at each end-but it seems stuck. I didn't want to bend anything.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing