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Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:44 am

I was thinking about filling in the emblem mounting holes on my Bus when I had it painted last summer. I was going to have a graphic artist paint the emblem on the front of the Bus instead. I thought that would give it a cool look and keep those pesky emblem thiefs away. Also one less spot where water could get inside the vehicle. Anyway, I was talked out of filling the holes by one of my co-workers who thought it looked nicer to have the real emblem on there. I do like the real emblem, but I wish I had stuck with my original plan.

Anyway, maybe you might want to try painting an emblem on your Bus instead or drilling out the holes.

Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:39 am

brenthughes wrote: Here are the dimensions from my '68.

I think if you measure down from the grill by 2-11/16" either side of where the upper mounting holes should be, and draw a line between those two points. Then a straight line down from the third grill gap out from the centre both sides which the holes are in line with, the points where the two lines (either side) meet will be your upper holes, use the other measurements to confirm its all straight and square.

Hope this makes sense, does to me!

Gareth

Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:59 am

Thanks for all the info guys, and if you could come back and post on the final job, did it work? I have 71 that I have to put on emblem. From what I gather here, the clips go on the emblem, THEN I put the whole thing on from the front? I don't have to reach inside, because I couldn't reach in there and find all the holes. Great work guys! I'm sure I'll have pics before and after I'm done, too.

Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:32 am

here is my progress of installing after paint and holes:

Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:46 am

That looks nice good job!

Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:53 am

My '71 has the spare tire up front, but I'd much rather have the emblem. I haven't looked carefully yet, but I assume this would require a bunch of body/cosmetic work. Wonder if any of you have made this change?

Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:43 am

In "Volkswagen Transporter: The first 60 Years" (my favorite bus history book), the "emblem" is referred to as the "VW roundell."

Keith

Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:42 am

blacter wrote: My '71 has the spare tire up front, but I'd much rather have the emblem. I haven't looked carefully yet, but I assume this would require a bunch of body/cosmetic work. Wonder if any of you have made this change?

That has been an ongoing battle for years. When you put the spare inside you lose the space but when you hang it on the front you get body damage - especially if some idiot backs into you. I found that putting nuts on the studs held the tire off the nose just enough so it did not rub however it still does not prevent rust under the plate or someone from backing into you. My 1971 had a tire on the front of my choice and my 1977 has it inside. I miss the space but am happy to have a clean nose on my bus. When these buses were new, the paint thick and you could replace them a dime a dozen nose spares were common. I think now that they are getting rare and people are repainting them etc, one is much more careful about getting body damage. You can't just sell your B grade bus that is worn out and get an A grade bus like you could 30 years ago.

Sat Jul 16, 2011 12:41 pm

blacter wrote: My '71 has the spare tire up front, but I'd much rather have the emblem. I haven't looked carefully yet, but I assume this would require a bunch of body/cosmetic work. Wonder if any of you have made this change?

I am about to. I purchased my bus with the spare tire mounted up front and after I took the wheel off it looked like the PO used the tire as a buffer to push other cars or trucks around. I have some bodywork to do for sure and I hope it looks just as good as Harveybacon's when all is done.

Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:16 pm

FreedomBuild wrote: blacter wrote: My '71 has the spare tire up front, but I'd much rather have the emblem. I haven't looked carefully yet, but I assume this would require a bunch of body/cosmetic work. Wonder if any of you have made this change?

I am about to. I purchased my bus with the spare tire mounted up front and after I took the wheel off it looked like the PO used the tire as a buffer to push other cars or trucks around. I have some bodywork to do for sure and I hope it looks just as good as Harveybacon's when all is done.

I don't suppose the holes for the tire mount have any relationship to the holes for the emblem, do they?

Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:55 am

My bus looked pretty bad if you check my other pics. We did a lot of work to get it ready for paint (we did ourselves), and I am pretty sure that there must have been tire up front before. judging by the damage. But it just took effort and a little bondo/know-how and it came out great. From what I can tell, the tire mount has four holes (maybe 6) and should be easy to replac for the emblem. Thanks for the the compliments! We aren't fully done, but I say that we're there because the emblem feels like the cap-stone! We just threw the spare on the luggage rack and bungeed it down,; to keep the space inside. Looks good, and we have seen another bus in town that did the same, haha. Good luck!

Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:33 am

kmmcdonald wrote: In "Volkswagen Transporter: The first 60 Years" (my favorite bus history book), the "emblem" is referred to as the "VW roundell."

Keith

BMW calls their emblems roundels' as well.

Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:05 am

The gal wanted the spare on the nose but I demanded the emblem stay on the front. So we did what she wanted with minimum squabble and a little bit of compromise. Actually, getting the spare out of the back was so worth it. And the recess makes such a nice storage area when you put a lid on it. But I wouldn't do it on mine.
If you do keep the spare on the front do as SG says and put nuts on the studs. With the normal rubber spacers on the studs it's apt to cause damage to the nose by tightening the nuts too tight, squishing the rubber spacers, forcing the tire against the nose which then tries to pull the mount out of the nose or bend the nose. And if the tire is too loose against the nose it bounces from bumps in the road and works the mount and rubs the nose. Both cause unwanted problems. It's tricky to get it just right. We also chained and padlocked the spare and the emblem. Too many horror stories out of SoCal about having emblems stolen and the nose torn up.

Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:46 am

blacter wrote: FreedomBuild wrote: blacter wrote: My '71 has the spare tire up front, but I'd much rather have the emblem. I haven't looked carefully yet, but I assume this would require a bunch of body/cosmetic work. Wonder if any of you have made this change?

I am about to. I purchased my bus with the spare tire mounted up front and after I took the wheel off it looked like the PO used the tire as a buffer to push other cars or trucks around. I have some bodywork to do for sure and I hope it looks just as good as Harveybacon's when all is done.

I don't suppose the holes for the tire mount have any relationship to the holes for the emblem, do they?
4 of the holes on the most common aftermarket spare bracket do line up with the 68-72 emblem holes, but 99 out of 100 times the holes are significantly enlarged and there's a few bonus ones, don't get your hopes up about any painless instant transformations.

Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:29 pm

Is it just me or do bus' look stupid with spares on the front ? I love a nice n' big emblem , it really adds to the classic feel !

Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:33 am

brenthughes wrote:
A 15/64" drill bit fit snug in my mounting holes, made thinner by a couple layers of paint. However, I believe a 1/4" bit will be too large.

My only advice would be to punch your marks, start with fresh, small bits and move up to the 15/64" size.

perhaps some changes were made over those 5 model years between 68 and 71- my 71 holes measure more than 1/4" @ .257"(without paint)

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:51 pm

.246" is what mine measure without any significant paint thickness.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:00 pm

jordantwilliams78 wrote: Is it just me or do bus' look stupid with spares on the front ? I love a nice n' big emblem , it really adds to the classic feel !

x2

has anyone ever tryed to put the spare between the frame under the cargo floor?

Wed Oct 26, 2011 9:51 pm

Is there anything that can be done to prevent people from stealing this emblem?

Sat May 30, 2015 3:53 pm

The previous owner of my bus painted over the front emblem hooks. Any idea how I can get them out? They turn but won't come out and I can't seem to get to them from inside the bus - too many components in the way. I have s new elmblrm and new hooks ready to go from busdepot but can't get these old ones out.