TheSamba.com :: View topic - Newbie with family Bus, '77 (lots of pics)

Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:42 pm

Part of the fuel evaporative system. That's a little different from my '79, but I think that is part of a tee where 2 or 3 lines come together. Look up at the sound deadener boards and see what's going on up there, and if anything is broken looking.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:47 pm

EJ from upstairs wrote: Westfabulous wrote: busdaddy wrote: Could have begun life as a hardtop, the M plate on top of the LH fresh air duct is the final answer of course.

Yup, good point. Could have been a bare bones bus that someone moved a P27 interior into, and a mounted a Sportsmobile top on. You are defintely closer to an answer now than you were at the start of the day.

I think it was a Weekender Westfalia that slept 2-3, and someone wanted to accomodate a larger family. So they added the poptop that they deemed most useful (Sportsmobile) and added a bed upstairs, and then the thing slept 4-5. The M code plate knows all. Or how about this: they took their tin top Weekender to Sportsmobile USA and paid to have the top added and the conversion done. Taking it to Westfalia in Germany for a poptop certainly wasn't an option.

The 7 in the silver strip area goes with the 70 that precedes it to denote 1977 (ie: 70 + 7). So that would be the correct year for your bus. Looks more and more like this was a 1977 Westfalia P27 Weekender with a Sportsmobile poptop added or converted when new by Sportsmobile. The ceiling trim around the poptop would tell a story too. It could reveal a PO hack or a refined fabrication by Sportsmobile USA.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:49 pm

The ceiling trim and the latches for the pop top are the same as my 73. I don't think it is a PO hack at all. Would have to have been a tin top when Sportsmobile got their hands on it. I agree that it most likely was a weekender, but would still like to know what the M code and VIN have to say.

I still would love to find some of those Sporty Decals somewhere. I'm very jealous of them.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:49 pm

EJ from upstairs, trying to help you out a bit here with identifying your bus. Here are some pics of your P27 compared to my P22. You can see the difference in the interiors, and you can also see that yours never came with a stove as was suggested to you when you bought it:

Your counter (That's the child's cot that you have rolled up along the back):

My counter with stove:

Your interior:

My interior. Note the electrical panel on the side wall, and the stove controls on the cabinet:

This is supposed to be your spare tire compartment, and isn't supposed to be hinged like yours. Someone has added the hinges to make it into a firewood box. Change it back, the wood box sucks:

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:32 pm

Westfabulous and WI, thanks for the insights.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:41 pm

You guys should start a Sportsmobile thread for people to add to. That would be a great resource for you and others who end up with one of these units. Your VIN indicates 1977 (ie: 237)

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:43 pm

dwill49965 wrote: Nice write-up and trip report. Nice bus, too.

Fuel smell? You should check your fuel lines. A likely culprit is the one shown here in red. It is located in the engine compt, drivers side, up in behind the spare tire wheel well. You'll have to feel for it. You should replace all your rubber fuel lines, but this one would be easy to check immediately.

Thanks.

I felt nothing but a flexible rubber hose. Wasn't hard or crumbly whatsoever. I stuck my camera up there for a few pics. How does it look?

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:48 pm

Some other pics of hoses. The one on the left going out of the engine moves in and out easily.

Is the left hose here slightly melted?

Thanks again for any feedback!

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:54 pm

BusterBrown wrote: If your fuel smell comes and goes, like you mentioned it doing, is it more apparent after filling the tank, and less so when the tank has drawn down some? If so, your likely culprit is the rubber filler elbow, shown in the above diagram as #1. These crack and leak as they age, and many of us have replaced them, along with the other rubber connectors in the Vapor Breather system. It's a pain to replace that elbow with the engine in, but it can be done, and we've done it. Remove air cleaner, and then the "pie cover" on the right behind it. There are some good threads describing this thoroughly, and can be found by doing a search.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=420747&highlight=fuel+smells

I felt around the filler neck area after prying off the (somewhat stubborn) pie plate. The big metal tube feels fine and dry until it gets to the big rubber hose (as you move toward the front of the bus) that connects by going over the metal one. I couldn't feel a clamp and couldn't fit my camera in there for a pic. Lots of odorless "goo" around where the two fit together. It looks like grease and has no smell.

The air itself does smell like gas when you put your nose near the pie plate opening, but don't know if that's normal.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:55 pm

Westfabulous wrote: You guys should start a Sportsmobile thread for people to add to. That would be a great resource for you and others who end up with one of these units. Your VIN indicates 1977 (ie: 237) There's plenty of threads on Sportsmobiles here along with some great photos and brochures in the gallery. I just wanted to help solve the mystery of the chicken or the egg.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?search..._chars=200

EJ, Those lines may "look" ok but you are still better off changing them out. A little bit of time and maybe 20 bucks tops for line and clamps at FLAPS. Or German Supply has some really nice fuel line kits that everyone raves about(the better choice). This is very important to do one way or the other.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:57 pm

Your foam seal is in upside down. Shiney side out to prevent water getting through. The above pics look fine. The "melted" line does not carry fuel or fuel vapor, it is the brake booster vacuum line.

Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:06 pm

Westfabulous wrote: Your foam seal is in upside down. Shiney side out to prevent water getting through. The above pics look fine. The "melted" line does not carry fuel or fuel vapor, it is the brake booster vacuum line.

Noted and fixed, thanks!

Thu Jul 21, 2011 5:36 am

I've got a bus similar to this one only chewed up pretty bad was wanting to tranfer the poptop onto my 73 hardtop bus. ANy support concerns with roof? Thanks 8)