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Tue Dec 22, 2015 11:30 pm

Last push to get everything done for the Big Bend trip.

CB Radio install. Got this nice clamp on antenna mount and installed it on my "trucker" mirror. The CB I've had since '02. It's just a cheaper one from Radio Shack, but still works and I like how compact it is.

I also removed my new exhaust to see if I could seal it up better. O'Reilly had some Beck Arnley gaskets with the raised center ring. They're also thicker than the German seals and seem like pretty good quality. Those coupled with copper gasket sealant (liberally applied!) and I think I'm leak free.

Let's hope for no leaks on the 1200 mile trip!

For my birthday my dad made me this mount out of black walnut for my USB charger port and I finished it and installed it today. Much nicer than the rusty old outlet that was there before. I'm glad to have that gone!

Pre finishing.

First coat of polyurethane.

Installed after a second coat, and buffed with some steel wool.

We're headed out the day after Christmas, wish us luck!

Wed Dec 23, 2015 6:37 am

Breaker breaker... anyone got their ears on? :lol:

Looking good Bala. Looks like your rig is ready to go. (PS: Your dad sure is talented with the wood working)

You guys have a great trip! Wish I could make it.

Wed Dec 23, 2015 8:05 am

A trip down memory lane, right there w/that CB. I can't recall the last time I've seen one installed in a NON-CDL truck.

I remember after Smokey And The Bandit. Us kids in the neighborhood were all out in our parents vehicles that had a CB 'trying' to talk the lingo..

Ok, I feel old now.. :D

Wed Dec 23, 2015 10:22 pm

Yep, my dad has some skillz!
Thanks guys!

Fri Dec 25, 2015 5:54 am

Excellent thread! Thanks for the tips on refurbishing the rear table. I have 3 that I need to fix.
I love the pictures at Top Notch Burger. I used to live on Grover Ave a few blocks from Top Notch. I miss Texas.

Fri Dec 25, 2015 10:49 am

Thank you sir!
I'm near Airport and Lamar, so just a stones throw from Grover!

Sun Dec 27, 2015 6:27 pm

Bala wrote: 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. :shock:

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. :)

Sorry for joining so late but I want to safe you from a break down on a long trip.
The bolts that you used are not the right grade for suspension parts.
In German Metric DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm - German Industry Standard) grade 8 is the lowest quality. I know that in SAE standard Grade 8 is already the high quality but please check this out and then go and buy some grade 10.9 metric bolts and nuts please.

https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/materials-and-grades/bolt-grade-chart.aspx

Greetings,
Heiko

Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:02 am

heiko910 wrote: Sorry for joining so late but I want to safe you from a break down on a long trip.
The bolts that you used are not the right grade for suspension parts.
In German Metric DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm - German Industry Standard) grade 8 is the lowest quality. I know that in SAE standard Grade 8 is already the high quality but please check this out and then go and buy some grade 10.9 metric bolts and nuts please.

https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/materials-and-grades/bolt-grade-chart.aspx

Greetings,
Heiko

Hello, and first, thank you for the concern! If you scroll down a bit on that page you'll see where I did replace them with the proper bolts (and nuts). I only drove a few miles with the grade 8 bolts.

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

I went on a 1000+ mile road trip to Big Bend which included 60 miles of really bumpy back roads. No issues!
I'll have to do a write up on that soon!

Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:06 am

Longest trip yet is in the books! 1124 miles to Big Bend and back!
You can read my attempt at a trip report here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7937797#7937797

Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:44 am

Catching up on few things from pre-Big Bend.

My pop top seal failed on the driver's side rear corner. It just started separating where the bulb part meets the mounting part. It was from busdepot and only 3 years old. I contacted Ron and he said he had never heard of this happening. It was out of warranty, but he still took care of me! I didn't get a free replacement, but he was very generous.

I could barely pull on the bulb part and it separated with very little force. It was only maybe 5 inches at first, but a tiny tug and this happened.

New seal installed!

I found this at Sears (gift card from work) for less than $3! Since my wife had to work and couldn't make the Big Bend trip, I strapped this in the passenger's seat. It worked perfect for holding my sunglasses, phone, camp knife, etc. Very convenient on the road!

This is a picture I took over the holidays with my grandfather's old camera I recently inherited (mom gave it to me). It's an old 35mm Konica, and when I looked up this particular model I found it was made between '76 and '78! Perfect! My grandfather probably bought it new and hadn't used it since the '80s or earlier, so I had it cleaned and checked and I've been running lots of film though it.

And the next two are from the Big Bend trip. I spotted this outside a store at a gas stop in the middle of West Texas. My bus's production date was 10/1976!

And a quick shot of the bus out in the wilds of Big Bend.

Sat Jan 09, 2016 8:21 am

Congrats! Looks like it was fun!

Mon Jan 11, 2016 8:58 am

Waves2day wrote: Congrats! Looks like it was fun!

Thanks! It was amazing! Big Bend is one of those places you have to see to believe. Hard to describe how beautiful it was. Glad I had the opportunity to go! This should be an annual thing, so next year December 26th you'll have another chance. :D

Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:15 pm

Sweet trip pictures. Thanks for sharing

Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:46 am

hoagy86 wrote: Sweet trip pictures. Thanks for sharing

No prob, thanks for checking them out!

Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:06 am

Got a little package from the great white north!

Installing them all this weekend and looking forward to no more broken handles!
I'm pretty excited about it!!! :D

Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:52 am

Wow, just read through the entire thread! I enjoy the fact that you are restoring as you go to make your bus usable. I like reading full resto's but just the updates and little things that allow you to use your bus is fantastic. Keep up the good work and keep using that bus.

Fri Jan 15, 2016 4:10 pm

^^^Thanks!!!

Installed my handles! They are pretty awesome! The hardware worked perfect and was spot on as far as dimensions. I did add some washers on the lower screw to prevent the heads from sinking into the wood (as captincanuck suggested). I'm really happy with the hardware and handles!

Old ones I removed (just about every one was cracked, stripped, or damaged in some way.

New and old screw comparison.

Lower screw with washer.

Upper screw.

Installed!

Pretty nice having fulling functioning handles on all doors!

Also I got this cool rug from my mother for my birthday last month.

And "intalled" this little metal badge with stick on magnets.

Fri Jan 15, 2016 5:13 pm

Do you know where she bought the rug?
Thank you
Tcash

Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:21 am

I'll ask...

Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:27 am

Tcash wrote: Do you know where she bought the rug?
Thank you
Tcash

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/tran...oC5Hnw_wcB