TheSamba.com :: View topic - The journey of a new 1970 Westfalia owner. The fixes begin.

Mon May 01, 2017 5:53 pm

I'm sure you are going to,align the Phillips screws on the throttle positioner before driving....... :o

Mon May 01, 2017 6:56 pm

Abscate wrote: I'm sure you are going to,align the Phillips screws on the throttle positioner before driving....... :o
:lol:

Mon May 01, 2017 8:21 pm

Bill that looks sweet. One of the must learns on my list for like the last 10 years :-k

So little time, so many projects.

Mon May 01, 2017 9:07 pm

notchboy wrote: Bill that looks sweet. One of the must learns on my list for like the last 10 years :-k

So little time, so many projects.

Thanks Jason,

It's been on my list for years to learn as well. Again, I still have a long way to go as well. Watching your threads, projects and your love of the attention to detail, you'd love this plating process too. :wink:

I have my plating set up on a bench, ready to use in minutes. The other day I was reinstalling a bubblehead license plate frame on my 67 bug. The original license plate bolts looked terrible w/dark brown surface rust on them. I said screw it and took 20 minutes (while doing other things as well) to strip and replate them. They looked new when I reinstalled them.

The license plate bolts example is exactly why I wanted to learn and have the set up available. As we are working on our VW's and come across items needing to be replated, we can turn on the plating area and dial it in.

Tue May 02, 2017 6:02 am

wcfvw69 wrote: As such, I've started to replate various engine parts and nuts & bolts.

That looks factory fresh! Yep, I'm going to have to have that done to mine :)

Sat May 06, 2017 8:43 am

Spent the last few days reading this entire thread..

Love it!

You wouldn't be getting your paint products from Space Age in Mesa by any chance?
I got all of my stuff there back in, oh, 1995 or so..
They were great to work with, and really took the time to sort things out.

Those plated fasteners look great.
This has to really be killing Robbie right now,
No wonder he has gone silent.. :P

This whole resto thing,
Even though it couldn't be further from my world, (yes I'm that PO hack)
Looks like a lot of fun.

I have been at this so long (and am so thick) that keeping things OG was never even on the radar.
That anyone would restore smog equipment...! :shock:

Back in the day, there was All German in Tempe.
They had rows and rows and rows of OG dry AZ busses.
Wonder if they are still there?
If so, there's bound to be piles of treasure hidden somewhere...

Sat May 06, 2017 1:40 pm

Clatter wrote: Spent the last few days reading this entire thread..

Love it!

You wouldn't be getting your paint products from Space Age in Mesa by any chance?

I do get my paint supplies from Space Age. Super nice folks there and the gal that owns the joint is really helpful and knowledgable.

I'm not aware of the VW salvage yard. It's probably long gone. There Jan's place out off broadway and I think he's the last VW salvage yard.

Glad you enjoyed the thread!

Sat May 06, 2017 1:55 pm

While I have the plating momentum going, I decided to continue to pick away at the oxidized zinc plated items on the buses engine that needed attention. I had quickly painted the clips and parts on the 71' oil bath when I put it back on the bus as they were rusting.

I yanked the oil bath off and removed all the steel parts. Painting them bit me in the butt as I had to wire wheel all the paint back off before stripping the rust and remaining zinc off in acid. It added lots of labor and time. I also removed the engine lid support and hardware to replate them as well.

Here's the before photos after removing them.

The parts get cleaned of all grease and oil and they are then dunked in a bucket of water and acid to remove the factory zinc and any remaining rust.

They come out of the acid and are neutralized with a mixture of water and baking soda. The raw steel parts are then quickly put into a ultrasonic cleaner with HOT water and a degreaser. When the parts are out of the water, they will flash rust right before your eyes. :shock: So, you have to move the stripped parts quickly from one tank to the other.

They are then wired up with copper wire and rinsed and put in the plating tank and then bright zinc plated.

Here's some before and after pics-

What's interesting to note is most of these parts had corrosion starting on them from where the factory zinc had oxidized off over 47 years. So, replating them not only made them look "purty" but it will also extend their life as well.

I have a couple more clamps and pieces in the engine compartment and then I'll be finished with the engine.

Sat May 06, 2017 2:00 pm

They look great Bill. That same vat of acid comes in useful for disposing of the bodies of people who walk up to your Bus and say "They didn't come from Germany Cad plated"

Hit em over the head with a 38A generator, then dissolve them in muriatic. Works like a charm

Sat May 06, 2017 2:24 pm

Abscate wrote: They look great Bill. That same vat of acid comes in useful for disposing of the bodies of people

Sounds like something this guy might do? :lol:

Mon May 08, 2017 5:46 pm

Alright, I'm calling this engine DONE. I finished stripping and replating the last of the original items that were originally zinc plated when it was new.

I've reinstalled all the original, restored and correct 1971 items to make it look as stock as a 1971' engine as I can make it. Feel free to nit pick it and identify anything wrong or missing. As a reminder, It's a 71' engine in a 70' bus so there is no brake booster line nor was there a charcoal canister fitted on this bus when new.

One side not is the way the clamps are orientated on the intake manifold boots. I had them on wrong in the past. After reviewing some factory literature, it confirmed this is the way they should be orientated.

Up next is the interior that needs to be fixed correctly. It will require the bus to be gutted inside and all the cabinets relaminated. I'll also repaint the interior the correct factory color.

Mon May 08, 2017 6:36 pm

Very nice Bill...
Love a tidy stocker.

Mon May 08, 2017 6:39 pm

wcfvw69 wrote: It's a 71' engine in a 70' bus

What's the 1971 Mcode for a full flowed 1776? :shock:

It does look nice!

Mon May 08, 2017 8:37 pm

Are you sure the oil cap has the correct flutes?

And do you have the upper hose clamps on with the screw parts to the inside? I can't see, but most factory VWs had them that way so you don't take skin off your hand when pulling the plugs.

Oil cap on right-side up, RIGHT BILL?
Robbie

Mon May 08, 2017 8:54 pm

So, how is the correct 1970 motor build coming along? :lol:

Tue May 09, 2017 1:12 am

Bill, the zinc plating is sickeningly beautiful!
If (when!) my Ghia makes the transition from survivor to genuine restoration, I will not be able to resist that!

Your engine bay is stunning. I know it's not a mistake that the oil pressure switch is unplugged. Would it originally have had a foil timing sticker under the coil? I haven't been able to source a 0deg sticker for our '70 Ghia.
Surely yours is the gold standard for a '71?!

Tue May 09, 2017 7:51 am

Fifty-Eight Rag wrote: Very nice Bill...
Love a tidy stocker.

Thank you sir!

[quote="richparker"] wcfvw69 wrote: It's a 71' engine in a 70' bus

What's the 1971 Mcode for a full flowed 1776? :shock:

I need to do my research on that Mcode! HA! Obviously my goal was to put it back to looking like it did when this engine was delivered new in 1971. The good news is with all the original, correct parts in place, it runs beautifully w/a bit more power and the added protection of the oil filter.

asiab3 wrote: Are you sure the oil cap has the correct flutes?

And do you have the upper hose clamps on with the screw parts to the inside? I can't see, but most factory VWs had them that way so you don't take skin off your hand when pulling the plugs.

Oil cap on right-side up, RIGHT BILL?
Robbie :D

Clatter wrote: So, how is the correct 1970 motor build coming along? :lol:

Funny! I recently drove a bone stock 1600 with a 30-3 carb and 205T distributor. It ran beautifully but the power difference between it and this dual port 1776 with the bigger German Solex 34-3 was very apparent. I'm sticking with this dual port 1776 engine. :D

mcdonaldneal wrote: Bill, the zinc plating is sickeningly beautiful!
If (when!) my Ghia makes the transition from survivor to genuine restoration, I will not be able to resist that!

Your engine bay is stunning. I know it's not a mistake that the oil pressure switch is unplugged. Would it originally have had a foil timing sticker under the coil? I haven't been able to source a 0deg sticker for our '70 Ghia.
Surely yours is the gold standard for a '71?!

Good eye Phil on the oil pressure sender wire. I noticed that too when I posted these pictures. I ran out there and double checked and it was plugged in. :D

If you see the VW decal on the drivers side fan shroud, it has the timing specs on it. I don't "think" there was a separate decal for the timing on this 71' but I could be wrong. Anyone know for sure? I'd also like to have a M157 rubber stamp made, dip it in flat white paint and stamp the shroud!

Phil, watching your bus thread and your love of the nitty gritty, fine detail work, you'd REALLY love the re plating process. While the learning curve to do it correctly sucks, once you figure it out, it's very satisfying to take an original VW steel part that the zinc has oxidized off of w/rust breaking through and then make it look shiny and new again.

I didn't really understand the whole zinc plated part and how it all worked until I started this plating process. Zinc is put on the part as a sacrificial protection. It's designed to oxidize over a period of time vs. the metal under it. As I mentioned, most of these parts I've stripped and replated had rust and corrosion in spots where the zinc had oxidized off. That corrosion leaves pits in the metal that show up after replating. In your part of the world with all the moisture and weather, I'd imagine it's even more amplified.
Thanks for the compliment Phil.

Wed May 10, 2017 6:40 pm

I spent the last two evenings reading your thread and really enjoyed it. Many of the projects look familiar and you gave me a few new ideas to consider. Your engine and engine compartment are gorgeous.

Thanks for sharing your project...gives me inspiration to continue on with mine!

Wed May 10, 2017 7:01 pm

Looks fantastic Bill!

I've really gotta dig down deep in the very bottom of the barrel for anything to point out now, and that plating is slicker than whale shit on an ice floe :wink:

So...., reaching way down deep..., should that oil pressure sender have the circumcised tip on the plastic part below the terminal for a rubber boot to grip?, when exactly did they change from smooth?
There should also be a reuseable translucent white nylon tie wrap sort of band on the decel valve hoses between the manifold nipple and the controller on the decklid surround.

No project is ever really finished, besides it gets really boring when it is truly done for good. :wink:

Wed May 10, 2017 7:40 pm

wcfvw69 wrote: Abscate wrote: They look great Bill. That same vat of acid comes in useful for disposing of the bodies of people

Sounds like something this guy might do? :lol:

Better call Saul!

Those look great. Cant wait till the show nazi accuses you of chrome plating stuff that was not original chrome :lol: 8)