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Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:02 pm

Luckily I'd noticed the left-front hard line going to the soft line had been bent & broken. I ordered new line from Wolfsburg West and found it was inexpensive but straight. Worried about buying tools to get the right bends I called them for advice and was told "bend it by hand using a large socket for the angles". I clipped the old line & pulled the pieces out. Took about 15 minutes to bend the new line to match ... not perfect but it worked great. Left the far end tip unbent until I fed it through the hole then bent it to match the soft line hole. Then I inserted the rubber grommet to protect the line from vibrations on the body. It was a far easier process than I'd feared. Now the brake system is complete & needs to be bled & tested.

Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:49 am

Looking good Lee! A lot of those old bits you are pulling off have seen better days for sure.

Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:35 am

Hey Lee,

Are you only replacing that one brake line? If that one has issues, there might be others lines on the DC that also have internal issues. Now that you have the hang of brake line bending, at some point (soon) you ought to buy the whole kit from WW and replace all of your lines for the added security of knowing your brakes will be the better for it! Just my opinion...

I was a "brake line bending newbie" when I tackled all the lines on my '59 Double-Cab restoration a few years back and I'm very glad it learned to do it. I thought the hardest ones to duplicate the bends on were the short lines inside the front brake drums between the two front wheel cylinders, the others were all pretty easy. I threw my brake bending tool in the trash and bent all mine with my thumbs, I like the big socket idea though. I'll use that tip the next time on my upcoming '57 Beetle Kabriolett restoration.

Bill Bowman

Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:40 pm

My goal for 2019 is to get the truck on the road. The show season is beginning here in less than two weeks (Bob Baker Spring Festival in Carlsbad) and I'd really like to have the truck at that show. Once it's running I can focus on the many things that need to be addressed. If the brake system bleeds well with no leaks this weekend then I will not replace the other hard brake lines. When time permits, it's likely I will replace the other lines.

Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:50 pm

With the Bob Baker show coming up in less than two weeks & a cracked driver's windshield in the truck I decided to replace it. I recycled the best of the original windshields that came with it. Used copious amounts of silicon spray lubricant and was really patient this time. Everything went smoothly & it went into place within 15 minutes of careful pushing & pulling. Yes, I should have painted the inner windshield frame Light Gray ... but time was of the essence. I'll need to pop-out the left window again when the new Canadian one arrives anyway.

Sat Mar 16, 2019 1:05 pm

After hitting the Farmer's Market in Old Poway we got to work bleeding the brake system & making adjustments. Tessa was very helpful with using the jack & opening the 8mm rear and 10mm front bleeder valves then watching for clear fluid before shutting them down. Love it when she's interested in these mechanical "dirty" things! All four brakes came clear without leaks & a test drive proved they work evenly.

Next step: rebuild the fuel pump & carb gaskets for better idling & eliminating the flat-spot on acceleration.

Sat Mar 16, 2019 4:25 pm

Perfect day for it!

Sat Mar 16, 2019 7:33 pm

Was that hard brake line already black from WW or did you paint it ?

Sat Mar 16, 2019 8:25 pm

All hard brake lines from WW are black.

Thu Mar 21, 2019 8:01 pm

Although I'd previously flushed the fuel tank & the flow was good, and driving it around the neighborhood a bit, for some reason today there was no flow to the fuel pump. Diagnosed by my buddies Pedro, Jack, Eric, & Jason, they focused on the fuel tank filter being clogged with debris. I'd attempted to remove it 5 years ago but was unable to budge the large 19mm nut. So instead of breaking it off, I chose to leave it. Bad decision. It seems that everything on this truck is going to need to be replaced.

I used a large crescent wrench to slowly turn the large nut, lubricating it, then turning some more. Eventually the nut came loose & off. I had a new set ready to go and quickly swapped-out the old crusty fuel tank filter for the new one. After reconnecting the fuel hose I still had no fuel coming out. So I bypassed the metal fuel line and gas flowed nicely. So the metal line was blocked ... great! With the new flow of gas to the engine I was able to install the freshly rebuilt 28 PICT-1 carb. And with a bit of help the engine started & ran well.

Next step: get the carb tuned so I can go for a test-drive to check the brakes, clutch cable, and power. The show is on Sunday so I'm getting down to the wire.

Sat Mar 23, 2019 8:21 am

After bypassing the blocked upper metal fuel line I found the fuel was still not flowing well. So I pulled the tank filter & spend an hour draining debris into a bucket. Slowly after five gallons the debris lessened. As access to the fuel tank in a Double Cab is not easy (behind the rear seat dividers) nor fast, I removed the new screen & reconnected the fuel line. Engine started easily now & with some tuning runs great! I plan to change the in-line fuel filter regularly so I can get it to the show this weekend.

With a huge sense of relief I took my girls for our first family drive in Gus in five years. Around the block and it drove great. Steering is still a bit sloppy and the rear window needs to be installed ... but it's on the road again!

Sun Mar 24, 2019 4:40 pm

All my hard work was in an attempt to get the truck to a local show. I founded the Bob Baker Spring Festival in Carlsbad CA 30 years ago, so I thought it would be appropriate to have the truck at this event. Buddy Jason Weigel came over early Sunday morning in his beautiful 1977 Westy Camper along with buddy Stuart from Seattle WA. We got on the freeway and for the first time the truck got up to 60mph since I've owned it.

The show was great ... 210+ VWs filling every inch of the dealership lot. Ron Smith (engine builder) was there to check out his work & hear how it's running. Pedro Sainz brought his Pacific 1962 T34 Coupe, Jack Fisher brought his Lotus White 1968 T34 Electric Sunroof, and Gus was there with no issues to share in the fun. Eric Hand drove down from NorCal with his kids to join us. Pedro had made special 1962 T34 tshirts for us to celebrate the completion of his T34 project. So nice to see so many friends in one place. Everyone was happy & loving the beautiful sunny day. Driving home was uneventful so I was one happy truck owner! Great day!

Sun Mar 24, 2019 4:56 pm

What a great day. Cruzuing VW's and telling lies with friends. Perfect sunn but not to hot coastal weather made for a great day for Bob Baker and Gustav's first run.

Stuart got to see how shows are done in SoCal. 8) Congratulations on the first run Lee!

Tue Mar 26, 2019 4:04 pm

Now that the truck is driving my wife Kathe decided it was time to go buy that huge 6'x6' patio dining set with six chairs from CostCo. I was thrilled to have our first official family use for the truck. But when the CostCo guys rolled-out three huge boxes I really wasn't sure how it was going to fit. But that's the beauty of the Double Cab ... bed & inner storage. The six chairs fit into the rear cab section & the 6' round table top with base fit into the cargo bed. Shazam! I could not have been more proud of Gus! Doing exactly what a truck is supposed to do. Got the set home safely & my wife was a happy girl (because she saved the $150 delivery fee)!

Sat Mar 30, 2019 12:39 pm

The next step in the "ready for the road" phase was to clean the ground straps & check the electrical system. Lights for the front & rear were the priority this weekend. Thanks to theSamba forums I was able to learn about the ground straps & the best ways to get them cleaned-up.

The transmission ground strap (left side of trans) is a copper braided flat wire that was easy to remove. I soaked it in gas & brushed-off the debris, then used the wire wheel to clean the contacts & nuts. The battery ground strap was mounted to the body and had been painted-over. When it was removed I saw some rust & cleaned everything up. Really easy to do & will make a huge difference in the 6V electrical system.

The headlights have parking bulbs inside the buckets which were working fine & the sealed-beam bulbs had been replaced a few years ago when I'd restored the headlights. The rear parking light on the right side wasn't working despite the wiring being in-place. So I added a wire from the left-side parking light wiring over the engine compartment wiring harness and connected it to the right-side. Another easy fix. Brake lights were already working with the installation of an NOS brake light switch.

Next step: diagnosing the fuel gauge, horn, & turn signals.

Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:30 pm

The fuel gauge wasn't working so I was betting the clogged fuel tank was the culprit. Double Cab trucks have a different access to the fuel tank, behind the rear seat cargo area hidden past two metal divider panels. After removing the metal divider panels it was clear they needed some attention. And behind the panels was another surprise ... a nice large rodent nest made from the coconut fiber mats & rear seat padding. I noticed the brown fuel sender wire had been chewed-through which was likely the real issue.

I'd purchased a new sender ($35) but was really hoping the original sender was still in the tank. When I removed it and cleaned the top I was relieved ... it was date-stamped 9.62 (September 1962) which was only a month before the truck was built in October. Outstanding! The float inside was stuck but during the exterior cleaning process the float came free & was sliding up & down. I clipped-out the munched portion of the sender wire and reconnected it with just barely enough space to connect it to the spade on the sender.

Sanded-down & painted the two divider panels Light Gray L345 to match the truck, although the originals were primered. So I left the backside original. The original fiber strips used around the edges of the panels for insulation were decomposed. Home Depot had a nice 0.75" wide adhesive foam strip that easily went onto the panels. Mounting holes were cut-out & the panels mounted into the truck with the original screws. Outstanding!

Disassembled the fuel gauge (date-stamped original) and cleaned-up the contacts for a good ground. When it was reassembled & tested ... the needle showed 80% full! That was a lot of work to get the fuel gauge working but in the end it's worth it.

Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:11 am

Man, those f**king mice can drive you CRAZY!
Was this an old or new nest?

I know you've already cleaned this up, but everyone should be aware that handling mouse debris should be done with complete skin and respiratory protection.

On the East Coast, you run the risk of Lyme disease and skin infection. Out West, Hantavirus and skin infection.

Fri Apr 05, 2019 5:05 pm

Working on fixing the non-working electrical items. Turn signals have fresh 6V bulbs & good grounds but no power. Hoping the rodents didn't get into the front panel and eat the wires. Pulled off the trim panel and checked out the signal relay. Everything looks untouched = big relief! Pulled-out the electrical wiring diagram to see which of the three wires went where. Turns out it had a 12V relay connected which would not work on a 6V system. I scrounged the workshop for a replacement 6V relay and found one. Connected the K + S wires and the signals sprang to life! Easy fix! The blinker bulb in the speedo was a 6V one that was burned-out (likely from running 12V through it) so that was another easy solution. It was very satisfying to spend a short time in the workshop with one goal and be able to get it done.

Fri Apr 05, 2019 5:51 pm

Nice easy win there Lee. I hope I have such luck and manage to finish off wiring my bus tomorrow 😊😊

Dave

Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:38 pm

The engine came with a 28 PICT carb but despite being rebuilt it just did not run well. So I found a guy on theSamba ads that featured professionally restored carbs. I had him send a freshly done 28 PICT carb and it's stunning. Mounted up easily & ran smoothly immediately after the install. Very pleased! If your truck needs a great stock carb, I'd recommend giving Joshua (VW_62) a ring. Reasonable price for an excellent part that lives up to the claims.