TheSamba.com :: View topic - 74 bay window campmobile rocker rust,corner rust

Tue Sep 10, 2024 2:21 pm

started it up today,first time in a very long time.run into a hitch when starting,it cranked good but no go,checked and it had no spark,a couple of times it started right at the end of a crank cycle,found I was losing power to the coil when cranking,so I'll have to check that out.
But it was a happy day,got to drive it around the yard (1st gear only with a little reverse,first time i have seen it move on it's own power,and the first time I ever drove or even rode in a bus,big smile.

Thu Sep 12, 2024 5:17 am

I think i found my problem with the coil power,suspect ignition switch,I have another switch without the key,I tried my bus key in it and it fit ,happy happy,plugged the new/used switch in and it supplied power to the coil while in the crank position,not so happy,it don't crank the bus.
thinking of installing a push button start switch,

Thu Sep 12, 2024 1:18 pm

Plan B--- took the ignition switch apart,found the plastic had melted a little around the terminal for cranking and the terminal was sunk a little in the housing,I pushed the terminal in some and cleaned off the melted plastic,bench tested and it is working.
now to install it,this ignition is from a july 74 bus ,my bus is oct 73,the ignition is a little different,on Ethel you have to push in on the key to turn it,on the july one you don't need to push it in,but after a crank cycle you need to turn the key off to start another crank cycle,so I'm debating if I need to also change the complete unit or just the electric part.

Sun Sep 15, 2024 5:13 am

replaced the ignition with the repaired unit,working as it should now.bus starts and drives.
now I'm dealing with the oil and alternator warning lights,have to replace the bulb sockets,they come loose in the dash,after fixing the socket the oil light would dim but not go out,suspect sending unit,duel unit for light and gauge.

Sun Sep 15, 2024 9:44 am

sender good,technician bad,had the light wire on the wrong terminal.

Fri Feb 14, 2025 10:34 am

sanding and trying to straighten the panels,bus has had 3 color changes and the white was done twice,looks like she was involved in 2 accidents on the right side,first one seemed to have hit the door ,took out the B pillar and destroyed the sliding door,resulting in a replacement door from a earlier bus,then she was hit again damaging the slider and the quarter panel,i have chipped off the body fill and worked the panels into a more flat shape.
I plan to take it to bare metal,apply ospro to all the metal,then when the warm weather comes i will skim coat it and single stage paint,may use rustolem,we will see,have not settled on a color yet,thought about staying with the L90 buy I like the aqua blue,with white

Tue Mar 04, 2025 10:22 am

get to the last of the rust,finally rear hatch window frame and the bottom of the hatch needed work,

a little more caution with the grinder is needed,

it appears i have a hatch from a 72

Sun Aug 03, 2025 8:20 am

ran it for about 30 minuits,that the longest it as ran in 15 years blowing a little smoke,but it seems to be clearing up,been working on getting it ready for paint
https://youtube.com/shorts/Z-ikGjzIa84?si=fcjZ-SuJKDEYt-Ya

Tue Aug 12, 2025 1:45 pm

lil-jinx wrote: ran it for about 30 minuits,that the longest it as ran in 15 years blowing a little smoke,but it seems to be clearing up,been working on getting it ready for paint
https://youtube.com/shorts/Z-ikGjzIa84?si=fcjZ-SuJKDEYt-Ya

Very encouraging to me to see a van with all the same issues as mine, and it slowly coming together. Thanks for the great pictures, especially the wheel arch repairs.

Tue Aug 12, 2025 1:59 pm

key word slowly lol, i may get some paint on it soon,my plan is the treat it with rust mort and epoxy primer,do the filler work then paint,and get it put back together ,and i have to pull the dash again to treat the front where i had welded it.also planing to close those two utility holes,

Tue Aug 12, 2025 2:23 pm

lil-jinx wrote: key word slowly lol

100%! I’ve found everything takes 5-10 times longer than I had hoped.

lil-jinx wrote: .also planing to close those two utility holes

I had 4 utility holes to close recently.
It’s neat you can leave yours in the open when all down to bare metal. Mine is near the Scottish seaside so surface rust appears within a couple days.

Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:48 am

i used a wire brush on a drill for stripping paint in places,I found that the hub of the wire wheel disc was marking the sheet metal,so i used a peice of crate straping to protect the panels