TheSamba.com :: View topic - The Lazy person's stupid Split Bus questions thread

Wed Aug 30, 2023 11:58 pm

Finally found it - page 6/7 has a very thin line pointing to the end of the mostly-obscured bottle. Of course, #17 is described as a 'Reservatorio de agua para o esguichador do para-brisa.' Reservoir for water for the squirter of the wind shield.

Which I guessed it probably was - but how in the hell is it connected, and why is it on a swivel. Also looks like you are bound to knee it loose and soak your feet one day. Anyone got a Brasil bus with a better pic?

Thu Aug 31, 2023 12:22 am

EverettB wrote: 70bus wrote: What is this bottle seen in a Brazilian Owner's Manual (owner of Brazillian bus, not owner of a Brazilian). Doesn't look like it's a wiper fluid bottle, as it seems to just hang there and swivel. Did they do hydration decades before it became an industry?

I don't see any tube or anything coming out of the top so ???

So you have a photo of the full page so we can translate the text?

You can actually see it:

Thu Aug 31, 2023 12:39 am

70bus wrote: why is it on a swivel. Also looks like you are bound to knee it loose and soak your feet one day

Maybe it's a 'bad roads' thing? To reduce sloshing and keep water at the bottom of the bottle, so the pickup tube is always immersed and can always feed water?

Having a vertical bottle seems like a better idea than the flattened horizontal bottle on the dash. You could fill it to the brim.
And you could unscrew the bottle and take it to the water, rather than bring the water to it and spill it in the cab.

Thu Aug 31, 2023 12:58 am

I am gonna guess that it is a soft plastic bottle that you squeeze yourself to squirt the windshield... while shifting and steering in a tropical deluge.
"Hans, Cousin Ze has come up with a way to save .19 marks per bus!"

Wed Sep 20, 2023 8:53 pm

Today’s dumb question: Emptied the giant can of hardware and trying to get organized… Do I sort alla my bolts by head size or shaft size? On the car I obviously deal with them by what wrench I need, but perhaps when searching for one the proper M number is handier.

Also, would a 65 truck have the odder bolts like Verbus Dorn Rasche, or likely all Kamax by then?

Wed Sep 20, 2023 11:54 pm

70bus wrote: Today’s dumb question: Emptied the giant can of hardware and trying to get organized… Do I sort alla my bolts by head size or shaft size? On the car I obviously deal with them by what wrench I need, but perhaps when searching for one the proper M number is handier.

Also, would a 65 truck have the odder bolts like Verbus Dorn Rasche, or likely all Kamax by then?

Well here they are sorted like this:

- Strength category
- Head type

then

- thread size X length

So you will end up in having a box with 8.8 bolts, hexagonal head as main category and drawers with e.g.

M8X25 etc.

The head size might differ, as those for the rear wheel bearing cover are M8 but with a socket size of 14mm IIRC... But those are exemptions and could get a separate drawer

I personally don't care if it's a KAMUX or anything else. Strength category is way more important.

Tue Oct 31, 2023 10:46 pm

I looked in the workshop manual and in the gallery, but didn’t find much: what parts of the wiring harness best go in the clips behind the parcel tray ( I assume wiper is one), and what is this clip on the heater outlet for?

Obviously I could put whatever wires I want in those clips, but what is supposed to be in them from factory?

Fri Nov 24, 2023 8:42 pm

Headlight bucket wiring harness grommet - innie or outie? Wolfsburg West has it as an outie; tapered section protruding into bucket. My truck's orginal harness had the tapered part inside the cab (but no way to tell if originally that way, as other headlights had been installed w/ different sockets).

319 pics in the gallery under "bucket" and not one grommet to be seen! :)

Sat Nov 25, 2023 11:20 pm

Went with an innie like original; I can see that having the tapered part in the bucket might prevent water from the bucket from leaking into the cab, but there was no way the grommet would go in that way. The lip inside the bucket was too thick to seat the grommet

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:27 pm

Am I missing a hole for my speedometer cable, or just missing the obvious?

I have a replacement floor and valence.

These clips on the frame rail are clearly shown holding a speedo cable in many images

However, none of them show where the cable comes from! I looked at some 1000 gallery images (horn wire, speedometer, clutch pedal, etc) and found two subsets: pics of the cable in these clips, but no source, and pics of the cable coming from one of the holes shown below, and not in clips

Using the hole nearest center means you cross the path of the clutch pedal to get to those clips, which seems bad. There is a hole in the steering box bracket which looks promising, but no hole in floor above it

So, cables-in-clips folks - where did your cable go through floor?

Mon Nov 27, 2023 3:34 pm

Speedo cable goes through the hole closest to the clutch pedal. The positive wire to the horn goes through the other hole. Both get a wad on monkey snot to seal them. 8)

Mon Nov 27, 2023 4:54 pm

At least on a 65, the horn/brake wire goes through hole drilled in floor by dimmer switch

and then bundles with the speedo cable.

I do see a lot of pics in the gallery where the speedo cable just hangs from the valence there and drapes over the torson arms, but that conflicts with pics of it clipped in. I just can't see a way to get from that hole to clips without a sharp bend, or hanging on clutch pedal.

A good pic of the cable going from the lower hole - whichever one it is! - to those clips would be nice. It's possible it just needs a bigger loop to clear the pedal than I am envisioning.

It's also interesting that the shop manual tells you to pull the kick panels off to check the condition of the speedo cable floor grommet... which you could more easily do by looking under bus at these holes! Or is there another grommet at floor, above these valence holes?

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:07 pm

I found this thread, maybe it helps for part of your questions?

Speedo cable route?:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=255770

Tue Nov 28, 2023 12:38 am

That's where I got one of the photos... I'll keep trolling the gallery, but so far I haven't found a shot of cable from whatever hole to clips! the bumper bracket attaches to frame near there as well - I'll start looking for photos of it.

Like I said, maybe it's just a waay bigger loop that goes under the clutch pedal than I'm guessing.

Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:42 am

70bus wrote: Went with an innie like original; I can see that having the tapered part in the bucket might prevent water from the bucket from leaking into the cab, but there was no way the grommet would go in that way. The lip inside the bucket was too thick to seat the grommet

I think that's a bay window era thing. Never seen one on a 67 or earlier.

Tue Nov 28, 2023 11:05 am

Quote: I think that's a bay window era thing. Never seen one on a 67 or earlier.

That would explain why hundreds of gallery photos didn't turn up any! My 65 did have them, but previous owners had spliced in Euro headlights at some point and may have added them then.

Fri May 03, 2024 11:11 am

Haven't asked a really stupid question in a while (OK, that is subjective)...

When installing bumpers, do you put the brackets on the bumpers and install in toto, or put in brackets and then mount blade to them? Sounds like it could be a 'six of one' thing but thought I'd check before I make it hard on myself.

Fri May 03, 2024 11:47 am

My personal preference is to mount the brackets to the bumper blades and mount as one. Since I am usually doing this by myself I put something under the bumper blade to support its weight while i am tightening up the brackets. I usually put some anti seize on the threads to make future bracket mounting fun that much easier

If you try and mount the bumper blade to the brackets once they are installed there is no space to get your hand up behind the bumper to do the bolts. Oh also the added benefit if you don't succeed attaching the bolts to the back of the blade the bumper properly they is a good chance of it falls on top of you mid mounting

Fri May 03, 2024 1:49 pm

That's the detail-level I was after - thanks!

Fri May 03, 2024 4:49 pm

Yes, mount all the brackets and stuff first.

If they are bumpers that have never been on that exact Bus or you straightened them:
I have left the bumper bracket to bumper bolts a little loose sometimes because I had to shift things around a little. I'm mostly thinking of getting the rear splash pans to align properly with the corner holes so those bolt up but I know I've done that to get the front bumper even left to right too.

Sometimes you can slip a box end wrench in there to tighten the bolts, sometimes not.