My 181 project pics

[flat4Imp]

Can't tell you how much I enjoyed this thread. I'm preparing to start on our 74 over labor day weekend. It was rear fire damaged and I'll be grafting a new rear clip first. Then addressing the rest of the build in stages.
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"Often immitated, never duplicated."

[KAmes]

[KAmes]

On the subject of fire damage, I installed my Blazecut fire extinguishing thingy. It's placement was highly influenced by those three bolts already being there.

[Semper_Dad]

[KAmes]

Almost from the beginning when I set up the steering wheel placement in this car I've had this festering idea (festering?) to remove the rear stops on the seat tracks allowing the seat back farther. I spent the last five years wondering if this would be stupid, I have no idea. Let's find out.

Each notch in the track adjustment is roughly 3/4 inch or a couple centimeters. One notch further than normal still allows two adjustment teeth to remain engaged. This feels about right to me, allowing a little more leg room.

If my seat and person suddenly shoot off to the back of the car I'll report here for appropriate ridicule. Or you could laugh at me now.

[KAmes]

Good grief, has it really been three years since I've done something to this car? I had better screw with it.

Inspired by Mondshine's setup I decided to experiment with an accusump pre-oiler. After the car sits for a time starting it produces some unnerving engine noises, just for a second or two until it builds oil pressure. It has always done this, then it runs fine. I wonder that a bearing or something was machined out of spec, I won't be surprised if this eventually leads to the engine's demise.

After some indecision I crammed it in here, doesn't look hard but it took me all day.

I removed the old oil pump and replaced it with this CB Performance full flow out/in pump. The little cut out in the pulley tin was for the previous Maxi 2 filter pump, it happens to match nicely.

The oil filter ended up here.

The accusump feeds into the system through the blue fitting. I held off installing a check valve under the thinking the oil would not tend to backflow through the pump, this seems to be the case it's working well. Per the accusump instructions I did find a filter without a bypass valve to protect the unit from contamination.

I went with an electric valve wired to the ignition rather than a manual valve. Turn the key on and oil goes in then oil warning light goes out. Start the car and the unit refills with oil while running, turn off the key and the valve closes holding oil for the next time. It's working well, no more "rattling" during start up. I imagine eventually I'll have to address the problem, probably just buy a new engine.

[KAmes]

Just a couple posts ago (2020) I was messing with the seat tracks. Now I've gone and replaced them altogether with somewhat budget Scat Pro-90 seats. I used '73 - '79 beetle brackets which do not fit the thing at all but were easy to adapt. They feature more forward and rearward travel than the stock seats, and have some lumbar support. I used the no headrest version of these in my dune buggy. Now to go and drive around.

[wbailey2112]

The previous owner of my Thing installed these exact seats in my Thing and although they do not look like the originals, they are much more comfortable and adjustable.

The previous owner was very tall and had shortened the Scat mounting bracket on the driver's side and I wanted to return it to the standard height. After some research I found out that the Scat '71-'72 Bug brackets (P/N 81384 (driver side) & 81385 (passenger side)) were compatible with the Thing with no modifications to the Scat brackets or to the original seat rails on the pan. This seemed counter intuitive to me since the Thing uses Ghia pans but apparently the rails on the Ghia/Thing pan are different between a Thing and a Ghia.
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'74 Thing
'83 Westfalia

[KAmes]

[sportin-wood]

Just came across your thread as I recently purchased a '73 Thing project for my wife. I read it from the start to now. I have to tell you your skills are very impressive, to say the least! I'm realizing that knowing how to weld would serve me well, but at 57 years old, I'm not sure I want to take the time to learn! I was looking for some kind of "mind blown" emoji, but TheSamba doesn't offer anything like that! Thanks for the inspiration, explanations and numerous photos you've posted - I know they'll serve me well.
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1966 Bug project
1973 Thing project
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[Semper_Dad]

[Captain Pike]

What color Tan? I'm now in the primer stage.
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LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
....Bad Sneakers....

[KAmes]

[KAmes]

[KAmes]

[KAmes]

Hi all! Here is the air pump for the air shocks:

The process for operation is as follows:

Step 1- poise finger over switch
Step 2- ensure spouse wife has hands firmly clamped over ears
Step 3- engage switch

Omitting step 2 causes... excitement. Who would guess screwing a vibrating device to the bare metal floor of the dumpster car would be so interesting?
It's time for a change.

I bought this new pump already rubber mounted inside a bracket.

My ill conceived plan is to jam it in here, where the sound will blend with the many smooth engine noises:

I made a backing plate similar to the one the accusump is mounted on:

And there it is, it took me all day.

I put an air tank in here for more volume:

And new switches for fuel pump, accusump, and the air pump.

Although they all power on with the ignition, I wanted control options. Now on to somehow stopping the sweating air conditioner expansion valve from dripping on my wife's shoe.