New Bus Rebuild - ' Bento' a '78 Westy

[andrewtf]

I posted a couple months ago about getting my hands on a third bus, and put up a couple poor photos.
It is already named Bento - as it was used as a promotional sign in front of a Food Hall.
We will probably keep that name. It sort of seems to fit the bus.

Life cascaded over our family for a while so I could not pay any attention to this new member.
But....I went over to look at my new vehicle with Emma yesterday - for another five minutes - and of course forgot to take the keys.
I'll get back over soon. Photos will appear after my next visit.

First - I need to address some missing important bits. (and get this to my house)

This is a '78 Westy
Automatic
Air conditioning.

I could open the engine hatch and have another look.
I knew it had the F.I. removed and a single carb installed.
That is going away and F.I. going back on. Thankfully I already did that once before with Murphy, so I have a little handle on the process.

There is no ECU present so I need to source one.
Is there a specific ECU that I need to obtain for an automatic? Six pin? seven pin? I'll take all the advice I can get.

Photos will be here soon and I'm sure that will prompt some other comments.

Thanks
andreWTF
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'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' - Travel Beast
'77 Riviera - 'Murphy' - Daily driver in nice weather
'78 Westy - New to the family
'63 Austin Healey - sitting alone in a museum

[jmstu76]

I can't answer if a an auto ECU and manual ECU are compatable or whether a manual ECU will work well with your auto but I do beleive you are looking for a 7 PIN box. I believe the 6 pin boxes were for FI Beetles.
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James

'76 Deluxe Sage Green Westy
2258 cc GD case 78mm CW crank, 2.0 H-beam rods 5,325” 22mm pin, JE forged pistons with 15cc dish, JE rings, type 11 clearanced oil pump, CB Eagle 2205 Type-2 “Torque Special” hydraulic cam with matched lifters fed by CB Dual Weber 40 IDF MX with 6” foam air filters, currently 55 idle, 130 main, 200 air correction, 32 mm venturis. 27in General Grabber AT2 All Terrains, Berg Shifter, stock '76 exhaust HPC Ceramic Coated. 11/18/2020

[germansupplyscott]

The ECU for your automatic is different from the '78 manual transmission unit. The AFM is the same AT and MT.
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SL

[Shonandb]

[andrewtf]

Got it home last Thursday.
Did some investigation to see what I'm up against.
An Automatic with Air Conditioning......

a few other photos in the gallery if anyone cares.
The previous Owner was planning to use the bus for 'vending' at events - but never quite got there.

On Saturday, my sister was visiting so I put her to work and we got this accomplished. I pulled out a mile of speaker wire, and the 120v outlets in the back were all installed in metal conduit. The white stuff is actually Corian and the large sheet weighs about 80 lbs.

Admittedly, I haven't yet figured how to remove the under dash Air conditioning yet - but I'll get there.

We have ideas for the rejuvenation and I'll share as we go along.

This bus sat outside at the local Food Hall - as a piece of 'Bling' for more than five years..... never moving. On Wednesday AirSchooled arrived to help me make sense of this new family member. Yesterday he got it roaring (whimpering) to life after a couple hours....... and moving under its own power a few minutes after. When I figure out how to link a video, I'll share.

Then before dinner - we removed the engine, separated it from the transmission, and got it on my stand in the garage. (I highly recommend a chain hoist for this operation). I'll do the big cleaning over the next few weeks and do the work necessary to get Bento to the body shop for a new look (but the flames definitely stay). The engine had been converted to a single carb and I am going to re-install the F.I.

I'll update as I'm able.... in a less rambling manner.
_________________
'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' - Travel Beast
'77 Riviera - 'Murphy' - Daily driver in nice weather
'78 Westy - New to the family
'63 Austin Healey - sitting alone in a museum

[Shonandb]

Nice! The floors look good, just surface rust by the looks of it.
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*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[andrewtf]

Just a little update.
I don't really feel a need to relate this entire experience.
So - I'll just give a highlight or two - every so often.

I got all the windows out, seals removed, etc. in preparation of the trip to the Body Shop. Here's about forty pounds of old crusty rubber.

Unfortunately, the windshield was subject to a bit more force than it was capable of withstanding. The fact that it was glued into the seal, which was glued to the frame did not help.

This morning it left the driveway for the three miles to the Shop.
Stripped naked with the doors bungie corded closed.

I've been spending evenings cleaning bits and pieces and making list after list.
Its rewarding and therapeutic.
_________________
'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' - Travel Beast
'77 Riviera - 'Murphy' - Daily driver in nice weather
'78 Westy - New to the family
'63 Austin Healey - sitting alone in a museum

[KentABQ]

Did the body shop give you an idea how long it will take?
Hopefully it will be quicker than Murphy!

Maybe I missed this in your thread...
How's the engine?
Were you able to check compression?
Do you have all the FI parts you need?
I still have boxes of extras so lemme know if you need something.
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[Abscate]

Miss you guys in IUC, hope to get back sometime soon.

They scheduled Our spectroscopy seminar right on the biannual Munich show so I had to send the minions to that since I’ll be in BeerLand.

Hope all is well on the Homefront.
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🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🍊 🍊 🍊

[andrewtf]

since you asked........
just a short update.....

We checked the engine before removal and had compression of 150+ in 3 of of the 4 cylinders - and I think 145 or so in the 4th. I did learn that the engine was rebuilt by a shop in Indianapolis. Most I can offer in terms of what I got is Robbie commenting on how well built it seems to be and the quality of parts installed. A persnickety engineer owned it before - explaining some of the attention this engine seemed to get. I got lucky with this one.

I'm not sure I mentioned it - but this was parked for at least 5 years - never moving and the service sticker on the windshield says it moved 55 miles after that service (which would include the tow to my house).

Thankfully, I've done this before so I have a notion of what I'm in for, and a garage full of bins to pull parts from. I've been cleaning all the parts that I'll be reusing and assembling the bits I need (and there are a lot of them). I am down to a handful of items still needed - that I know about. And there will be a million things I'll need once things start to go back together.

The only real unknown so far is the interior colors and materials. I'll be getting Sewfine seat covers and door panels and we're working on colors. This one will be a green base vehicle - as of yet not precisely determined......
However - with a green base and the flames denoting the shear speed of the bus, Emma is pushing toward changing the name from Bento to 'The Flaming Mallard'. Its growing on me.

The bus will (!!!!!) be back from the body shop (same one as before - since he will actually work on a bus) by mid September - for AirSchooled to assist (or direct) the engine and transmission install in early October. I won't get it fully operational until spring - I'm sure - but I hope to be going up and down the road before snow. Of course the body shop is loving to be able to give me the news of "oh boy - this is way worse than we thought". I was ready for that.

Ironically - one of the reasons I got this bus is because - while my wife could drive a stick - she didn't like to with the bus. Its an effort to muscle a bus around - so an automatic was just the thing for us to enjoy the fun together. We love to camp! And we'll each have a bus to take (but sleep in the same one).

So - Steve asked - and I have not put this out (not that many of you know me or have much of a reason to care) but my wife Deborah passed away exactly three months ago today. It was long and difficult and heartbreaking to see someone who is almost your entire world dissolve away as you helplessly watch. We had 45 years of marriage and a few years before that. If you were lucky enough to know her, you understand the force of nature she was, and might begin to understand how hard this is, and will, be for every day that I have left. She was an artist of some international acclaim, and a life partner like no other. Saying that I miss her terribly is an injustice to the English language. I don't need sympathy....just time.

However - this project comes at perfect time to allow me to spend a good amount of time on a project that provides me joy and a sense of accomplishment.

thanks - Andrew

Steve - Emma is further south in Germany now - maybe close enough to Munich to visit. But I assume your time is not very plentiful.

Also - while I'm here.......
Other driving adventures.......

Last Friday, driving Murphy home from work, going about 40, my accelerator cable just snapped. I coasted into the next parking lot at a small grocery store. I had a spare cable - but where to do this? I was kind of nervous because I've never done this before and my bus was really (I mean REALLY) rusty on the underside when I got it. I didn't want to struggle for hours in the parking lot. I thought about inching home on the idle because its only about a mile and a half. But I have a sort of steep hill to get up - so AAA got me home. That's why I have it - after all. My nervousness was totally unfounded as the entire process took maybe 20 minutes?..... it ended up being probably the easiest, difficult thing I've done on any bus so far !

Whew - if you got this far - thanks for reading.
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'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' - Travel Beast
'77 Riviera - 'Murphy' - Daily driver in nice weather
'78 Westy - New to the family
'63 Austin Healey - sitting alone in a museum

[KentABQ]

While never having the pleasure to meet Deborah, I feel I've known her since meeting Emma before her Mexico journey. Emma was dealing with a cold and spent a couple days being catered to by Sven while she swayed happily in a hammock strung between palm trees in Palm Springs. She spoke very lovingly about both of you and the encouragement you gave her for many passions.

While she was recuperating, Sven and I spent a few hours getting to know each other while trying to discover the cause of a hesitation they were sporadically experiencing.
(Spoiler: It was due to bad fuel from a gas station out near Coachella.)

Before they left, Emma was kind to give me a small framed quilt-like artwork that Deborah had made. It's sitting happily among books, plants and other memorabilia collected over the years (decades? ).
So I'm sure Deborah's legacy will live on in many hearts and places.
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[andrewtf]

The bus has been at the Body Shop for about two weeks now. Things are progressing and some replacement panels have been ordered.

I don't think there is anything new here - so commentary seems unnecessary.
If anything noteworthy crops up in this process, I'll let you all know.

_________________
'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' - Travel Beast
'77 Riviera - 'Murphy' - Daily driver in nice weather
'78 Westy - New to the family
'63 Austin Healey - sitting alone in a museum

[Abscate]

Thanks for sharing the news and all of our condolences , of course.

I actually have to drive from Munich to Innsbruck so maybe a visit could happen.
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🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🍊 🍊 🍊

[KentABQ]

From my untrained eyes Bento looks like there's not many large patches of rust.
Which panels need replacing?
How's the underside looking?
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[andrewtf]

just a mid shop update.......
Everyone here has done and seen this before - and nothing new is happening with this one............. so we're just catching up.

repair panels going in.
The windshield is there to adjust the gaps.

Last week was the first interior paint
Closing in on a final color selection for the exterior.
Comment if you want - but the exterior color I'm heavily leaning into is "eruption metallic green" (as seen on a 2022 Ford Bronco) for below the beltline and white above. We already have red, yellow and blue, so we need a new hue.

There are a few more photos in my gallery.
And - I hope to have this in my garage in about 8 weeks.

Stay tuned for news !!
_________________
'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' - Travel Beast
'77 Riviera - 'Murphy' - Daily driver in nice weather
'78 Westy - New to the family
'63 Austin Healey - sitting alone in a museum