Engine/Transmission removed where and how would you start?

[poundman]

[Wildthings]

[poundman]

I managed to get 3 lifters out. Both from cylinder #3 and 1 from #1. Here are the pictures. I tried some carb cleaner with no luck.

You can see they are all very flat with very slight mushroom which i think is causing them to not come out properly. You can't even see much but you can feel a slight burred edge. If I can't get them out I will just leave until I do a full rebuild.

Here are the piston tops before cleaning.

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[SGKent]

very even coating of carbon. I would say that unless you want to rering it, leave the cylinders and pistons alone other than you can decarbon them. Do it at top dead center. You might smear a little grease around 360 degrees of the edge of the piston and cylinder to trap any debris from washing down the sides of the pistons.

The problem you will have is that each step you take, moves you closer to a complete rebuild and the challenges that has, and away from just cleaning things up.
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[Wildthings]

I would guess that the carbon on your piston tops was in a steady state condition with about the same amount flaking off over a thousand miles as what was being deposited, so I don't think you have much to gain by trying to get it all off unless you intend to go further into your engine.

Carbon and lead deposits of old were a different matter as they could build up thickly throwing the compression off and when large hunk were shed could cause the engine to be out of balance.

[poundman]

Update for today. I cleaned the piston surface and peened the oil plugs.

The nylon cup worked well, I used the grey one which was supposed to be like a 120 grit. I soaked it with flogging oil after to keep from rusting until I get the heads back.

Peening might not be the best, but better than nothing I think.

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[poundman]

A few questions.

Are these the oil plugs under 3&4 that need to be peened?

What is this cut off tube on the fan shroud? Should I trim it and plug somehow?

While waiting on engine and transmission parts, I started to remove the tank. I was surprised to see it look so good it the compartment. However, when I remove the bottom nut, it is like tar. I know it is full of tar like goo, but I need to inspect if it has leaks. It might be less work to replace but lets see. I had to remove the engine/tran support bracket to get 2 screws out of the bottom of the gas compartment panel. Bad design.

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[busdaddy]

The smaller of the two plugs should be peened, the larger one is a casting that looks like a plug.

The cut off and mangled nipple on the shroud is the purge air supply for the charcoal canister, pry the caved in parts back out, the rough stuff will never show when there's a hose shoved onto it. It's not under any great pressure, it just blows air.

The 72 tank is rather unique and not easy to replace with new, the new ones don't have the correct fittings. You can take it to a radiator shop for a cleaning, or do it yourself: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=378770
Whatever you decide do not put any sort of coating in it unless it's peppered with pin holes, coatings fail and peel off and are impossible to remove when they start blocking the outlet. Bare metal doesn't rust if you keep the fuel fresh and top up the tank before winter storage, a 1/2 cup of ATF sloshed around after the cleaning will protect it until it's time to put it into service.
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[airschooled]

What’s different about the ‘72 tank? And what does it take to make a ‘71 tank fit? The WW early bay tanks are fantastic.

Robbie
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[poundman]

[busdaddy]

[busdaddy]

[SGKent]

one person said get a 16 oz bottle of real lye and use that. Lye chemical burns and is poisonous so one has to be careful. It is a strong base that is used in a lot of oven cleaners. It dissolves carbon chains so I would think it would work - the cleaners used in caustic hot tanks are base. Lye mixed with water causes a exothermic reaction, which can even boil water so follow the instructions if you do use it. If that is what is in your tank, be sure to clean the carbs or fuel injectors etc. as they will be nasty too. Radiator shops use a caustic solution too to clean radiators and gasoline tanks. Personally I would call around because usually at least one radiator shop within 30 minutes will boil our old gasoline tanks then test them for leaks. A quick search in the Houston area shows Don Hart radiator who says on their website they do fuel tanks. That is what I would do. If they don't so it they can tell you who does.

https://www.donhart.com/
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[lil-jinx]

walmart gas line antifreeze is methanol based,
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=668799
1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy sold dec 2024

1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes.

[orwell84]

Always found it strange to avoid splitting the case…As if the potential issues you could find only come into existence once you see them. I get it though. I think the same way about my old automatic transmission. VW bottom ends are pretty tough, wear well and don’t tend to cause problems unless poorly maintained or really tired.

Decades ago, rebuilding a T4 would probably have been a straightforward R&R of the usual parts that wear. I guess it hasn’t been like that for a long time.

[Willin]

Hi
Good job cleaning those piston tops! But, I would go ahead and pull the cylinders and pistons too.
I can understand you not wanting to dive in and split the case if you don't have to. Did you check crankshaft endplay? You briefly ran the engine(?) did you hear any bearing knock?
Pulling the cylinders is easy enough. Clean the case carefully before pulling them. There will be carbon in the ring grooves.Check the side and end gap on the rings. New rings are inexpensive . And you can hone the cylinders to clean them up. And reset the deck height if necessary. The small end rod bushings can be checked, along with big end rod side clearance.Then you'll know. And you'll have a better look at the cam.
I didn't catch what the experts said about the lifters. Hope the cam will be OK.
What do the experts say about honing cylinders and re-using rings?
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73 bus. Org. 1700 with dual Weber 40 idfs, bus header with Empi qp muffler, CB magnaspark 2 " ready to run kit".

[poundman]

I managed to get the tank out today. Well there is no saving this tank. It was completely rusted thru on the back side and some on the top. I could not even get the sending unit out. I guess I am in the market for a new 72 tank. If you have any suggests, please drop below

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[poundman]

[poundman]

I have been researching tanks this afternoon. Looks like my options are used one or the WW seems like it might work with the tube style sending, which my gauge requires

https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=211201075DK

I have questions out to Ken and WW.

WW Does sell this hard to find elbow, looks like just a custom bent gas line
https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=211201157A
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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[busdaddy]