Sept '67 (1968 MY) deluxe, another Blakes Bus

[sparkywig]

March 2025
This weekend it's the VolksWorld Show in it's new guise as a one day show and at a new location.
Probably called a reboot or something.

Car park camping on the Saturday night.

Sunday was a bit grey and dreary, but the earlybay.com line up was just inside the main entrance.

I'm not too sure about the "new" show, if the weather was bad it would be horrendous as there are only 3 display buildings(sheds) for shelter, and the number of top notch concours cars were significantly down.
Maybe next year will be better?

And home at last after a very long, 5 1/2 hour, return journey due to road closures and traffic build up on the diversions.

[sparkywig]

Managed to find an early engine lid latch.
There are slight differences between early and late, early on the left and later latch on the right.

This came with an og gasket and the mech cover which usually gets lost.

[sparkywig]

April 2025
Fuel stop

[sparkywig]

April 2025
A very early start for the trip to Bude, Cornwall for the first Cars & Coffee meet.
I like this place, so it's not a chore to attend for a couple of hours and then drive home.

Empty motorway

Sunrise over Exmoor

And a couple of pics from the day.

[sparkywig]

Stanford Hall is coming up soon, and for whatever reason, I've never been.
I was quite looking forward to taking the deluxe, however, there are issues with the rear shocks, so I drove to my friend Nick's workshop to put it on a ramp where I could see the suspension at ride height.
All good, the existing shocks are bottoming out, so shock lengths measured for new ones.
But, disaster, I must have moved the ramp wheel free frame and backing off the ramp the oil cooler got caught and ripped a line off.

What was a nice easy hour or so turned into 5 hours of oil clean up.
Good job there's a sandwich plate, I disconnected that replaced the oil filter and removed the cooler and lines.

[sparkywig]

Shock absorber changes.
The deluxe initially was fitted with air shocks, but the closed length at minimum pressure was still too long.

So I replaced the rears with a used set from another bus.
These were bottoming out, so were replaced with a new set.

Anyone want two sets of air shocks and compressors.

[sparkywig]

I'm quite happy with the ride height.

[sparkywig]

Early May 2025
Stanford Hall weekend.

Really looking forward to this, weather forecast is great and I'm meeting my mate Nick in his split for a gentle cruise up through the Cotswolds and a camp out with the SSVC.
But no, this is me. About 30 minutes into the drive the bus started an intermittent misfire, by the time we got to Stow-on-the-Wold it had given up completely and would only run for a few seconds.
We couldn't identify the issue quickly, so I was left at a fuel station and Nick continued his journey to Stanford Hall.
To be fair, I was recovered within an hour.

And then taken to Michaelwood Services on the M5 Southbound for the final leg to the workshop.

Anyway, early Sunday morning I took the Sportline to Stanford Hall with the display banners and set up the earlybay.com stand.

There's a wonderful selection of vintage VWs, and I am definitely looking forward to actually taking mine next year.

[sparkywig]

May/June 2025

OK, this is condensed from 6 weeks of head scratching and then finding the issue.
First of all it's definitely a fuel issue, as the carbs empty and don't refill at all quickly.
So, carbs stripped and ultrasonically cleaned, new fuel pump and filters, new fuel lines, tank filter sock checked, 12V at fuel pump, and still the issue kept returning.

In the end I was out of ideas, and took the deluxe back to JPR Tuning to see if they could sort the issue.
But with my luck, after a couple of days investigation the issue didn't arise.
Until they were parking it up for the evening and it started misfiring.
The cause, a faulty fuel pump relay.

They by-passed the relay and it runs fine now.

While it was there they did another couple of runs to check the jetting now there's a few miles on the engine.
With the new tune, and I stress it's a not a power run, it was pulling just under 140bhp at the wheels when he backed off at 4500rpm.

[sparkywig]

June 2025
After the near disaster at Nick's with the remote oil cooler I decided to relocate it's position.
It's now mounted just i front of the torsion bar housing on the RHS under the cargo floor.
I drilled a hole in the outrigger to keep the lines above the bottom of the chassis and the cooler has a fan mounted above.

With the cooler refitted, it runs at around 80C/170F to 85C/185F.

[sparkywig]

June 2025
Classics at the Clubhouse 2025
I've received an invitation to put the deluxe in the survivor display this year, so a new fan belt and a painted rear valance.

I think this is fast becoming one of my favourite shows, with chilled camping Saturday night on the top of the hill and a breakfast on Sunday morning.
The displays on Sunday are awesome, with cars as far as you can see up the fairways.
Survivor display in the woods.

I'm sure glad I painted the valance

[sparkywig]

On the way home from Classics at the Clubhouse the steering started to feel funny, the steering wheel popped up a couple of inches so the indicators wouldn't self cancel and then the horn sounded and then wouldn't after.

Further investigation reveals that the steering coupler had failed causing the inner column to move upwards, when the steering wheel was turned the coupler mounting bolt sheared the horn tab off the outer column which was the horn sounding and then not working.

This coupler has been fitted less than a year and only done around 1500 miles, are these now classed as service items?
Which one do I fit now?

[sparkywig]

This weekend is the Aircooled Campout, which was normally held nr Banbury but has now moved up North to Astley, Greater Manchester.
So another 400 mile round trip.
Set off on Thursday to meet up with some friends on the way.

There was a massive pothole on the way into the campsite.....

The campout was held at the Lancashire Mining Museum, and the volunteers were amazing giving us almost free rein to wander around. They even started the winding engine for us on Sunday morning.
Overall it was a very chilled weekend, with about 35 aircooleds in total.
Hopefully more will attend next year.

[Earl Bay]

Have to admit that lowered isn't my cup anymore but your bus is pretty wicked, hat's off. Glad you didn't touch the roof any further.
And I really like the idea where you mounted the heater, I'll have to steal that one

[Ceckert64]

It may be hard or more expensive to get since you are not in the states, but Rock Auto has a very stiff steering coupler disk that is much better than the ones you pictured. If those all have a lot of flex, I’d go with Rock Auto
_________________
1964 sunroof Beetle Restoration "Herbie"
“Joann” 1970 Elm Green Squareback
1972 Yellow Tin Top Westfalia -Sold
“Fitz” 1971 Westfalia Poptop EJ22 swap
“Rome” 91 Syncro

[sparkywig]

[sparkywig]

[67rustavenger]

It appears that you have finally caught up to the current date on your bus build and documentation.
I've been reading each new post as they came up.

I waited until you were caught up to compliment you on the build.

You have done some very nice work on what, some of us would have written off as a totaled rusty bus.

Well done sir!

Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!

[sparkywig]

[NUG637]

Love this bus, have followed it on earlybay.com but i dont have an account to comment. but very interesting build for a new comer into early bays (typ1 guy over here)

keep the updates coming... soon you will have no gremlins left to iron out