"BulliBill's" 1959 Double-Cab restoration...

BulliBill · Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 9:54 pm Post subject:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Here is the basic longblock on the stand without the manifold. The focus now was just to trial fit the powder-coated engine sheet metal. I'll final assemble the motor later...

A close-up of the powder-coated crankshaft pulley, the crank-start ("starter dog") nut and the rearmost engine tin with the flip-up door.

The engine from the forwardmost side, with no lower heater channels, thermostat and associated linkage and control ring, and heater boxes installed at this point. I'll do that later.

..and now the money shot, most of the refreshed upper tin in place. Everything fit very nicely, and looks pretty awesome! That powder-coat ought to hold up nicely to about anything that'll get onto it. I'm glad that I sprang for it!

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

BulliBill · Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:40 am Post subject:

Lots of detailing and prep going on now in advance of the installation of the correct Split-case transmission and then the 36 hp powerplant. Everything has been cleaned, scuffed and painted. New seals, cables, grommets, etc. are getting installed. Since I have already removed, cleaned, greased and reinstalled the rear shift rod tube with a new center bushing, now I'm installing the new dust seals on both the forward and rearward ends of the tube.

I'll be using the old steel brake lines as a pattern to bend brand new brake lines from WW tomorrow. I just picked up a rental or purchase brake line tubing bender from Autozone for accurately doing the bending. I'm installing new motor and transmission mounts from WW along with a new braided brass trans to body ground strap.

I'll probably remove the old original wiring harness in the next day or so and re-install the new Wiring Works electrical harness before I install the transmission. I may even go ahead and install the gas tank and NOS fuel tap while it is easy to work in there, we'll see.

Here I've mounted the rear rubber mounts in the powder-coated transmission carrier/cradle so that it is ready to install the whole affair. The oils spots in the bellhousing are just spatters of motor oil that I used to lubricate the trans input shaft seal while driving it home with a proper driver and mallet. The oil isn't a leak (there is no gear oil in the transmission yet) and will be cleaned up shortly...

Bill Bowman
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

derv · Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:10 pm Post subject:

Looks fantastic Bill!
_________________
Jack

rjonas · Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:32 am Post subject:

Looking great Bill!
Wish I could be there to help put this beast together as you were a huge help with my bus. I should be able to spill some beer in it next September when I'm back in St. Louis for BNNTA.
_________________
1979 Type-2 Westfalia “Sandy”
1973 Type-181 Thing "Velma"
1956 Type-1 Beetle Patina Project “Rosie”

www.azbusclub.org

BulliBill · Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:33 am Post subject:

Hi Roy!

Yeah! I wish you were here too! You were one of the main reasons that this DC got to the state that it is in today. You fired me up to go "rescue" it from the Texas body shop where it languished for many years. Once we recovered it (with your truck, trailer and time) and it was back in my face in my St. Charles garage, it moved up to the front burner in a long list of stuff I was working on. And once you selected Jeff Burke to paint your awesome 21 window Deluxe and I saw his quality, then I got my DC into line to be done by Jeff. And now here we are...

I had a lot of fun helping you to re-assemble that Deluxe on many late night sessions. It is an incredible restoration, and I'm so glad you are putting it to good use out there exploring the wilds of Arizona. But I wish you were here to expertly install my windshields and rear window! Even though I assisted you doing that on your Deluxe, I'm still a little nervous about tackling that chore alone...

We all miss you!

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

BulliBill · Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:03 pm Post subject:

Well today I did a bunch of touch up painting on the underside of the DC before installing the trans in the very near future.

I also greased the hell out of the fixed steel tube that receives the clutch cable. I packed a bunch of grease into the tube without the cable, forcing it a few feet in, then I fed a NOS clutch cable into the tube while slathering the crap out of it while slowly feeding it in. I'm installing new rubber seals on the forward end of the steel tube and the rear end of the flexible "bowden tube".

I also re-assembled all those pretty painted shift rod parts and connectors and safety wired it all together. New rubber dust seals were first installed at each end of the steel tube. The front shift rod already received a new plastic bushing and wire clip and was put aside awaiting todays installation. The connector and it's square-headed nuts got a nice coating of "anti-seize" grease before assembly and the safety wiring.

Baby steps...

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

mandraks · Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:09 pm Post subject:

good work. as they say: you can't get out what you did not put in
_________________
regards

Uli

----------------------------------------
'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

BulliBill · Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 8:39 pm Post subject:

I bent three of the nine brake lines using the new steel brake line kit from Wolfsburg West. The "Autozone" brake bending tool wasn't much help, and so far I've ended up carefully bending them with my hands, comparing them side-by side with the old originals, arcing them softly with my thumb. Six more to go!

I also spent a bunch of time today in the front cab area and below the Bus. Since it came to me with a late model drivetrain, some previous owner completely removed the manual choke cable. The cable to manually operate the fuel tap was intact and present, and worked the tap, although because it was a little stiff, I decided to remove it, install new cable to body grommets, remove and clean the inner wire cable, then slather it with grease and slowly feed it back into the outer sleeve. I polished up the aluminum bezel and I was done with that one! Man, did that make a big difference! It operates smoothly now.

Here is a shot taken after all the cable work in the front cab was done!

So I moved on and did the same to the dual heater control wires and tubes. Remove, clean, re-grease and re-install. The heater knob and control assembly was completely disassembled, cleaned and re-greased and re-assembled. Another huge improvement in function!

Finally, way back in the mid 1990's I had bought an NOS choke cable (among other cool goodies) for this Double-Cab while crawling around in the NOS dust of the obsolete parts department at VWs Siftung Automuseum in Wolfsburg, Germany. I finally got to make it "not NOS" anymore! I installed it in the DC, pulled the cable out and re-greased it too. As Clara likes to say, "grease is good!"

Fun, fun, fun!

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

TheCarGuySTL · Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 8:40 pm Post subject:

Looking good Bill! Jeff is picking up your wheels from the blaster tomorrow then into the booth to make them shiny. I can't wait to see it alive and I love your attention to detail. I'll trade you a few beers for a ride!

BulliBill · Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:03 pm Post subject:

Today I finished up the control cable work when I removed both original 54 year old emergency brake cables from their sheaths (they have the built in grease "zirk" fittings). Same drill, clean all old grease off, re-insert slowly while slathering the cables with fresh grease.

Then I removed the front right metal brake line and carefully used it as a pattern to bend it's WW replacement into shape, then I re-installed it. Then on to removing the 110 inch long used brake line from the master cylinder back to the brass splitter in the rear. Boy, that was "fun"! Glad to get it out of there and replace it with a fresh steel line! Here is a shot of a small section of that new long line back in place with the stock brake line clamps and brand new rubber grommets everywhere.

Question: A while back I dis-assembled the NOS right and left side heater boxes, cleaned off the cheap black factory primer/paint and then re-painted them with VHT hi-heat (1200-1500 degree) paint, inside and out. I removed the differing length heater flap control rods and put them aside. I reassembled the boxes, but forgot to re-install the control rods. I just re-discovered them, but can't remember which rod goes on which box.

One is longer by less than an inch than the other. Does anyone know offhand from experience which rod goes on which side. Perhaps you have a good used or an NOS pair of 36 hp heater boxes lying around, and if so, can you check and let me know. It ought to be quite obvious once I go to assemble the parts on the motor and connect the heater flaps (and things either line up perfectly or not), just thought someone could help sort it out now.

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

EverettB · Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 10:30 pm Post subject:

BulliBill · Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 4:43 am Post subject:

Thanks again Everrett for the quick reply on the control rods, I appreciate the help. I'll get those rods installed correctly.

I dropped by my painters shop to see the five rims that they sent out for blasting in preparation for finish prep, primer and then paint.

Once out and well-dried in a week or two, I'll have them mount up and spin-balance the Nexen 15" 8-ply "D" rated radials. Andy, if you're watching, can I re-borrow your wide-five adaptor plate for the balancing process in a week or two? I can't wait to see these stiff-sidewall radials mounted up and back on the DC!

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

Brendel20 · Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 5:32 am Post subject:

EverettB · Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:58 am Post subject:

Are you going to replace the hubcap clips before painting or after?
As far as I could always tell on removing the clips, they were installed before painting originally. Metal was bare underneath them.
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BulliBill · Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:11 pm Post subject:

Hi Everett,

Yes, Jeff and/or I will drill out the bad or broken spring clips, and with the WW clip "buck" tool we will install the clips/rivets first, then primer and paint them in the shops' new paint booth. I ordered and bought a bag full of hubcap clips and a bag of the rivets from my local VW dealership back in the late 1990s while they still had the good ones. I finally broke out those bags to use on these wheels. I'm hoping that they will be in the booth early next week, depending on their schedule. A local "Thing" enthusiast is getting his set of wheels done in silver at the same time.

Everett, you have been running those Nexen "D" rated radials I believe on your DC for a while now, how do you like them?

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

EverettB · Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:18 pm Post subject:

BulliBill · Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 9:46 pm Post subject:

Hi all,

Five of the new WW brake lines are all bent properly and re-installed in the DC! The only ones I still need to do, four lines, are the two from the brake line brackets on both swing axles down to the wheel cylinders and the two inside each front drum between the wheel cylinders. All four should be much easier to bend up than the other five were.

One thing I now realize that I am missing is one more of the small metal brake line hold-down clamps and the original metric sheet metal screws (hex head) that holds it to the frame. I've looked all over and must have lost one set of those bastards. Anyway, if anyone has a parts Bus that could spare one of each and sell 'em to me, I'd sure appreciate it! You can see what I need in the photo below...

I also need to locate and buy a pair of those flexible metal hoses for the heater system that connect the 36 hp heater boxes to the sound mufflers attached to the body. Looks like a 50 mm inside diameter (not the similar looking but 60 mm I.D. later model hoses). Since this DC came to me with the later drivetrain those hoses weren't on this Bus, and now I need a set to make the heater system (such as it is!) function. It looks like WW "might" be selling new ones, but if you have extra used ones (with or without the outer insulationg covers) please let me know.

There is always something missing!

Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

squareonair · Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:26 pm Post subject:

Looks good bill....ill look in the shed and see if i have some of those tubes you need as i have quite the 36h stash of parts
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EverettB · Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 9:38 am Post subject:

Flexible metal hoses:
These 2 threads may or may not help but I have seen others say the accordion pipes are available new from O'Reillys/Napa/etc.:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=563564
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=490246

Of course you may want originals for your particular Bus - there are usually some listed in the classifieds.

For instance this ad (may be more parts than you need):
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1519070
_________________
How to Post Photos
Everett Barnes - [email protected] | My wanted ads
"Water is the only drink for a wise man" | "Communication prevents complaints"
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

mandraks · Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:24 am Post subject:


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