65 Bus Restoration - "La Macarena"

firula · Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:18 pm Post subject:

Finally!!! The project resumes!!!

Hello everybody, has been a while!

I got the bus inside my little workshop!!! I'm really excited, and also worried for all the things to solve next and well, you know, all this mix of uncertainty, bewilderment and happiness!!!

I'm working on purchase some tools I need because my workshop is empty now. Fortunately i'm carrying here the mig welder I was using before Cool

. Someone lent me an air compressor Wink

, today I bought the hardware to make the air lines, my son (now 3 1/2 years old) helped me carrying the pipes in the bicycle, strong enough we arrive in one piece Laughing

.

I need to build a workbench, move compressor outside and some other stuff to make more room, and few other things. But so far so good!

So here is she, one more chance to finally finish!!! Very Happy

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

I expect to be more involved in the forum again!! see you soon with more updates!!!
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Restoring "La Macarena"!

brettsvw · Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 3:35 pm Post subject:

firula · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:52 pm Post subject:

I need your opinion...

Circumstances has changed a lot since I started the project. We are not going to be only my wife and me who will ride the bus but my son too Wink

.
So my thoughts about safety changed substantially. I'm planning changing the brake master cylinder to dual circuit, and also, since I'll upgrade the brakes, I'm thinking in replace the complete front axle with a Bay Window one (that comes with disk brakes instead drum, i have to pick that option because a conversion kit is just seriously unreachable for me Crying or Very sad

).

What do you think, pros, cons, anyone already did it?

Thanks!
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Restoring "La Macarena"!

BarryL · Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:05 am Post subject:

Being knowledgeable about Bays is not in my repertoire but I have picked up on some things people have said.

The disc brakes were only on '71.
'68 and '69 are the only beams that bolt right up.
'70 and '71 you have to modify your frame holes
I don't know if the disc brakes spindle will bolt onto an earlier ball joint.
Didn't all bays have a vacuum booster?

You can make the center of the bus more crash resistant for a child protected zone assuming that all you do is strong and engineered to not cause more harm in it's execution.

But...in the front...just don't crash.

brettsvw · Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:45 am Post subject:

Depends on your budget. Bay beam would be the least money.
Buying a bolt-on kit from a known supplier would be the easiest way.

Barry is right, 1968-69 beams have the same bolt pattern.
I used a 1968 beam with 1976 master cylinder, spindles, rotors, and calipers.
I highly recommend using a brake booster with the bay disc setup.

Stock drum brakes are better than the stock disc brakes without the booster.

Hope I did not confuse you.
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.

My 59 kombi build.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=635003&highlight=

My buggy build.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=558601&highlight=

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=289807

firula · Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 7:35 pm Post subject:

firula · Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 7:41 pm Post subject:

Pinetops · Samba Member Joined: March 24, 2007 Posts: 2987

Any updates?
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"A rolling bus gathers no rust."

firula

BarryL

novetti · Samba Member Joined: August 15, 2004 Posts: 469

Go as further as taking the snap ring off that holds the crown gears/fulcrums.

Inspect those (check for cracks in the crown gears, wear in the plates), also have a good look inside the diff spider gears (check if they look worn etc), and have a good look at the ring gear teeth. You might find more problems or all might be ok.

The syncros is hard to tell, but if you don't have the tools or skills I wouldn't bother now, I would put the whole thing back together and continue the restoration of the kombi. That way you progress further in the restoration to get the car rolling on its own power again.

Worst case will be if the further items in the transmission were bad and will require you to take it out again and send to someone to rebuild it for you. It's 4 hour job max to get a transmission out, so don't let this hold you for days or weeks now from progressing further.

Saludos

Julio

williamM · Last edited by williamM on Mon Dec 28, 2015 6:03 am; edited 2 times in total

Just found this thread- you have great skills and glad to see your getting back into it.

I just took 3 sets of Big nut RGB's apart and had one bearing in all of them that was good. It seems the rgb is kind of a dirty sump for the trans and torn axle boots. -- all the crap has to go thru those big bearings before settling in the box. I'm going to run2 of them with $9 russian bearings and 2 with german bearings. Hopefully the results will be miles down the road.
To check prices- visit King bearing website- then there is "Bearing finder" who show you lots of choices for a small fee.

nobody seems to service the RGB's- one of mine had the outer small bearing race cage completely disappear- having been ground to a powder by the gears.

They are important as "dangerous bus" almost lost theirs due to bad reduction box.

Keep track of the fulcrum plates as "wheelie pete" on his way to alaska had the darn thing slip and cause trouble with the crown gears.

For some easy ways to get it back together - see my gallery and there are some ideas for reassembly.

About the trans- I would just run it- It's way easier to finish your bus and need a transmission than it is to put all your work on the back burner while you work on a problem that may not exist. I've run noisy, pop out of gear trans for months while I found the cash to get another one.
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some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.

opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.

Don't step in any!

superalex

found you thread today. amazing job you're doing
i'm in a middle of a 61 wich is almost in the same phase as yours

i'm working in the gerabox as well

you can disassemble it a little more to visually inspect the gears

take the differencial covers off and remove the diff (there are also some more things to disassembly, but it's easy and you'll see them right away)
is also advisable to have a gearbox exploded view drawing around

there are 2 tipes of locks for the secondary shaft: the early one wich as 4 bolts and 2 locking plates, wich is the easiest to remove. the hardest has a crowned nut wich if you don't have a special tool you can take out by unscrewing it by tapping it with a hammer and a chisel

after doing that you can remove the nuts of the gearbox and with the help of a jack (if you don't have a special tool) you can press out the entire gearbox assembly

don't need to take out the snap rings of both shafts ends unles if you are removing the shafts ou of the gearbox assembly for changing damaged or weared parts

gear boxes are almost all the same for that period. they are also the same as the bug or type 3, so if your's as a visible problem is easy to find a replacement

another thing to take in mind is when you assemble the diff back in, check for the position: if you are using the RGB's the diferencial is inversed to the bug (probably in the inverse position of the drawing that you will use)

keep up the good work

firula

Hello people!! Well, has been a while... 2 years since last post... Lot of things happened since then. I obtained my private pilot licence, a pending duty back since I have memory. Also the birth of my second son... yes, I'm getting older.

Some days ago, I dreamed I drove the bus, all my family riding, in a trip to someplace... woke up and knew it's time to get back on project again.

So today I took reduction boxes and carry them for sandblasting. Will paint tomorrow.

I was far away from buses stuff this years... I got a mess of bolts, boxes, little things to repair... and so on. I'm already feeling the panic, the adrenaline and the beauty of restoration process.

I'm happy to be here again, wish all of you the best and I will start uploading pictures soon. Wink

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Restoring "La Macarena"!

oakman

type2rescuemaine

firula · Last edited by firula on Sun Feb 11, 2018 8:39 pm; edited 1 time in total

Thank you!!

I got one question, yesterday I measured fulcrum plates to axle clearance (without removing snap rings, I lack of this tool). Measure 0.010'' and 0.012''... I understand maximum is 0.008''...They looks in good condition as far I can see, no corrosion nor dents.

The problem is that get new pairs are too expensive to me. Can I assemble anyways, drive the bus some time and replace them later?

I want to move on, altought don't want put all new box bearings to take all apart again really soon.

Opinions?
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Restoring "La Macarena"!

BarryL

firula

firula

Sandblasting and painting:

Looking better Very Happy

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Restoring "La Macarena"!


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65 Bus Restoration - "La Macarena"
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