Trying to put a Thing back on the road. Type 1 NEWB!

[jmstu76]

Greetings Thing clan,

I have been lurking and learning as much as I can. I come to you from the Bay Window forum where I brought a '76 Westy back from the dead. I have rebuilt my Type IV engine and helped others on the way. I have never really worked or pulled apart a type 1 engine. no big deal right?

So I have known this '73 thing since high school (think at least 20 years ago). Some neighbors owned it and the kids drove it to school. I didn't know much about vw's back then anyways.

Fast forward to 2001. The father/owner of the Thing, most like not the original owner dies. A different neighbor snags the thing at a farm auction. His kids drive and mess with it. A bough my bus in 2003 so I was starting to get into vw's then.

Fast forward some more and I notice the thing just sitting in their yard. Looking worse and worse. Open the deck lid and rats have filled the engine compartment with sticks and nuts and trash. the repaint is faded, the cheap chrome wheels are rusting, some kid though a rock into the windshield and shattered it.

So I start hinting at wanting to buy the thing from the neighbor, he says no. Time passes and I start asking more directly, and he replies that his other kids may want to put it back into service.

I keep pestering and he keeps rejecting my offer.

Fast forward to sometime last year (2016). PO shows up with a truck and trailer and drops it off at my house. Says here you go. And like that I own a thing.

My wife has always wanted one and she is excited.

First things first is to get rid of the rats. I'm not talking mice, I'm talking full grown rats.

Kill rats with trap.

Begin shoveling all the sh*t out of the engine compartment and the leaves and crap out of the interior.

Roll it into my barn and begin the engine removal process.. .

I have no idea what I'm doing. Remember I'm a bus guy. I fight and fight but I cant get a wrench on the top left nut by the number 3 cylinder. Oh that's because it's a rounded boss and it has broken free from the block. Yeah Me!

I get the engine out, PO says he thinks it has a head problem. Original Case, AM block but has been messed with or out before because it has a late model beetle shroud on it. I have the hardest time pulling it apart. Tin screws are rusted, standards mixed in with metrics. Plus I don't know the order of dismantling a type 1, I try to pull the intake off but it is bolted to the block, I try to remove the generator/fan but it hits the intake. I cant get the shroud loose. I'm really struggling.

Then I see it. A nice quarter sized hole in the top of the block by the case parting line. Wonderful. Now I have a useless original block. Trashed crank, rods and cam etc.

Well enough talking

Here are the pics

So I start searching for a new case that has the three threaded bosses in the rear buy the crank pull. The original engine does happen to have all the Thing protection plates and lower tins. Just looks like the upper part of the engine was switched out including the intake manifold. So I find a '71 bus engine. Upright dual port with Dog house cooler, so I start to dismantle it.

So I this bus engine is nasty so off to the pressure washer station it goes

and boom it's clean enough to disassemble

_________________
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

[jmstu76]

Ok, Back to my story. I am going to have some questions so I will feed you guys more pics and get you completely caught up with where I am.

After the bus engine was clean, it was pulled down to a short block

I pulled the original 205C Bosch distributor, cleaned it up and installed new points, condenser, cap and rotor.

I have gone through the brake system installing new master cylinder, shoes, adjustment stars, cleaned, lubed, bled and adjusted brakes

She got a new set of KYB Gas A Justs all around.

New Steering dampener

I pulled the tank, cleaned it, replaced all rotted fuel lines, new fuel filter, Got the gas heater pump unfrozen and got that thing to fire up and run.

Old shocks

New ones going in

I went with AA P's and C's Just the standard 85.5 mm

Then I put on some new Auto Linea standard heads in. Too many broken studs and worn out guides made new heads an easy decision Stainless steel pushrod tubes.

I obtained a new piece of glass cut at a local shop. I was able to get the windshield frame apart. The seal was in good shape. The seal went around the new glass. I slid it into the top of the frame while it was up side down then turned it over and slowly persuaded it back into it's home.

New rubber on the old cheap 15" rims. I went with 215/75R15 BF Goodrich All-Terrain KO2

I have read it will be a tight fit. I made have to add adjusters to the front and re index the rear. We will see

I'm at the point where it is time to put the tin back on the engine.

Is there a thread on how to finish up a type 1 engine. Basically I'm looking for the order parts and pieces need to go on so that they all fit correctly and I'm not fighting myself. I told you I was a type 1 NEWB.
_________________
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

[63ziggy]

Congrats on joining the Thing family.

Body sure looks solid from what the pictures show. That is a major plus with a Thing.

will keep a watch as you get closer to putting another Thing on the road.

[KAmes]

A bay window is on my list, I haven't had one of those yet. That looks like a great car to work with, fun back story too. I like your wheel tire combo. I don't know of a specific tin assembly thread but there probably is one someone knows, keep looking. I always employ the figure it out as I go method, 'cause I'm too lazy to research probably, but you've got it under control. I can see you're having fun!

[jmstu76]

[jmstu76]

[EDragnDean]

This vendor has a good exploded view of all the tin. Also a youtube video. 73 thing has no heater boxes, so don't forget to add industrial heat shields.

http://www.awesomepowdercoat.com/FAQ.html
_________________
63 Double Cab http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=443823&highlight=deanos
66 Bus Click to view image - SOLD
73 Thing http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8111202#8111202
70 BusClick to view image

[jmstu76]

[EDragnDean]

Shields. http://www.awesomepowdercoat.com/Industrial_Shields.html

I see one in your pictures, make sure you install the passenger side as well.

-- Shroud and gen next, then intake. With the intake, make sure the heat riser is clear. For installation, loosely install the boots, you slide the center section under the gen, then loosely connect the three pieces and push down at once (will make sense when you go to install it, wont really work any other way).
_________________
63 Double Cab http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=443823&highlight=deanos
66 Bus Click to view image - SOLD
73 Thing http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8111202#8111202
70 BusClick to view image

[jmstu76]

Where do I start?

I was able to install the engine and it ran.....for about 15 mintues. Then it seized.

So new top end, but OG bottom end. I thought maybe my end-play was too tight and it locked it up so I pulled the engine, pulled the flywheel. Shims were all good.

So i kept tearing in down and found that a rod bearing had spun.

Took the case to the machine shop, got it lined bored, drilled for full flow, case savers, and fly cut for larger pistons.

I ordered the Scat 1776 kit.

Rebuilt the engine from the ground up. This allowed me time to send the carb off to Volksbitz for a full rebuild and rebush.

Here is a shot of the tin going back on

Because I wanted to run the stock engine skids, the full flow pieces and pump cover wouldn't fit, so I plugged the return port and pulled the plug out of the oil pump.

here is a shot of the engine ready to go in.

Installed the engine and it started right up. I'm glad I had the carb rebuild and rejetted for the larger displacement. I immediately ran it for 20 minutes straight at 2000 rpm to break the cam and lifters in. Then we timed it and did the carb adjustments and put it on the road at 10 pm that night to go fill it up with fuel.

made it to Cars and Coffee 4 days after it has run in 14 years.

now time to dial the brakes in and hope for nice days to drive it.

The top is trashed and will stay that way for a while until the coffers refill.
_________________
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

[jmstu76]