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The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build
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Grino66
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:16 am    Post subject: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build.
This build thread is about a 73 7 passenger Bus. Purchased as a fun way to promote a business. A way to have something to attract people closer to the doors (via it parked out front), drive in our towns sweet yearly vintage car days and Parade and to make the occasional pick up and delivery.
It starts with this...poor thing. Last registered in "96". Someone decided to rebuild the engine. The P.O. got the Engine pulled out, tore it apart and that's where it sat in various boxes until May of "17" when it was found via a CL ad.
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camit34
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:45 pm    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

Looks like a solid Bus to start with. Good luck!
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Grino66
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 7:14 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

A couple pics of what I found first. The first few things to be done were,...Build an engine, check the trans, go through the brakes. Oh and of course get the big rust hole in the floor taken care of.
Got it home, started going through things. First revelation? Uhm...Hmmm, these engine pics I see of these years of engines sure doesn't look like a VW engine. Nope,...had no idea that something called a type 4 engine even existed.
So the research started, especially pictures. Eventually got a plan together and started not knowing for sure exactly what it should look like assembled.
I have to say...in general I got really lucky in condition, comparatively speaking,...for sitting for 20+ years its not in too bad of shape, someone did some real shotty body and paint back when , a few rust spots coming through the paint and quite a bit of the old screw hole, slide hammer and Bondo panel repair on the driver's side panels below the windows, the spare tire up front has banged the living Hell out of the front, typical windshield rust, but boy did I see some real stinkers while searching. Sometimes it's better to start from nothing than to think getting someone else's "running project" is going to be easier.
This is where kudos to ”The Samba" Tcash, EverettB and all the other Dub nuts on this site come in. THANK YOU! I don't think I had to ask anything via posts through the whole engine build. What you need is here, the pics of the vdub museum in Germany was instrumental in figureing out how the tin goes together and what 6 pieces I was missing. As well as anything I thought i would need to ask or need to know was here.

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(Hhmmmm? Something is missing here)

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(Just a little surface rust)

Pics of Engine build and details there next
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Shameless70
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:52 pm    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

Looks a lot better than the bus my buddy and I just picked up. Will be following your build,
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Grino66
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:44 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

The Engine parts I did have looked real good. A H.F. tools micrometer determined that the main and rod bearings were within acceptable range so out for cleaning and polishing of crank and case. Left the 1.7 ltr case alone. I originally planned on starting with a 2.0 liter case but finding one affordable wasn't happening and parts source near me is out of 2.0 liter cases old stock and wanted to experiment with machining a small case to a big case. I passed. My prior experience told me " don't be the Guinea pig" so I just added 1.8 ltr P & C's, used a scat c-25 cam, sent the heads to Adrian at Headflow masters where he fly cut the 1.7 ltr heads, adapted for bigger valaves then ported them a bit too. For aspiration used empi hpmx dual 40's kit.

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Grino66
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:48 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

Shameless70 wrote:
Looks a lot better than the bus my buddy and I just picked up. Will be following your build,


That's no joke. Especially up here in the PNW. Rust and cars is a given.
No complaint from me on my find.
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Grino66
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:57 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

From the engine. I knew better than to assume the trans was in good shape. So out it came, I'm fortunate enough to have Mark Wollart of Strickly Foreign about 30 minutes away from me so off we went to his place. Glad I did because sure enough it was jacked up in a couple ways. Had mark go through it totally, he definitely found some Carnage. He got me all set up with a good looking and working trans. Reassembly with a new clutch, P.P. & t/o bearing and then built a test stand. Usually I wouldn't bother with this if I was doing a V8 but this thing was still a mystery to me and didn't want to attempt an install without some test pulls and tuning first. Everything went good.
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Grino66
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 4:12 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

Some things I read up to take care while engine and trans we're out of it were the gas tank and the shift tube bushings. Found the shift coupler bent up at a wierd angle, knew something wasn't right. My advice here is go slow and don't destroy you old bushings taking things out. The originals are better quality than new ones you can buy.
The tank? A flipping miracle. No rust, no pitting, no varnish. Thing was as good as it gets but it did need a gauge sending unit. Have no idea how but there was little hole wore into the bottom of the front shift piece. Didn't seem to make any difference.
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alman72
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 4:54 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

little hole in front shift piece..... From the little metal rod/pin that sticks out of the bottom of the shifter? I have concerns... seems like shifter operation would be altered. I would also worry about the pin dropping into the hole
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airschooled
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:53 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

Nice progress! What a score on the fuel tank too!

Any videos of the engine running? Razz

I would be tempted to leave the hole the the shift rod as a drain hole... obviously water has gotten in there once already... but you will need a rear shift rod... try to source a good used original, the last new aftermarket shift rod I installed was an inch too long and it made the shifter sit far too rearward for comfortable use.

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Grino66
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:08 am    Post subject: Re: The 73 Primo Promo Bus Build Reply with quote

I do have video of it running but it seems unable to upload to the gallery and haven't had time to youtube it yet. But soon hopefully
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