'72 project bus for a complete newbie

[Mirmathrax]

Excruciating Escutcheons.

Apparently, I don't have any. So all my switches do the jiggle.

Not only are these things hard to find, they are expensive (https://www.jbugs.com/product/111941515.html?rrec=true)! Yikes.

Buy a bus they said.... All you need is a wrench and a socket set and a screwdriver they said... Now I need an escutcheon tool too? (https://www.jbugs.com/product/VW012941.html). At that price I will just rig something up (and spend more hours worth of time ($$$) than just buying the tool). How do you say C'est la vie in German?

Can I assume all nut escutcheons are the same? I see 10mm and 14mm versions, is that the diameter of the outside or the thread diameter? What diameter is the 72 bus supposed to be? How do you even pronounce escutcheons? It's like covfefe.

I will post more pics in my next update. The whole family got sick for a week, and I am finding everything critical path for the bus is on back-order. Things are taking longer than I planned! I suppose this is life.

-Mirm

[busdaddy]

Hmmmm..., never measured one but I'll guess it's the thread diameter, most are the small ones but some lighted switches with fat shafts might use the bigger ones (gas heater?). The tool can be made by cutting a slot in a large screwdriver, might be just as easy to buy it already made unless you can find a cheapo screwdriver and own a die grinder with a cutoff wheel.

Needle nose pliers work too, but sometimes chew up the slots if you slip, OK on pre chewed ones but not worth the risk with new parts.
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[Mirmathrax]

I had a nice long post all written up, went to preview it, and Samba asked me to log in. Lost it all *cry*.

Well, without all the embellishment, I did some more wiring and found some issues.

My wiper switch looks like it has never ever been disconnected from the wiper motor, there is that much crud on it. However, the wiring diagrams show a red/black wire coming from the wiper motor to the wiper switch in terminal 53.

On my bus, the red/black wire is connected to 31 on the switch. The diagram shows 31 to be a brown wire from 31 on the wiper switch to 31 on the emergency flasher switch and to 31 on the ignition switch. Isn't the red/black wire a hot switched wire, and brown denotes ground? Seems a big no-no how it is wired. I will be re-wiring to match the diagrams.

In addition, my flasher switch does not have a terminal 31. It does, however, have an unlabeled terminal on the side of the case. Is this considered the 31 terminal? Seems to be ground to me. Here is a pic of my exact switch:

I also found a bunch of terminals behind the dash on the bus chassis. What connects to these terminals? Is this where the instrument cluster gets grounded to chassis? Why are there so many, do I need to use them all? I have no idea what all goes here.

Here are a bunch of new things for the bus:

White Hello Kitties and dirty busses are a bad combination. My wife is mad.

Here is a picture of the future bus-pilot:

Thanks for reading.

Nanoo nanoo,

-Mirm

[Abscate]

That case connector is ground, correct. Term 31 goes to chassis, and all those grounds aren’t used, they are just made for lots of accessories. Wiring diagram will show that too.

I always said you- STAY-Shuns but we can look that up.

I have three plastic bins of hello kitty and $3000 of AMERICAN Girl in my attic.


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.ssS!

[Mirmathrax]

Finally update time. I got another window to work on the bus wiring, so I jumped on it. I hope I am really close.

I still have some weird wiring stuff going on. Maybe I should diagram it and ask what the heck is going on. Upon examination, it looks like everything should work, but some of the wiring in the fuse-box does not match the diagrams. IN addition, it looks like my fuse box might be from another year model, as the terminals that look connected in the diagram are not the same ones that are connected in my fuse-panel.

A few questions:

1) On fuse 11, there is a little black wire that goes to the instrument panel. It has 3 connectors on it.

It looks like two of them go to the terminals on the dash indicator lights. But I am not sure where the third one goes. After some research, I think it goes into the right-hand-side of the voltage regulator for the gas gauge. Is this correct (see pic below)?

2) Is there a good source for the connections on the warning light for the dash? I can't clearly see the pin numbers at all on the actual plug and I am having trouble finding it in my searches:

3) my emergency flasher switch, pin 30 has an extra red wire with this thing on the end. What is it?

4) My ignition switch was already installed when I got the bus. Without opening the case on the steering column, I have traced the wires coming out the back of it. There are 5 wires as the diagram indicates coming from the ignition column. All the colors match except one. The diagram has a brown wire, where I have a (blue/brown). Am I safe to assume this is the ground wire? Everything else matches so much in my bus, that I am worried when just one thing is amiss. Here is a pic:

I know that the brown wires indicate ground (-), the solid red wires indicate hot (+), and the multi-colored wires indicate switched hots. What is the solid black? It appears all of that is a hot wire after the ignition coil, but I don't understand what that means. The blacks go to all the brake switches, horn, and the rear window defrost. Is this regulated voltage or something?

-Mirm

[Abscate]

[busdaddy]

[Mirmathrax]

Helpful as always busdaddy. Thanks again.

Even mirrored, my fuse box does not match.

Here is a description of it. W is for white fuses and R is for the red ones:

12 -- --0 (reading left to right on the wiring diagrams)

- W W R R W W W W W W W W

- (W W) R (R W) W (W W) (W W) W W

The parenthesis highlights the ones that are connected. The formatting kind-of sucks. Here is a picture:

I'm also still confused with my ignition wires. I have no brown, just the blue/brown I guess I will have to volt meter the whole thing. I really don't want to have to open the column. Is it easy to get access to the ignition switch to see the connections, or do I have to undo the steering wheel?

-Mirm

[busdaddy]

That's a 73 or newer box, no wonder things seem odd, it'll be interesting when the time comes to mount it. Luckily the bus bars are all in the same spots so it'll function like the 72 electrically. Viewing it in your picture is mirror image to how it's depicted in the diagram below. If you flip it horizontally and look at the fuse side it should have all white fuses except for 9 & 10 (if it doesn't move them so it does). Right now in your pic I see (from L to R) 15, 15, X, 30, 30, acc, 56a, 56b, 58. Just like the 72 diagram says.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/baybus_72a.jpg

That bundle of wires and the terminals on the ends coming from the column are part of the ignition switch, opening up the column won't help, you are looking at the business end right now. That blue/brown may indeed be SU (solid brown on OG switch), check if it grounds when the key is in the slot and the steering unlocked.
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Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
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[60vwnewengland]

I have the complete solex pdsit dual carbs, 72 only linkage, balance tube, and oil bath air cleaner if you’re interested. Not sure if you’re into ditching the single carb for the OG dual carbs. I’m not sure what the advantage would be...
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[Mirmathrax]

Please let this be the weekend I get my bus up and running! I finished the wiring YAY(although I need to connect the rear lights). I will be buying a battery and draining the gas tank this weekend. If all looks good, I'm going to try to crank it! Wish me luck!

[Mirmathrax]

I had big plans this past weekend. Unfortunately, so did my wife...

Looks like I'm not up and running.... yet.

I went to put in my pretty new brake lights from Bus-depot (VW OEM) and learned a new lesson about VW's. Apparently, any time you buy something, the items come with ALMOST everything you need. In this case I am missing the bolts for the screws that hold the lights to the body of the bus. Does anyone know what size the bolts are, I am having a hell of a time finding it.

My bus did not have brake lights when I got it (remember, it was 99% complete, not 100). Okay, to be fair, it did have brake lights in the cabin, disconnected, with plastic that literally Thanos-ed away when I tried to pick them up. And no nuts.

When I buy things, like VW brake light assemblies, I naturally assume that they will come with everything needed to install. That is not the case with ANYTHING I have bought for my bus. Everything lacks the nuts and bolts and gaskets (if required).

And now I know.

On another note, I went to look at my gas lines. It appears that the one I have to the carburatur is new (I will probably replace anyway). However, there is no in-line gas filter. I see all these posts about gas filters, I guess owners are adding them and they were not original equipment?

While my gas line from the pump to the carb looks new, here is the line from the tank to the pump:

Impressively, I can still see the GERMANY writing on the hose! I'm thinking it is super old!

Also, as I was looking at the carb, I found another hose coming out of the back of it, through the engine tin, and into a pipe to the front of the bus. What the heck is this?

-Mirm

[Spike0180]

That line should be the vacuum line for your break booster. Follow it to the front of the bus, it should hook up to your break booster, its the big can attached to the break peddle. It's tough to miss.
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Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[Mirmathrax]

I need to put my heat exchangers back on my engine so I can install my muffler. I purchased a set of exhaust port seals, and they are metal gaskets. Do I need to grease or put some kind of sealant on these, or just put them in dry and tighten up?

If I am supposed to grease or seal them, what do I use?

Thanks!

-Mirm

[NoBudgetVWGarage]

Copper ones?

They need to be annealed (sp?)

Heat red hot on stove then quench in cold water.
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1969 Transporter
1968 Ghia
1959 Ghia Hot VW Drag Car

[NoBudgetVWGarage]

I usually don't use any sealer there. Others may.
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1969 Transporter
1968 Ghia
1959 Ghia Hot VW Drag Car

[Mirmathrax]

Really have to anneal them? That wasn't done at manufacture? I will do it if necessary, but that seems nuts!

[busdaddy]

[RalphWiggam]

Do the annealing process.

I usually use some antiseize on them that holds them to the underside of the heads while I am bolting the heat exchangers on.

Do you have a torque wrench? You will need one.

[Mirmathrax]