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The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW Mexico
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jtauxe Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 7:17 pm    Post subject: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW Mexico Reply with quote

I am finally building my build thread on the restoration of this neat truck to its factory configuration, if not factory condition.

I have previously discussed this truck in this thread:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=552034
but I thought I'd make a clean start of my experiences with this truck.
The story starts in 2013, so I'm starting five years behind the events, but I will reconstruct the story in chronological order as best I can, and in pieces, because this is going to take awhile.

-----------------

In Late 2012 I had been watching an ad on The Samba for a 1975 Single Cab Type 2 VW pickup in Texas. It had been there for several months. These are photos from the ad:

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I traveled to San Antonio, Texas to see the truck in April 2013, and it looked like the ad photos -- OK from 20 ft. Turns out that the previous owner, Gilbert, had used the vehicle for a project in a Paint and Body class at the local College. Here are the "before" pix:

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The original color is L345 Licht Grau - a utilitarian light gray.

The new paint was a pretty metallic two-tone blue that I would later discover was hiding a thousand sins and insults to this hard-run truck. It also became apparent later that Gilbert cut a lot of corners on the prep work. (By 2018, the clear coat had peeled off, along with much of the paint on the roof - down to bare metal, and the truck bed liner on the bed is chipping off revealing rust underneath. Mad )

But the engine started, and the truck pushed itself around with a lot of coughing and sputtering, and the undercarriage was surprisingly clean. The gates worked, the doors worked (with a lot of window scraping noises inside). Some rust holes in the floor of the storage chest under the bed (aka the "treasure chest"), but it had been "treated" with *ahem* fiberglass. Yuck.

I had called ahead to ask Gilbert the PO to take the truck by a reputable mechanic for inspection. (Lesson learned: Don't ask the owner what a good mechanic is.) Pierce Automotive charged me for the following service:

- replaced spark plugs
- changed oil and filter (sure didn't look like it)
- checked the brakes, replacing one of the cables
- adjusted values
- synchronized dual carburetors
- rejetted from 0.125 to 0.040 for cylinders 1, 2, and 3. He could not remove the jet holder for #4.
- compression check: 80, 75, 115, and 110 psi

I had the sneaking suspicion that Pierce and the PO were in collusion when I came to see the truck and they were sitting in his shop shooting bull.

But in the end, it was a Gen-yoo-wine OG VW 1975 Single Cab, and you don't find those often. If nothing else, it would be a great truck for dump runs and parade floats (with the 9-ft x 5-ft flat bed!) So, I gave Gilbert what he asked for it, plus more for the original hoops and perfect PVC tilt. After all, his mother was in the nursing home and those are expensive.

I am embarrassed to admit it, but I was so excited that I actually attempted to drive it home to New Mexico, but did not even make it out of San Antonio on I-10 when I had to make an emergency landing crossing 5-o'clock traffic and diving for the narrow shoulder lane on an overpass. I admonished myself for this stunt, thankful that neither I nor anyone else got hurt. AAA to the rescue, as we trailered the truck while standing on the edge of the concrete barrier -- a 40-ft drop to the pavement behind us. Off to U-Haul for a rig to get 'er home:

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Yes, they made me rent the whole damned box truck, too. 800 miles later and here it is in my driveway:

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Well, let's see what we have here...

M-Code and manufacturer's plates:

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Hmm... Let's decode that M-code plate:

VIN
265 208 4059

M-Codes:

52 084 059
098 171 209 547
A7A751 A05 Z21 070 071
07 2 7707 ME 2610 51

Interpretation:

098 radio model "Ingolstadt" (Really? They're spec-ing the radio?)
171 tubeless bias-ply tires (?)
209 PVC tilt
547 conservation (?)
A7A7 paint code L345: licht grau | light gray
51 interior leatherette dunkelbeige | dark beige
A05 M-codes 507/616:
507 vent wings in cab doors
616 back-up lights
Z21 package: Z01 and Z05:
Z01 bad weather package comprising:
652 interval wiper facility
659 halogen fog lamps
571 rear fog lamp
Z05 includes:
025 trip counter and clock
162 rubber on bumpers
070 tilt and bows for pick-up
071 second lid in side panel (storage compartment doors both sides)
07 day 7 of the month
2 February
7707 temporary serial number
ME delivered to... huh? No one has this export code.

The PO had given me the names of some of the PPOs, so I started calling. I spoke to all previous owners: Bob, his son Bill, Luigi, Tom, and Gilbert. Story was that Bill the VW Dealer had acquired the truck from the Volkswagen factory in Puebla, Mexico, and that the VW factory in Germany has built is as a special factory sample for the Puebla factory. Well, that explains it! That also explains the Z21 package and other tasty M-codes: 209, 070, and 071, especially. So...

ME Mexico
2 Type 2 body
61 Pickup, LHD
051 engine Type 1 AS: 1584cc, 37 kW (50 bhp)
Stiff instead of torsion suspended clutch plate
manual transaxle

Well, that ME export code was an eye-opener. This single cab suddenly got a LOT more interesting, and I felt less bad about overpaying. Gilbert had no idea what he had had. This is a unique vehicle.

OK, so where to begin getting this truck back up and running. Clearly the engine needed work -- probably more than I was comfortable doing. And brakes and wheel bearings and lubrication, and all systems, really. Even the idiot lights were non-functional.

The engine was 1800-cc , fitted with dual Weber 40 IDF carburetors. This was not original, and may have been the remnants of a souped up high performance engine that Bill said he installed when his father gave the truck to him. "It would go one hundred miles an hour on the flat!," Bill told me. Well, maybe so, but that was some time ago, and this engine had seen hard times.

I made a list of what had to be done, typical for a vehicle that had seen little maintenance:

- get the engine running
- replace engine door seal
- replace storage compartment doors seals
- replace the balloon tires (205s!) with proper ones
- service all locks
- get new keys made to code
- service CV joints
- bleed brakes
- replace transaxle fluid
- top up steering box oil
- lubricate the front end
- replace the cracked up steering wheel
- get fresh air ("ambulance") fans running
- fix hazard flashers
- fix clock
- fix nonfunctioning odometer
- repair instrument panel warning light cluster
- rebuild the doors
- rebuild the tilt structure
- install fog lights, front and rear, per M-codes
- rewire the horn
- refinish storage compartment floor
- refinish bed, removing bed liner crap
- completely repaint the truck to its original color
- refinish paint in cab, which had been covered in rattle can black
- replace headliner
- replace mangled 1975-only driver's seat
- reupholster seats
- fix high-beams
- fix intermittent wipers
- fix rear window defroster
- fix door switches for interior light
- replace the horrible truck mirrors with proper VW ones
- replace emblem on nose with proper one
- fix gas gauge

So, getting started on the non-starting engine...

- there is spark at the coil, and at the plugs
- the fuel pump is working
- the oil smells of gasoline, so
- change the oil (it was black, clearly not changed recently), filter, and oil screen and all gaskets

Still no joy. Crying or Very sad

I went about other things, replacing the truck mirrors, servicing locks, adding storage locker seals... I went to replace the early emblem on the nose only to discover that Gilbert had done is bodywork -- er, Bondowork -- AROUND the emblem. So I sanded it all down smooth at least, put some blue rattle can paint on it, and a late bus emblem.

I needed more help with the engine, so I took it to Pablo Sanchez in Santa Fe. He
- verified that it has solid lifters (you never know what people have done)
- set the timing
- carb work:
- the emulsion tube had broken off inside the carb
- put all main jets back to 0.125
- reset the float levels
- cleaned all circuits and jets
- reamed idle jets a bit
- replaced diaphragm on right accelerator pump
- cleaned air filters
- adjusted and synchronized carbs
- checked fuel pressure (3.5 psi)
- repaired an exhaust leak on #4, resetting a poorly-installed stud
- planed the exhaust manifold and reinstalled with new gaskets
- welded a broken air cleaner bracket

After sitting overnight, the #2 spark plug was oily and the #2 cylinder misfires, indicating an oil leak into #2 cylinder, from either the valve guide or rings...

Now it should roll, steer, and stop. And it did, and I used it.

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It was now July of 2013.
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"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD


Last edited by jtauxe on Tue Nov 20, 2018 8:09 am; edited 5 times in total
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:35 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

I'm in. I remember that ad for the truck. Love the story so far.
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 6:18 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

It was time to dig into the dashboard. I disassembled and serviced all the instruments and switches, and even labeled the wiring to aid a future self. First off: Get the idiot lights to work consistently.

Some PO had worked around a failed ignition switch with the Silver Button mounted into a hole on the dash. Maybe you have seen these -- it's the old school version of the keyless ignition. Ol' Gilbert said he had thought that was stock. This is the third one I have seen and replaced. I mean, I guess it works.

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There are other interesting swtiches here. I finally figured out that this orange one with a hole in it was the original dual-position fog light switch. Well, son-of-a-bitch, that's great. But what's with the hole? Some dim bulb must have put in an over-aggressive light bulb and melted it. I later sourced an original used bezel, and a nice repro one as a backup.

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And the ambulance fan switch! I am digging this. Clearly the headlight switch is from some other vehicle, though. I later replaced that with a good used one.

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One of the fans spun, but one was jammed. I futzed with the duct housing and got it freed up. It's binding must have been the result of the wreck. Oh yeah, the punched-in-the-nose wreck thanks to PO Luigi, the welder. More on the nose later.

The turn signal switch got replaced with good used, but the wiper switch is the many-wired intermittent switch -- part of the Z21 package. I hear tell these ended up on Champagne Edition bays later. I'd like to find a spare one, as this one is on its last legs. Or arms, or whatever.

The brake indicator light had a broken board in it. I had a few of these of various designs in my stash so I replaced it with a good used one. This is why I collect parts.

Then I went after the non-functioning odometer. It had been stuck at 153250 km for an unknown time. I lubed it all up and brought it back to 0 again with a drill. I found I could calibrate the speeedometer by running it with an electric drill so that the odometer would turn over 1.0 km in 60 s. At that uniform speed, the speedometer should read 60 km/hr. Adjust needle accordingly.

That odometer worked for 19 miles and pooped out again. I ended up replacing the odometer with a good used one. These European metric speedometers have the trip odometer, too, so that's cool.

August 2013.
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1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:08 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

I’ll tale a nice Cab over a Merlot any day

Subscribed.

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PostPosted: Thu Nov 01, 2018 4:30 am    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 8:56 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

I promised more on the nose.

If you look at the very first photos in this thread -- the ones from the original ad, you will see that the photo of the interior is missing something below the dash. Instead of a heater tee it has a single black vinyl kick panel across the entire front.

I thought that was odd, so I yanked it out (OK unscrewed it, since it had been wanged in with self-tapping screws) to find -- no heater tee. There was evidence of one in the past in the completely mashed down pipe throught he floor that the heater tee is supposed to sit on. Mashed flat and smeared with body putty. Nice.

OK, so in San Antonio you don't always need heat. But didja have to mangle the duct work?

I happen to have a spare heater tee from a 77 bus I chopped up for panels, so I unmangle the pipe as best I can and fit the heater tee on, but -- no... it simply will not fit into the proper location under the dash. Best it can do is sit about 1 cm aft of the proper location. This is an indication of how damaged the nose was when it got punched. It pushed the heater tee out of position. That also explains why the fresh air vents on the nose are so hard to operate. The geometry is off, and they do not open smoothly from opened to closed -- rather they snap into one or the other positions. You've really got to watch your fingers as you open and close the vents with force pressing on the arms directly. There is no way the blue plastic handle could move these.

So, someday a new nose, and a properly connected heater tee. It's not the heat distribution so much as the defrosting functionality that I need. But, meanwhile, I find that a black PVC plumbing elbow fits perfectly on there, and directs the heat right onto my feet. Lovely in the winter.

But getting the heat up to the front was its own challenge.

I guess that the Texans decided that since they didn't need heat, they might was well rip out the entire system. The only part that had been left was the mangled little floor duct up front. Well, heater ducts can be made up reasonably easily, and I'll need the accordion tubes in back, but wait...

WTF, they even took out the Y-pipe that ducts the heat over the rear torsion tube. Son of a bitch! They had to WORK to get that out -- it is welded in during assembly of the body. Why, oh, why did someone feel compelled to rip out the Y-pipe. Fortunately I have a spare Y-pipe from the chopped up donor, but getting heat is going to be a challenge until I can get the Y-pipe replaced. It has to be cut and sleeved and installed and rewelded. Been there.

So I jury-rigged a hideously ugly but surprisingly functional and resilient alternative. The ducting from the rear cross-member forward was the easy part, since I had spare ducting from -- this is like a refrain, now -- the chopped up parts bus. The hard part is getting around the torsion tube. Going over is really tough, since it gets thin up there, which is why the Y-pipe has its special shape. So, I'll have to go under...

I got aluminum flexible ducting and a T to fit, and connected it to each heat exchanger. Two of these ducts are brought forward, right below the torsion tube, and joined to the T that connects to the main duct forward at the rear cross-member. I wrapped the ducts with yellow fiberglass insulation wrap, and then everything with extra-wide aluminum duct tape to make it more-or-less durable against the elements.

Five years later and it still works! Though, I admit the demands of a single cab pickup for heating are far less than those of a bus. It's probably fifth of the space or less.
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"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 10:08 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

So I may just have a intermittent wiper switch in black on a shelf somewhere. I gotta dig it up, but I’m almost positive I still have one. If I find it I’ll PM you.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 11:38 am    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

In August 2013 Colin Kellogg stopped by for a day of counsultation.

We determined that the ignition key housing was at fault for ignition flakiness, not the switch. This I later replaced. I also removed the awful dual truck horns that had been wired in, and restored function of the original horn.

We also cleaned and ulubricated the front of the shift mechanism, and adjusted the timing on the engine, which it seems Sanchez had set to 36°.

A compression test showed poor results, with 66, 80, 66, and 85 psi on cylinders 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. We cleaned the emusion tubes and futzed with carburetor settings, but in the end it seems that #2 and #3 are just not contributing.

Later on down the line...

In order to keep the truck functional while I worked on the instruments, I replaced the instrument cluster with a temporary one from another bus. I also sourced an intermittent windshield wiper relay, though, unfortunately, it is not the programmable type.

When I replaced the headlights with some H4s, I noticed a mysterious extra gray wire in the headlight bucket. There were the normal 3 -- one for low beam, one for high beam, and a ground -- but the ground had an extra pigtail on it, and there was this 4th wire. Only much later did I figure out that this was standard European spec wiring that would accommodate small "city light" bulbs within the headlamp assembly. Wrote up a whole thread on that one:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=684259
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http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 12:05 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

I decided that this engine was in need of at least a top end rebuild, so I contacted Adrian Audirac (headflow Masters) to have him set me up with a new set of heads for this 1800-cc engine, and pistons and cylinders to boot. I have never had the confidence to get into engine work, so I took the truck back to Pablo Sanchez in Santa Fe. He tore down the top end, and peeked at the cam shaft to assure it was OK. He also verified that this engine has solid lifters.

Sanchez installed the new top end, shooting for an 8.5:1 compression ratio, and took the opportunity to tap and replace all the oil gallery plugs.

He also went after the Weber 40 IDF 70 carburetors again, now with .125 main jets and 55 idle jets.

While Sanchez was busy with the engine, I had all the tin powder coated and blasted the black paint off the shroud.

Since the car was up on a lift, this was also a good time to go after the wheels. I suspected that they had received essentially no maintenance ever, so he replaced all the rear wheel bearings and repacked the fronts. He replaced both axles with some I had recently rebuilt (it's so nice to keep a ready-to-roll spare set of axles on hand!) Brakes were gone through, replacing a wheel cylinder, all the hoses, the front discs. The rear drums were observed to be at their wear limit.

When I picked up the truck, I noticed that oil leaked from the bell housing. Sanchez said he had noticed that, too, and even remove the engine to replace the main seal. The leak persisted, though, and he blamed grooving of the flywheel where the main seal contacts it.

So, I had some things to do:

- source a new 215-mm flywheel
- source replacement rear drums (and backing plates, since the old ones had been abused)

And, after a couple of hundred miles of break-in, I
- checked the timing,
- adjusted the valves,
- tightened the exhaust bolts,
- tightened the CV joint bolts, and
- changed the oil to Rotella 15W40 as recommended by Sanchez.

So, that was a whole lot of work, but the truck was much improved for the effort!
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"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 9:00 am    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

December 2013... Back into the instruments...

Turns out the gas gauge would not work due to wonky PO wiring. There was an extra wire from the vibrator to the fuel gauge that occasionally shorted out against the other end of the vibrator. Why? Confused And the wire going back to the sending unit was nearly severed at the gauge. So, good cleanup there!

Bonus: That fix also fixed the occasionally malfunctioning idiot lights. Makes sense, I suppose.

I also changed out the gauge illumination with LEDs. Not stock, I know, but switching back to the original bulbs is trivial.

Time for a good test drive: Round trip to Albuquerque is 200 miles... That got it good and warmed up, and nothing felt hot, so I'm feeling good about that. On the down side, the bell housing is leaking a lot of oil... [Note from the future: Four years later and this problem persists. Not feeling good about that.] What's the deal? What if Sanchez neglected to do the Wilson-style break-in, when you run the engine a 2000 rpm for 20 minutes. Now I wonder.

Well, at least the engine is running and I can turn my attention to other matters.

April 2014: How about new retractable seat belts from GoWesty? Oh, yes. Ah, this is such a nice upgrade!

June 2014: It is time to replace this old patched BugPack muffler. How about a sweet stainless one from Vintage Speed in Taiwan? Oh, yeah! Got that puppy shoehorned in there (as it always seems to be with exhaust parts)!

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

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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD


Last edited by jtauxe on Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 9:28 am    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

Nice to read about all the work you’ve done, John! It’s coming along nicely. You are chasing away a lot of demons, and you will be rewarded for this!

Re: ignition switch... you say the housing was bad? In my mind, you are referring to the cast metal piece that the switch and lock nests into. Can you elaborate a little on this?

Engine leaking oil: If Sanchez and you think a scored crank is the reason, what would the 20 minute break in do to prevent this issue... or did I mis-read something?
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 10:48 am    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

20 minute break in is to burnish the cam usually, and I don’t think he replaced the cam so no foul there. It was just a top end rebuild right?
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 3:31 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

I'm trying to remember the ignition switch housing issue, but, yes, it was the cast metal housing that goes around the steering column. I'll try to remember the detail.

Correct, we did not mess with the cam, so I guess no need for the 20-minute break-in? I though it had something to do with getting the rings to set as well.

I believe one explanation for the leak is blowby, increasing crankcase pressure and causing a leak around the main seal like it supposed to in order to relieve pressure.

I installed a new 215-mm flywheel, even though the old one looked fine -- no sign of any wear where the main seal seals. In the end, I replaced that seal 4 times, 3 with the SABA seal. I am convinced that the seal is NOT at fault.
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1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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cdennisg
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 3:44 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

You could install a valve cover vent kit if you think crank case pressure may be an issue.

The Wilson break-in guide for seating the rings involves the next 25-50 miles of driving where you never keep a steady speed/rpm for more than a few miles at a time, and you do a series of hard acceleration pulls followed by engine braked deceleration. Think of it as going up and down through the gears, with out over-revving or lugging the engine, and not using the brakes unless absolutely necessary to stop.

The idea is that the pressure on the rings during hard accel and decel (both sides of the rings) will force the rings out toward the cylinder walls, in effect "seating them in". A hot oil change is a must after this step, to clear out as much metal as possible from seating the rings into the cylinder walls. If the rings don't seat fully, high oil consumption and excess crankcase pressure can result.
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 3:47 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

ALl my seal leakage was at the partline. On mine oil weeps past the seal right where the case halves meet. You have two capillary paths at that point for each case seam and oil seal meeting spot.
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 3:51 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

SGKent wrote:
ALl my seal leakage was at the partline. On mine oil weeps past the seal right where the case halves meet. You have two capillary paths at that point for each case seam and oil seal meeting spot.


So, a lack of proper sealant application by the builder?
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Wasted youth
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:06 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

cdennisg wrote:
You could install a valve cover vent kit if you think crank case pressure may be an issue.

The Wilson break-in guide for seating the rings involves the next 25-50 miles of driving where you never keep a steady speed/rpm for more than a few miles at a time, and you do a series of hard acceleration pulls followed by engine braked deceleration. Think of it as going up and down through the gears, with out over-revving or lugging the engine, and not using the brakes unless absolutely necessary to stop.

The idea is that the pressure on the rings during hard accel and decel (both sides of the rings) will force the rings out toward the cylinder walls, in effect "seating them in". A hot oil change is a must after this step, to clear out as much metal as possible from seating the rings into the cylinder walls. If the rings don't seat fully, high oil consumption and excess crankcase pressure can result.


I did this process for the one T1 engine I built. IIRC, Wildthings or Busdaddy advised me on this. Can’t recall who it was... anyway, I swear after doing this process I could actually ‘feel’ the improvement; (I think the ring seating greatly improved cylinder pressure) from when I first started moving the bus around after the rebuild. It’s a pretty important step.

By the way, my neighbors really loved me for the 20 minute cam break-in.
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:27 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

First off, love your truck... err single cab Wink
Always wanted one. Probably always will lol

jtauxe wrote:
It was time to dig into the dashboard. I disassembled and serviced all the instruments and switches, and even labeled the wiring to aid a future self.


I was so happy to read this. I recently spent an evening doing the same on my bus. I disconnected every single wire, matched to the diagram, and labeled it. You're the only other person I've heard to have done that. Thank you. I was starting to wonder if that was weird or something. Cool

My excuse was replacing the fuse block, but really I wanted all the wires labeled too! Rolling Eyes
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:01 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

cdennisg wrote:
You could install a valve cover vent kit if you think crank case pressure may be an issue.

This has been suggested to me. In fact, I have a discussion startng around the bottom of page 3 in this thread:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=552034

SGKent wrote:
ALl my seal leakage was at the partline. On mine oil weeps past the seal right where the case halves meet. You have two capillary paths at that point for each case seam and oil seal meeting spot.

Well, the leaking started after the top end rebuild, and the case was never split, so I believe that discounts this theory.

Hikelite wrote:
First off, love your truck... err single cab Wink
Always wanted one. Probably always will lol

jtauxe wrote:
It was time to dig into the dashboard. I disassembled and serviced all the instruments and switches, and even labeled the wiring to aid a future self.


I was so happy to read this. I recently spent an evening doing the same on my bus. I disconnected every single wire, matched to the diagram, and labeled it. You're the only other person I've heard to have done that. Thank you. I was starting to wonder if that was weird or something. Cool

My excuse was replacing the fuse block, but really I wanted all the wires labeled too! Rolling Eyes

Sometimes it is useful to have a bit of OCD. You should see the wiring for my HO model railroad! It's waaaay more complicated than a VW.
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"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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jtauxe Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 2:33 pm    Post subject: Re: The 1975 Single Cab that VW Germany built for VW México Reply with quote

cdennisg wrote:
You could install a valve cover vent kit if you think crank case pressure may be an issue.

You are not the first to suggest this. I'm going to look into it.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus
, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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