Another poor sap with Bus fever

[KentABQ]

I ended up ordering the ignition switch from CIP1, because I needed a door seal from them anyway. The switch was $20, and appears to be just like the one I took out, which I'm assuming was original. And now she's starting like a champ again!

Incidentally, I placed the order with CIP1 Sunday night, and had the part in my hand today (Tuesday) by 2pm. Can't beat that!

Perfect timing, too, since my SUV is having problems now...
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[wcfvw69]

[KentABQ]

[wcfvw69]

[KentABQ]

[KentABQ]

It's a cold morning here... (55*!!! How do people live in such harsh conditions?!?) ...so I've been sitting here and reading thru some of the old Samba threads. And I started looking thru this thread and the progress that has been made over the past couple years. It dawned on me how great it was to document this process, from purchase to today's purring/running vehicle. I can look back and reminisce (and cringe at times) on the successes (and failures) that have popped up along the way.

So I'd recommend to my fellow newbies to start a thread of your own. Not only will you have a record of your progress, but you will have all the sage advice from the experienced Sambanistas. This will not only document your progress, but will also help motivate other newbies in the future... like Sambosamba22 did for me when I first visited The Samba.
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[SamboSamba22]

Always kind, always supportive. Kent, you’ve done a marvelous job, it’s amazing what a fella can learn from an old forgotten bus. Almost makes ya feel like smilin and cryin’
_________________
The Bus Barn Ltd. Co.

Oct. ’67 Double Cab (’68 Crew Cab)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44412.png]Click to view image[/URL]
March '69 Delivery (Panel Bus)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44414.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[KentABQ]

I scored bigtime this past weekend...

At BBB, dstimm (Daryl) stopped by for a beer and a good chat. He mentioned he had a friend in Encinitas who had a running 2.0l GD engine for sale... with AMC heads! Daryl was kind enough to put me in contact with the seller, and I drove over and picked it up yesterday. It's a working engine, but has low compression on #1.

My original thought was to harvest the heads, rebuild them, and use them on the 1.8l I'm building (with lots of help from my very experienced type 4 engine friend). However, he suggested ditching the 1.8, and concentrate on building up the 2.0. So that's the focus currently. Once the heads are rebuilt, we will re-evaluate.

EDIT: The heads are square port, so useless with my set up. Luckily, a friend to the south needs square port, and has oval port heads to exchange. I'm crossing my fingers they are good enough to rebuild.
....

On a different subject, when Robbie was here last, he showed me how to access the clutch cable and clevis pin...

Whew! Caught that baby in the nick o' time! Robbie had me grease up the pivot point. Now the clutch is smooth as new.
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[SamboSamba22]

Where’s this pivot??
_________________
The Bus Barn Ltd. Co.

Oct. ’67 Double Cab (’68 Crew Cab)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44412.png]Click to view image[/URL]
March '69 Delivery (Panel Bus)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44414.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[KentABQ]

[wcfvw69]

Grease is clearly overrated. Another Bay forum member meticulously greased that pin for years on his bus. It never had any wear on the pin.
_________________
Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours**

[KentABQ]

I dare the new pin to wear!
I greased it with a giant dollop of Corn Head Grease.
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[KentABQ]

It's amazing how life can change suddenly when you're not looking...

This long-term born-n-raised California boy is picking up stakes and moving to Florida.

As many have mentioned in other threads, the cost of living in California is rising with no end in sight, and available work in my field is slowing down. Luckily, I have an excellent job opportunity in Orlando that is too good to pass up.
So this California Hillbilly is headin' East!

Plans call for moving everything except Chloe this May. And then in the Fall, I'll fly back and take a leisurely drive east in Chloe, stopping to see whatever looks good along en route. I'm hoping to cross paths with a few Sambanistas on the way. And if there are any big meets around that time of year (later Sept or Oct.), I'll make travel arrangements around it.

Any recommendations of VW gatherings in the south that occur around Sept or Oct? Also, I'm open for ideas on routes or great stopping places along the way. I'm pretty unfamiliar with any camping opportunities east of Arizona.
And I'm especially interested in avoiding congested metro areas.
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[andrewtf]

I got a recommendation.......

My house.

Murphy will need a snuggle buddy as Big Emma will have flown the coop long before then.

Robbie can tell you where to find the key.

_________________
'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' (Pan American highway trip paused for a make over)
'77 Riviera - Murphy' (being reborn.... slowly)
'63 Austin Healey

[white74westy]

[wcfvw69]

[Stuartzickefoose]

[SamboSamba22]

Driving through the Southeast, you know where to find me.
The Eureka Springs show is the last weekend of August. Roughly 300 VW's in one of the oldest, funkiest towns in the state, folks from 12 states come to this show.
Kent, you're more than welcome to attend, us "Southerners" would be happy to welcome you and give tips on an appropriate accent
_________________
The Bus Barn Ltd. Co.

Oct. ’67 Double Cab (’68 Crew Cab)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44412.png]Click to view image[/URL]
March '69 Delivery (Panel Bus)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44414.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[KentABQ]

Andrewtf:
I may just have to stretch my route a little bit to the north so I can meet you, Mrs TF, and Murphy after all this time. We've shared parts, stories and Riviera insights, and I've met Emma, Sven and the Big E, but not the rest of the gang yet. That oversight needs to be corrected.

White74Westy:
I'm looking forward to meeting a new group of fellow VW aficionados. What part of FL do you live in?

Wcfvw68:
You are high on my list to meet, Bill. You've provided so much good info in the past couple years, as well as a beautifully rebuilt, correct distributor. I'd love to meet you and Eva. And see your distributor rebuild process, if possible.

Stu:
If you are still hanging around SoCal in mid-April, Xevin and I may have to track you down when we tootle thru the OC and San Diego. So don't head north quite yet, okay?

Sambosamba22:
As I've said before, your thread was my first read in The Samba, and provided me with a lot of incentive even before Chloe was delivered to me. So heck yeah, I'd love to meet you and see the PushPop.
As for the accent... well, I have this terrible habit of unknowingly imitating people's accents while talking with them. My former father-in-law was a Texan, and the first time we met, he started laughing uncontrollably after a couple hours. He was laughing at a Texas accent coming out of a California boy. I found out later my former wife was horrified that he might punch me when I started talking that way. But we ended up being great friends, and still are even though his daughter and I split 35 years ago.
So if I start sounding a little too native, try not to punch, okay Sam?
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[Stuartzickefoose]