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"Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia
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Scottn59c
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 4:49 pm    Post subject: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Hi Guys,

I've been meaning to take some pictures and share my new van with you!

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His name is "Jeddy" or "Jeddy Biscuit" and he's a sad looking but proud '81 Westy. Maybe with a face like his, he should actually be called "Ringo". Remember that old saw about the time Ringo was asked in an interview if he was really as sad as he looked?

"Nah," he replied, "It's just me face".

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Poor old Jeddy looks like someone punched him in the face, and he's also got a pretty nasty large dent in his slider door. Bodywork is on the docket for sure.

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Jeddy has been in the Monterey/Santa Cruz area for his entire life and despite getting toasted by the sun, he sports little rust (other than a hole from a failed seal in the front windshield and a crusty two inch patch of rust bubbles around the rear window trim). I took him off the hands of a college student who was in over his head with this van.

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I've had the van about a week and have done some cosmetic stuff. I broke out the buffer to see what Jeddy's paint looked like beneath all the oxidation. He was a handsome van once and he can be again with some love.

Here's what he looked like before the buffing:

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And here you can see the transformation in process:

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Here he is all cleaned up:

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Last week, I repaired his horn (was blaring all the time and needed a new contact ring), and did some cleaning and cosmetics. I was able to stop the leaking oil from the taco plate gasket thanks to you guys.

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The rear bumper was banged out of shape, so I attempted to straighten it. The rust on the underside was gnarly!

before:

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Rust!

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After:

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The pop top is functional but the tent is totally shot. There are some huge rips and patches:

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I mentioned the low idling problem I inherited with the van in another forum. Jeddy wants to cut out at startup unless He's fed some gas from the accelerator. Might be that he needs the throttle adjusted or could be the cold start valve, auxiliary air regulator or fuel injectors as several of you pointed out. You can also see that the tin cooling seal is shot and that's going to need to get done before we go anywhere too far.
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Although I once owned a Eurovan, Jeddy is my first Air Cooled VW, Vanagon, and stick shift. There's so much to learn that it's overwhelming, but this van is a project, and there's no rush. I live on the northern California coast, and my plan is just to have him be a fun weekender and learning experience.

Inside, this van looks pretty good. There's an inverter set up, but the wiring to it is all buggered up and that's something else I'll have to sort out.

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Even though Jeddy looks like a total beater, he was taken care of by a series of owners who did some important things. Within the last two thousand miles, the van got new rotars and drums as well as pads for all four wheels. The PO also upgraded the brake lines to steel braided, replaced the rear shock absorbers, had the alternator rebuilt and got a new exhaust/muffler. Making my life much easier, Jeddy also recently received new fuel lines and filters, new vaper/vaccum lines, some new belts, valve cover gaskets, and some seals of various types.

In spite of all of that, he needs the idle issue figured out, and probably also a tune-up.

Hopefully you guys can help me along as I wrench and learn new things (like new curse words, how to have the patience to read the manual, and the ability to quit while I'm ahead).

Jeddy is a 1981, which also happens to be the year I came into the world too. While I only get older and uglier with each passing year, I'm hoping I can breathe some new life into my coeval.

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Glad to be back in the saddle and to make some new friends in the Samba forums!
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Last edited by Scottn59c on Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Stuartzickefoose
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 11:53 am    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Thats not an 81, its an 80. Metal rear vents were a 80 exclusive one year only, 81 west to plastic inserts.

Sweet van!
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:02 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Stuartzickefoose wrote:
Thats not an 81, its an 80. Metal rear vents were a 80 exclusive one year only, 81 west to plastic inserts.

Sweet van!
hopefully the title reflects that.... This is a California Vehicle, right?..

Anyway, I agree, nice van, and as an added Bonus , Rust-Oleums Rusty Metal Primer paint neatly blends in with that Color of a Vanagon while you're working on it.... Much less apparent than say a White Vanagon or different colored one... Laughing Not a match, but somehow it 'looks' right against the stock color while you're just taking your time with Body Work..

I discovered this on my '84.... small pleasures....
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:42 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Some '81 models also had the metal grilles.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:00 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Zeitgeist 13 wrote:
Some '81 models also had the metal grilles.



Learn something new everyday! Happy to be wrong Wink
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:14 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Believe me, I used to think that as well, but Mark Drillock set me straight.
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crazyvwvanman
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:20 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

According to VW Parts, about the first half of 81 model production still had metal rear grills. Watercooled inline engine models first came out then and these had intake snorkels up in the rear pillar that needed a removable vent for access to the snorkel so the body was changed. Diesels, 1.6

Mark
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Scottn59c
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:40 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

My VIN says it's an '81. I'll have to try that Rustoleum primer when I get to working on rust repair. Thanks for the tip Wink
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:41 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Hey Guys,

Finally time to post an update!

I've been working on Jeddy's bodywork over the course of summer. It has been slow going because I'm lacking in experience, tools, and $$$.

When I saw this sad looking air-cooled Vanagon, I knew I had to adopt him and fix him up.
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He's looking a whole lot better now!

The first thing I prioritized was patching the rust holes. The seals around the front and back windows long ago gave up the ghost, which led to a nice sized hole below the front windshield on the driver's side:
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Here it is filled and in the process of being blended in. I'll need a new seal, but for now the old one was put back in:
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Then, there was another nice rust hole on the passenger side:
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But the worst was the damage to the front end:
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This was particularly hard and time consuming to remedy. I began with the topmost damage above the "grill". After shaving off the deeply cracked and damaged paint, I did some filling with bondo:
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Even after intensive sanding and primering, my repair would keep showing through. The accident the van suffered in the past evidently caused parts of the "hood" to go concave while some metal went convex. There was also rust to contend with, given that the original damage had gone unfixed for a decade or more.

But the biggest challenge was the damage below the grill where there are geometrical lines to contend with.
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I gradually worked the surface back to flush (or as close to it as I could) with a slide hammer. There are less invasive ways to do it, yes, but I had little luck with a stud puller because the metal is thin, and studs wouldn't stick in many of the areas I needed them to. I hope no one here disses me for how I went about my repair, as I did the same on the Eurovan I used to own and had good, lasting results. The holes I put in were filled in both the front and the back, so the repair should last through the test of time.

Here's Jeddy today, looking much more whole!
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It will probably be awhile before I attempt to paint over the primer. The OEM paint is ridiculously expensive. So I'll be saving up and turning my attention to mechanicals.

Sometimes people buy these vans with serious delusions about what they think they can do. At times, I've felt over my head with this van, but I can look back on the last 6 months with satisfaction. Jeddy still needs a lot of love, but he is coming along great!
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 8:16 am    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Looks great- that was a lot of work.... Applause
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'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
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‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 1:52 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

There is really no good way to fix that dent above the grill.

If you remove the dash and air box, you can get in there but it is a narrow slot with precious little space to work in.

It looks good overall.
Be a rust belt guy I could criticize the fiberglass, it would beva short lived temporary fix at best........ but in a dry area it will probably last for a long time.

Keep up the good work!
BTW my daughter is an '81 vintage too!

Dave
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:17 pm    Post subject: Re: "Jeddy": My 1981 Air-Cooled Westfalia Reply with quote

Sweet lookin ride! Have fun fixing him up. Im no pro, and learn as i go. I have the same color, and have plenty of primed areas on mine, doesn't bother me one bit. Have fun with it, drive him its awesome to keep another classic on the road
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