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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 16863
Location: sticksville, ct.
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 Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:30 pm Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
Just for shits & giggles, I pulled out my redneck bore gauges…
Nope, not .40 (or 10mm) ID.
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ha! i have the same bore gauge. also have different diameters as a good mechanic should 
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| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12848
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:19 pm Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
ha! i have the same bore gauge. also have different diameters as a good mechanic should |
Today’s task was to devise a way to get fuel back in to the tank…. Again, without modifying the tank. Towards the beginning of this build, one of the first things that I realized was missing was a fuel sender unit so I looked one up on Rock Auto & ordered one without really paying attention to what I ordered.
What I received was a universal VDO unit. Okay, no problem, what the hell, let’s see what I need to do to make this work.
DO NOT ORDER THIS UNIT FROM ROCK AUTO!
As I found out, their listing is incorrect for the early busses & the resistance range is not compatible.
That being said, I’ll share the rest of my endeavors so you can laugh.
I found a flare nut laying around so I clamped it to the top of the sender unit.
Then, after disassembling the unit, I welded the nut to the top plate & after it cooled, I punched a hole through the center. I will drop a section of 5/16” hard line through this & seal it with a compression fitting.
So this is where I realized my first fuckup & how luck played out for me, I didn’t think about the possibility that the holes for the sender were not concentric.  
Fortunately, this worked out & the hole for the return ended up at the rear (or front?  )
Now then, knowing that I needed to adjust the depth, length, throw, & height of the sender, I began plotting each of these steps. Upon the first fitment, I found that the unit was too long, so I shortened it to its minimal length, upon insertion, it was still too long, so I had to disassemble the unit again & remove the extension & reattach the sender portion back to the support bracket.
Then comes the part where I tried to calibrate it. 
I grabbed a battery & half ass attached it to the bus.
SWEET! No smoke!
So I turned the key…. NOTHING! No lights…. Oh wait…. Dumb ass, there ain’t nothin hooked up back there.
I checked for voltage at the various connectors & finally found the fuel sender wire, yeah, the BROWN one, WTF?!? Anyway, I attached it to the sender & then grounded the sender & started to see where the gauge read or if it even worked.
Hah! Whaddaya know, it works.
And this is where I realized that Rockhead Auto sent the wrong unit. I was sent 10-180 Ohms unit…
Here is the reading at full, but it doesn’t quite reach full due to the 10 ohm limit.
And as I move the arm it decrease the level…
So knowing that these are the limits in which the gauge works, I tested resistance.
So now I know that I need the 0-90 Ohm sender. After some research, I ordered a VDO 276-008 from Jegs & I only need to swap the top plate from this unit.
For what it’s worth, Jegs has a VDO tube type sender available for those of y’all looking for a new sender. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE ORDERING IT to see if it works on your bus!!!
https://www.jegs.com/i/VDO/918/224-223/10002/-1
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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SGKent 
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:53 pm Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
ha! i have the same bore gauge. also have different diameters as a good mechanic should |
Today’s task was to devise a way to get fuel back in to the tank…. Again, without modifying the tank. Towards the beginning of this build, one of the first things that I realized was missing was a fuel sender unit so I looked one up on Rock Auto & ordered one without really paying attention to what I ordered.
What I received was a universal VDO unit. Okay, no problem, what the hell, let’s see what I need to do to make this work.
DO NOT ORDER THIS UNIT FROM ROCK AUTO!
As I found out, their listing is incorrect for the early busses & the resistance range is not compatible.
That being said, I’ll share the rest of my endeavors so you can laugh.
I found a flare nut laying around so I clamped it to the top of the sender unit.
Then, after disassembling the unit, I welded the nut to the top plate & after it cooled, I punched a hole through the center. I will drop a section of 5/16” hard line through this & seal it with a compression fitting.
So this is where I realized my first fuckup & how luck played out for me, I didn’t think about the possibility that the holes for the sender were not concentric.
Fortunately, this worked out & the hole for the return ended up at the rear (or front? )
Now then, knowing that I needed to adjust the depth, length, throw, & height of the sender, I began plotting each of these steps. Upon the first fitment, I found that the unit was too long, so I shortened it to its minimal length, upon insertion, it was still too long, so I had to disassemble the unit again & remove the extension & reattach the sender portion back to the support bracket.
Then comes the part where I tried to calibrate it.
I grabbed a battery & half ass attached it to the bus.
SWEET! No smoke!
So I turned the key…. NOTHING! No lights…. Oh wait…. Dumb ass, there ain’t nothin hooked up back there.
I checked for voltage at the various connectors & finally found the fuel sender wire, yeah, the BROWN one, WTF?!? Anyway, I attached it to the sender & then grounded the sender & started to see where the gauge read or if it even worked.
Hah! Whaddaya know, it works.
And this is where I realized that Rockhead Auto sent the wrong unit. I was sent 10-180 Ohms unit…
Here is the reading at full, but it doesn’t quite reach full due to the 10 ohm limit.
And as I move the arm it decrease the level…
So knowing that these are the limits in which the gauge works, I tested resistance.
So now I know that I need the 0-90 Ohm sender. After some research, I ordered a VDO 276-008 from Jegs & I only need to swap the top plate from this unit.
For what it’s worth, Jegs has a VDO tube type sender available for those of y’all looking for a new sender. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE ORDERING IT to see if it works on your bus!!!
https://www.jegs.com/i/VDO/918/224-223/10002/-1 |
you'd have more fun connecting those jumpers to your nipples if all you were looking for was pain and excitement. I can think of many easier ways to do what you did. 
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12848
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:01 pm Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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| SGKent wrote: |
you'd have more fun connecting those jumpers to your nipples if all you were looking for was pain and excitement. I can think of many easier ways to do what you did. |
Easier way of doing what? Exactly how long do you think it took to weld a nut to the sender unit & check the function of a gauge? I shared hoping that it might help guide someone through the process.
Yes, it took a bit to make a “fits anything” POS fit & checking to make sure that it works & im glad that I did, because it doesn’t.
FWIW, it took far longer due to stopping to take pics to try to share the misadventures, & probably three times that to make the post than it did to do it, sorry that it was not to your standards. I’ll be looking forward to your thread on converting a bus.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12848
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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The reason that I went with the Passat mounts & oil pan is due to the fact that I already had a carrier bar laying around that I made for the Crusty Pig. For those that don’t remember that beast, I’ll include the construction process of that carrier here. If you remember it, or just choose to forget about it, move along as this will be a long post.
| TDCTDI wrote: |
Today I decided to start construction on the engine carrier bar. I started with a trip to a big box hardware store to get a 10' section of 1" schedule 40 pipe & some steel plate.
I then cut off a 48" section to prep for bending.
Due to the fact that my cheesy bender has a tendency to kink & deform the pipe past a certain # of degrees, I decided to fill the pipe to keep the deformation to a minimum.
I then found an old brake pad to weld the cut end shut.
Hmm, why does the shop suddenly smell like overheated brakes? 
While looking for a place to lean the pipe to fill it, I realized that the Crusty Pig was willing to lend a hand.
I decided to use what I had on hand, about 5#s of black powder... just kidding, I used some aluminum oxide sand blasting media.
Now all I have to do is get an end cap to close off the other end. |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
So I picked up an end cap today & I also got a 3/4" plug. After tamping down & refilling the pipe a few times, I ground the plug down a bit to get it to fit the pipe without binding (so I can get it out later.).
Then I inserted it onto the media in the pipe.
I then drilled & tapped the end cap so I could tighten the plug to keep compression on the media.
Then I stuffed the 1.8t into the Crusty Pig so I could start fitting the engine support bar.
Then I started measuring, bending, & checking the fit of the pipe.
After all the maneuvering & bending I ended up with this...
Now I just have to fab up the mounts & hangers & glue it all together. |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
| coolerthanelvis wrote: |
Why reinvent the wheel? Use a Type3 hatch. They're quite a bit bigger than the late bay access hatch.
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I wasn't going to "make" an access panel but had planned on possibly using one from a Vanagon but I do like that TypeIII one a lot better, thanks. (And after seeing how tight the 1.8t is in there, I'll have to do it sooner than later (Just to avoid punting puppies, kicking kittens & stomping baby seals, Thanks Skills ).)
So I played with the carrier bar some more & got it too fit the way I liked & started making the mount tabs & tacked them in place.
Then, after checking fit, I ran a bead on them.
Here is the carrier bar in it's final shape without the gussets & body brackets.
I still have to trim the one bracket to make it a bit more visually appealing. |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
So... I uncapped the carrier bar & dumped the blast media back in my cabinet & cut the brake pad off the other end.
Then I bolted it to the engine so I could get measurements to make the frame mounts.
Then I turned my attention to the body mounts, I like to ensure that there's a mechanical fit instead of just relying on a weld to suspend an engine so after taking measurements, I used a hole saw to bore a 1 1/4" hole in the steel stock.
Then cut it to length & checked for fit
That concludes today's Crusty Pig update, stay tuned for the next installment of redneck engineering 101. |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
After fitting the carrier bar & adjusting where the frame mounts were to go, I finished making the frame mounts.
And then attached the inner ones to the carrier bar.
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
For today's Crusty Pig update, I cut the carrier bar to length & welded the outer frame mounts to it.
Then I fitted it back to the Bus.
Tomorrow I'll have to make the gussets & weld them to the carrier bar. |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
Today's Crusty Pig update consists of some more carrier bar progress. I made some gussets for the body mounts.
And then glued them up.
And then refitted it to the Bus.
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
| asiab3 wrote: |
(I don’t know much about fabrication... |
Neither do I, I just make the shit up as I go 
| asiab3 wrote: |
| ... but I enjoy lurking...) |
Thanks! That's quite the compliment coming from the millennial bus whisperer.
Y'all remember the filler piece I removed from the sliding door track?
I repurposed it as the engine mount support gussets.
First, I made horseshoes out of it & then used my hole saw to cut to length.
Fitted them to the support bar.
And then married them together.
Now they are one.
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_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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calvinater
Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2014
Posts: 3327
Location: 802 The Pointless Forrest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:29 pm Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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Where is the old 55 gal drum ? How much is left?
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"Albatross"! |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12848
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2021 11:31 am Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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| calvinater wrote: |
| Where is the old 55 gal drum ? How much is left? |
I still have about half of it. Fortunately, I don’t think that I’ll need much of it for this beast. 
The new sending unit arrived today.
Here it is with the previously modified one…
So I took them both apart so I could swap the top caps.
And removed the unneeded parts from the new one.
I also trimmed off some excess length from the extension bracket.
With that out of the way, I measured the depth of the tank.
Since I am dropping a return line into the tank, through the top of the sender unit, I flipped the sender to the other side of the bracket so the return line would not interfere with the sender.
I then halved the measurement of the depth of the tank & set the pivot point of the sender to 4 5/8”.
Contrary to the instructions, since the early bus gauge reads resistance backwards from most more modern gauges, I installed the float to the other side of its intended position & after setting the float where it would meet its full throw within the tank, I lopped off the excess rod.
And slipped it into the tank to ensure that the float had full range of motion.
I then removed sender & hooked it back up to the nipple clamps to ensure that the gauge was accurate through its entire sweep.
Unfortunately, I should have performed this test first. Since the sender is reading backwards from its intended design, there was about two inches of travel before it started to read from “empty”. This would have potentially given me about 250-300 miles of reserve. The gauge didn’t start reading anything until the float arm reached that Phillips head screw.
But once above that, the gauge worked perfectly.
So after bending the lower stop tang to rest against the float rod at empty, I extended the rod out a bit further, and then slid the sender down a bit on the extension so that the float just tapped the bottom of the tank & checked the gauges accuracy once again.
Just off empty…
And full…
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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vwwestyman
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5688
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12848
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2021 9:45 am Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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Continuing on with the fuel tank, I treated the inside with Ospho, and after letting it dry, I chipped away at sand blasting the outside.
That’s when I realized that there was some pitting that was a bit worrisome.
So before I wasted any more time, I dumped about 3 gallons of used ATF in the tank, sloshed it around, and let it sit overnight. Satisfied that there wasn’t any leaks, I dumped the contents & carried on with restoring the tank. I also procured a section of 5/16” brake line & the aforementioned compression fitting.
I bent the line into an agreeable shape, making sure to make a soft curve in the section in the tank to direct the flow towards the side of, and bottom of the tank to reduce splashing/foaming of the fuel as it is returned to the tank.
I then installed the return line into the tank & tightened the fitting.
While the tank is curing, I turned my attention to where I was going to stash the ECM. Huh, that void beside the tank looks like a perfect fit.
Well, almost anyway. I then carefully modified the mounting points on the TDI ECM bracket so it fit better.
If y’all already thought that the transmission was doomed, wait until you realize that this (there again, some more shit I have laying around.) ECM is a stage 2 tune with Immo & EGR delete. 
With the legs tweaked to shorten them, I snugged the bracket up to the side & drilled holes where the bracket would now reside. I then repurposed a few Golf/Jetta fender bolts to secure the bracket.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12848
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:19 am Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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My TDI starter adapter arrived today so I just had to install it on the transmission. I threaded the starter studs into it & then bolted it to the transmission with the lower bolt.
Since the was designed for use in an aircooled block, the supplied upper bolt was too long & threaded completely through the engine adapter & bottomed out when it got to the block. You can see here how much longer it is.
So I rummaged through my spare bolts bin & found a suitable replacement.
And bolted up a starter that I had laying around.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12848
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:19 am Post subject: Re: Holey Cannoli |
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Today’s misadventures consisted of installing the fuel tank. After cleaning, blasting, & repainting the tank, the 50+ year old insulation pads were in rough shape. Not wanting to wait several more days for new ones to show up, I carved a section of carpet out of a parts car.
And made new pads out of it.
Using the original tank out of the bus…
I glued the new pads to the restored tank.
And proceeded to stuff the new tank in place.
By the way, it’s a much better idea to remember to attach the wires to the sending unit BEFORE installing the tank.
I also opted to make a support bracket for the return line to limit the possibility of fractures due to vibrations. I made it out of an old CV boot clamp that was laying around & I bent it up to resemble the support on the vent tube.
And carefully crimped it onto the return line…
And slipped it into place.
I also made a couple extra pads to keep from marring the paint as I installed the straps.
Which I repositioned once the straps were in place.
I then snugged the straps down.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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