67 Standard Peach Kombi, West Palm Beach, FL

[don.ville]

[Bobs67vwagen]

You know I have never snapped one of the pressure plate bolts over many years of doing this. I have also never used a torque wrench on them. I always carefully tighten them in a cross pattern with small graduations each time. Being 10.9 grade, you would not expect them to snap like that but I guess 60 years of tightening and heat has a cumulative effect on them.

[don.ville]

I replaced the foam headband around the oil cooler

The I noticed the hard fuel line had some wear marks at the firewall tin even though I had a rubber grommet there.
Looks like it wore through the rubber.

I split an extra oil cooler seal (the large diameter ones) and used it for a grommet.

When installing the clutch and pressure plate, one of the bolt heads broke off.

Torqued the rest to 18 ft/lbs spec

Installed engine, adjusted clutch cable, installed bumper, changed oil in engine and the air filter, changed the valve cover gaskets.

The muffler had a small leak at the rear of the can, so I welded it up.
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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

Next I don’t use the thin metal dual port intake manifold gaskets,

I started to cut my own from a thin cork gasket sheet from the auto parts store.

Each time I cut it I used to trace it from a paper gasket, then I realized the paper gaskets aren’t cut that well, so I ported them by matching if to the exact size of the intake port holes for an extra 10 horsesh*tpower

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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

Fixing intake manifold preheat tube leaks using JB Weld epoxy

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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

since the bus is running great, it's time to take it apart and fix it.

Engine out

Fan shroud and intake manifold off

Mexican engine oil cooler made in Germany

The intake manifold heat riser tube has a leak, and the throttle cable tube is rubbing against the oil cooler.

Flywheel removal

Rear main seal appears to be leaking

Old seal out

Got a replacement Elring

Installed it and added some RTV to the camshaft plug seal

OM (Original Mexican) oil cooler seals

Got replacement Elring

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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

Drove 3 hours to Florida Bug Jam 2025 this year.

In true swap meet style, I found a Mk1 cabrio brake light lens.
I had to buy the whole cabrio decklid, but left it behind for scrap and removed just the light.

Removed the slight curve in the lens with a heat gun, and now i'm back to 1990's pimp my ride status

Before:

After:

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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

I decided to find tiny LED lights to fit into the two square holes to light up the tag.

Before

AFTER:

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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

So for the last 16 years I’ve been driving this bus I never had any license plate lights.
A third brake light was located where the license plate light should be.

There are also two extra square holes above the 4 screw holes for the license plate.

I wasn’t aware the previous owner cut the hole above the tag to make it wide enough for a third brake light from a Mark1 Rabbit cabriolet.

I ordered a white bus license plate light to replace the red brake light, but once I saw the hole they cut for the third brake light I realized I would either be welding it back smaller, leaving the light, or replacing the decklid for the correct style.
I choose to leave the third light as is.

Brake light on (aimed downward)

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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

[pyrOman]

[BarryL]

I have used two individual ones on an engine that two pushrods bent and took out the tube. It feels like they are just in there by-gosh-or-by-golly but somehow they have been drip free.

[don.ville]

It may be time to change the oil cooler seals. I see small amounts of oil under the carb.
If I pull engine I’ll do the pushrod seals at the same time.
Not wanting to mess with head bolts, I got these.

Anyone use these ?
_________________

67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

Before I bought my bus the interior light switch on the left side of the steering was missing. Just an empty hole for the last 18 years.

Well I had enough in my piggy bank to get an OE switch to fill the void

Not wired as yet.
The previous owner already installed door pin switches to make the lights come on when the front doors and rear hatch are opened. I disconnected the rear hatch switch but left the ones on the front door since I would have to weld up the holes if I removed them.


Saving up next for the headlight, wiper, and hazard switches on the dashboard to replace the late model beetle switches.
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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[BarryL]

[Buggeee]

Nice touch.
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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[don.ville]

Another random cleanup item.
The rubber trim on the elephant ear mirrors.
I removed the old trim sometime before 2010 and left it naked since then.

The sharp edge cut a serious slice in my forearm earlier this year when I was washing the roof. Lots of blood lost.

Let’s fix that.
I ordered part 211857515 from Wolfsburg West for a few dollars.

I was really stiff so I had to heat it up.

_________________

67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[don.ville]

[Buggeee]

It looks great
_________________
Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[BarryL]

So nice. Good job.

What sequence of layers did you use on the seats?