1974 Riviera - Busaroo

[Ives676]

It's been a while since updating. Still tinkering and changing things.

Still working on the interior. I have the passenger's door panel almost done. Still need to do the driver's side.

I have also been adding little upgrades like the electric windshield washer pump and an auxiliary fuse box with some relays for my washer pump, additional louder dual tone horn, and future expansion.

And I downsized from the General Grabbers to the Hankook RA 18. My garage door is short enough that the vehicle couldn't fit inside without removing the luggage rack from the front of the roof, adding weights to the vehicle, airing down the tires and having my wife be a spotter watching the clearance as I creeped in and out of the garage. The Hankooks should help with that issue. I still have to air down the tires a bit.

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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[Clementine79]

This looks really nice, good to see Rivieras in such good restorations!

[Anchovy]

[Ives676]

[Anchovy]

Thanks for all the detailed info.

[metahacker]

lovely bus and quite a rehab you have done with it
it must be a blast

i do not believe it is a riviera

the open cargo box in front - and the extra little ridge molded into the whole top assembly - those are not riviera things - they are found on the spirit/safare pop-tops - and i believe some others

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=546200

[Ives676]

Wow time flies! I think I might have ADHD or to many hobbies. I can focus on the VW for a while and then I get distracted by other interest. When I actually focus on it things get checked off the list. Funny how that all works.

Some updates and progress. Sorry for the picture dump but it is fun to see things getting done!

Driver side door panel rebuild and vapor barrier going on. I do have the blue vent sliders for the door vent and the handle is on just not in the picture.

Sliding door insulation and door panel. Still need to make the vapor barrier but I ran out of plastic sheeting.

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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[Ives676]

I also ordered some stainless steel footman loops. Cleaned and painted the bars for the luggage rack. I added nut inserts for all of the holes and stainless hardware to bolt everything down. The original setup was all rivets. Eventually I may add a mesh to stop leaves and debris from gathering on the cab roof under the luggage rack.

Before....years ago:

After:

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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[Ives676]

Also plugging away at the interior. The pop top has lots of unique vinyl covers that needed redone. I purchased the yardage of vinyl, disassembled the original trim, used the old moldy blue vinyl as a template, and cut out and rebuilt the trim. It is hard to photograph but there was quite a lot to redo. The wiring hanging down is for a light fixture that I haven't replaced yet.

I also cleaned and refinished the two sections of the upstairs bed that flip into the camper opening to make a full length bed. The two wooden pieces were cleaned on the formica side. The top side was sanded and refinished in outdoor spar finish to match the bed platform. New black plastic molding was added around the edges and new black plastic T-molding was added to where these panels sit on the upstairs trim.

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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[Ives676]

The insulation in the engine compartment was in good condition but the plastic protecting it was dirty. I cleaned it and wrapped it in new plastic preserving the original VW card and plastic inside.

I ordered a whole bunch of products from Werksberg to finish up some areas. Kick panels, engine compartment ceiling, and cargo area. I had to trim a few pieces to fit better (not his fault). I customized the driver's kick panel because of my fuse box location and my engine compartment had a triangle shaped bracket on the ceiling where his panel had a rectangle shape. The quality is great and using a Dremel with a cutoff wheel and being careful made quick work of it.

I also added a blaze cut fire suppression system to the ceiling panels with nut inserts and hose brackets.

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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[Ives676]

The interior camper cabinetry has been a pain. I am trying to fit a late Westfalia cabinet set into the bus and I am learning a lot as I progress. Everything has received new cherry Formica. I have rebuilt each cabinet. As needed I am refreshing joints with new wood glue, cleaning and reinstalling or replacing black t-molding and trim, and replacing broken or moldy sections.

The sink cabinet fits nicely and bolts to the driver's bulkhead. The cooler/storage cabinet is to long for the opening between the rear firewall and the sink cabinet. I am going to have to modify it to fit. I am planning on removing the cooler icebox anyway and just making it all storage. Still trying to figure out the size. I need to get the seat mounted first.

The CIP1 seat frame I ordered has been a pain in the ass. The powder coating just flakes off, the instructions are terrible, the seat angle seems way to far back to be comfortable. I am building a seat box for a base that will match the other cabinets. Still tinkering with the setup.

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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[metz]

Somehow I've missed this build. So nice! One of my new favorite buses on here.
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68 panel
64 ghia coupe

[RalphWiggam]

Super nice build man. Awesome!

[Ives676]

Just to follow up on a couple issues I was having. When idling the engine would idle surge occasionally and just rev up and down 5-8 times and then return to a normal idle. I took out the IAC valve and cleaned it and that didn't help.

I decided to just take it to my local (non dealer) Subaru mechanics. They spent about an hour on it and figured out the throttle cable tension and set screws needed adjusted and fixed the idle revving and also the issue I was having in 4th gear where I said it didn't have any power. Now I have loads of power in all 4 gears. The throttle response is immediate and fast now. Going from a stop to cruising speed is effortless now and so much better. I haven't ridden in anyone else's Subaru swapped bus to have as comparison so I had no baseline for what it should feel like. Just swapping out my tired type 4 was a huge improvement.
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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[Ives676]

Still knocking out some stuff on the interior. I added a little pizazz to the gauges by matching the cherry interior.

I finished up the ceiling with new Baltic birch plywood. First I installed the front to back "J" channels that hold the ceiling panels up. Then I made a template out of cardboard and sheets of paper where there were complex curves.

Then after lots and lots of trimming, testing, removing, trimming, testing, removing.......I had a template that I transferred to the Baltic birch. Another couple rounds of testing and trimming the plywood and fine tuning because the birch plywood bends differently than the cardboard so the fit needed to be more precise.

After getting a good fit I sanded, stained, and polyurethaned the panels. I bought the "H" channel from McMaster Carr and cut those to fit the space and connect the three sections (cab ceiling, pop-top opening, and rear ceiling)

I still don't know what to do with the section above the rear cargo door. I have a head banger cabinet but it is a late westy style(flat ceiling) so I would have to create a new front and back panel to fit the curved roof. Still thinking that over.

I also repainted the rear seat in black to match the rest of the interior. I am going to get the seat cushions done soon in a matching tweed to the front seats.

Not a great picture of the seat frame but you can see how it will look from the rear of the vehicle.

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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[DaytonTheMunk]

Wow! This build is inspiring! Love the attention to detail and workmanship! thank you for sharing!

[Ives676]

[Ives676]

Hey everyone! It has been a little while. With a heavy heart, I have decided to sell my bus. I built this vehicle to be my forever bus. I spent so many hours researching, repairing, restoring, and sweating over this vehicle. Every step of the way was filled with love for this vehicle.

I was able to finish everything that I wanted to before making this hard decision. As lots of you know, we all grow and change as time goes on. Our wishes and wants change over time. Owning a bus has been a goal and dream of mine since I was in middle school. There was an independent VW repair shop down the street from my house and every time we passed the shop I would look at the squarebacks, notches, beetles, and buses parked at the shop and think they were so much cooler than the cars most people drove. They just had character. This bus was a journey, a teacher, and a friend. Sadly, it is time for the next family to take this vehicle and enjoy it. It was built to last another 50+ years and I hope it is enjoyed for much longer. Thank you to everyone that has commented, answered questions, and kept these great vehicles around for so many to enjoy. Without your knowledge and community so many of these vehicles wouldn't be around.

Here are a few pictures from getting it ready to sell:

I'm not sure if promoting an auction off of thesamba.com is allowed or not. If not I will gladly edit this post to remove the auction listing.

Bring a Trailer listing: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-volkswagen-bus-15/
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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031

[skills@eurocarsplus]

wow! sad to see you go

i know exactly what you mean in terms of moving on. i myself have thought about this very hard the past 2-3 years.

sadly, i don't think you'll get back what you put into it but i think that holds true for all of us. we spend carelessly to build what we deem our dream.

some of me wishes i took the 70k offer i had when i first built my deluxe...the rest of me is glad i didn't.

i hope you do well in the auction and hope you recycle the $$ into something fun
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[Ives676]

@Skills, thanks for the kind words and all the help over the years.

The money is just part of the journey. Learning so much and restoring something that brought so many smiles was worth it. I am hoping enough people see the auction and realize the amount of work that went into the project and don't just discount it as an old cheap VW.
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1974 Riviera - Subaru EJ22
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630031