It's a Thing come true!

[sjhotz]

Ok Update time!

A few decisions have been made and work is proceeding

-Norris 407S Cam & Lifters
-Kennedy 1700lb Clutch & Pressure Plate
-Kymco Exhaust
-34 Pict 3 carb (re-jetted for 1776 and Cam, mechanic assures me while idle will be rough it will have strong low end as well as high end torque)
-Stock Brakes (for now)
-Stock rims with Cooper Tires
-Soft Top (roll bar to come later)
-New hard fuel lines

Rear brakes done, front end will be complete early next week. Engine build will start following front end, once engine build is complete fuel tank will be cleaned and new lines will be run. Hope to have her on the road in a month!

[Chris in Santa Cruz, CA]

Go, man, go!
_________________
current:Bugatti Type 35 kit car (74 beetle), 1972 Thing

previous: 1965 1500 Variant S (first car), 1976 Westfalia, 1978 Bus, 1982 Vanagon

[sjhotz]

Stopped by my mechanic's today after work to pick up my 72 Bay (would not idle, turns out vacuum leak from missing plug on left carb, wee cheap fix!) and check the progress on the Thing. Turns out after all my talk about cams, lifters, exhaust, disc brakes, etc... he went into high gear and was motivated to build a new engine for his Thing as well! He is duplicating my engine (to some degree) and building them in tandem. Case is reinforced (for high RPM), and machine work is done. We talked about raising rear end a bit (he is going to raise it 1 click). 2 rims are de-rusted (via electrolysis), 3rd is soaking, 2 more to go. He gave me some funky guards that look like they can be modified to act as rock guards for the front lights. All in all work is progressing nicely and he is actively enganged in the engine building himself (very good signs for me, he is a master VW mechanic). Was feeling good as I headed home in the bay (once again with power and idle!). Got home to find UPS had delivered my KEP Stage 1 Clutch kit, just waiting for me to enjoy! Gonna drop that off tomorrow, and switch in another rim to the electrolysis tank. Then its Gas Tank time! Wow it's really becoming a reality!

[sjhotz]

Front push bar arrived! Dropped off clutch kit and measured front bumper for push bar holes. Rims came back and tires have arrived, went to tire shop and had them mounted!

From this:

To this:

She's got tires & rims now (General Grabber AT2's 27x8.5R14 on JSP Steel 14inch old school rims), rear brakes are complete, front drums turned, finishing rebuild of front brakes next week. Hopefully engine will be done week after! Soft Top & Frame are ready (anyone know how to de-yellow the rear window, or can it be replaced?).

Hunting for side curtains now!

[sjhotz]

Just found out there is a BN4 heater sitting on the front seat of the Thing, seems complete. As i will be doing alot of snow and cold weather driving during snowboard season, i was thinking it might be good to have both the stock 74 heat (from the engine heater tubes) and the BN4 for those cold times when were trying to warm up after a long day boarding. Figured i'd sorta double the heat sources.

That being said... sounds good to me, but I have no practical experience...
1 - Will a BN4 go into a 74 easily?
2 - Am i looking at nightmare for wiring?
3 - Is it way too much overkill?
4 - Should I be worried about gas usage considering its an 11 gallon tank (I assume the 16 gallon gas tank would take up room the BN4 needs to mount under the hood, assuming thats where it mounts, heh).

[Semper_Dad]

Putting a BN4 into 74 has been done. Requires cutting some holes. Now would be the time to do it while everything is apart. Not sure how you would handle the defrost.

If I were to do it, I would set the stock 74 heating system to provide primary cabin heat and not install the hose from the pleum to defrost ducts.

The BN4 could handle the defrost. I suppose if you installed the defrost connector and flapper valve from a 73 the BN4 could be used for backup heat for those really cold days.
_________________
Walküre Restoration Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737492

[yellow73kubel]

There are a handful of builds on here where people have added the BN4 to their Things, it isn't really all that bad. You just need to cut a few holes for the air intake/exhaust and combustion intake/exhaust. Wiring is simple enough, there are only around 6 connections (if I remember correctly). The only major difficulty would be if you don't have the complete set of controls. I think that the 16 gallon tank will fit in there just fine with the BN4.

You won't regret the BN4 for extreme cold weather. Here in SC, I usually run it on low and have to open a window flap to vent the hot air.

Those wheels look quite nice all cleaned up and wrapped in the Grabbers.

By the way, on the pictures. Try using the 800x600 option in picasa, or change "s128" in the link to "s800". Here is an example:

[sjhotz]

Thats great news guys, thanks for the info, think i'll make him an offer, god i love my mechanic, he actually said "go ahead and take it, let me know what its worth and we will work it out in final cost of the car". Whats a fair offer for a operating BN4 that seems pretty complete (fans, fuses, pull cable, etc) and lets keep in mind this is a guy who has been keeping me on the road for over 30 years in Bugs & Bays at ridiculously low prices, so I don't mind paying a fair price.

[Semper_Dad]

I'm not a gas heater expert but when I did a search for "BN4" I saw prices between $75 and $100 for a used BN4. You're going to need other parts such as a fuel pump and ducting.
_________________
Walküre Restoration Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737492

[sjhotz]

I did same search earlier and all the heaters seemed to be from Bays, hence my concern giving him fair value for it. I take it its not so much really what vehicle the heater came from (as long as its VW) but whether I have all the necessary parts to make one work in a Thing.

Hmm considering she still isn't running yet, and I will have stock heating, think this is gonna be a "in the future" project. Ill definitely buy it and store it for later.

[sjhotz]

Update Time!

Sorry for the lack of recent updates, mechanic was busy getting his thing ready for a family trip so mine was on hold for a week, or so I thought!

Just stopped by the shop today to follow up with him and see how his trip went, also to see how the Norris 407S Cam & Lifters performed with a 34pict3. He was inspired to use the same setup as I have planned, happens to go off-roading in the desert alot, and is no stranger to high speed freeway driving, and as those of you following this thread know (and have cautioned me against) assured me he could make the Stock carb work a Norris 407S Cam. Welp, it was proven to me today!

He took for a spin in his, and BTW it was my first time ever sitting in a VW Thing, that was a surreal moment.

She started right up, idle was admittedly rough at first but evened out to a nice VW rumble once warm. We drove around for about 20 minutes on freeway and streets, the acceleration was smooth and stumble free, with strong torque as low as 1900 RPM, and about 75 MPH at about 3800RPM on the freeway. He then described his trip when i asked about low gear sand and rock crawling...

He went from LA to Bakersfield, was able to cruise the whole way at 75 easily towing a trailer with a quad and bike in it (with the obligatory downshifting on very steep grades of course, she is a VW after all 8P).

Off-road he was able to cruise in 1st gear easily at 2000RPM with just the right mix of traction and speed without kicking up too much sand or rocks (thereby digging himself in through too high RPM's and kicking out all his traction in a rooster tail). Had zero dust issues with stock oil bath air cleaner with a foam filter added at the end of the air intake.

He installed a "governor" from a Vanagan which had the effect of a stutter if you jacked up the RPM's above 4000RPM to protect the drive train and engine. He said the cam would go way beyond 4000RPM and the drive train and engine could be damaged as a result of one was inattentive. I very interested on opinions about this governor.

He then showed me my engine, short block is built! Should be done this week! Man does she look sweet... a thing of beauty.

Anyway... looks like once again my 30 year+ VW mechanic knew what he was talking about. A Norris 407S CAM, a 34Pict3 Carb, and pretty much stock everything else could work and work well for both off-road and highway!!! I'll get the jetting and any other modifications from him next time I see him and post them for everyone.

[sjhotz]

Update time! Whew economy and cash supply have conspired to slow me down... BUT NEVER SAY DIE!

A few of you commented on that sagging hardtop, it is indeed cracked and I was resigned to some fiberglass repair until my mechanic hooked me up with yet another of his customers who had a hard top for sale now that I had bought the Thing! It was a 3 window in gorgeous condition, only 1 slight kink in the fiberglass where it had rested awkwardly on a milk crate, new window rubber all around, no cracks, and the paint was well maintained (apparently it had been in storage for most of the last 13 years).

I have met quite a few of his customers who had vague plans to some day purchase the same Thing I was lucky enough to get, and so now have a few items they had planned to use on it (ear muffs, curtain frames, Hard Top, etc...) that they are more then willing to sell to me. All have been very helpful with sage advice as Thing owners who have "been there and done that" steering me away from bad decisions, customers of Bela's you know who you are, and I thank you!

Anyway, all my Buses are up and running and my mechanic has said the Thing will be ready in August (Fingers crossed)! Now to do that delicate dance of how many times do I stop bye the shop before I become a pest (and as in real life i'm a bad dancer and will probably stumble into the pest category rather quickly lol!).

To Do Summation:
-Boil Gas Tank
-Install new stainless fuel lines
-Install Super Beetle Brakes on front end
-Get new hinges for passenger door
-Install soft top
-Badger mechanic to finish engine (8P)
-Vehicle inspection and tags!

-ROAD TRIP

[lawn ninja]

I had Bela do some work for me on my squareback a while ago. That guy is a master. I've even had him go so far as to rebuild and modify old 6v relays for me due to them being impossible to obtain for certain years.
_________________
Jason

My 64 1500 S Notchback project here
My 58 sedan project here
My 63 Ghia here

[sjhotz]

He is my VW Guru! I have learned to trust him without doubt, if he says he can do it, despite what I hear on the boards, I go with it, hence my odd cam / carb combination. He has never led me wrong.

[vgajames]

I keep hearing about the Kymco Thing exhaust.Got any pictures of it.Their website is under construction and so nothing there.
I would like to see what it looks like.Thanks!

[sjhotz]

I spoke to the gents at Kymco a few days ago, they are working on the website, and have a few models available, seems like a good match for my 1776 with stock heater pipes. I've got a stock muffler i'm gonna install then head down to Kymco and talk to the guys there, they seem very helpful.

[Hyatt181]

I have a Kymco exhaust that I ended up not using.I ended up having one custom made for me. Its been hiding in my basement since I bought it.
I had an o2 sensor bung welded in to it for fuel injection but it has a plug in it.
Its 1 3/8 pipeing if anyone is interested in it let me know $175 for it. The j-pipes are ceramic coated and the header and muffler are still raw.
Very well made exhaust thick flanges were used to keep them from warping like some of the other exhaust systems out there.
I will put some pictures up when I get home on monday.
Ken

[sjhotz]

Will my 72 Bus 3-Rib IRS trans fit easily into my Thing?


Getting close now, she's up on the lift and the engine is almost done, looking like a Thingy Xmas!

Due to some recent Bus woes, I will have a rock solid 3 rib trans from a 72 Bay that was recently rebuilt due to losing 4th gear (spun it, new Vanagon 4th gear in it now, boy getting that Woodruff key notch cut was a BEAR!). After the extra effort put into procuring good parts and and an expert rebuilder (Bela) I am loathe to part with it.

Any chance it would be an easy fit into my Thing?

[VW Addict]

Congrats! Looks great! Hardtop and original paint! Whoa! Nice find!! Score!!

[sjhotz]

I have the option of using a Weber 2 Barrel Progressive Carb & Manifold in place of the 34Pict3 I was originally planning on, will this work well with the Norris 407S Cam & Kymco Exhaust?