The "Goat-el"

cru62 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:32 pm Post subject: The "Goat-el"

I don't want to waste a bunch of bandwidth with a rehash of the discovery and extraction of this bus, so here is a link to the discussion in the "Bus Hunting" thread-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1...start=8640

It is called "The Goat-el" because the PO stored feed in it for his goats, bunnies, chickens, etc. on his ranch outside of Los Osos, CA for over 20 years. The residents also included a staggering number of rats and mice. The spare tire well and the under seat box were absolutely PACKED with a nest using the seat stuffing and whatever else was handy. The smell was overwhelming when I was pulling it all out. I filled up two 30 Gal. trash bags that had to weigh 50+ lbs. Here is a pic of that area after the bulk of the nest was removed-

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

This pic should give you a hint of what was under the front seat. What you can't see is the habitrails behind every panel and THROUGH the foam rubber of the camper bed cushions.

After I got it rolling came the chore of actually getting it in the shop. I won't bore you with the details. Just suffice it to say it took five people and wasn't fun. But, it is now resting comfortably indoors, drying out and getting pampered.

OK, before I get to the meat of the build I have to show the vanity pics.
Here is the dash essentially how it arrived-

And here it is after a vigorous rubdown-

Unfortunately, it is the nicest part of the bus. This poor thing is going to need a lot of Gerson-love before it is ready to roll. But at least is has been rescued.

After I cleaned out as much of the crap as I could and hosed out the inside I had to get it rolling so it could go into the shop. Here is a little blurb about that pleasant experience-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=234112&start=7460

And while cleaning out the front seating area I found these poor bastards-

I don't have much sympathy for them. Just wish they and their buddies had picked somewhere else to live.
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warriorbass05 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:44 pm Post subject:

nice!! gotta love the dead mice..I have seen a bunch like that, pulled them out of farm fields and had to chase the rodents out. cool thing here is that it gets moderately cold in the winter and they tend to disappear or die so it makes it easier to get them out. Good luck with that one!!! Almost like my thread under this one..

Emeritusx · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:46 pm Post subject:

I wonder if eating vw is toxic... Or what killed them? maybe old age eh? Smile

royDHPNM · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:47 pm Post subject:

damn dude

there is no way my chick would have let me pull that thing into the garage, nasty. you are brave but cool you saved it. good luck
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warriorbass05 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:48 pm Post subject:

cru62 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 6:56 pm Post subject:

cru62 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 6:57 pm Post subject:

cru62 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 7:32 pm Post subject:

Anyone have any idea how-

1) The doors would end up so out of alignment?

2) How to realign them?

The gutter above them is still straight. I was thinking I could use a turnbuckle from the upper front to the lower rear. It is probably caused by the rotten rocker.
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"My biggest worry is that when I die, my wife will sell all my parts for what I told her I paid for them"-Jon

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

RPGreg2600 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:04 pm Post subject:

I found a mummified rat under the passenger seat of the 66 walkthrough I picked up a couple weeks ago.

Culito · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:10 pm Post subject:

Check all the hinges and points where they attach before you go tweakin' the metal. Could just be worn hinge pins if the doors were used regularly.
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cru62 · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:31 pm Post subject:

Emeritusx · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:39 pm Post subject:

Is the vehicle warped (twisted) a little? when I jack up one side of my bus it seems to twist.

[email protected] · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 4:24 am Post subject:

My bus is (was) doing the same thing... front tophat is weak/ inner rocker below the cargo doors is weak, so the door opening is pulled out of square...

If you put a jack under the passenger side front jack point ( or out rigger, if the jack point is gone) and jack it up slowly, I gaurantee you that the doors will start to line up.

I jacked mine up there just a hair past lining up perfect and then braced the door opening with some tubes... once the tubes were tacked in, I let the jack down and PRESTO! stayed nice and straight!

I was really worried about this, but it really wasn't to scary.

Mr. Motorhead · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:17 am Post subject:

Nice science project, Chris. Makes the bus I got from you look like a cream puff (I'm onto the body and paint for the trans install). Nothing like a challenge though!
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cru62 · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:57 am Post subject:

[email protected] · Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:16 am Post subject:

Any luck on the cargo doors?

cru62 · Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:58 pm Post subject:

I tried what you suggested and it made it worse. I tried the rear jackpoint with similar results. I will try the turnbuckle idea when I get a chance. Thanks for the hint, however.
_________________
"My biggest worry is that when I die, my wife will sell all my parts for what I told her I paid for them"-Jon

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

cru62 · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:07 pm Post subject:

In the last couple of days I've been cleaning the bus and pulling parts out of my various "stash" piles. My wife refers to them as "trash" piles for some reason. The front of the front wheelwells, both PS & DS, are shot. I cut up a '67 deluxe in 1993 and stashed the wheelwells on the roof of my shed/shop. Even after 17 years outside they still look WAY better than what is there.

I'm tempted to use the whole piece instead of just the bottom where it hits the floor. Here is one of the "good" pieces, before removing the last vestige of the floor-

And here they are after-

Man, there is a lot of work involved in removing not a lot of spotwelds. What a pain!

While I save up for the front floor I decided to tear into the wiper system just to clean it up and replace what was broken or sketchy. One wiper shaft was snapped off and the other was seized. So, I picked out two from my parts box and got them good. One of them has a flat spot on the threads. It is clearly made that way as I have two of them from different busses. Any idea where to get the washer with the "D"-shaped hole?

I opened up the wiper motor to clean out all the old grease and check clearances. These things are works of art. The gears are beautiful. The fiber gears have brass bushes pressed into the middle so they don't turn on the fiber. They are engineered to last a long time. Here is the motor before-

The grease wasn't bad, it just wasn't very viscous any more and didn't look like it would lubricate stuff as well. Here it is after clean up-

My last question is about some wipers on the '64 parts pile. Are these OG or aftermarket? Are these blades still available or do I need to cut down a generic set? I have both thin and thick style OG arms and NOS blades. But these look like they may work better-

And why would they be different sizes?-

_________________
"My biggest worry is that when I die, my wife will sell all my parts for what I told her I paid for them"-Jon

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Ian · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:50 pm Post subject:

did they pay you to haul that mess out?? it's really gross, i can't believe you are cleaning it!! be sure to use a HEPA filter in your vac and in your respirator!! i always hose that shit down with water and disinfectant before disturbing it as well.

those are bug wiper arms, throw them away
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cru62 · Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:06 pm Post subject:

I like a challenge!

I figured that with this bus I can hack it into what I want without disturbing the purists. It is just a Kombi and has so much rust it is still debatable whether it will be fixable. But I have some ideas to make it a more comfortable driver to go camping off the pavement with. I'm definitely not going to "Pimp my ride". It will be stealthy and clean. IF it is worth the time and $.
_________________
"My biggest worry is that when I die, my wife will sell all my parts for what I told her I paid for them"-Jon

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!


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