1966 13 Window Deluxe

[utahdog1971]

I owned this 1971 Convertible from 1989 until last year. Good little car.

It has been a little while since I sold it, and the hole in my need to tinker has not abated, so something had to be done.

Recently, this followed me home.

Now, the cleaning begins...

[zuggbug]

I wish that would have followed me home. very nice
any interior pics you can share.
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SOUTHERN INTEGRITY AIRCOOLERS
58 15 window
56 westy

[utahdog1971]

The bus hasn't been used much in the last few years, so I've got some cleaning to do. I'll be posting some before and after of the interior, as well as asking a few questions. First things first, I had to get the gas drained out and then replace the fuel filter, and the rubber bits in the accelerator pump and fuel pump. I pulled the carb and cleaned it up of the varnish from the sitting gas. I still have some hesitation when I goose it. Any recommendations?

Brake lights work only if you stand on the pedal, so I'll have to do some contact cleaning there I'd imagine. Other goodies all seem to blink and glow as designed.

Little stuff. That's the fun though.

[Scooterboyd]

Tighten the bolts holding the carb to the manifold. When sitting too long they could dry up and cause a small leak.
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President of "Society of Unappreciated Overachievers"
62 - 23 Window Bus
60 - Karmann Ghia Convertible
59 - Convertible Raceable Baja Bug
63 - Dune Buggy
65 - Single Cab

[norcalmike]

Nice Bus! we like pics so take lots and post em.

[olliehank47]

Very, very nice looking bus--congratulations!

If the gas has been sitting for a long time, as it appears it has, you likely have rust in the tank so consider that possibility. Keep a close eye on your gas filter (put in-line before the pump) and if it regularly fills with debris, plan on removing the tank and flush/seal it. Stumbling on acceleration can easily be from minute debris in the carb--even after a rebuild--if sediment gets into the system.

Old brake systems are just as bad as old fuel systems, maybe even worse if they fail when you need them most. If you don't know the last time the brake fluid was changed, the lines replaced, cylinders replaced, make that a top priority. Your brake light problem may be a sign of a deteriorated system, or just poor connections, but you need to be on your toes. It doesn't take much to blow out an old seal.

Again, congratulations. Looking forward to lots of pictures!

[utahdog1971]

I did draw out some chunky debris when I drained the tank so I'll keep an eye on that. I need to take a good look at the 'pisser' and see if I'm getting a nice stream of gas from it. A job for this evening.

The brakes were worked on shortly before it was parked, silicone fluid has been used in it since the 80's, and it has been in an air conditioned garage so all the soft brake bits are thankfully in great shape. I'll keep an eye on them though.

I know it has been said many times by guys moving from Bugs to Buses, but the room to work in the engine bay is a god-send! I love it.

Am I correct in understanding that here in Samba.com-land, the only way to post pics is to add them to the gallery or host them on a 3rd party server?

[scottvw]

Nice score.

Yes to your answer about posting pics.

[utahdog1971]

More pictures.

The engine shot is during the fuel system sorting phase of the operation, so go easy on my goofy little filter and its location and lack of clamps.

In the background you can see that the bus was originally Velvet Green.

I did not take a lot of pictures while sorting out the carb. Sorry for that. More to come.

[AlteWagen]

Soft brake parts have a shelf life even if they have not been installed on a vehicle. There should be dates on the lines and if over 10 years old replace them.

If you have german parts on it (unlikely) just buy the rebuild kits for the wheel cylinders and master. Replace all soft lines with new parts and inspect the hard lines for rust.

[type47fan1]

Nice find. Looks like it is in great shape to start with.

I agree with the above poster though. It is not like you are dealing with disc brakes or a modern system. I would like to know the fail parts are replaced before putting it on the road myself. Maybe only 50 bucks for the peice of mind. I brought back a 68 912 and did not replace brake parts only to get lucky and have the pedal go to the floor in the driveway one morning. Sure enough after flexing the lines for the first time in 15 years the front one was leaking. Now I always fix brakes first.
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JLD
My 60 Mango Build
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=581699
My 66 Westy Build
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5825134#5825134

[ldsvwguy]

So Utahdog are you actually in Utah? There are a number of cool cats in the VW scene here. I'm not one of them,
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"When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car."

[Sidbus]

Congratulations. Nice bus!
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57 Panel http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=453943
62 so34 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=533160
76 Westy http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=520076

[utahdog1971]

[silvertonguedevil]

Nice bus! Congratulations!
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-Greg

[ldsvwguy]

[utahdog1971]

Busy weekend...

- Cleared heat risers with braided cable and the good old 18V drill.
- Sorted brakes and replaced a questionable brake light switch.
- Tidied up the dash and installed repro radio delete panel.
- Tidied up the luggage area and installed carpet and recovered rear corner panel inserts.

More to come! Stay tuned for pictures!

[utahdog1971]

I'm having a bad case of the frosty carb, so I looked into the heat risers, and sure enough, the right side riser was discolored from heat, and the left side is cool to the touch. Strange, in that the engine has been gone through recently. Maybe there is somebody living in there...

...anyway, I went to the auto parts store and picked up an automatic transmission selector cable for a full size truck, clipped off one of the proprietary ends, and used the other hex shaped end as a bit for the drill. Using a heavy leather glove on my left hand and a deft throttle finger on the drill I got the cable to peek out the other side.

Left

Right

I ran the cable out and stuck it in the left side and fished it out the right for good measure.

Then, I stuffed the rubber hose from the beheaded Silca bicycle pump up in the right side and gave the pump a few toots and blew the carbon bits out the riser, chimney style.

The whole process wasn't very difficult compared to some stories I've heard, but I didn't expect to have to do this at all what with the engine being reasonably fresh. Either way, solved now.

[jifu-dax]

Nice bus! Congratulations!

[Shaun Murray]

Sweet bus, thats almost a twin to my '66, only yours seems to have been shown a little more love through the years. Was it titian red and beige/gray originally? The only difference is that mine is a walk-thru. In case you ever wondered what your's would look like after being abandoned in the woods for 32 years,

Here it is now

You had better hang onto that one, they're getting harder to come by, especially ones as nice as yours. Of course I'm on the east coast and we don't have the luxury of dry air and mild winters to preserve our old iron. Nice find.