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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 11:30 pm Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Last push to get everything done for the Big Bend trip.
CB Radio install. Got this nice clamp on antenna mount and installed it on my "trucker" mirror. The CB I've had since '02. It's just a cheaper one from Radio Shack, but still works and I like how compact it is.
I also removed my new exhaust to see if I could seal it up better. O'Reilly had some Beck Arnley gaskets with the raised center ring. They're also thicker than the German seals and seem like pretty good quality. Those coupled with copper gasket sealant (liberally applied!) and I think I'm leak free.
Let's hope for no leaks on the 1200 mile trip!
For my birthday my dad made me this mount out of black walnut for my USB charger port and I finished it and installed it today. Much nicer than the rusty old outlet that was there before. I'm glad to have that gone!
Pre finishing.
First coat of polyurethane.
Installed after a second coat, and buffed with some steel wool.
We're headed out the day after Christmas, wish us luck! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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Vee Dub Nut Samba Member
Joined: April 25, 2004 Posts: 1182 Location: Dallas, GA
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 6:37 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Breaker breaker... anyone got their ears on?
Looking good Bala. Looks like your rig is ready to go. (PS: Your dad sure is talented with the wood working)
You guys have a great trip! Wish I could make it. _________________ Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2006
67 Beetle (TBD)
74 Transporter (EJ25 Swapped) - Build Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
See all my VW pics on Instagram @ vee_dub_nut |
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wcfvw69 Samba Purist
Joined: June 10, 2004 Posts: 13367 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 8:05 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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A trip down memory lane, right there w/that CB. I can't recall the last time I've seen one installed in a NON-CDL truck.
I remember after Smokey And The Bandit. Us kids in the neighborhood were all out in our parents vehicles that had a CB 'trying' to talk the lingo..
Ok, I feel old now.. _________________ Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc
Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.
**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours** |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 10:22 pm Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Yep, my dad has some skillz!
Thanks guys! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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Zelten Samba Member
Joined: September 16, 2008 Posts: 1335 Location: Issaquah
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 5:54 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Excellent thread! Thanks for the tips on refurbishing the rear table. I have 3 that I need to fix.
I love the pictures at Top Notch Burger. I used to live on Grover Ave a few blocks from Top Notch. I miss Texas. _________________ 1978 Delux Campmobile
03 Jetta TDI
15 Q7 TDI |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 10:49 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Thank you sir!
I'm near Airport and Lamar, so just a stones throw from Grover! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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heiko910 Samba Member
Joined: November 15, 2013 Posts: 221 Location: Gardnerville, NV
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Bala wrote: |
First, congrats to my parents on 40 years of marriage!
They hosted a party at their place to celebrate and the bus was welcome of course!
And I finally made the time to get the rear shocks installed.
Here are the originals. When I removed them they compressed extremely easily and didn't decompress at all when released. Also the passenger's side leaked oil once I got it off.
The top bolts were a pain to remove. A tip is that from under the bus you can access the back side of the bolts where they go through the chassis. You can’t really see them, but feel around and you’ll find them. Spraying them with PB Blaster was a huge help.
The new KYB gas shocks (P/N 344082) waiting to go in.
New as compared to old. The KYBs are just slightly longer when fully extended.
The top bolts were cleaned and looked to be in good shape, so I re-used them after cleaning the mounting holes in the chassis as well. The lower mounting bolts had some odd wear on them. Almost like the threads had been worn down. There wasn’t much thread depth left.
So I made a quick trip to the hardware store for some metric grade 8 nuts and bolts.
Here’s a shot to show how far the 344082s extend past the lower mount. These shocks fit great for me, but most parts places list them as being for syncro Vanagons I think. Apparently late bay rear shocks need to be longer than early, so be careful when ordering.
New shocks installed.
Took my son on a quick test drive to get some yogurt. There is a HUGE difference! No more riding over waves sensation and potholes and bumps felt much better. Success! Although, my son said he missed the “bouncing around” in the back.
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Sorry for joining so late but I want to safe you from a break down on a long trip.
The bolts that you used are not the right grade for suspension parts.
In German Metric DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm - German Industry Standard) grade 8 is the lowest quality. I know that in SAE standard Grade 8 is already the high quality but please check this out and then go and buy some grade 10.9 metric bolts and nuts please.
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/materials-and-grades/bolt-grade-chart.aspx
Greetings,
Heiko |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:02 am Post subject: |
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heiko910 wrote: |
Sorry for joining so late but I want to safe you from a break down on a long trip.
The bolts that you used are not the right grade for suspension parts.
In German Metric DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm - German Industry Standard) grade 8 is the lowest quality. I know that in SAE standard Grade 8 is already the high quality but please check this out and then go and buy some grade 10.9 metric bolts and nuts please.
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/materials-and-grades/bolt-grade-chart.aspx
Greetings,
Heiko |
Hello, and first, thank you for the concern! If you scroll down a bit on that page you'll see where I did replace them with the proper bolts (and nuts). I only drove a few miles with the grade 8 bolts.
Bala wrote: |
And finally I replaced my lower shock bolts with some correct metric grade new ones.
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I went on a 1000+ mile road trip to Big Bend which included 60 miles of really bumpy back roads. No issues!
I'll have to do a write up on that soon! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:44 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Catching up on few things from pre-Big Bend.
My pop top seal failed on the driver's side rear corner. It just started separating where the bulb part meets the mounting part. It was from busdepot and only 3 years old. I contacted Ron and he said he had never heard of this happening. It was out of warranty, but he still took care of me! I didn't get a free replacement, but he was very generous.
I could barely pull on the bulb part and it separated with very little force. It was only maybe 5 inches at first, but a tiny tug and this happened.
New seal installed!
I found this at Sears (gift card from work) for less than $3! Since my wife had to work and couldn't make the Big Bend trip, I strapped this in the passenger's seat. It worked perfect for holding my sunglasses, phone, camp knife, etc. Very convenient on the road!
This is a picture I took over the holidays with my grandfather's old camera I recently inherited (mom gave it to me). It's an old 35mm Konica, and when I looked up this particular model I found it was made between '76 and '78! Perfect! My grandfather probably bought it new and hadn't used it since the '80s or earlier, so I had it cleaned and checked and I've been running lots of film though it.
And the next two are from the Big Bend trip. I spotted this outside a store at a gas stop in the middle of West Texas. My bus's production date was 10/1976!
And a quick shot of the bus out in the wilds of Big Bend.
_________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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Waves2day Samba Member
Joined: October 15, 2008 Posts: 408 Location: Bay Area, CA
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 8:58 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Waves2day wrote: |
Congrats! Looks like it was fun! |
Thanks! It was amazing! Big Bend is one of those places you have to see to believe. Hard to describe how beautiful it was. Glad I had the opportunity to go! This should be an annual thing, so next year December 26th you'll have another chance. _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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hoagy86 Samba Member
Joined: September 18, 2012 Posts: 366 Location: Illinois
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:15 pm Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Sweet trip pictures. Thanks for sharing |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:46 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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hoagy86 wrote: |
Sweet trip pictures. Thanks for sharing |
No prob, thanks for checking them out! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:06 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Got a little package from the great white north!
Installing them all this weekend and looking forward to no more broken handles!
I'm pretty excited about it!!! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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cek347 Samba Member
Joined: July 05, 2005 Posts: 211 Location: Lansdale, PA
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:52 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Wow, just read through the entire thread! I enjoy the fact that you are restoring as you go to make your bus usable. I like reading full resto's but just the updates and little things that allow you to use your bus is fantastic. Keep up the good work and keep using that bus. _________________ '86 Vanagon Wolfsburg Edition- tiico
'85.5 Porsche 944
'04 GX 470
'17 Prius Prime |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 4:10 pm Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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^^^Thanks!!!
Installed my handles! They are pretty awesome! The hardware worked perfect and was spot on as far as dimensions. I did add some washers on the lower screw to prevent the heads from sinking into the wood (as captincanuck suggested). I'm really happy with the hardware and handles!
Old ones I removed (just about every one was cracked, stripped, or damaged in some way.
New and old screw comparison.
Lower screw with washer.
Upper screw.
Installed!
Pretty nice having fulling functioning handles on all doors!
Also I got this cool rug from my mother for my birthday last month.
And "intalled" this little metal badge with stick on magnets.
_________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 5:13 pm Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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Do you know where she bought the rug?
Thank you
Tcash |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:21 am Post subject: Re: 1976 Westy, my project |
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I'll ask... _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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72camper Samba Member
Joined: January 25, 2015 Posts: 256
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