1969 California Camper

[69Weekender]

Hello anybody! Not much to update, I've been mega busy taking classes and haven't been able to get home much to play with the bus. I graduate in a few weeks and will have a good amount of time before I go to basic to work on the bus, so more consistent updates in the near future???
Anyways, here's a photo from a VERY rainy camping trip and a few from a day of beating the hell out of the bus on the trail!

Getting very stuck

Bent a tie rod getting pulled out because I did not realize i wrapped the strap around not only the beam, but the TR too. Found some wood and a scissor jack and got it back straight! Drove home like nothing even happened. It helps to go off-roading with two engineers

As always, enjoy and happy Dubbing!
_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[FMbranden38]

New to this thread - but getting caught up & just wanted to drop by to say that I love your bus. I'm also a young bus owner (that's learning as I go), so it's neat to see the progress.

Big fan of the red rims! Were those painted?

[69Weekender]

[Brian]

Oof, bummer about that TR. When I had the truck I reinforced mine by slipping some steel tubing over it and welding it in place. Don't recommend it though, I recommend you get some meaty tires
_________________
Wash your hands

'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
'68 Camper

Only losers litter

[oc92]

I have to say, I have really enjoyed this threat. Great posts, great pics, updates... and we get to see a bus that is not afraid of getting dirty. Nice work young man and good luck with your studies.
_________________
" ... he walked the pavement of the city- a beggar and a king. Has it been otherwise with any man?" WOLFE

72 bus
70 bug
96 mx5

[69Weekender]

I finished school a few months ago and moved back home until I ship to basic training. I've been able to put in some work on the bus and took her on two trips.
The Hulaween music festival in Live Oak, FL was a 250+ mile round trip for the bus with about 9 hours of driving. I had to replace a wheel bearing the night before and had just done a front brake overhaul because I keep blowing wheel cylinders??? I cruised up with my buddy in his FJ and had all my recovery gear just in case I needed a tow. We were loaded down and truckin' at 55mph the whole way and pulled in for a weekend of fun!
Groovy attire for another friend's wedding in the woods!

Radical attire for a radical evening!

On the way home, I immediately started having problems. When I got up to 50mph, the engine started bogging and lurching back and forth. I had to limp her at 45mph for 5 hours but she made it! I thought my head studs were loose so I went to adjust the valves and tighten at least the bottom studs (pulling the engine soon, but needed the bus for Bug Jam). When I got to the driver's side, one of the nuts on the stud fell to the floor when I pulled the valve cover....oh boy. Then I pulled the stud out without unscrewing it....oh boy x2. Tried to get a case saver in there but couldn't get enough leverage with the heads still on. the threads on the stud were pretty weak but I cleaned them up and got it to bite into the case (kinda). It was enough for me to keep the bus going for Florida Bug Jam this past weekend.
Despite the issue with the stud, the bus actually ran awesome on the way to Dade City and back! It was a great show this year and camping was 100x better than it was last year. My group set up in a sweet spot and we were living large at the Fairgrounds!

On the way home, I lost my front left brake which I don't understand because I replaced wheel cylinders and pads about a month ago. Is it just crappy repro parts or should I be looking for something else?
I am going to be puling the engine in the next week or so and strip it down to the short block to try and get that case saver in and see how the pistons look.
As always, thanks for reading and keep truckin!
_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[69Weekender]

A couple days before I left for basic training, I got the bus dropped off at the paint shop. While I was away my old man picked it up and mostly put her back together. I was blown away when I finally got to see it in August! Old Linda finally got the make over she deserved.

_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[69Weekender]

Howdy. Long time no post.
Linda has come home to California! Late July, I pulled the trigger on shipping. After a few nervous days, my old lady arrived safe and sound!
It has been an absolute joy to be behind the wheel of my trusty steed. I've been through a few vehicles since my move out west, most notably, a 1977 Toyota Pickup Longbed that I freshened up mechanically and eventually sold.
Anyway, here's some pics.
Ready for her journey:

She made it!

Had ZERO brakes coming off the trailer so I towed it to the base with my Tacoma to figure it out. Just needed some turns on the adjusters

Spent 3 hours scrubbing bugs, washing, and hand waxing.

I have been driving her almost daily.

It is running awesome since the top end rebuild I did about 2 years ago. However, the engine is leaking from everywhere....and I mean everywhere. Going through about 1.25q every couple of days; not burning it because there's no smoke from the exhaust. I knew that the case was on it's last leg and I guess the seals I bought were trash. I am starting the process of figuring out what I want to replace the engine with. I'm going to take advantage of having probably some of the best engine builders in the scene (California) and have someone build an engine for me. I'm between keeping it a 1600 or going up to a 1776.
I don't want to make any kind of crazy power, just something strong, reliable, and able to (possibly) be a daily driver if I decide to sell my truck.
Not much else to report but it's been a year since I've even looked at this thread.

Mitch
_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[Brian]

Damn that paint turned out nice
_________________
Wash your hands

'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
'68 Camper

Only losers litter

[panic_fan]

Good Lookin Bus, Dig the mirrors.
_________________
Rich
Brilliant Blue/Cloud White
1970 Baywindow Bus
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=291988&highlight=


"Still learnin the way around my VW bay"

[69Weekender]

Howdy,

It has been a busy few months, but the bus just keeps getting better and better!

I picked up a westy side cabinet and headbanger on the low back in October. The big cabinet was gross but overall solid. I cleaned it with a light scotch pad and water, which made a world of difference.

The headbanger was a bit beyond salvage so I stripped off the laminate, sanded everything smooth, and put a few coats of gloss on it.

At the Labor Day Bugorama, I picked up an old beat up rack at the swap meet. It was a bit to short and a lot too narrow for the bus roof. I cleaned it up, cut it in half, welded 10” sections to the middle, fabbed up some legs, and made all my own gutter clamps. I’m bad at math so it sits a smidge higher than the other rack and is the slightest bit uneven, but paint makes it what it ain’t! For my first welding project and using an HF flux welder on thin tubing, I’ll take it.

Lastly, Linda got a new heart!!!
I found a NOS 1600dp long block built at the Mexico factory. It has been kept in a climate controlled shop with all the open ports covered since purchase.

I spent about 80 hours across a couple of weekends removing, cleaning, disassembling, cleaning, assembling, and cleaning my old engine, the engine bay, and the new engine for it all to be perfect. I was also able to source all the correct, German tins and shrouds to put together a 0 mile dual port.
My old engine had dual port heads but I learned that I was running a single port fan shroud and missing a few bits and pieces. It was thrilling to be able to build something new and correct for my imperfect old lady!
Out with the old…..

…..In with the new!

I’m in the homestretch of the break-in process, and all seems satisfactory so far. The bus is now riding smoother, quieter (brand new exhaust), and most importantly, doesn’t spit out 1.5 quarts of oil every couple days!
I stripped the old engine all the way down and split the case to see if I could find anything obvious that would cause so much leakage, to no avail. I think that old case was just tired. It will soon become the base for an end table I’m going to make.
I’m quite excited for the next phase of Linda’s life!
_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[69Weekender]

Back East for a short while! Safely crossed the country for the fourth time, this time a bit longer and a lot heavier! Linda enjoyed putting around on the sand with her new engine.
It has been a night and day difference with the new 1600dp. When I pulled back into Florida, I did the final break in oil change, adjustments, and tuning. Everything looked and sounded great! Its awesome having no oil leaks
Here are some shots from the road:

I was able to scrap or sell most of the usable parts off the old engine. I brought the crankshaft down to Death Valley as an offering to the Gods of Internal Combustion for a prosperous engine life and minimal breakdowns.

(sorry, I couldn't get it to upload in the correct orientation)

I wanted to keep at least one "souvenir" from the engine that brought me a few thousand miles and taught me so much. Best idea I could come up with was turning the case into the base of an epoxy table. My boss and I cut and TIG'd some aluminum pieces, blasted the case, and I painted everything with the Rustoluem Professional. Well worth the couple extra bucks!
Finally, we set up the table design and laid some epoxy. It was almost perfect but at the last second some bubbles came out of the patch. Live and learn!

_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[nemobuscaptain]

[69Weekender]

Been reflecting on my 10 years of Volkswagen ownership and almost 7 years of Bus ownership. It is fun to look back through my thread and see the mistakes I have made, stupid questions I asked, answers I searched for without doing proper research, and overall how much fun it has been owning not just an incredible piece of machinery, but an extension of myself.
The many phases of "Linda" match the time and space I was in. I think every day how many things I would like to change or redo but at the same time, I feel obligated to keep many of the "modifications" and additions. They are marks of a kid learning to really wrench on cars, a time capsule of memories, and a story that rolls on with time. For car enthusiasts of all makes and models, this is true, but with a Volkswagen (buses especially), I think it runs deeper.

There has never been much of a plan with Ol Linda and this thread reflects that. So with this long winded post, I come bearing some future plans.

Linda has been sitting in storage on my car hauler for the last couple months and will be until sometime next year.

Since then and into the future, I have/will be creating a parts hoard. My mission is to bring Linda up to total daily driver status. Not that she couldn't be now; in California, I put more miles on her in a year than I did in the previous 5 combined. But I'm talking solid drivetrain, good brakes, purring engine (mission accomplished there), and some interior comforts/refreshing.
This will by no means happen quickly, but I've got my list ready, and I will use every second Father Time presents me.
Looking forward to the many miles ahead! Happy Dubbin'

_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[joey1320]

Such an amazing adventure.
Enjoy the memories as you regroup to create new ones.
_________________
**1971 Super Project
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[69Weekender]

Well, here we are “sometime next year.”
The bus is now in the PNW! Upon my return from a long deployment, I made a bull run down to California to grab the bus. Other than the battery being dead, she fired right up to come off the trailer. I don’t have the space just yet for my trailer so it was a long flat tow trek up Interstate 5. One check over the tow lights, double check on the tire pressure, triple check it’s in neutral, quadruple check the tow bar is secured at all the contacts, and away Linda and I went!

Other than having to move the tow lights a couple times and shearing a grease nipple off the beam, it was a safe and smooth transit. I tucked the ol gal into her cozy 10x20’ unit and went home to get some sleep.
The next day I was back on it; 11 months was a long time to go without wrenching (on personal projects anyway).
From the parts hoard, I pulled out my shiny new CHT and oil pressure gauges. I also removed the oil temp gauge from the center console. I made up three new harnesses, routed the wires, and mounted everything in a pod in the center of the dash.
I have been having issues with my tach since the new engine went in. The needle always bounced a little, but now it was a lot and in was reading WAY high. I started with the dip switch adjustment, moved on to the correct dip switch adjustment, and finally put in a 1N40075 Diode in line as suggested by @Traveling Writer. Now it reads correct with the needle steady as she goes.

After some electrical wins, and a pin breaking off my tail light housings, I decided it was finally time to make all of the exterior lights work. Not just work, but work without any jerry-rigged wiring or jumpers for power. In at least my 7 years of ownership, the reverse lights and plate light never worked. The brakes and tails were always finicky and I could never seem to keep all the functionalities working in sync. I bought the repro taillight assembly kit from JBugs, a plate light housing and reverse light switch (didn’t know that existed, thankfully it showed up as a suggested part) from Wolfsburg West, and some misc. hardware for all the lights from both. Starting at the rear, I stripped all the factory loom to get a good look at everything before busting out the Bentley. I cleaned the wires and factory connections, crimped new connectors, made new ground wires, installed the reverse switch, remade the reverse light harness, and installed new bulbs everywhere. Connect the battery, ignition on, trans in reverse, lights on, walk to the back and boy howdy! Let there be light! I couldn’t believe everything worked first try!

*The difference in brightness is due to me testing out LED (right) vs standard (left) bulbs. The way the LEDs reflect in the housing makes me want to go with standard but maybe some chrome paint or more googling will change my plan. Let me know your experiences. Reverse lights are LED.*

Up next was unjerry-rigging my brake lights. Probably 5 years ago, my old man and I installed a jumper wire from the brake switches to one of the tails and piggybacked the other off that. I cannot remember how we came to that conclusion but it has (mostly) worked all that time. It turned off the right signal if I applied the brakes and was still finicky but I was usually legal. All the wiring around the fuse box and to the various switches and relays behind the dash have been messed with (and possibly swapped to a 1970 harness???). It makes deciphering the Bentley quite the task. Anyway, I chased the hacked wires at the master cyl up to the dash and by goly, not a thing was connected…. It’s tough to say whether that was my forgetfulness when I had the dash taken apart for 2 years, or if it came that way. I tested my switches again (even though they’re only a year old) and everything was good. With new connections and fingers crossed, I set up my “The Club” between the pedal and seat and walked to the rear…..we got brake lights baby! I tested all the functions with the brake pedal depressed and every single thing worked! I was stoked beyond belief. Not one time has everything worked. It’s something I should have started with at 17, but patience is a learned trait

Other than those big little wins, I’ve mostly just been going through as much wiring as I can without fully taking the bus off the road. I put in new positive and negative battery cables, replaced the trans ground strap, cleaned up all the grime around the starter, and cleaned up the stereo wires in the jump seat. When I was in Florida last year, I picked up some old Bose home stereo speakers to try under the rear seat. I had a second amp lying around so I put that in tandem with the subwoofer amp. I’m not a stereo guy but I think the new system (2x 6.5” speakers, 2x 8” subs, and the 2x Bose) was too much for my vintage Clario to handle. I finally bit the bullet and bought a new head unit. I was forced to give up my cassette playing ability but I gained Bluetooth and a killer sound in the bus. I had a bunch of ground loop issues causing alternator whine, but that was resolved with a heavier ground cable on the auxiliary fuse block and a noise suppressor.

So far, the NOS Mexican long block has been a beast. I went through and checked valve lash, points gap, dwell angle, hit it with a timing light, and checked all the spark plugs; everything checked out just fine. I know my fuel filter is still in the engine bay but I put new German braided hoses on because I had just enough to replace the imperial hoses that were there. I have enough now to route the fuel filter away from the dizzy.
That’s about all for now. Weather has been fantastic for cruising so that’s what I will continue to do. In the coming months, Linda will briefly go under the knife for a big upgrade! Looking forward to updating again!
Happy Dubbing
_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[richparker]

With all those speakers, where do you put your tools?
_________________
__________
’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[69Weekender]

Back again after some time. Not too much to report, been a busy 9 months between work, moving, etc.
The bus has been running great with the exception of a fuel/ignition issue over the summer. It would run fine until it warmed up and then sputter and die at the first slow down. I swapped fuel pumps, changed fuel filter, hoses, rebuilt the carb, checked all the valves, and still couldn't find the issue. I found an old Samba post that led me to the condenser. Pulled it and it bench tested fine but I swapped it anyway. Since then, I have had zero issues. Maybe it was just one of those things.

The big project for the year was to reindex the rear torsion bars to fix the passenger side sag. While I was in there, I regreased the splines and tossed in some new bushings. The bus sits level for the first time in who knows how long.
Was finally able to do the front disc swap that I've had sitting around for almost 2 years. It was pretty straight forward. With fresh brakes all around (rear wheel cylinders leaked all over the shoes) and a new rear brake line (snapped one getting the spring plates off), I did a full fluid flush.

What a great upgrade in terms of drivability! Even without a booster, the bus stops so much better! Well worth the price and the CSP kit did not make any noticeable change in the front geometry. Having lug nuts over lug bolts in plus.

I got settled in to a new place with a couple fellas I work with and having my own garage is sweet! Finally able to get all my tools organized and accessible in one spot.

In closing for this short update, I believe I have reached the point in my 8 years of ACVW ownership where I can just simply drive it, anywhere. The mechanicals are all sorted and there are no "issues." It leaves me feeling a little lost, not having something that needs to be fixed.
Sure there are still some things I'd like to do to in the engine bay like the correct distributor and maybe change the carb, but those are just wants.
This summer, I plan to refresh the interior panels, strip the big cabinet down and finish it like the head banger, make a new table, clean up some wiring, and hopefully make the cigarette lighter work. See y'all in a few months.
_________________
Mitchell
ISO any California Road Runner Camper parts or info
1969 California Road Runner Camper: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646780
2015 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4
Past:
01 Honda Insight, 06 Beetle TDI, 77 Toyota, 96 Geo Metro, 06 Tacoma, 13 Jetta Wagon, 05 Jetta, 96 Corrado VR6
Other ICE Machinery: Alco 251F 16v & 8v

[Abscate]

Great thread, enjoy thst Bus. Don’t forget these thing s need monthly checks to drive daily, just follow the user manual on that
_________________
.ssS!

[panic_fan]

Jealous of them front shiny disc. I got a slow brake fluid leak somewhere and I would love to upgrade.
_________________
Rich
Brilliant Blue/Cloud White
1970 Baywindow Bus
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=291988&highlight=


"Still learnin the way around my VW bay"