My 1978 Big Sage Green Giant Westy Build! Lots of Pictures!

[smitty1976bus]

Due to the recent nice weather we've been having up here southern New England, I've put the fuel gauge issue on the back burner; appreciate the feedback Tcash, and will def run a separate wire when I pull the bus back into the garage(tent). I also need to figure out my hard starting, with a hot engine, problem. It seems to be getting worse too, I end up cranking, letting it sit for a second, then cranking again, and hopefully it starts, or I'll have to repeat the process. Since the TSII is working, I'm thinking it's either a de-pressurized fuel tank or the distributor (it looks really old and rusty, and didn't know you had to oil them, so when I did oil it, it was very dry, so I believe it could be failing, along with other issues it has). These are just two shots in the dark, but I'll troubleshoot them first.

Sorry for rambling, my reason for this post is to show off my new table. So, I've been searching for an original Westy table, one that swings over the seating area, like this:

Unfortunately, these tables are rare and expensive, often going for over $300 (plus shipping). So I decided to make my own. I bought about $15 worth of exhaust pipe and hardware, and used a piece of wood I had laying around:

Using the VW's original table design, I fab'd up swing arm:

Then made the mounting hardware; the bottom was more exhaust pipe and sheet metal welded together, and the top bracket was simply two exhaust clamps, and by using 2 bolts and wing nuts, one can tighten and loosen the swing motion of the table:

And I ended up with a very functional table, for around $20. Def beats spending hundreds:

This bus is coming along very nicely and I'm loving it! It's kicked my ass the past 3 years, but it's paying off now! Can't wait for the first big adventure in it, which will be in a wee while, but i have 3 weeks left to drive it before a knee surgery, so I'm going to enjoy it

Smitty

[Abscate]

Put an ad in The classifieds for this at $100 and kick the parts grifters in the teeth. I'll bankroll the inventory for 10 if needed.

Well done.
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.ssS!

[smitty1976bus]

Abscate Wrote:

[smitty1976bus]

It's been a long time since I've posted in here; been a long time since I've driven or done anything with my bus But I did do some things to upgrade it, and have been getting some nice driving in.

I never liked those strange 3 point seatbelts that come with the bus, from the factory. So put in some proper 3 point seatbelts, from an 85' Vanagon:

They work great!

Also needed some type of dome light; can't see jack when out at night, ha. Bought some cheap-o LED strips off Amazon, and strung some aboue the front seats, and along the wall behind the sink. Since my rear defroster doesn't work, I just used that switch to activate the strips:

And bingo bango, the lights work:

Only thing I don't like is that I ordered the 'blue' LED's, and not the 'white' LEDs. But they are bight as all he!!


Still can't figure out why my gas gauge isn't working. New sending unit, the wires are all good, ohms are the same at the gauge as the sending unit. Something must be messed up with the gauge itself. Oh well. I just slapped an ohm reader to the sending unit wire, and read the tank level this way:

It's not dumb if it works!

Just as I was getting the bus where I want it, something had to break... Right on time, I get a pretty big oil leak going on.. Seems to be coming from my oil cooler, so I'm assuming/hoping that it's just the gaskets. So now I'll have to pull all that crap off the front of my engine, and pull out the oil cooler, just to replace some $0.25 cent gasket. Super duper!

-Smitty

P.S. Started a new thread to help diagnose my hot starting trouble. It can be found here:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=682123&highlight=

[popuppopdog]

[Spike0180]

[Abscate]

[toddb_67]

I just "binge read" your whole post. What an awesome job you did! I did my last resto (of a '71 convertible) in one of those Costco tents and that is challenging. Our Pacific NW winters are nothing compared to yours! Hats off.
Owning a bus myself and having wet sanded and polished the whole thing I found the only thing that got the swirl marks out was http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/m8232-swirl-free-polish-32oz/
That swirl free polish really works. I also recommend finishing it off by hand waxing to seal in all the polished up goodness. Nice build!
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1970 Pastel White Westfalia
1971 Super Beetle Convertible (sold) http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=582365&highlight=
1970 Squareback "Savanna" (sold)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=714683
1974 Karmann Ghia- current project, 1967cc engine. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=775207
“I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.” - Dudley Field Malone

[smitty1976bus]

[KentABQ]

Hey Smitty...
Last month, I was sure I had an oil cooler leak too. But it turned out to be a leaking oil temp switch. It was leaking thru the electrical tab connector. And I understand it's a common problem.

Do you have a sheen of oil on top of your engine, too, heavier around the distributor and breather? If so, it may be your switch. It's easier to check than an oil cooler.
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[Abscate]

Wipe all the oil off with paper on a stick, then blow some corn starch onto the cooler and bracket and see if the track comes from the cooler or the seal, so you know which part you need.
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.ssS!

[smitty1976bus]

[smitty1976bus]

Started work on getting towards the oil cooler... I do not enjoy this job.. ha. Piece by piece, it all came off:

Was hoping I wouldn't need to take the muffler off...but it needed to go. Once it was out of the way, the front air duct piece came off easily.

There's a lot of gunk going on in there... hope I don't have any other oil leaks.. I didn't see any other drips coming from anywhere (other than the oil cooler). Maybe it's just road grime and condensation.

Welp, time to push on!

[smitty1976bus]

Ok, have removed the oil cooler, and am unsure on where to go from here. The gaskets look to be in good shape. They're not dried out or cracked or anything. I don't see any oil streams either, it all looks dry. The oil cooler looks like it's had better days:

I'm beginning to suspect that the oil cooler itself might be defective. Maybe it has a leak somewhere. I took out my vacuum gauge, and hooked it up to the cooler, and plugged the other hole with my finger (giggle). The dang thing holds a vacuum (let it sit for about 30 seconds, no drop in pressure... I mean rise in pressure... well, it didn't change)... So maybe it isn't the oil cooler.

I'm a little lost now. I know the oil leak is dripping off from the oil cooler, only when the engine is running. And it isn't coming from anywhere above the oil cooler (the top of it is dry, and no other oil found anywhere above). It has to be coming from somehwere on the oil cooler.... just not sure if I should spend some money on a new unit, or just try new gaskets....

[lil-jinx]

I would not trust 8 in hg vacuum to detect a leak in the cooler,the cooler run 20-40 psi of oil,although it did hold the vacuum it may have sucked a little something into the hole blocking it,until you get it installed again.You should try to pressurize it and maybe submerge it to check for a leak.
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=668799
1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy
1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes.

[smitty1976bus]

Yeah, you're probably right lil-jinx, the pressure test probably doesn't mean anything. Since I don't trust my oil cooler, due to the corrosion on it, I decided to buy a new one.

Some times things work out extremely well, today one of those things happened to me. I happened to stumble across a Craigslist ad stating they had VW bus parts for sale. And it just so happened that they had an oil cooler.... for my size engine...in great condition.... and they lived one town over! Too good to be true, right? Somehow, it was all true! I met an awesome VW bus owner, who had the same year bus as me, same color, and all the same options, and it was in pristine shape. I won't name any names, but if you're reading this, the part worked awesome! Thank you!

Here's the working cooler vs. my rotted one:

About 3 hours of labor later, and some football watching, the engine was reassembled and buttoned up. I fired her up and waited patiently...... Looking for any dips.... The suspense was killing me, but it looks like I may have solved the oil leak issue!

Won't know for 100% certainty until I go on a nice long ride, and get that oil nice and hot. But it was a great day, got the part i needed, finished the job, it worked, met a new VW dude who is such a nice guy, saw a new bus like mine, learned some new stuff about mine (like how I might have some gas burning heater under my belly pan that I never knew I had....), and the Patriots beat the Raiders 33-8. Not a bad day at all.

-Smitty

[Abscate]

Put the end of that old oil cooler underwater and apply air pressure to the inputs, I bet you get bubbles on the end. It looks like you've got accumulated dirt at that end which is usually from sticky oil.

You do want to save it if it doesn't leak..these things aren't going to get easier to find.
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.ssS!

[WESTYJACK]

I smitty
Do you have some drawing from your sun shade you make
look nice
all your westy look nice good job
Thanks
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VW bus type 2 1978 transplant engine 1975 1800cc fuel injection

[williamM]

I thought those rubber seals on the oil cooler looked egg shaped- might have been the camera- your cooler looked like it had some damage though- so Hoping for the best-- good job- did you read about putting bolts on the lower shroud instead of squeezing it round the bottom studs?-
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some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.

opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.

Don't step in any!

[smitty1976bus]