Refurbishing my '77 Westy Campmobile

[Cap10323]

[Cap10323]

Hello all, Been gone for a little while. But I'm back for a minute.

I brought the bus home today, It drove the nearly 2 miles home under it's own power without a hitch (I was a nervous wreck with one hand on the fire extinguisher the whole time) and it really drives amazingly well for how little I've done to it.

Soon after getting home, I started cleaning. After a quick power-washing it looked 10 times better.

I still haven't done anything to the interior, But I did take some HD photos.

The only things I'm slightly concerned about are:

The right rear wheel seems to be sitting at a slight inward slant compared to the rest of the wheels. I instantly assume imminent catastrophe, However I may be mistaken.

I cant seem to find reverse. I have tried all 5 selectable positions and the bus moves forward in each one. This is quite puzzling as I was positive it was a 4 speed with reverse.

Basically every single window seal leaks.

I will be posting further videos later on.


Stay tuned.

[Schwing]

Hey man we wanna see pics. Not to be that guy, but can you just post them here in the Samba Gallery and link from there? I can't load any of the images you may have shared in your last post.

[cbaucom1]

That Westy interior is beautiful!

I bet the old guy knows the trick to reverse

[Cap10323]

[ToolBox]

[Cap10323]

[Cap10323]

Okay, I figured out how to work the gallery.. So here you go.

[Cap10323]

Link

[notchboy]

Driving, filming with your phone and drinking a beer is not that hard



Link

_________________

[Cap10323]

[Cap10323]

Been busy, Sorry for no updates.

I don't plan on doing a full repaint, I would like to keep as much OG paint on the bus as possible, so I was planning on blending the repairs in with cans/spray gun. The color is "Chrome Yellow" and www.paintscratch.com claims to be able to mix it but they do not guarantee a good match.

Does anybody have a specific place they prefer to buy paint from, or that makes good matched paint?

Stay Tuned.

[Tcash]

top of the page
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/colorstype2.php

Look in the Sticky's
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewforum.php?f=13

Spray paint, T2, Aerosol, Rattle Can, Close to factory color
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

Good luck
Tcash

[Busbodger]

If you are going to keep it long term I recommend killing/conquering the rust.

[Cap10323]

[Cap10323]

Started on the rust today, Did precious little as it was freezing cold. But managed to get one rocker mostly done.

"A grinder and paint, Make me the welder I 'aint"

Hopefully we get some Indian summer or something so I can make some more serious progress, Otherwise I will need to look into heating the garage.

I also started straightening the decklid, The condition is less than ideal but for the time being I'm going to try and work with it.

I purchased a rear apron, and will be installing it sometime soon.

You can see how bent it used to be based on the old apron underneath it.

On a side note, I purchased some DupliColor "School bus yellow" that was recommended in another thread as being a decent match to "Chrome yellow" and it seems to be alright, Maybe a shade lighter.

I think I might look into repainting the whole bus when I'm done.


Lastly, I purchased a new alternator (the one I acquired from my friend was weak) as well as fuel lines, plugs and wires, and various other tune up bits for the engine. While I'm in the process of replacing the apron, I'm going to pull the engine and give it an external refresh and thorough cleaning just to make sure that there's no surprises waiting for me when I get it back on the road. Service records show the entire engine was overhauled at the local Aircooled mechanic 8 years ago with new rings and bearings. Since he stopped driving it close to 6 years ago. I figure the internals of the engine are good for a good long while.

[Spike0180]

Sweet bus. Looks like you are on the same conquest I had of removing rust. Yours seems much more reasonable though lol. Good luck with your repairs, I'll be watching
_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[Cap10323]

Removed the damaged rear apron and set to work rebuilding the crumpled rear end and minor rust, Luckily frame is solid as a rock.

Replaced alternator and voltage regulator today and maintaining steady charging voltage.

Waiting on fuel line to come in.

Tinwork on the rear of the engine was awfully smashed, going to try and salvage as much as I can, and then buy what I need.

You can see the replacement red apron sitting off to the side in this photo.

[otiswesty]

I can send you the 3 pieces of tin for the rear if you need them. Just pay shipping from Portland OR.
PM me if you want them
_________________
1978 Sage Green P22 Westfalia
1989 T3 Syncro Single cab

Just a regular guy

[Cap10323]