85 Westy refresh. Plenty of questions to follow. Bulli Klinik

[Bulli Klinik]

That thick gasket was bothering me, so I picked up a thin one and replaced it.

The long-block was finished off with some ratio rockers. I ended up using five shims per side to get them where I wanted them. I had a set of steel pushrods on hand in case I needed longer units, but the length came out so close to the stock PR's, I ended up using them.

I'm sure there is plenty of reading on how to set up the top end of a motor. Simply, you want the rocker's adjuster to be inline with the valve stem at 50% lift. It should sweep through the motion and look something like this at no lift and full lift.
No lift:

Full lift:

Why? Improper setup can lead to pre-mature valve guide wear.

I also like to shim my rockers so that the adjusters are not directly over the center of the valve stem. I like to keep them a bit off center so that the sweeping motion of the rocker turns the valve ever so slightly in it's seat. For years I would shim them in one direction so that the adjusters were perfectly aligned to the right. It would take some work with surfacing the blocks and rockers to so it looked just right to the eye. Then I realized that the valve really doesn't care which direction it spins. It just wants to spin like a drunken Wookie at a bluegrass festival. Valve train setup has gone a lot faster since then.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

The injectors were sent to Mr Injector http://www.mrinjector.us/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsf2Ur92M2QIV1LXACh1IeAnQEAAYASAAEgIJavD_BwE

I received them back within a few days sparkly clean with a test sheet showing how one was hardly spraying and the rest were marginal. After servicing they flowed 100%. They included new seals as well as the hold-down donuts and a fresh stub of everyone's favorite fuel line, Gates Barricade installed correctly with the retaining ring. First class service for about $80.00

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I managed to get a little done.

Then a little bit more.

And then realized that a power steering pump wasn't on the core motor I decided to build.

Fortunately, the bosses on the head were accessible with all the FI in place. 3, 8mm heli-coils were installed and all was good!

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I'm glad to have most of the motor built! Camping season is around the corner. I was pretty hell-bent on getting some paint on this thing, but I don't think it will be realistic to do it right now. Current plans call for doing all the rust repair and metal bumping, leaving those areas in primer. Then put it all back together and drive it. I may spray the interior out to the jambs while it's stripped. I don't want to blow it entirely apart again when I decide to paint it. We'll see... I'll just be glad to get it rolling under it's own power because it's too heavy for me to push!

In the meantime:

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[rmcd]

[Bulli Klinik]

I've been in a bit of a holding pattern the last couple of weeks, though I did manage to pick up the wheels from the blaster and hose them in some paint.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

So the WBX oil filler tubes are not meant to be disassembled. I pried and pried to get the plastic portion off of the metal tube in order to be thorough with the paint job. I got it off with a nice big crack in the plastic.

Fortunately, Ebay was to the rescue with a NOS unit. Look how nice the silver OIL lettering is supposed to be!

Lesson learned.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I managed to get over to my buddy, Greg Gearheads, Cars and Coffee event in Old Colorado City. He hosts this at his shop once a month and it always brings out some interesting cars. These two were my favorites:

This Citroen was monster.

And who doesn't like a Dino?

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Pinetops]

What color are you going to paint it?
_________________
"A rolling bus gathers no rust."

[Bulli Klinik]

Right now, I'm leaning towards the color of my old Panel:

L345. Light Grey

With a gel coat white top.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Pinetops]

I bet that would look great!

My vanagon is the same color as yours. As much as I'd like to be able to live with it I think I'm going to have to paint it. The color is nice in some lighting but these things just look better in brighter colors IMO.
_________________
"A rolling bus gathers no rust."

[Bulli Klinik]

I feel the same way. In some lighting I really like the paint. In direct sun I think it looks like crap. This late Savannah Beige is a strange color.

One of the main reasons that I wanted this Van is so I could do improvements and make it "like new". My old, Bay camper was so original that I couldn't bring myself to change anything. With this one I've made the decision to change whatever I want to personalize it. I'm not 100% set on the color, but I know it will be a non-metallic, single stage. Likely a vintage VW, Porsche, Lambretta or Vespa color.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Zeitgeist 13]

[Bulli Klinik]

I love those Citroen's. When I was a kid in Italy back in the early 80's, my family had one. We drove that thing all over Europe. The seats lay down into a bed. We would camp at the beach frequently.

I'd love to have one but they are pretty complicated. Probably one of those vehicles I'll admire from a distance.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I was going to do some small repairs to the rear fenders but discovered some more rust up in the wheel-well.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I found a replacement panel from BD that looks promising...at least in the pictures. Replacing the entire panel looks like the best plan at this point. I'll be able to get up in the panel to metal finish the dents, replace rusty parts of the upper flange and address the surface rust on the flange. I may remove the panel aft of the rear fender to deal with a little flange rust. I'd rather remove, clean and prime it now than have it bleed out after paint.

The reality is that unless all seams are split, treated or replaced, rust is happening in your Van.

After getting the Passengers side out, I took some pictures of the process in case one of you want's to attempt it yourself.

I trimmed out the bulk of the fender with a cut-off wheel.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

Drill out the welds from above.

I could have drilled out the welds on this flange but ended up just cutting it at the break. There is a bit of rust under the flange which needs to be addressed. When the new fender is in place, a 90 degree flange will be installed to join the fender and the upper structural section. Saves time and is more thorough.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

Drill out the welds on the perimeter of the panel as well as where it joins on the inboard side. You can drill the inboard welds from inside the Bus if you like. I drilled them from below because I plan on welding from inside the cargo area and I like my rosette welds more consistently spaced than the factory welds.

I found it easier to remove the panel with a nice slit down the middle.

Grab the flange with vice grips and work it back and forth until the welds pop.

There's also a flange at the rear of the wheel-well which need to be drill out. It's amazing how much undercoating VW used!

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

If you plan on doing this kind of work, I highly recommend buying one of these seam splitter tools. I used to use putty knives and the like. I've had this one for a few years now and it holds up really well. Sometimes I use an air chisel with a custom ground tip to split panels.

One the panel is out, there is plenty of room to get up into the panels to bump out the dents and replace whatever parts of the flange need replacing.

I'm thankful that the entire lower flange isn't rusted away. Hopefully I can save most of the flange after blasting the rust away.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

On a simpler note, I installed the freshly painted wheel and new tires.

And replaced the rear hatch struts. I deserve a little instant gratification every once in a while.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs