1977 Westy visitors from where and a duct tape mystery solved

[popuppopdog]

So I am starting to check things out closely , been doing that for weeks, lot to look at after 12 years of just looking at her looking at me.

Found a little duct tape present in the rear compartment area: Hmmm!

So I guess I should peel back this duct tape and see what is up and low and behold:

An inventive prior owner was doing the McGyver for the fuel sending unit I suppose?instead of taking out the engine and the gas tank perhaps....still learning. Reminds me of my hippie burning man buddy who did this to his suburban, it worked and they didn't die, they used a grinder and a sawzall right on top of the fuel tank...boy oh boy...



So in the process I see I have been providing bedding for the locals for 12 years....

I assume that with plastic and looks like carpet pad I can do something similar without starting a fire...?

Input appreciated... I will tell you about the headrest and the bear later

[Hoody]

Your gonna get reamed by the moderators or some of the Samba Nazis if you continue to start new threads about the same vehicle.

[Wildthings]

That was quite the holesaw they used. They likely broke something in their attempt as they never got the hole finished and you likely have a bad sending unit awaiting you.

[alman72]

the plunge bit in the center of the hole saw hit the tank/sender and they stopped. total guess

[ToolBox]

[Abscate]

[SGKent]

think of the interesting things you can do with that duct tape. Start a collection...

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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[popuppopdog]

[quote="Hoody"]Your gonna get reamed by the moderators or some of the Samba Nazis if you continue to start new threads about the same vehicle.[/quote

To the gallows with me!!! I know there are a lot of recommendations and yes there are restrictions. I know there is a lot of information so I am interested in seeing all information, it would be really nice if there was a concise manual on all aspects of posting. I am not very good at it but am getting better at it. I do recall some tips from Tcash and Everett with regard to the thread.. I know that you can start a thread on a vehicle i.e. restoration , or brakes, ball joints etc. I have read many. I do not recall that you are restricted to that particular presentation. In fact the variety of small postings I have done on this vehicle are more of curiosities than a restoration thread which is why I did those posting fyi. I gave my car a bath, found rat shit and a hole drilled, doesn't sound like restoration to me and , and I have had more response to the curiosities, than the thread. People get used to the threads and become uninterested because they assume nothing new, same guy, same vehicle plugging along, snore ZZZZZZZ that is how I see some threads. Interesting things get left behind and are not responded to . Sometimes I find something on a particular subject and want a quick answer, and do not want to bog down readers with a dissertation from hell i.e. tram on weird hoses...so thanks for the warning and I don't care what any Nazi Samba people say.... I am blazing new trails, unless they shut me down I am going to do a general thread you have seen, but to specifics I will do a thread on its own for each area I think is important, i.e. ball joints, my new thread would be better unless there is some way to do this embedded within the original thread , just an idea.

my next curiosity

[popuppopdog]

[Abscate]

Unfortunately the model where people do as they please on Fora works poorly, ergo the hardworking, unpaid mods who keep the samba readable will enforce same.

Build threads that lose views do so when they just rehash what has already been done and just become your personal archive.

There's enough talent here that building a car is necessary but not sufficient to get respect.
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.ssS!

[popuppopdog]

[popuppopdog]

[scubaseas]

Rockwool or fiberglass insulation will work fine to replace what the North American Long Tail Hamsters removed. Or any old sound proofing pad of any hood. Marine sound proofing is fantastic as is the price but it has a lead sheet inside as sound damper and foam covered in Mylar. Be wise to find out where your forest friends camped out. Little bastards chewed a hole in my pop top and made a nice nest in the heater duct in my '70 Westy.

Lots of instances of drilling an access hole to save hours of work. VW, Jeep fan switches, TR6 rear bolts, Early Ford spark plugs, Volvo 240 fan motors. etc. etc. Maybe they missed the sender and stopped? Caulk or seam sealer can fill the holes there now. Or just pop rivet or screw a plate over it. Or just reapply duct tape every 10 years.

I would like to say I am not a fan of your jack stand choice. Looks kind of unsafe to me. What is it? 3" cap block on edge? The steel stand you have with a board under it would be a lot safer.
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Al

08/1970 T2a Westphalia owned since 1980

ASE Master certification. 50 years pushing a wrench
Retired

[rastomas]

Looks like a mud flap to me...
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"It's not 'You are what you eat', it's 'You are what you don't SHIT". Wavy Gravy.


'74 Westy

[scubaseas]

Indeed. Apologies, Presbyopia
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Al

08/1970 T2a Westphalia owned since 1980

ASE Master certification. 50 years pushing a wrench
Retired

[Wasted youth]

In your last picture, you seem to have an aftermarket catalytic converter, which is probably welded straight to the muffler. Not really a problem per se,
but the OEM application design was for a CAT to 'bolt up' with flanges and a clamp. No big deal, as you will have a lot of difficulty finding those new OEM parts at this time.

The key thing is whether the CAT is good and actually qualifies as the correct CAT for your bus. Plenty of smog shops that don't know the difference or don't care, but the one shop who might actually be diligent could give you a visual fail IF the CAT you have is incorrect.

The failed attempt at a gas tank sender access hole is a good thing. It took me the better part of a day repairing and welding mine back up. The PO on mine cut through most of the way like yours, then folded back the metal and crinkled the corrugated steel doing that. A lot of work straightening that out! You only have a semi-circle that needs to be welded up.

Thread suggestion: Copy and Paste this new entire thread into your existing build thread. Use your title of this thread as a 'header/chapter title' using bold or larger font at the start/top of all these posts. That way you show a new development under a different theme in your original thread, and keep all your new progress intact.

Peer review is one of the essential and beautiful aspects of this free website. I cannot begin to tell you how much free information I have learned from the many knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated people here! This entire idea flourishes when our community follows spoken and unspoken standards for the forum protocol. It will take awhile to learn this. Don't be put off by it... embrace the sarcasm. It's just one more service we offer!

[popuppopdog]

[popuppopdog]

[scubaseas]

When I feel like thinking I lay down until the feeling goes away...

Access to sender would have cost money to make and put in. If you want to install one have fun. Continue the hole, remove the cut piece, weld three or four washers or use pipe strapping to make "ears" and put it back in with a split hose around the edge might be one way to do it. Or make a cover plate. Or if it ain't broke don't fix it?

For jack stands I like 3 ton steel (Home Depot, Autozone, etc, about $25 each) on my bus as they are taller than the 2 ton ones. You can block up or crib with anything solid. Good you're now on concrete. Much easier to work. If you use cement block/CMU make sure the core is up and aligned if two or more are used. I have used 2 of 8X8s timbers with a piece of 3/4 ply on top of both, screws holding the two timbers together under each 3 ton stand to get the bus high enough off the ground to make it easy to work on. Seems very stable.

Your cat for 1977 Cali. emissions should be a two way? Up to 1981 used two way cats if I recall, three way after that time. It looks like it's in backwards? You can buy flanges, flange gaskets to revert back to OE style mounting from Walker or through NAPA and Autozone stores. As long as there is a cat in it you shouldn't have a problem but then it's really up to who is doing the smog test. Sorry, I have no idea how it works in California for emissions testing.
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Al

08/1970 T2a Westphalia owned since 1980

ASE Master certification. 50 years pushing a wrench
Retired

[Abscate]

No cement blocks for holding up cars. No No no.

They aren't made for that application, period.

The "they hold up the house, so why can't they hold up the car" reasoning is riddled with fallacies
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.ssS!