'74 Bay pulled out of the weeds

[sunny74]

I have not posted on here yet but have been reading many of the posts here. I wanted to share my story and progress as many of the people here have already been such a great resource. I hope to pay it forward.

Hi all, I'm Tyler from WI.
A little background info....I've wanted a VW Bus since I was 3. I'm 33 now. When I was a child there was a small VW repair shop on the way to my family's lake cottage in northern Wi and I would make my mother drive by it on our way so we could see what VW's they had outside. I always loved seeing the busses out there the most. Fast forward a few years and soon after my first car I got my second car which was a 1995 Jetta. This car only furthered my VW love. After visiting a dealer to buy parts for my Jetta I applied for a job there that I got. That job turned into a 15 year career and ended on good terms just a month ago. I worked in parts and service management roles for most of my tenure. It was a great 15 years and I am grateful for the opportunities I was given and friends I made. My love for the bus never faded through all of this. I had the opportunity to buy a few busses throughout my life but it was never the right time. I either didn't have the money, the time or the space.
Just as I was ending my career I decided to look around for one. I found one a week into my search. I live in southeastern Wi and it was near Fargo ND. That didn't deter me. I rented a trailer, loaded the dog into my truck and we hit the road on an overnight road triple pick up a bus.

It's a '74 In brilliant orange. It doesn't run unless fuel is dumped in the carbs. I had the usual trouble that comes with an old car. Locked up wheels with flat tires etc. I was able to get the tires inflated and wheels freed up. I payed $3,000 for it. I feel I got the better end of the deal

Once the deal was ironed out the Bus was mine

I got right to work on a few things. I spent some time washing the many years of dirt and sap off. I still want to buff it but that will have to wait a bit. I wanted to get some decent tires on the bus so I could roll it easier as it's not running. At least not well. Also I refinished the wheels while I had the tires off of them.

The carbs were the next to come off as they were very gunked up and I believe the reason the bus is not running. The bus runs for 30 seconds or so when fuel is dumped in the carbs.

[Wildthings]

What size tires did you get? A 215/70r14 is the smallest non extra load size passenger tire that will carry the full weight of one of these rigs.

[heimlich]

Looks like a good deal to me. That's almost Beetle pricing. Great find!
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[KentABQ]

X2!

That is going to be a fun project for you, sunny74. Keep posting your progress. It not only entertains us (!) but it also gives you a reference to come back to in the future.

But, yeah, check those tires before you go out on a trip.
_________________
-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]

That engine looks nice and unmolested but will run better with a coil



Nice find! How many miles?
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.ssS!

[sunny74]

[Spike0180]

[mike77777]

good luck on the resto!! freshing up the engine on my 77 automatic. fun brojects these busses.
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patience and putty

[MorkC68]

nice find, looks really tidy. Good luck & enjoy
_________________
Major; 1977 Westfalia Campmobile
- Subaru EJ20
- Koni Classic adjustable dampers & Empi Heavy Duty Anti Roll Bar
- 180W Solar System

My blog: https://twolatebays.wordpress.com/

[Manfred58sc]

Looks nice. I have run 185/75/14 car rated tires on my Bus many times..they don't last long but I've never had one blow out. I never took my Bus past 60mph on them either. For running around town they would be fine.
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Fat chick owner/operator

[Cap10323]

I'd say you made out like a bandit. That bus is impressively straight/dry for $3000!
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-Ian

'77 Westfalia - 2.0 F.I

[SamboSamba22]

Good deal indeed, middle seat, half running motor, let the fun begin!
It's good to be brilliant, add a little orange to the mix and you've got a new member of the family.
Welcome, officially, to the Samba. We're happy to have you, and even more happy to share info and the journey of what's going to be a wonderful looking bus.
-Sam
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The Bus Barn Ltd. Co.

Oct. ’67 Double Cab (’68 Crew Cab)
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March '69 Delivery (Panel Bus)
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[sunny74]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome, It's good to officially be here!

Thanks to Gary from AZ - AKA Oregonblueangel
He answered my wanted ad for parts carbs. He gave me a super fair deal on a set of carbs and shipped them in less than 24 hours. Stand up dude to say the least. I am happy people like him are still present in the strange times we are livin in. I'll be sure to post seller feedback for him.

[Abscate]

[sunny74]

Update -

I was able to get the bus running after removing the carbs for a 'rebuild', replacing all the fuel lines and the fuel pump. Sadly a day later when I got the wheels mounted and the bus off of jack stands in hopes of driving it, the bus would not start again. Seems there was some gunk in the fuel tank clogging the feed line.

With that I decided to pull the engine to clean up the engine bay as well as pull the fuel tank to clean it out. I will be rebuilding the engine while I have it out because it has 112k on it and I figure it is time. I started an engine rebuild thread over in the PERF / ENG / TRANS forum. Here's a link: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=702890&highlight=

I'll post updates to the engine compartment and whatnot over here but the engine build will be on that thread.

Stay tuned

[xyzzy]

Awesome. Great score.

You'll love those dual carbs once you get them dialed in!
_________________
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1973 VW Westfalia 2L hydraulic, dual Solex PDSIT
1987 VW Vanagon Westfalia

[Wildthings]

Assuming it is a factory engine and that all the vitals are good, I would not be rebuilding it. Pull a lifter and take a peak at the cam. If the heads of the lifters are worn concave you can have them reground, but if the cam really looks weird then splitting the case to replace the cam is warranted.

[JaimeH]

I agree with Wildthings. Don't throw in the towel on an orignial engine just because of milage. A good cleaning and some fresh seals may be all it needs.
_________________
1978 Transporter 2.0 FI, BA6
Special Thanks to Razor's Customs, Boscawen, NH

[sunny74]

I realize it seems a little nutty to take down a running engine but as someone in my engine thread said "Its a lot easier to rebuild a running engine vs. one that has blown up." This engine has 112k on it as far as I can tell it is original and has never had a rebuild. I want this bus to be a reliable, fun, driver that I can buzz around town in and take on the occasional journey. Over the remainder of Summer, and into Fall and Winter I plan to completely re-finish the engine bay, the under body and all the mechanical components needing repair or replacement. That way in Spring I can enjoy it and work on the interior and body while having a running bus. A driveable project if you will.

Because I am planning on the bus being laid up for 3 seasons I figure I might as well rebuild the engine while I have it out.



I was able to pull the tank the other day and found tons of crud inside. Its no wonder why the feed line kept getting clogged.

Because I have more time than money I will try and clean this tank unless you guys and girls think its a goner?

Any surefire methods to cleaning a tank like this?

Here is my initial game plan - Tip it on end and blast the loose stuff out with air. Then I want to roll some nuts and bolts around in there to help break things loose and blast it out again. Then soak some vinegar or acetone in there overnight and drain and blast it out again. Any other solvents that you folks recommend? Also, anything recommended to encapsulate the remaining rust and seal the interior of the tank when done?


Thanks in advance.

[guitarman63mm]

I will reiterate what was said before - do not prematurely split the case, you should be performing diagnostics on this motor first. Check the lifters, check the compression, possibly perform a leak-down test if you can - but unless there's something obviously beat on the bottom end, refreshing the heads/rings/seals should be the most you bother to do. The shortblock on a Type 4 is fairly robust, the heads are the weak spots.

Additionally, you said you had more time than money - performing a rebuild to factory standards will be $$$.
_________________
Jimmy

- 1974 Safaré Custom Camper. 091 trans + Dual Weber 34 ICTs + Pertronix SVDA + 1.7L 914 T4 engine.