1978 Westfalia restoration project

[the blob]

Thanks for the plug tip! Should've compared to the ones that came out.

For the de-rodenting - does this mean a rebuild or just pull, clean, and put back?

[Ceckert64]

Just mainly pull and clean. Putting some new gaskets on wouldn’t hurt either. Maybe pull the head to inspect that everything is good
_________________
1964 sunroof Beetle Restoration "Herbie"
“Joann” 1970 Elm Green Squareback
1972 Sierra Yellow Tin Top Westfalia Camper
“Fitz” 1971 Westfalia Poptop

[BUSBOSS]

If this is your 3/4 cylinder side (driver's side) I would make sure you get all loose plugs out. They can vibrate over to your oil cooler and embed themselves in the soft metal of your oil cooler. You may then develop a catastrophic leak.
_________________
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)

[the blob]

Finally had my DMV appointment (only three months after buying the bus) and now have a clean title! What could have been the biggest hurdle is now cleared, and it feels great to not have to worry about that anymore.

My middle brother came to town for the weekend, so on Monday we took advantage of the extra hand and started to pull the engine. It was 35 with snow flurries but we put a small electric heater in the passenger side battery tray (not worried about anything igniting since there hasn't been gas in the bus in 20 years) and it was not unbearably cold. We made it halfway through step 16 in the ratwell guide (heater cable removal). Everything went incredibly smoothly (even the bolts on the rusted out muffler came right out with some PB Blaster and elbow grease) except one of the bolts on the bumper spins after coming halfway out, and I can't get my angle grinder up to the bolt to cut it. Will probably have to drill it out. The PO also installed crimp hose clamps on the fuel line, but since I'm replacing the fuel line I think I'll just cut the lines for now and worry about removing the clamps later. It also "helps" that a few of the components are missing (ECU, ignition coil, starter, and voltage regulator missing and S boot and AFM pre-removed but left in the bus). We also scraped the X's off the windows so it looks less trashy.

If the weather is nice this weekend I hope to pull it out the rest of the way.

Here's a pic of me, middle brother, and youngest brother (from left to right) bundled up to work on the bus in the cold:

[the blob]

Been a bit delinquent with the updates recently, but have slowly been making progress.

Took the pop top and luggage rack off for a good scrubbing and a new canvas. Having trouble getting the rear corners of the canvas in but am waiting for another warm day with an extra pair of hands to get it the rest of the way screwed down. Here's the halfway and all the way cleaned top. Decided not to repaint it since I don't have a place to keep the bus dry while the paint dries:

Got the engine out (mostly) without a hitch - now it's in my shed as I start to disassemble it.

Only problem in the removal was that one of the bolts holding the bumper to the frame had a loose nut on the top, so I had to drill, hack, and bend it out until it ripped the nut out of the frame (oof):

I've gotten most of the tin off and did find quite a lot of squirrel food in there:

I've been struggling to use my Idiot's Guide for the disassembly as I have trouble figuring out what is and isn't consistent between the models and his style is sometimes confusing. Does anyone know of any threads, videos, etc. that walks through the process of breaking down the engine?

[wagohn]

[the blob]

Made some good progress this week on the tear down. Removed the heating and exhaust system, fan shroud + fan, alternator, oil cooler, half of the heads + cylinders + rockers + push rods/tubes, and support bar:

The heads came off of the case easily, but then got stuck on the threads of the cylinder studs (pic above with the rocker arms, etc. shows where the heads and cylinder got stuck). One of the studs has a different thread than the rest of them, so I'm not sure if that's the problem or if they were bent. After a while of just yanking, I put a piece of wood against the middle of the head and hit it with a hammer to pull it off the studs. Will do it again and post a pic this afternoon in case others have the same problem after taking off the other heads.

Only big issue with the removal was that I dropped one of the cylinders directly onto a wrench when it separated from the head and broke some pieces off of the fins. Doh! From trolling the forums, it seems that this isn't a huge problem, and that I can use JB Weld or something similar to attach the pieces back:

Picked up some Purple Power cleaning stuff yesterday, so once I have the other head off I'll start cleaning things.

[the blob]

Got the other heads off a while ago, but progress has been slow since my brother (the brains of the operation) went home for the summer. I'll lay out my plans before putting the engine back together. Please let me know what you think:
- Take the heads, cylinders, pistons, and case to a machine shop for a deep cleaning and checking. I mixed up the cylinders so I don't know which go with which pistons. Hoping the machine shop can help me out there.
- Replace pushrod tubes (some of them got a little bent when I removed them). Pushrods are all in tact.
- Replace all the seals and gaskets
- Have the fan shroud, injector pipes, and heat shielding sandblasted and repainted
- Replace all of the exhaust system and heater boxes (most of it is rusted through)
- Replace the timing belt

Is there anything else I should check while the engine is out? Any cheap parts that I should just replace now instead of seeing if they work when it's back in the bus? Any useful upgrades I should do?

[the blob]

Made some progress in the last couple weeks.

Fuel cap was missing when I bought it, so the tank had gotten really rusty. I followed the ratwell restoration guide so far (muriatic acid + chain in tank to get out the debris) and am planning to coat it in Masterseries before putting it back in the tank. Tank was empty so no black goop (and the fuel lines in/out of the tank are clean), but there was some goop in the filter which partially clogged the metal tube near the fuel pump (where my filter is). Trying a combination of soaking + pipe cleaners to clear it up. Here are the before/after pics of the acid in the fuel tank:

Fresh out of the bus:

One round of acid + sloshing a chain around in there with it:

Letting acid sit overnight:

One more round of acid + chain (plus sitting empty for a day):

I also finally got my canvas screwed in all the way. I used a 90deg ratchet screwdriver ($2 at Harbor Freight). It was a very painful 5+ hours laying on my stomach trying to get the back corners in, but I am happy with the outcome:

The heads are getting cleaned/checked at a machine shop this week, so once my new seals and piston rings come from busdepot I'll be ready to put the engine back together.

If there are any helpful upgrades/cheap parts I should replace now rather than waiting for the engine to go back in, speak now (or probably anytime in the next month...) or forever hold your peace.

[busdaddy]

[the blob]

[busdaddy]

Read those links I posted, there's a number of ways to do it described and debated, you decide what is best for you.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!

[Jetfxr69]

I will give you credit for taking on this project, especially with no experience or previous knowledge of these machines, before popping your bubble.

Your body is not just “ surface rust”. That’s just what you see. Obviously areas with holes are bad, but areas like window sills will be rotted underneath the seals. If you see rust creeping out from under the seals, then expect Swiss cheese underneath. Forward and aft arches on the rear wheels will need to be cut out and replaced. Once you cut that forward one out, you will find that the inner tub it mates with, may be compromised too.

With FI, all the components need to be cleaned, inspected, and tested. AFM, TTS, AAR, DR, CSV, FPR, all need to be operational for the FI to run as it should. Some of these are available as new or refurbished, and all of them are getting more and more expensive. Just putting the engine back together isn’t enough. The thermostat is critical to longevity of your engine investment.

The amount of rust and scale means there was water in that tank for years. Tap test the outer skin of that tank with a screwdriver about where that water line was. The exterior coating of the tank will make it look like it’s solid, even though there is a hole rusting through from the inside-out. A new tank is $200 from CIP. Just make sure you get the FI tank ( they are different from standard single port tanks).

You should pull the entire interior out. All those cabinets and the Masonite backboards they have will be covered in mold and/or rodent piss and nests. The foam underneath the covers may be moldy as well. This stuff will make for deadly camping over time.

How’s the integrity of the front beam? Any rot holes on the bottom? Ball joints, steering components, etc will probably need replacing as well. Unless you have a well equipped shop, your gonna be shelling out some serious cash to pay someone else. And that’s if you can even find a competent and experienced vw shop anymore.

I don’t mean to be a dick here, but I’m sure you have no idea how deep this is going to get. Plan to spend a lot of time and a bunch of money. Just getting it running is a small part of actually driving it down the road.

I’ve been messing with these for 30 years, and I’m still learning things about them. There’s a wealth of knowledge on here and many are willing to share/help. Good luck brother.
_________________
You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. Zappa

‘77 westy Seamus
‘76 tintop Crusher
‘77 westy The Judge
‘72 tintop bastard westy Hudson

[the blob]

Appreciate the reality check. Definitely agreed there is a lot still do do, but right now I'm just trying to get the engine running.

I got the gas tank cleaned and phosphated, had my injectors cleaned by Cruzin Performance (3 were completely clogged but now all are in good working order), scrubbed everything, and put the engine back together.

I've also gotten the FI and Vacuum systems (hopefully) figured out and have a variety of parts en route from the classifieds, BusDepot, and German Supply. Should be able to get the engine back in the bus and those systems sorted out in the next couple of weeks depending on shipping times.

I am missing the voltage regulator and the wires that connect to it. That part of the alternator harness was snipped off (presumably when the PO sold the voltage regulator) and the small wire that comes off of the big bundle coming through the firewall was also snipped.

Here's what the snipped wires look like:

And here's the part number of the alternator in case that matters (021 903 023 F):

From trolling the forum, I found this pic that I think shows what it should look like:

What are the red and black wires going behind the voltage regulator in that picture? Should I have those as well? Also if anyone knows of a post explaining the wiring to the voltage regulator that would be much appreciated. I'm not really sure what to ask for on classified ads besides "the end of the harness that attaches to the voltage regulator." Thanks!

[busdaddy]

The red and black wires are some sort of PO hack, looks like they've been making smoke too.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!

[ToolBox]

[the blob]

Did some more work and research this past week. And spent a lot of money on parts... Decided to go with an extractor exhaust since my Y pipe and crossover pipes are a bit holey, so I blocked off the EGR. Wanted to keep the bar around so it looks better, but it isn't doing anything anymore.

I cut up a Diet Mountain Dew can and a sheet of cork gasket and put them in between the EGR pipe and throttle/tin:

Ordering of gaskets, EGR pipe, and top of EGR filter:

EGR pipe fastened on:

I also chopped open the EGR filter to see what was still inside after 40 years (nothing) and used the top part as a fastener under the heat tin:

I put the exhaust manifolds back on the heads and annealed the copper gaskets per ratwell's advice to make them crush in between the manifolds and heads for a better seal. Next time, I'll put the manifolds back on before I put the heads on because the gaskets were hard to keep in place upside down while trying to wiggle the manifolds into place.

Torching the gaskets:

Annealed vs Non-annealed gasket - annealed gasket has a redish tint and doesn't make a metalic sound when dropped:

I also bought a "late bay air filter housing" that turned out to be slightly different part number than the one I have. I have the back half with the AFM and (working) vacuum pod, but needed the front half that holds the filter and intake tube. The intake tube that I bought has two tubes, with a spring/heat activated valve that switches between the two. It still mates and seals properly with my back half and fits in the holder in the engine bay.

Different housing part numbers (022 129 607N with vacuum pod vs 022 129 607M what I bought)

Complete front/back housing + AFM. Notice the funky looking intake tube:

Question: Can I use this front half of the filter with my vacuum pod back half?

[the blob]

Cleaned up and painted the wheels last week and got some new Hankook Vantra LT 185r14 tires installed. Removed the wheels, sprayed and scrubbed with engine degreaser, removed old balance weights and valve stems, wire wheeled and sanded, scrubbed with muriatic acid, primed with rust inhibiting primer, then painted with white gloss paint.

Before:

After:

I started to put the engine in last night, but took forever to get the oil filler up into the engine bay. Now I'm having trouble getting it to mate with the transmission. The transmission shaft seems to be in the right place in the center of the clutch and all the bolts seem to line up and go into their respective holes, but it won't budge the last inch or so. I've read that it should be easy to slide in, so I'm not trying to force it. The support brackets are lined up enough for the bolts to fit and support the engine, it just won't slide the last inch.

Any advice on what to try next for troubleshooting? Or past threads where this has been discussed? Searching around I found this link, but not sure if this is my problem (bent studs): https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=

[Ceckert64]

Did you loosen the clutch cable? Sometimes that has to be loosened a but otherwise it may fight you. Also, the splines on the clutch may not be lining up. I would try pushing it in while slowly turning the crank so the the splines would line up then slide in. I’d guess it’s most likely one of those two issues. It may just take a bit of force. Or the jack may be just a little low or high.
_________________
1964 sunroof Beetle Restoration "Herbie"
“Joann” 1970 Elm Green Squareback
1972 Sierra Yellow Tin Top Westfalia Camper
“Fitz” 1971 Westfalia Poptop

[wagohn]