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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2022 8:14 pm Post subject: Home Stretch |
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The build thread for this car is on STF (see link in sig) but things have been pretty quiet over there. So I'm documenting the home stretch on both sites.
I am preparing this car for the Type-3 Invasion. I leave in about six weeks.
Here's the short story. We purchased this car in 2006 from a father and son in Missouri. Looked like a pretty good 20 footer. In March of 2020 I put the car into a shop for a cosmetic paint job. I'm sure many have heard a version of this story before. I got talked into a complete disassembly. Long story short, the easy respray turned into a full teardown and rebuild. At this point the chassis and body have been completely rebuild and the body has been painted.
This isn't a stock restoration. The car is a 67 fastback with the driveline from my old 68 squareback. The engine is a 1776 with Megasquirt FI.
The Home Stretch then consists of getting the engine running, putting all the body panels on and whatever else is needed to make the car a driver capable of a 4000 mile maiden voyage.
Max _________________ 1967 Type-3 Fastback
Under the Knife https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=151582
Home Stretch https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767836 |
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vwfye Samba Member

Joined: April 15, 2000 Posts: 7721
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2022 9:51 pm Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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Sweet! _________________ 64 No'back Speedster "Pearl"
1980s Sand Dragster "The Plunger"
LME "Little Giant Killer 3"
1974 Ghia "PUK" |
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Bobnotch Samba Member

Joined: July 06, 2003 Posts: 23019 Location: Kimball, Mi
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2022 2:06 pm Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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Sounds like when I rebuilt my 64 T-34 that I drove across country and back for the 2012 Invasion in Colorado. I had basically just finished it, and took it on a short 100 mile drive to look for problems. At the time, the only issue that popped up was the points trying to come apart, which stopped the car near John J's house. Didn't know what had caused it to stop running until we got to his house and really got to looking everything over. Fixed in in his driveway, had some pizza and then drove home. A very good shake down cruise. A couple of weeks later, we started our trip out to Colorado, and met up with John and company, then met up up with Jim and company in Iowa, and we kept going from there to Colorado Springs. Our return trip was basically uneventful, other than a used starter taking a crap in Kansas, that got replaced with another one from Russ Wolfe's collection in Iowa.
If you get it together before you have to leave, I'd recommend you take it out and drive it a bit before you leave, just to shake it down and find any issues. It'll give you some piece of mind too.  _________________ Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
Tram wrote: |
"Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
Tram wrote: |
People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2022 7:50 pm Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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So today ...
As I've been reconnecting the FI harness I've been checking each function and sensor. It all worked before I pulled the engine to fix some things. But now the TPS isn't working. I don't think I pulled anything loose but wiring is the prime suspect. I've posted it up on msextra to see if it rings any bells.
https://www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=76463
Next thing this morning was to test the fuel system. There's a leak.
Background: When we did the chassis I asked for two 5/16" tube to be run down the inside of the tunnel to support the FI. One for fuel supply and one for the return. Unfortunately both tubes exit directly into the space needed by the right tie-rod. My answer to the problem was to construct these fittings that could be placed over the tubes where they exit, securing them with seam sealer. It's a high-risk approach in that there is no easy way to get them off and try again.
And the return fitting leaked. The fit of the supply side was very good but the return side was less so. It's leaking where the seam sealer is.
So now I have to find a way to get that thing off so I can make another fitting that works better.
In better news, the frames for the rear pop-outs arrived today.
Last thing for the day: I had the short-axel conversion done some time back in anticipation of having a better selection of after-market wheels. Then I found out the wheels I want won't be available until well after the Invasion. So I ordered up some spacers to put my Mangles where they were on my old squareback. The spacers came in today.
Max _________________ 1967 Type-3 Fastback
Under the Knife https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=151582
Home Stretch https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767836 |
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Bryan67 Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2003 Posts: 2959 Location: Fresno, Ca.
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 8:05 am Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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JB Weld is fuel proof _________________ If you`re going to do something, do it right. |
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 9:47 am Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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I've heard that. They use they word "resistant".
The sealer in question is the POR 15 product. I already used it on one of the earlier iterations of my in-tank pump idea. There were other problems there but the sealer worked as advertised. Theirs is also the only product I found that "dries as hard as a rock, remains flexible, and once dry is totally impervious to fuels and solvents." Their lawyers let them say that.
The fitting that leaked had other problems. I originally didn't like the fit to the tube. The other one was a nice press-fit. I unwisely drilled the second fitting one drill size bigger, making it loose. My mistake. I tried to compensate with some JB Weld. The JB Weld is what failed, possibly failing to bond with the sealer that was already there. Basically a mess of my own making.
Turns out the JB Weld was also the key to removing that fitting. As soon as I began grinding the epoxy softened and I could easily just twist it off. Now I can make a new fitting and throw this "prototype" were all prototypes belong.
Max _________________ 1967 Type-3 Fastback
Under the Knife https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=151582
Home Stretch https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767836 |
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 11:10 am Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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New fitting made. Now I wait to hear back from my TIG guy.
So while I was under the rear blowing out the return line, I noticed this.
Dag Nabbit! I hope it's something easy like an AN8 I didn't snug down. So the engine is coming out again. On the plus side, that will make it easier to trace out the wiring to the TPS. No response on msextra on that problem yet.
https://www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=76463
Also, the wheel spacers are made for type-1 cars and do not clear the heads of the bolts securing the type-3 rear drums to the hubs. Easy fix. Drill two holes.
Max _________________ 1967 Type-3 Fastback
Under the Knife https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=151582
Home Stretch https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767836 |
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 6:06 pm Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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So the leak turned out to be from the dipstick to case interface. I gave each nut an extra tug and mopped up. I'll see how it looks tomorrow.
The spacers that came in yesterday were empi. They are drilled for both 4 and 5 bolt patterns. Because of concerns over what I could actually get, I had also ordered some spacers from gaugemagazine and they came in today.
https://store.gaugemagazine.com/4-x-130-to-4-x-130-wheel-adapter/
Amazingly, there are small pockets on the backside where the bolts are. They are in just the right position to clear the bolts holding the type-3 drums to the rotors. By luck, not by design. Cool!
So this puts the wheels about where they were on my 68 before the short axle conversion.
Granted the car is not yet at full weight but it does look like I'll need to reindex the torsion bars.
Max _________________ 1967 Type-3 Fastback
Under the Knife https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=151582
Home Stretch https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767836 |
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Jason37 Samba Member
Joined: April 21, 2004 Posts: 1044
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 1:33 pm Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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Bummer. |
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vwfye Samba Member

Joined: April 15, 2000 Posts: 7721
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 4:27 pm Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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You've got this! _________________ 64 No'back Speedster "Pearl"
1980s Sand Dragster "The Plunger"
LME "Little Giant Killer 3"
1974 Ghia "PUK" |
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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chicagovw Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2007 Posts: 1502 Location: Chicago IL/CHandler AZ
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 10:35 pm Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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You've got this-keep going! IGet it running and assembled and get some miles under it before you go.
n 2000, my dad and I worked into the wee hours to get my '67 VW assembled so that my brother, our friend, and myself could drive it to the VW Classic in California. We got the engine in and running the day before we left. I had almost no shake down time. I drove the car around that day myslef, and the morning we were to leave, discovered 165 tires do NOT work well with 3 people and luggage aboard. I managed to borrow some low profile tires from a VW buddy and off we went. Sadly, the same guy i borrowed the tires from was the same one that assembled the engine, and didn't tighten the clutch pressure plate down properly. It came apart on a Sunday in Nebraska. The VW Caravan we were traveling with helped us get it to a VW dealer, and went on ahead. We begged and pleaded with the dealer when the opened on Monday, and Tuesday morning we drove the Bug out. We encountered some electrical issues-half of our main harness burned up, but we managed to obtain some wiring from a truck repair place, and got it together enought to make it all the way to California on time for the show.
The drive back was 100 percent trouble free.
This tale is not to hijack your thread, but to enourage you to take your time, check everything twice, do some shake down runs locally, carry some spare parts, and keep your head straight if something does go wrong, but make the trip. |
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KTPhil  Samba Member

Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 35276 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 9:21 am Post subject: Re: Home Stretch |
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Making mad progress, keep it up!  |
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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Max Welton Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003 Posts: 10842 Location: Black Forest, CO
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