Delving into the “Running of the VW”

Well I’ve done the exciting exterior stuff.. windows with new rubber.. lights reinstalled…

Now I’ve got to make this bugger run!  The engine is so dark and dingy… aka dirty.  I started with a before pic:

I disconnected the fuel lines that were leaking and varnish-coated… yes all of them – then plugged the metal line.  First off I removed the H30/31 Pict carb and I’m going to clean that first…  the jets are plugged and it’s really dirty.  That’s my starting point.  I have the same carb on my ’71 driver that has a ’68 bug engine in it but the “new” carb has this attachment on the front – I’ll need to figure out what that’s about.

A Quick Post Before I Read Watership Down to my Daughter.

So.. I was out with Zoe today.  She was in the portable crib in the driveway next to me and the ’70.  She didn’t last too long sadly.  But that gave me enough time to install the sliding door rubber wrong.

Yes.. wrong.  My middle name should be “Trial-and-Error III”.  I don’t know who the two previous father figures of failure would be but the ‘III’ just sounded nice.

I removed the sliding door.  It’s heavy.  It swings out a bit in order for the bearings to release from the track at the bottom and then the top.  I placed it on a scrap of wood and leaned it against the rear hatch of the bus.  The rubber was acquired cheaply through my favorite samba site…  Here’s the beginning.

Beginning of rubber seal installation.

While the door was off I cleaned and lubed with grease the rear mechanism (the one that pivots and throws the door outward when you first open the door handle).  Installing the door was heavy and cumbersome.. so to make it easier I used an engine jack.  Technically, a motorcycle lift from Harbor Freight.  So, I’m done!  Looks great..  wait a sec.  I knew there was a chance I installed that rubber wrong.

So..  I waited ’till later when Zoe was able to hang out with me in her stroller for a quick re-do…  This is the way this particular rubber should be installed:

Upper left corner: flat flap is on the left side - beads on the other three sides.

Lower right rubber seal. Bead and bead.

Ok.. previous to this I did the 2 front doors.  I noticed right off the poor quality of the mold, particularly around the check-strap area.  Also.. You’ll notice the corners of the door aren’t covered with rubber.  It’s just a continuation of the thin mould.  I guess you get what you pay for.  People posting in the classified ads should REALLY remark on details like that!  Or at least their photo should show more than a jumbled pile of poop.  I mean foam rubber.

Upper right corner of passenger door. Note that it missed the corner.

Ugly rubber mould.

Driver’s door window/seal installation procedure

Talk about trial and error.  I’m still not sure I have the order ‘proper’ but at least it finally works.  The driver’s door took me about two hours to do.  I’m guessing the passenger door will take a half hour or less.  /crossing fingers

The obvious thing to tackle first is the Vent Window.  Fitting the rubber and getting it to close and latch solidly is covered in a previous post I think.  So I first installed this complete vent assembly but had to remove it because the roll-up glass won’t go in. Blah, blah, blah…  I’ll skip the trial and error I guess … it’d be tedious on you.

Starting with a bare door:  you can keep the handle, locking mechanisms and window roller assembly.

Lower window channel guide thingy

1.  Install outer chrome trim with riveted rubber scraper.  Follow up with those spiked retaining clips:  3 up top, 2 on the side.  I left the 1 at top by the vent assembly OFF to make installation of that easier.

2.  Remove the lower window guide with it’s 10mm hex screw (then slide down to remove; it has a clip top).  This will give you more lateral room when you fit the vent assy.

3.  Throw in the roll-up window – all the way to the bottom.  Do not bother screwing it in yet.  Move it over as far as it goes (toward the B pillar).

4.  NOW put that vent assembly in.  Be careful of the corner of the window glass down there!  There’s a philips screw up top and a 10 mm screw down bottom.  Install that last spiked retaining clip at the top now (goes near that philips screw).

5.  Replace that lower window guide.  Fun fun…  This is the fiddly part I question – but it works.  I left the window in it’s lowest position (still not screwed in), slid the guide/channel along the side of the glass and up into it’s clip hole.  One hand down bottom and one up top using needle nose pliers and sometimes a flat-head screwdriver.  Again, careful of the glass.  There’s a piece of sheet metal (part of the door) that likes to get in the way.  So I flex the channel enough to get around it… the push up from the bottom to snap it in it’s clip hole.  I know.. Rude… Wipe your brow and move on.

6.  Next I stuck in the vent window felt channel, flush at the top and continuing on below as far as it goes…  Snap in with no glue.

7.  Install the inner window scraper (horizontal one that the roll-up window “comes out of”).  I used a combination of needle nose pliers and plastic putty knife to get those snaps in..  It doesn’t take much to bend them too much with the pliers so just squeeze enough to snap them in with the putty knife.

8.  Install the big L-shaped felt channel.  No glue.  You’ll snap it into the spiked retaining clips (3 up top.. 2 on the side).  Pre-bend the L shape by holding it up the door first.  Stuff the lower part down past the window glass into that pain-in-the-ass lower guide.  Then work with the top end and start it flush to where it meets the vent assembly.  Try not to prematurely push the felt into the spike retainers until it’s position at that point is good.  I don’t see adjusting it after those spikes get a hold of it to be very easy.  Work your way around the bend (don’t push it in too deep… keep it the same) and down all the way.

9..  Now you can screw in the roll-up window glass.  It’ll be stiff when you roll it up.  I used a hand below to help push it up the first time.. and am currently letting it sit in it’s felt for a bit to settle in.

I hope this helped.  I’ll try to post better pics in a follow-up post when I do the passenger side.  There will be no trial and error and I’ll be in a better picture-taking mood

Window installation finally!

Wow… I can’t believe I’ve neglected this project for so long.  A whole year has passed?  I suppose at this time last year I didn’t have little Zoe to occupy my time though.  It’s a decent trade

So.. I recently got a bunch of new window rubber and I cleaned up the old Sekurit glass.  These jalousie windows were covered in really old, baked-on, crunchy tinting material.  Needless to say, it was tedious removing it.  These windows cleaned up rather nicely and were easy to install.

Jalousie window installation

Below shows my interior – Yes I have a complete knob (yay!) albeit only on 1 side of the bus.  I’m considering turning one on the lathe for the right side.  These windows also lack the interior seal – I have recently heard of 1 person making new ones lately… though I’m going to pass for now due to the added expense.

Interior of jalousie

Then there’s the rear window – I did this first because it seemed easiest.  Yes the rubber was easy (I use dish soap to seat it nicely in the sill and pop it over the lip with 300 lb test monofilament) but removing all the old, cracked stickers and window tinting without damaging the defrosting wires…. that was a pita….  But.. it all looks good now, right?

Rear window with new rubber

This is the left-side vent window assembly.  The rubber was difficult to find – Few people sell it (nope, not Wolfsburgwest) and it’s $50 usd…. figures.  It looks a tad rough where it’s joined at the seams but should do the job.  What would my options be anyway?  Here I’ve disassembled the assembly and cleaned and waxed it.  A little bit of rust is in the bottom where the window post goes through the frame.  Rubber on first, then window!  No rivetting… YAY!  Try saying that about my ’60 panel bus earlier in this blog…

Left side vent window assembly

Here’s a quick shot when I was taking the window apart.  I trust pics more than my memory for reassembly!  One screw tightens this clamp around the bottom post of the pivoting window.  Loosen it to make the window operate easier.. Not too loose though or the wind will flop it around!  Remove the clamp all the way to take the vent out.

Friction bolt for vent window

Well.. more to come later.. Zoe’s up from her nap and crying for my attention!  Perhaps I’ll take her out to the shop to watch me finish off the rubber installation on this baby!

Stripping the bay down

Even though I haven’t found a body and paint place I want to hire yet – I decided to disassemble the bus while methodically photographing and writing down any and ALL information I can think of to make assembly quick and easy.  We’ll just see how that goes.

Today I managed to take out the cabinetry, seats and wall panels.  I took measurements of the panels so I can reproduce them later.  I kept a scrap here and there however so I can get the curves right for the wheel well arches and the bit by the cooler (passenger seat).  There’s no sense in trial and error when I can just trace out the proper curves to begin with.

The laminates are actually in great condition!  I think a mere soap and water clean-up will make it all better.  I’ll have to put a bit more work into the original upholstery.  There are some small tears here and there that will need some delicate patching.  I’m sure there will be a post dedicated to that when the time comes.

Apparently someone at some point had smashed a window to break in.  I see no apparent damage now though.  Some quick and dirty attempt at a rear bench seat belt lies on the floor.  That will not be making it to the final product let me tell you.

Next up…  I’ll remove the headliner and ceiling lights, upper-rear cabinet brackets seen below and then the glass and rubbers all around.  One thing you might be itching to do at this stage OR while the bus is getting it’s body and paint done – is to buy all your new rubber seals, etc.  Wolfsburgwest however delivers in 2 days to my residence (which is fabulous!) – I love them…. BUT during my first project the rubber was sitting in an area that got “some” sunlight and they started to change color and crack… especially the grey foam door rubbers.  I blame my paint/body guy for taking a year to do the project and NOT communicating with me when it’ll be done.  Then of course I did store them in a bad place thinking I’d be using them real soon.  I wont’ make that mistake again.

Below is where I sit at the end of the day today:  seats, walls and furniture is OUT.  Not bad.

A New Project! 1970 SO69/5 Camper!

We went bus hunting in central California… Calaveras County.  While we came across only ONE bus the whole day fate decided a camper should fall into our laps!  It turns out our local real estate friend, Bill, heard our story that day and asked us if we’d buy his bus!  Umm.. yes please!  This is how are bus project begins:

Bill led us back to his place down the street and sitting at the far back corner of the driveway was Benson.  Here’s a shot of Benson -

Here Bill is saying his goodbyes.

So the first thing we did once it made it home 400 miles was pop the top!  Seals need to be replaced and I need to acquire some canvas.  Right now it’s a fully-screened in area up there.

…and a quick tour in  and around:

A quick link:  http://www.arcticaircooledvws.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1604 to give a little explanation to the tag below.

Nice screened-in view.

The only major damage.

1970 User's Manual

Service Record, Maintenance tickets and Dealer / Service maps of Germany

Some other cool paperwork is there too.  All in all it’s a very promising project!  …and who can complain about 3 buses in the driveway?  Gotta love it.

Thank you Bill for a great bus!  It’s in good hands…

VW bus shocks

So… my ’71 is lowered quite a bit.  How much?  I can’t remember because a PO did the lowering and it’s been so long since I’ve had a stock height bus I have nothing to compare to.  I’ll guess it’s somewhere around 4″ lower.  The “kongs” are cut off and the arms are swung down.  I had KYB Gas-A-Justs at all 4 corners and I noticed the front left was leaking the other day.  It may have been leaking for quite some time.  The “ride” in this bus is hard and bumpy – I avoid running over cracks in the road for fear of jarring my spine.

Here’s a pic of the clearance I have from top of my 14″ wheel and the top of the wheel well.  The tires in the front are 185/65 R14 and the clearance above the tire is 1.5″… With someone sitting in the driver’s seat that sinks by only about 1/4″…

1.5" of clearance

I read a bit and got some opinions… I re-ordered KYB Gas-A-Justs for the rear although I don’t have them installed quite yet.  I got KYB GR2′s for the front.. They’re a lighter duty (squishier ride) than the others.  I ordered them in a shorter length for the lowered stance.  I’ve had good experiences and quick orders with wolfgang international (http://www.wolfgangint.com/).

KYB GR2 shocks, for lowered bus

I didn’t mess around taking the old shocks off… An obligatory squirt of WD-40 just because… and then I broke out the pneumatic impact hammer.  Off the old bolts come.  Installing the new ones was easy too.  I did all this work with the front end of the bus jacked up high in the air with the wheels hanging.. So I cut the band around the new shock to let it expand all the way and that was about perfect to install as is.  They’re easy to compress by hand if you need to.

New GR2's installed!

Let me tell you the ride is SO much nicer now!  I don’t regret switching to GR2′s in front…  Well we’re off to the 11th Annual Spring Picnic in Yorba Linda, CA in an hour!  I’ll put up some pics and let you know how much fun it was!

Upholstery II

Here we are with some further progress pics.  Although I would’ve liked to redo the woodwork… within the timeframe we gave ourselves (2 weeks) we thought we’d just work on the carpet, curtains, seats, door panels (insulation and further soundproofing) and stereo (speakers too).  I guess that’s a decent amount of progress!  I’ll save the woodwork for a bit later when more thought can be put into the design.

Missing sound proofing!

Of course… to replace the curtain in that right rear window one must: remove the bench seat THEN the map shelf THEN the cabinet here.  It seems everything locks everything into place!  While the bench is out (and the jump seat) is a good time to replace/remove the left wall panel.  This was done mostly for insulation installation.  I tried a quick refinish – sand and water-based stain.. but I wasn’t impressed.. I’ll leave this project for later.  The blue foam tape you see in the pic below I used everywhere a panel or piece of furniture could vibrate against the frame of the bus.  This, combined with the Peel and Stick and Reflectix definitely made a difference in the sound and feel of the bus!

Reflectix insulation

Choosing a new carpet.  Believe me.. this was a difficult process.  It probably took me 2 hours of standing there debating between 2 different colors!

New carpet choice

Here we are!  Finished results!  Many thanks to my wife Chrissy for her hard work

Finished!

The back view shows a ‘plug’ we made for the wheel well…  I usually keep my spare jugs of oil in there along with tire chains (when will I ever need them?) and rags, etc…  Now it’s all hidden and smooooth.  I made a plywood base so the padding doesn’t dip into the well.  This is all until I obtain a spare wheel, right?  Someday I’ll be prepared for that random screw in the road with my name on it.

Rear view

Now we’re prepared for the vw picnic this weekend!  Time to pack up the swap meet stuff and goodies to eat!

Upholstery revisited

…and I say ‘revisited’ because we did our upholstery in the ’71 about 12 years ago.  It’s held up quite well visually… wearing thin here and there around the corners is minor compared to the UV degradation and resulting particulate feel when you drag your hands over it.  The curtains tend to drop pollen when you touch them.  So all in all it’s time to be redone!

Here’s the bus with current fabrics being ripped out.  My wife, Chrissy, is doing the sewing and stitching so that leaves disassembly and assembly to me.  With the bench and cabinets out I’m rethinking the current woodwork finish of course.  Great.. another refinishing project.

Here’s Chrissy in the Fabrik Faktory.  It’s a mess but it produces great results!  The toughest part she said was making sure the 2-tone panels line up straight (fabric grain/pattern and even dimensions top to bottom).  That is tougher when the original foam/plywood base isn’t straight itself!

Lying in the bus to see what it’ll end up looking like!  The bench back is next!  Remember to measure so the bench back and seat colored panels line up evenly too!

Smile while you work!

While Chrissy works hard on this project I did a tuneup and suspension work!

Door Panels and Tapes!

Well.. it’s been more than a decade without music in my bus.  It’s also been a rattlecan of a drive.. lowered suspension, no door panels or insulation… Although sound deadening material is still there.. just no heat/cold insulation.

I decided to work on the panels and music this week.  I went to Lowes and got some Reflectix material for some thermal insulation.. it’s minor but I figure it’ll be better than nothing.. and I’m on a budget.  Each roll of 16″x25′ was about 30 bucks.  So far I’ve but multiple layers of it, spray-glued in the sliding door.. and wadded up in the bottom of the front doors… so the window can still roll down.

The panels I made years ago for a previous ’71 camper – red pop top somewhere in Seattle… transferred nicely to this one.  They’re 1/8th inch birch plywood, stained to my liking.  All of the cabinetry inside was actually remade in birch plywood when I tore down the orginal carcasses to make templates.  Anyone else want to hire me to redo some of their cabinetry?

The front door panels were a nice addition.. right up there where I drive all the time.. Now I don’t have to look and listen to the hollow, ugly doors!  I also found some nice chrome handles, cranks, etc to add in!  Lathe screws were used to install the panels.. after pre-drilling small holes..  I like the rivetted look.  Next I’ll just have to find some chrome (plastic) piping for an edge-bead!

…and down in the front kick panel you can see my front speakers.. so now my tape collection can be revived!  The panel is split in the middle because I made it too stiff originally.  I’ll make do for now.. so I can listen to my tapes.. but eventually it’ll be replaced with a more flexible panel.  I’m considering Tiki-fying this bus soon…  I’m hoping for big things!