VW Momentum

Rose City Bug - In 2010

2010-08-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Aug 1, 2010

Rose City Bug - In

some very nice cars - Check them out (Starting with Shawn's 68 Squareback!)

And thats a cool Dog and BBQ!

The shows are a great place to find parts!
Found a few more things to add to the Bus - updates soon!

Rear Lights

2010-07-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

July. 29, 2010

Painted the rear lights and added 3rd brake light:

before:

after:

They look great!

nice!

Z Hinges - backseat to bed conversion kit

2010-06-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

June. 19, 2010

Just found some hard to find Z Hinges (by Z Products)
Which are used to convert the Rear seat into a bed - Very Cool!

(Here are some of the original instructions)

I found a set on thesamba.com -
Before:

Cleaned, rust removed, painted and installed:
(I had to make some simple brackets for the top seat - as these parts where missing in the parts)

Flat:

They work very well - the only issue is you will need to add some kind of padding for sleeping!

Happy Camping!

Bug Run 2010

2010-06-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

June 6, 2010

I went to the Bug Run 2010 in Woodburn, Oregon - Great Fun!

Splash pan and POR15 front underside

2010-05-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2010

I found the Bus was missing the front splash pan, and with this being the North West - I thought I'd try and keep the front as dry as possible.

I found a splash pan from 'Interstate Used Parts & Core Co'
Great service - check them out if you need parts!

I cleaned and repainted the splash pan:
(before)

(after)

Then I cleaned and POR15 the front underside (see the before and after pictures - side by side):

Wow - that took longer then I thought -but I'm happy with how it turned out.
All set for the rain!

Trip to Lincoln city (Oregon)

2010-05-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

May 15, 2010

Had a great ride in the Bus to Lincoln City -
Good times at the beach!

Back on the ROAD!

2010-04-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

April 19, 2010

After almost 6 months - "Olive" is back!!!
Its good to be driving again!

Few things so far:
Heater works! At first I didn't close the vents under the back seat, so no heat up front - but after I closed them - much better. Still need to get the heat blowers removed from under the dash...

Gas gauge still doesn't work - even after I replaced the sending unit.
Currently I have a 77 gauge console - I plan to swap back to a 69 console and get all the wires converted back.

Going to add few more gauges (CHT) and get some z-hinges for the back seat (so it can fold into a bed)

I'll add pictures soon.

Happy VW'ing!

Here are a few links that talk about setting up new engines:

http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles/engnbrkn.htm

http://www.davisracing.com/good%20advice.htm

Putting things back together

2010-04-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2010

Getting everything back together after a few months...Seems like it takes longer to get things back together then it did removing them ;)

Installed Gas tank and added correct tank vent - plus replaced all the hoses and filler neck.

Installed new bearing and clutch (added new left bushing on the shaft - but not the one inside the bell housing -as that one looked good - heard that can be a real pain to remove)

Installed new high performance clutch and Kennedy Stage 1 preasure plate.

Remounted the breather box to the front and changed how the vents where routed and hooked to the valve covers.

Engine ready to go!

Its amazing how long it took to get all of those parts put together.

Can't wait to get driving again!

Engine rebuild

2010-04-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

April. 2 2010

Sad news...
Right when I was getting ready to install the new flywheel seal - I noticed the rear main bearing was moving a little on the shaft... it could rotated about 1/8" around the shaft... not good

From a little research and talking to a few people from thesamba.com - the main bearing has lost its crush on the case and needs to be rebuilt. So I called a few local VW shops in town. One shops said oh just drive it until it fails - What? Fails - you mean the motor seizes and then it will cost even more money to rebuild...

Another shop said - the bearing has lost its crash and you need new bearing with the case to be bored and thrust cut. So I dropped the engine off on Tuesday and they finished on Friday!
They found the lifters where flat and needed to be replace - the #3 piston was a little scrapped and recommended all of them to be replaced. Then they found the lightened flywheel was a little out of round - and also needed to be replaced (which may have caused the issue to begin with)

They replaced the cylinder spacer from .020 to .080 (.020 lower and .060 upper)
said it should have run a little cooler now)

Engine rebuilt and ready to go:

Now to put everything back together...

Rebuild the heater tubes

2010-03-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

Mar. 23, 2010

I rebuilt the heater tubes (that connect from the heater exchanges)
(Found this great site with most of the info - Thanks Jonathan!)
http://www.jonathanstiles.com/HeaterTubeRefurbish.htm

1. Cleaned and remove all the inside parts of the old tubes. They could contain asbestos - so I soaked the inside with water - then unscrew the tubes - and removed the inside parts (with care - follow what Jonathan shows on his site!)
You may be able to keep the inside metal tube if not rusted. I found it rusted and falling apart so I'll need to make some of those also.

2. purchased metal mesh, pipe insulation and foil tape from Lowes or Home Depot
and I ordered (4) rubber sleeves from cip1.com:
RUBBER SLEEVE BETWEEN BODY TUBE & HOSE

3. Rebuilt inner metal tube with mesh and foil tape.
I made this about 11" long and used the heater exchanger to know how large the diameter should be.
Also created (4) collars to be used on each end (to go under the rubber sleeves)
(I also cut the collars tube (see picture) - so they could be installed around the pipes easier.)

4. Wrapped the metal mesh tube with insulation (pipe insulation)

5. Put tubes back together and made sure they mounted ok.

6. I put the collars on first - then the rubber sleeve:

Now I hope all of that works!!!

Fan shroud and lower tin

2010-03-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

March. 21 2010

Fan shroud modifications for flaps and venturi ring added:

Also purchased all the missing lower tin and the famous 'Hoover bit'

I didn't purchase OG tin - but the after market tin (EMPI) and that was a real pain to get all the screws mounted. I had to cut some of the tin to make it fit correctly - everyone says to use OG tin - now I can see why!

Undercoating the Bus

2010-03-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

March 15, 2010

My Bus has no rust and I want to keep it that way - So I spend 12 hours under the Bus cleaning to get ready to undercoat the bus.

It worked well - though its not like paint - you just spray it on and try to get a even spray - but don't spray too much in one area - as it will build up and run. (Let the first coat dry before adding more coats)

I didn't get a picture before cleaning - but here is after cleaning: (You can see the Bus was originally 'Red')

After undercoating:

I waited for that first layer to dry so I could apply a few more coats.

Now that was a lot of work!

Heres are a link with some good info:

http://www.wolfsburgii.com/undercoat.htm

Removing the gland nut

2010-02-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Feb. 6, 2010

I wanted to replace the main seal -but it required the gland nut to be removed. Ok no problem I'll just get the correct socket and breaker bar. Then I found that this is has the larger gland nut that is torqued to 400+ lb pounds...

So after a little search on thesamba.com - I found the 'Torque Dude" tool - which is designed to remove the gland nut- by a 9 to 1 ratio -so to put 400 lbs you only need to torque about 44 lbs.
But one issue -the tool is make for the standard 36mm bolt - and mine has the 38mm bolt! --- ARGGG

Ok after a little more searching I found someone on thesamba.com that could build me the conversion socket required to get this done - here are the tools:

Here the tool in action (also you need a flywheel lock to keep the flywheel from moving)
At first I thought it wasn't going to work. I used the PB spray and waited a little while - then try again. Heard a snap and I thought the racket or socket broke... but no... the bolt came free and I got it removed!!!

Happy day!

More resources:

http://www.vw-resource.com/gland_nut.html

Sold the 75 bus

2010-02-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

Feb. 5, 2010

We sold the 75 bus today :(

This was the plan - but its still sad to see her go.
The new owner is going to restore her and it will become the family station wagon!

I'm happy she is going to a good home.

Create access hold for Fuel tank sending unit

2010-01-30T08:41:00.000-08:00

Jan. 30 2010

After I get everything back together I wanted to make sure I could replace the fuel sender if it had any issues - so I created a access hole. (check out the links thesamba.com below for placement)

I used a drill to start a hole then a jigsaw to cut it out. (I made it almost as large as the cover)

Next found a "metal outlet box cover" to use as a cover (painted black) - I may change this out in the future.
(Here are all the parts I used):

Cover installed with the stainless steel screws (#10) with a lock nut and undermount sink bracket.

And the finished Cover installed:

Useful links to create the access hold for the fuel sending unit:

http://www.dolgyfre.adsl24.co.uk/spooky/access/access.html

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=203227

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=382002

Fuel tank restoration

2010-01-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

Jan. 22, 2010

Since I have the tank out - I thought I would clean and seal it. Seems like an easy thing to do with all the posts on thesamba.com (see below for links).

I purchased the POR 15 Tank restoration kit and started the cleaning process:

Before:

Marine clean (step 1) after about 24 hours - letting the solution sit on each side: (Not much better)

Marine clean (step 2) after another 24 hours - this doesn't look much different!

I think maybe the Marine clean isn't working very well because the temperature outside is 40 F.
(Yes I'm using very very hot water to mix with Marine clean - just doesn't seem to be working very well)

I called the local radiator shop (macs radiator) to have them acid clean and seal the tank. They charged $165.00 - Good Price!

Check out the finished product: - NICE!

And after painting:

Here are a few links that could help with DIY Tank restore and checking the fuel sender:

Fuel Tank Information / DIY restore info:
http://www.ratwell.com/technical/FuelTankRestoration.html
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=343449
http://www.paultaylorimaging.com/VW/Fuel_Tank/Fuel_Tank_1.html
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=378770&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Also Checkout these magazines - which have articles on Fuel tanks
HotVW's - October 2009 (Resealing the Type 2 Tank)
VWTrends - March 1999 (Enlarging your pre-67 Type 2's Fuel Capacity)

Fuel sending unit - rebuilding

2010-01-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

Jan. 15, 2010

I removed the tank and tested the fuel sender with the omhs meter:

its bad :(

I took the sender part and found the wire broken.

These units run between $80-$120 new - so I thought I would try to rebuild mine - as its not very difficult - as long as its just the wire. I measured a 1 foot length and it has a resistance of 60 ohms (I assume thats how you figure out the ohms per foot)

I found this site to figure out the gauge of wire I needed:

http://www.resistancewire.com/mainpage.php?page=techinfo

Check under the 'Ohms per Foot Alloy Match locator'

But after doing many searches I can't find anyone who makes 39.5 awg

But I did find a company that does build 39 awg - which might be close enough for the gauge to work

http://www.ec-securehost.com/PelicanWireCo.Inc./Nichrome_60.html

....

But - before I ordered the wire - I thought I would try to find a used one. It seems a lot of buses where getting parted out this winter. I found a used fuel sender for $20 shipped!

But after I got the used fuel sending unit - it also didn't have any ohms :(
I took it apart and found it was very dirty inside where the wire connects to the top. So I tried cleaning with some green cleaner:

but the contacts between the inside wire and the ground just didn't get cleaned enough:

Finally I just removed that wire and rebuild the one that had a broken wire by un-soldering the old one and carefully re-soldering the replacement wire.

It now reads something like 80 ohms when empty (float at the bottom)

I didn't hook to the gas gauge yet - I'll check that once I get everything back together.

Here are a few links that will help understand the VW Fuel sending unit:

VW Fuel Sender Information:
Tub sender was for 68 to 1/73
Swing arm sender - 2/73-79 (swing arm uses a vibrator on the back of cluster)

http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/htm/fuel_ga.htm
http://www.midsouthvw.com/TechTips/tech_tip_FuelGauge.htm
Rebuild Swing arm sender:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4112584#4112584

Mike's Square

2010-01-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Jan. 10, 2010

Spent the week with Family over X-Mas and got to check out Mike's ride: - 1969 Squareback -
Very cool - and its a Auto Stick!

And he installed his new custom German license plate! NICE!

Mike acquired from the 2nd owner with all the original paperwork, manual and service papers. How COOL is that! The car is almost completely OG (Original German)- what a find!

(I'll post better pictures soon)

Happy new Year everyone!

Here are some more pictures - Thanks Mike!

Our 1975 and 1969 VW Buses

2009-11-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

Nov. 24, 2009

A few months ago my wife, Julie and I purchased a 1975 VW bus. We where on the way home and saw it for sale on the side of the road. I took it for a test drive and was hooked! Called my brother in law "Mike" - (who owns a 1969 VW squareback) to get his opinion - he said "Buy it!" If anything else you can always re-sell it.

We purchased it within about 1 hour of seeing it!

I've worked on cars growing up - so I wasn't worried about getting my hands dirty ;)

But I didn't know much about the History of VW's or the different models - So

I took the 75 Bus to a local VW shop to get it checked out: Johns Foreign Car Service

John is a great guy! He suggested I purchase another one if I'm really interested in them. (And sell the 75)

As the 75 needs a lot of body work (front doors have large dents) and few areas on the back and sides.

Better to purchase another Bus in better shape and not have to do all the body work.

So that Search began...

Mike told me about www.thesamba.com

The BEST VW Vintage website (period)!

I think without that resource and all the great people in the forums - I don't think I would be able to complete a project like this!

Julie and I found many VW Buses we liked and we initially where looking into the older 60's models (Split window) But we finally decided on a custom restored 1969 Bay Window!

(with a DP 2110cc - with A1 Exhaust)

A quick flight to California and drove it home!

Wow that was a great drive! We got so many peace signs and waves for other drivers - It was amazing!

That was at the end of Sept. 2009 - Since that time I've been doing a few things:

Learned a lot about VW Bay Windows, reading forums on (thesamba.com) and asking questions

So far this is what I've updated:

Fixed the left turn signal - wire was pinched and needed repair
Oil change (HD30) and value adjustment
Added wire loom to engine
Added seat belts to the rear seat
(10/3) Found the Fuel pump was leaking - Replace with rotary pump and replaced fuel lines and fuel tap/screen ($100)
Found a locking gas cap - (The 69 buses use the same size as 'The Thing')
(10/1) Added round side reflectors (Found an ad on Craigslist - Where I meet - Shawn
(10/24) Added a custom battery cover to protect it from all the rain in the NW
(10/29) Worked on getting the Air horn fixed- but the wires need to be re routed (TODO)
(10/31) Trip to Shawn's house to take part out 70 Bus - I snagged the dash heater tubes and tubes that connect to the heater boxes
Ordered the heater boxes (1.5 in) to fit the A1 exhaust. Working on getting the heater going again - As in the cold rainy weather - You need some kind of heat for the defrosters. Currently the bus has 2 heat guns under the dash that give you about a 1 foot round defrosted section - Not very much.
(11/1) -Accelerator petal sticking - Found the spring was broken - (Ordered new spring) and added a helper spring to get it to return
Clutch is acting funny - Seems to be slipping
(11/13) found the clutch cable was breaking - so I replace it - Found 2 lengths of cables - 69-71 and 72+(longer). The old cable as too short - so I purchased the longer cable (72+) -

(11/14) - Clutch adjusted all the way and still slipping... Looks like its time to replace the clutch!
Removed the motor - And it was a lot easier then I could imagine!

remove rear bumper (6 bolts)
remove engine compartment panel (4 bolts) (missing the bolts inside the tin area)

Removed exhaust - all bolts where not too tight - may have had some exhaust leaks
Removed tin (heater holes) (3 bolts) (needs to be cleaned and repainted)
Mark all the wires (left side - Coil) (right side - Alt)
Drain oil and remove oil cooler lines (Need to re-route them as they run too close to exhaust and replace them)
Remove vacuum brake hose (This 69 bus has upgraded 72 disc brakes!)
Drain gas (and use hose clamps to remove lines)
Remove engine to trans bolts (4 bolts) BUT - the top starter bolt (half moon) is removed from behind the firewall - not from the transmission side (thanks thesamba.com for helping me find that)
Strap to hold transmission
Unbolt mustache bar (2 bolts)
Using a ATV Jack - removed the Engine!!! (Needed to jack up the transmission to get things to line up)

Ok - Now I removed the Pressure Plate (PP) and found the clutch was well worn - looked like its a stock PP and not strong enough for this engine. Will upgrade to a Kennedy Stage 1 or 2.

Found the Gland nut (that holds the flywheel) is 38mm (1 1/2in) not the standard 36mm - so all the tools to remove it will not work! - Working to get the right socket created to work with the 'Torque dude' tool
(11/21) With the engine out - its a great time to work on getting the Gas gauge fixed. So I removed the Gas tank and checked the sending unit - seems to be bad. Also found the tank is rusty - so I'll work on resealing the tank also. Wow -its amazing how everything is connected! where 1 project starts to turn to Many! Ok - ok - one at a time...

Mice love Buses!

2009-10-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

Oct. 31, 2009

- When over to Shawns house to remove some parts from a 70 bus:

We found a mice nest in the fuel tank area: (See on the Right side, where the filler neck would be)

Check out the fuel sender - I think this may be why it stopped working!

Here's Shawn - Getting busy removing the Radio Antenna:

Custom battery cover

2009-10-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Oct. 24, 2009

- Added a custom battery cover for all the rain in the Northwest:

I purchased a battery case from 'Schuck's Auto Supply' for ~$12.00

Then I cut the sides so it fits the battery with the cables - and use the top to cover the battery from moisture
(I didn't want to enclose the battery - just want to keep the water off the terminals)

I used a bungee cord to hold the battery in place (the strap that came with the case wasn't going to work) then I added a small bungee cord to hold the top to the case:

Locking Gas cap for 68-71 BUS

2009-10-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

Oct. 14, 2009

- Locking Gas Cap:

The locking gas cap for the 68-71 VW Bus is either hard to find - or very expensive - found one for $105.00. But whats interesting is 'The Thing' uses the same size - so I purchased the one from The Thing Shop for $52.00 and it fits great!

http://www.thethingshop-az.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=211201551A

Replace Fuel Pump and fuel tap

2009-10-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Oct. 4, 2009

- Replace Fuel pump:

Found the Fuel pump was leaking! So I replaced with rotary pump and replaced fuel lines and fuel tap/screen.

Fuel tap was a little different (old on the left) so I cut the new one to match the length in the tank:

New rotary pump installed:

I still need to add a 'Relay' to make sure the electric fuel pump only runs when the motor is running.

http://www.ratwell.com/mirror/sfraser/relay.html

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=283271&highlight=rabbit+fuel+pump+relay

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=373571&highlight=rabbit+relay+fuel+pump

'Olive' the 69 Bus

2009-09-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Sept. 20, 2009

Here are some pictures of our new 69 Bus - 'Olive':

Volksfest 2009

2009-09-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

Sept. 12, 2009

We went to the Volksfest in Washington - it was only around 3 hours away. There were all kinds of VW's -but I was really attracted to all the Buses ;)

Oh and don't you just love this Hot Dog Bus!

Check out these buses:

And these lowered buses:

Thats was a great day!

I look forward to going to more shows!

About

2009-09-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hi - All!
This is a blog of my adventures in the world of the VW Bus!

I'll keep track of all the hard to find technical things I find along the way in the hopes of helping others in the future.

Comments and emails welcome!

Happy V-Dubbin!!