IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Bus, Microbus, Transporter, Station Wagon, Vanagon, Camper, Pick-Up.

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asiab3
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by asiab3 » Sat Mar 05, 2016 8:45 am

Amskeptic wrote: Are you going to make it magnificent or only so-so?
I wish I had the funds to go all the way. Or the time. But life is short, and the left side of the car is riddled with bullet holes. The car does not have rockers either ; this I know because I accidentally peeled them off in the Hollywood Bowl parking lot in 2014.

I can not promise perfection out of this car, but I can promise I will do my best to give this car a new life doing the things Volkswagens were meant to do, with all the verve and steadfastness of what it is capable of. Even if it looks like a chicken coop.

Robbie

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1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Amskeptic
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:32 pm

asiab3 wrote:
Amskeptic wrote: Are you going to make it magnificent or only so-so?
I wish I had the funds to go all the way. Or the time. But life is short, and the left side of the car is riddled with bullet holes. The car does not have rockers either ; this I know because I accidentally peeled them off in the Hollywood Bowl parking lot in 2014.

I can not promise perfection out of this car, but I can promise I will do my best to give this car a new life doing the things Volkswagens were meant to do, with all the verve and steadfastness of what it is capable of. Even if it looks like a chicken coop.

Robbie

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That's all easy to fix. The bullet holes will hold the bondo beautifully. A blue and white bus with a white interior needs to look crisp, by cracky.
I guess I have to buy it off of you after Naranja has been sent off to a new life.
Colin

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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asiab3
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by asiab3 » Sun Mar 06, 2016 1:52 am

It runs. Holy shit it runs. 1am and it runs.

Runs nice, too.
Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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dingo
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by dingo » Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:11 pm

thats one of my favourite bus colors..Reef Blue ? or is it Oceanic blue ?
'71 Kombi, 1600 dp

';78 Tranzporter 2L

" Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches."

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asiab3
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by asiab3 » Tue Mar 08, 2016 1:22 am

You know, Dingo, I had an epically long post typed out, I hit preview, and said "that looks good" as I closed the window and lost it forever. I am sorely lacking motivation to write it all up again. It included highlights such as, 57H Oceanblau, (which according to my research is the same as Oceanic Blue and Reef Blue,) the missing valve locking nut on #4's exhaust adjuster, the deafening backfires resulting from such lack, the pressurized gas spraying from non-FI braided fuel hose, the biblical flood of rain, (which involved siphoning(!) water out of a friend's bug,) the "performance" muffler burning my legs, the discovery of TWO German crossover pipes, a replacement muffler, catalytic converter, J-pipe, and tailpipe, sanding and painting the blue house-paint rims, re-keying the bus, installing sound deadener, lubricating everything that moves, and driving hundreds of miles. Here are some random pictures. I wish I saved the old post. :(

It started with too many furry cooks in the kitchen. Even HE can see the vacuum leaks!
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Uh oh, where's the adjuster nut? Could that be the horrible scraping sound on cranking??

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FOUND IT! False alarm, and the scraping was only for a few seconds. Probably rust on the cylinder walls from sitting a year.

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This car is remarkably clean under the tiki interior, and the mechanicals are as tight as I've ever driven except for the BobD bus.

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Running enough to test it! Power was decent, so we went to get burgers.

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After remembering to reconnect the #3 injector plug, the bus was incredibly well-mannered and powerful. I made the two hour trek to Pomona in a torrential downpour. Note the blue house paint on the rim:

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Of course I had a chase car all the way, there and back:

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After the swap meet we painted the rims.

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I scored an entire fuel injection system with a new Bosch pump for $100. And it's the 75-76 setup like mine!! Plus, I got two crossover pipes, and now I understand Colin's pain. So. Many. Rusted. Fasteners.

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On the way back to Oceanside, we made a stop in Huntington Beach for lunch, where the bus kept us safe and dry in a sandstorm. We ate lunch on the rear seats and used Wolfsburg West boxes as a table.

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To kill time during rush hour, we headed to Balboa Island and crossed the channel by ferry. Spooky, feeling a Volkswagen rock back and forth like a ship. Been to http://www.wolfsburgwest.com recently? See the picture?

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All in all, this bus has been a splendid travel companion for the last 250+ miles in two days. It's nothing compared to what I put Buddy through on my long trips, but it has kept me dry in a downpour, kept me safe in a sand storm, kept me safe in a panic stop, and given me memories already.

Thanks, car.
Robbie

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1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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wcfvw69
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by wcfvw69 » Tue Mar 08, 2016 6:38 am

Nice work Robbie! Your absolute passion for these old VW buses is illustrated with each of your posts. I LLLOOVVEE that blue color. I could only imagine how beautiful that bus would be after receiving the needed body work and a fresh paint job. It's such a great color.
1970 Westfalia bus. Stock 1776 dual port type 1 engine. Restored German Solex 34-3. Restored 205Q distributor, restored to factory appearance engine.

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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by Jivermo » Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:10 am

Great write-up, Robbie! Thanks.

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SlowLane
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by SlowLane » Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:28 am

Wow, the inside of that head is enviably clean. Good score on the exhaust components.

But bullet holes?? Why? Why?
'81 Canadian Westfalia (2.0L, manual), now Californiated

"They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance."
- Terry Pratchett

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asiab3
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by asiab3 » Wed Mar 09, 2016 12:54 am

I just can't leave well enough alone…

Today:
- Removed both bumpers and waxed below them (useless, on this rusty carcass…)
- Sanded and painted both bumpers.
- Sanded the lower slider door track for smoother rolling.
- Cleaned and lubed the slider lower roller.
- Cleaned and waxed the upper slider roller track.
- Cleaned and greases the slider hinge track under the cowling. (Rubbing block is fine.)
- Re-keyed the rear cargo hatch lock; for some reason it was off the the rest of the bus. Clean and lube lock mechanism.
- Oil every single rotating door/slider/hatch pivot.
- Graphite in all key slots.
- Removed, cleaned, and greased clutch cable. Cleaned, honed, and regressed clutch pedal pivot. No more squeeeeeaaak.
- Removed shift coupler, heat up and bend metal cage into shape of rubber bushings.
- Contemplated why they can't make the damn rubber bushings match the metal cage on the shift coupler.
- Adjusted reverse lockout plate. Wow; shifting is tick-tock precise and easier after coupler and adjustment.
- Adjusted heater blower motor left hose so it doesn't pop off on large bumps at speed anymore.
- Reattached driver door vapor barrier for noiseless flowing-through of air.
- Troubleshooted non-working horn: broken ground wire somewhere inaccessible.
- Sandblasted OG exhaust elbow (with correctly-welded baffle, thank you,) and crossover pipe.
- Replaced flasher relay (Made in USA, from AutoZone, cool!) after torrential flooding of Southern California rendered mine a high-beam-style solid state relay…
- Changed transaxle oil in hopes of quieting down on-power noise. Nope. :(
- Tried to barter with Adrian for a thermostat pulley and cable. No dice, haha. Trying again next week…

Oh, and I drove it. All over North County San Diego……
Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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zabo
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by zabo » Wed Mar 09, 2016 5:24 am

dang you've been busy! looking real nice.
60 beetle
78 bus

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SlowLane
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by SlowLane » Wed Mar 09, 2016 8:32 am

Yes, great work. Next thing you know, you'll be sporting a natty wife-beater shirt paired with some scandalously short cut-offs. :geek:

Do you want that chunk of Cohline 12 mm hose? Just pm me with the length and an address to send it to.
'81 Canadian Westfalia (2.0L, manual), now Californiated

"They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance."
- Terry Pratchett

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dingo
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by dingo » Wed Mar 09, 2016 1:32 pm

Cool man, nice write up. I love seeing beater busses get ressurected and put back on the road..they are the workhorses, the overlooked side of the type 2 bloodline.
'71 Kombi, 1600 dp

';78 Tranzporter 2L

" Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches."

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asiab3
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by asiab3 » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:42 am

SlowLane wrote:Yes, great work. Next thing you know, you'll be sporting a natty wife-beater shirt paired with some scandalously short cut-offs. :geek:

Do you want that chunk of Cohline 12 mm hose? Just pm me with the length and an address to send it to.
I do cut my jeans off when the knees rip, but the comparison stops there. :cyclopsani:

I would like to replace that 12mm hose if you can spare some; I haven't gotten around to taking an exact measurement. The hose looks to be about a foot long to my eyecrometer, but Scott's GermanSupply site diagrams show a significantly longer piece of thick hose for the '76 setup. I'm not in a hurry, as the engine (and thus fuel lines) are only four years old, and I've replaced all the high-pressure lines so far.

Thanks! I'll let you know when I know the length. I don't want to take ALL your spare stuff if you or somebody needs it. :compress:


Dingo- I don't think the beat up workhorses are as much overlooked as they are surprising. I can't even count how many people I've blown by in the left lane because they cut me off thinking "bus = slow, rusty bus = slower." Nah-ah. No sir. This thing is headrest-mandatory compared to a Type 1 bus. :pirate:

Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Xelmon
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by Xelmon » Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:07 pm

Ahhh, great so see the enthusiasm!

Good job too!

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SlowLane
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Re: IAC wannabe, or, DON'T JUNK THAT BUS!

Post by SlowLane » Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:18 pm

asiab3 wrote:I can't even count how many people I've blown by in the left lane because they cut me off thinking "bus = slow, rusty bus = slower." Nah-ah. No sir. This thing is headrest-mandatory compared to a Type 1 bus.
Ya want some real fun? Mount some big-ass driving lights to the front of that thing, find a friend with a DeLorean, wrap a scarf around your head and buzz a local theater that is holding a Back to The Future revival. Be sure to put on your best nasty-Libyan snarly face.
Oooo, is that inappropriate?
'81 Canadian Westfalia (2.0L, manual), now Californiated

"They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance."
- Terry Pratchett

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