Thanks for adding me... and my projects

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

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Sneaks
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Location: Albany TWP, Me
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Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Sneaks » Tue Mar 22, 2016 1:13 pm

I've been bouncing around the ACVW internet communities since the late '90s starting with the old USENET group RAMVA and moving to TheSamba and Shoptalk later. Most of the time on the Samba (ImAddicted) I just lurk, never really broke into the community for whatever reasons. I was quite active on STF (Sneaks in the ORF) for several years. Some pretty drastic life changes suspended things. Now, it looks like I'm going to be winning 'custody' of the two T2 projects I still had at the time of everything flipping upside down. Prior to getting both of these in 2010, I was a T1 guy who really wanted to T2, just never found quite the right deal. My last T1 was named Eggplant - a '68 all-steel baja done in the style of the Emory baja.

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Eggplant moved on to a different owner who pretty much destroyed him in short order :(

Before that was Blueberry, '73 standard with 2" widened fenders, GM wheels, and a pretty sweet 1835.

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He also have moved on to a different owner.

Within a few months' span, I added 3 projects, two which are the forementioned custody battle victims:

Ducky, the '79, Milla the '70 Westy, and Al Schmidt's SCCA Pro Rally veteran (took me 13 years to get that one):

Ducky:
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Milla:

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And the Rally Super:
Back in its prime
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When I dragged it home
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Probably recognize that sign in the background, The Grundermanns have it now and it awaits restoration
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Now the introduction is out of the way, thanks for letting me in. I'll make project threads as things get rolling again with Ducky and Milla.
'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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weisswurst
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by weisswurst » Tue Mar 22, 2016 6:39 pm

Wow, I read that whole thread (on the samba) about the rally super one day while browsing. What a story! You should post that link if you know it (I don't anymore).
Welcome to IAC!
Jeff
"I drink, therefore yes ma'am..."

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zabo
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by zabo » Wed Mar 23, 2016 4:39 am

yeah id like to hear more about that as well, the rally car looks really fun
60 beetle
78 bus

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zabo
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by zabo » Wed Mar 23, 2016 4:41 am

60 beetle
78 bus

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zabo
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by zabo » Wed Mar 23, 2016 5:52 am

and the old pics are amazing Image
60 beetle
78 bus

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Sneaks
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Sneaks » Wed Mar 23, 2016 6:56 am

Thanks :). I'm excited that it is finally in the hands of someone who will give it the respect and quality restoration it deserves. I wish I could have held onto it. Never did I think it would end up where it is, I'd be hard pressed to think of any place where it would be in better hands than with Christian. "Freak182" was my original account on the Samba, the ex killed that account on me.
'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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hambone
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by hambone » Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:13 am

Once you get the BUG it's with you a long long time.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

channing81
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by channing81 » Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:56 am

That Rally had a great story. What ever happened to the parts in Jersey?

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Sneaks
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Sneaks » Wed Mar 23, 2016 3:03 pm

As far as I know, they are still all there along with a 73 911 :( She spends very little time in the US now, getting in touch with her is difficult :(.
'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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Amskeptic
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:25 am

Sneaks wrote:As far as I know, they are still all there along with a 73 911 :( She spends very little time in the US now, getting in touch with her is difficult :(.
Well Sneaks, now is our time to shed the history and keep a firm eye on the present and the future. We are too old to get distracted/dissipated by "someday projects", to grasp at more than we can hold, and of course, we are now prisoners of a hard-won wisdom that does not allow us to do anything less than our lifetime-acquired competence/standards will allow.
So yeah, um, barf, I look forward to seeing what comes of the 1970.
Colin :blackeye:
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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Sneaks
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Sneaks » Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:46 pm

Two years later and the dust that was settling in 2016 finally has started to mellow. I like your way of thinking, Colin :). To get back into things I've been spending my non-work time reading through threads on a few forums and get my head back in the game. The '70 has been put up for sale, it is in the ex's name and that is what she has chosen to do. I recovered the '79 and dragged it up north with me. I had to park it a few miles away, I'm on the local rescue squad so my chief let me leave it at the yard until I could get some stuff organized at the house. It's coming home - 5 years later - this weekend. He's suffered neglect from sitting outside in New Hampshire winters. Looks like got tagged in the passenger rear corner. The battery tray rust has become tail light rust, I see some new metal in the future. Same with the doors, the skin rust through isn't that bad, but behind that, the bottom of both are just red dust :(. Fortunately the underside is still solid. Since I rent, my first step will be to make it look a little better so the landlord is happy, then I'll hit the mechanicals :(. I had spend a summer chipping bondo out of the rockers corners before I did a quick & dirty job to get it one color and on the road so I know what is lurking under the TSC implement paint.

Plan is to strip off the crap paint, take care of the rust, then return it back to Pastel White and Reef Blue. Might be all white temporarily, depends on how the weather treats me as I'll be working outside. It still has the original 2.0, and yes, the FI is still there :). Clean the tank, replace all the soft lines (fuel, vacuum, brake), check the hard ones, gotta whip up a fuel pump mount to replace the zip ties (yeh, I know...), do something about the exhaust (that glasspack is blown out), and start hunting down heating system parts :(. The BFGs on it are in great shape but I'll need to check the date codes :(.

The interior I don't know, I have no use for all the passenger space so I might do a simple camping interior or open it all up for cargo since I had to retire my beloved RAM2500 due to terminal tin worm infestation :(. I'll keep the seats if I do that, I have to replace the front door and rear hatch panels due to water damage, recover the kick panels, the headliner is got a few tears and is kind dirty, but not a priority at this point.

So, this is where it started, the middle, and what is in front of me.
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'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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Sneaks
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Sneaks » Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:49 pm

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'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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Amskeptic
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Jul 13, 2018 8:35 pm

Sneaks wrote:
Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:46 pm
Plan is to strip off the crap paint, take care of the rust, then return it back to Pastel White and Reef Blue.
I'm all for that . . .
Colin

Image
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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Sneaks
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Sneaks » Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:01 am

Ok, so the fun begins. Dragged it back to the yard. I'm working outside on this in northwestern Maine so every day is a weather crapshoot and in a few months, all work outside will stop. I'm kinda in a bit of a crunch and the weather this "summer" has been all over the place. This weekend I had a few hours each day that it didn't rain or threaten thunderstorms so I jumped on getting some stuff stripped down and a plan of attack starting to gel.

When I parked it, I think I was having a charging issue but honestly, I don't remember if I fixed that or not. Looking around the engine bay, I realize I have a bunch of other things to address as well:

I already have a couple of meters of Gates line and proper clamps to do all the fuel lines. I did them 5 years ago so they should swap out relatively easily.
Replace vacuum lines, especially the ones that are heater hose :scratch:
Heat ducting needs to be addressed.
I pulled the cage and timing scale off 5 years ago to replace the fan that is missing 5-6 blades, now I can't find them :(.
Seal needs to be put in.
General clean up
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Apparently someone thought it was a great idea to mud over the vertical seams on the body... I plead the 5th. They cracked, surprise!! Scraped it out just because it was bugging me. I've got some body work to do as I know the bondo on the seams are because I was lazy lower in the body on some rust repair and decided to make it match all the way up.
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That doesn't include what I have to do about this...
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And definitely this (back hatch):
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Still not sure on if will go with black wheels or grey. Sorry, switched gears there kinda quickly :).
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'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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Sneaks
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Re: Thanks for adding me... and my projects

Post by Sneaks » Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:20 am

So, while waiting for everything to dry out some, I started on the interior. Stripped down pretty quickly. Fortunately, except for the front door panels, the rest of the panels\cards have boards that are in decent shape, though some are missing vinyl or it has shrunk. I pulled them all, along with the seats. Only one small tear on each of the rear seats. Not sure yet if will put them back in or build out a camper interior or put the back seat in and build out an overnight camper interior. Time will tell (which means have to discuss it more with the better half). Happily, the rust inside is surface except for two small spots which I welded up. Next will be to figure out where to get some Osphos around here and treat all the spots before paint. Hoping to have that handled by the end of next weekend.
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A nice surprise is the original rubber mats around the seats is all intact, just needs a really good cleaning.
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So was digging through maintenance records and stickers to determine this is (I'm pretty sure...) accurate.
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Pedal pads seem to confirm it
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Nothing says "disco era department store purchase" like a high quality Audiovox cassette deck :). Considering Sport of Kings wasn't their best album, I can see why no one bothered to dig it out until now...
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This is pretty much the only part of the interior that makes me less than excited...
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I remember I have some electrical issues to sort out like only having high beams and intermittent tail lights, do something about the window washer system (hoses are shot), but that's half the fun, right?
'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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