Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:05 am

. . . . "SE" > South East.
Greetings.
Currently on my way to North Carolina to visit with markannenorton and their green Westy.

I have spent the last week all Lexusy, and thought that I might miss the air-conditioning and quiet and tinted windows and leather and stereo and heck, it's got power brakes, too, don't forget that. But no, Chloe and I instantly get back in the groove as I wind 'er out to 42 mph, shift into 4th, and effortlessly clot the flowing traffic on GA 400 south to pick up I-85.

Chloe is running transparently, which is to say, flawlessly enough that I just take it all for granted and drive. No great stories of travails and challenging failures or breakdowns, we just drive at 60 mph with the little generator/fan scream piercing through the tire noise and reciprocation clatter. After an entire summer, I still take inordinate pleasure in the interior ambience of that gloriously white headliner above the browns and bieges with the open window wind blasting me as effectively as any ol' air-conditioned car.

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I did a call in metro-Atlanta with cheesecrackers75 (whose username comes from what he was looking at while registering (we can only be grateful that he wasn't looking at any number of other objects at the time). Cheesecrackers75 is a pilot, which means I have had three pilot customers this itinerary.

We started the day with a quick tune-up and look-around on his '78 Dakota Beige Westy with the rocker stands installed upside down. After adjusting the timing, we mucked about the airflow meter to see if we could improve fuel economy and driveability. I do like his blacked-out jalousie windows (powdercoated! nicely!):

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Meanwhile, in the other bay was a 39,000 mile orange '75 Westy with Inspector Otto on the left rear tin, a 726 emission code on the right upper tin, a present and good-condition painted metal scale that I had to re-appropriate from the '78, and look at this orange!

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Look at this front floor mat! With the scuff pad intact!

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It has an original windshield, too. Unfortunately, it has been re-painted here and there, but like I told cheesecrackers75, the true gift is the German mechanical underpinnings that have a full service life in front of them after he gets to every single part that needs lubrication (which is most of them). We noted that his white trim strip is as fine as I've seen:

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There was another bus in the driveway (he has an understanding wife) that he was originally going to harvest, but it is actually a decent vehicle that must be resurrected and driven. Great to meet you and the family cheesecrackers75!

I will have some more photos/posts as I do this southeast lap. No North Carolina hurricane this year . . .
Colion
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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wcfvw69
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by wcfvw69 » Wed Sep 27, 2017 5:06 pm

Wow! That orange bus is dreamy and so original. Super jealous.

BTW, notice in the picture that shows the pedals, in particular the brake pedal. Mine in my 70' is off a bit like that one as well. I ASSumed it was bent. Now looking at his brake pedal, it may have been off for a reason?
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: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Sep 27, 2017 6:52 pm

wcfvw69 wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2017 5:06 pm
Wow! That orange bus is dreamy and so original. Super jealous.

BTW, notice in the picture that shows the pedals, in particular the brake pedal. Mine in my 70' is off a bit like that one as well. I ASSumed it was bent. Now looking at his brake pedal, it may have been off for a reason?
You can adjust the pedal position by loosening the 13mm nut/bolt between the pedal and the lever below. You don't have a lot of wiggle room, but you have some. His were pretty good. I think my camera was doing a little fisheye.
Colin
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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airkooledchris
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by airkooledchris » Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:30 pm

really loving the look of that powdercoated jalousie window frame .
1979 California Transporter

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asiab3
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by asiab3 » Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:17 pm

Why do all the low-milage Westy buses have such worn pedal pads? I have nearly 90k on mine and they look brand new… You can't tell me Gumi-Pfledge is that good……

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

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poptop tom
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by poptop tom » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:56 am

asiab3 wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:17 pm
Why do all the low-milage Westy buses have such worn pedal pads? I have nearly 90k on mine and they look brand new… You can't tell me Gumi-Pfledge is that good……

Robbie
And why would they have been painted over (body) a couple/few times over their lives with that low of mileage?
Mr. Blotto wrote, "Boy - thanks for the offer, but a month in poptop tom's world means 5 years"

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tommu
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by tommu » Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:40 pm

poptop tom wrote:
Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:56 am
asiab3 wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:17 pm
Why do all the low-milage Westy buses have such worn pedal pads? I have nearly 90k on mine and they look brand new… You can't tell me Gumi-Pfledge is that good……

Robbie
And why would they have been painted over (body) a couple/few times over their lives with that low of mileage?
To be fair - if you parked a bus outside under a tree in the LA sun in 1972 it's not beyond imagination that you'd need a respray in 1992 and 2012. You should see the amount of bird poop on my Land Rover right now. Tree over our drive hosts a flock of dozens of amazon parrots every evening. They stop here. Poop (on my car). Then go to roost over on Griffith Park.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:08 pm

asiab3 wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:17 pm
Why do all the low-milage Westy buses have such worn pedal pads? I have nearly 90k on mine and they look brand new… You can't tell me Gumi-Pfledge is that good……

Robbie
I think VW had softer grippier pedal rubber . . . cuz their lawyers SAID SO.
Colin
"Ghumnbi-pbflebdgje - it's that good"
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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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:08 am

tommu wrote:
Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:40 pm
poptop tom wrote:
Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:56 am
asiab3 wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:17 pm
Why do all the low-milage Westy buses have such worn pedal pads? I have nearly 90k on mine and they look brand new… You can't tell me Gumi-Pfledge is that good……

Robbie
And why would they have been painted over (body) a couple/few times over their lives with that low of mileage?
To be fair - if you parked a bus outside under a tree in the LA sun in 1972 it's not beyond imagination that you'd need a respray in 1992 and 2012.
Yeah, but VW paint is amazing. I have attacked so many chalky dead VWs with some rubbing compound and we got to see amazing paint come out from under the oxidation. I think the more likely reason for re-spray is either a sales con job or the fact that buses get their noses and rockers blasted by rock chips:

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

cheesecrackers75
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by cheesecrackers75 » Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:42 am

Hey guys! Finally got a chance to jump in here.

Twas great having Colin over for the day! Learned a lot and enjoyed the insight on all the things I become used to and don't notice - like the fact that my cooling fan was not sitting flush with the shroud due to the Gilmore AC pulley I used (we reinstalled the original DPD one).

The Brilliant Orange 75' Westy: That was my little secret, obtained only a week prior through shear right-place-at-the-right-time-dumb-luck but man, what a lucky fucker I was. I didn't (and don't) need another bus but I HAD to jump on it when it showed up on the Atlanta Craigslist. I had planned on bringing it up to road ready and then taking a proper photo set before presenting it to the community, but the cat's out of the bag, which is fine, so..

It is an (almost) 39,000 original mile Canadian Westy with the perfect survivor story: Original owner bought it, used it lightly in the 80's for family camping, kids grew up, parked it in the garage, died last year, son got around to selling his stuff. It was trailered to one of the son's property, a Mercedes shop, and there they swapped out the rusted fuel tank (using the wrong fuel hoses of course) to get it running just barely. I milked it home, having to stop halfway due to an empty brake fluid reservoir (that I forgot to check in my haste to drive away before someone else showed up that knew what they were looking at), pouring oil through valve cover gaskets that had vaporized, and billowing smoke as the original foam engine seal crumbled in chunks onto the muffler to burn. It barely idled, and the next time I tried to start it Colin was there and we determined that it leaks through every single vacuum connection.

So it is what happens when you let a bus sit in a garage for 30 years. It's wonderfully preserved, but covered in dust which has worked it's way into every crevasse and every engine hose needs to be replaced, and every moving part needs lubrication. That will be my job #1.

Otherwise, it's a jewel. I have never actually SEEN a bus with all the original VW factory parts and markings, and all so fresh at that. It's like a clean slate that I don't dare alter other than bring it to roadworthy and then clean and detail. It has been painted on the left side and I will probably paint the nose as it is chipped in a bout a dozen places as though it got caught one day behind a leaking gravel truck and which the owner attempted to touch-up paint, but otherwise OG paint and OG everything, everything, everything, even the new bus smell. The horsehair has turned to dust and fallen out of the front seats. Even the original curtains are there, brittle but unfaded ORANGE, the Westy interior new like the day it left the dealer. The BA6 heater sits clean and ready to reignite. I could go on and on, but I'll save the full write up for after I finish the planned minimal refurb and do a proper photo shoot.

Anyway...

The main reason I summoned Colin was because the Dakota Beige 78' Westy runs great but gets around 14mpg, and I've always been nervous about messing with the AFM after having suffered PTSD from an experience with an inexperienced tech who 20 years ago royally screwed up my wiper wheel on my first bus, a 75' I bought when I was 17. I never got that bus back to normal till I found a junkyard 76'+ AFM to use, which in case you're wondering, can have the extra prong filed off with a hacksaw to accept the 75' connector, which is what you do when you're 18 and need to get to the next Dead show.

Anyway, as Colin mentioned, we checked the tuning, tweaked the timing a hair, and took a look at a spark plug which had a nice tan, then popped off the AFM lid and determined it was running on the rich side, so tweaked the wheel around 6 tangs and turned the idle adjust in to about 4 turns back from all the way in. It did seem a bit peppier out the gate, but that could have been due to the extra 5psi above spec that Colin suggested for my General Grabbers. We did a little family trip to Lake Oconee so I had enough miles to note the results.

I soon rescinded my optimistic conclusion jump as it didn't actually have any noticeable power increase (but much joy was felt about my Ratwell-esk removal of the rear sway-bar replaced with Konis dialed one notch away from full soft - a remarkable handling improvement). As suspected, I am seeing about 10 degrees hotter on the CHT but I had some to play with (was seeing 385 at 65mph straight and level, now around 400-405, at 85-95 degrees outside air temp and with the AC on full whack.) But, alas, no change in MPG! I had a mixed driving fill-up at 14mpg and a mostly-highway at 15mpg. I didn't have a chance to pull a spark plug and note any color change before returning to my work rotation.

So Colin, what do you suggest I try next?

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From SE

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:05 am

cheesecrackers75 wrote:
Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:42 am

I am seeing about 10 degrees hotter on the CHT but I had some to play with (was seeing 385 at 65mph straight and level, now around 400-405, at 85-95 degrees outside air temp and with the AC on full whack.) But, alas, no change in MPG! I had a mixed driving fill-up at 14mpg and a mostly-highway at 15mpg. I didn't have a chance to pull a spark plug and note any color change before returning to my work rotation.

So Colin, what do you suggest I try next?

I suggest a trip without A/C at 60 mph for about 100 miles and let us know.
You are very close to expected late model Westy mpg (16.7) with the additional drag of the a/c compressor and a current mixture which is safe (tan plugs). We can go one more Sherwin Williams color swatch whiter, but no more than that.
Colin
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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