I just bought my first Westfalia, again!

[Mike Boell]

In painting and adjusting the slider door, the outside handle was removed.


From the inside the screw was removed.


But when the handle was pulled out, it came out like this.



I can't get the two pieces apart and do not understand what holds the piece together. All I see inside is this spring.


Help
Mike

[Mike Boell]

[quote="chitwnvw"]Gowesty has a yellow one.

I think I had them send me a sample and it was REALLY yellow. I will go back through my samples and check.
Thanks
Mike

[Mike Boell]

Please forgive me for it has been several months since my last confession.
Boy does summer get in the way of working in the shop but I am back at it and here to share and gather advice.
I picked up a new slider door latch from Trafton's and have that working well.
I went the same route as Fancy Pants on his fuel tank fill hose and picked up the longer steel fill pipe from Trafton's out of a 1979 bus and a new piece of fuel fill hose at the auto parts store and have the tank back in place.

[img]url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/firstwesty/5020275627/][img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/502 ... ca1d0a.jpg[/img][/url]
100_2699 by Mike P B, on Flickr
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Here is the fire wall painted and ready to install.
[img][img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/502 ... 1c79b4.jpg[/img]
100_2700 by Mike P B, on Flickr
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I've been having trouble posting pictures with photobucket so I'm trying Flicker. Is it working?
Mike

[Mike Boell]

Because I have the interior out I decided to lay down some sound deadener. This product is call Edead 45. Pat in Bend, Oregon used it on his 1975 Westy and was pleased so I'm giving it a try. After the Edead I'll follow it up with new insulation in the walls and replace the old itching stuff.

100_2746 by Mike P B, on Flickr
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100_2744 by Mike P B, on Flickr
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100_2743 by Mike P B, on Flickr

[Xelmon]

Werd, looking good man!

[Mike Boell]

Werd, looking good man!

Are you saying I look weird?

[Gypsie]

As in "werd up"

it is a very 90's thing to say.

Mike, you should really post more often. three years is a long time to wait to let us see what you've been up to.

[Mike Boell]

Mike, you should really post more often. three years is a long time to wait to let us see what you've been up to.

Hi Gypsie,
Three years?
It's just been three months.

So I've never rebuilt an engine before and I know that working on the body, paint, and interior has been keeping me busy but it's also been an excuse to not do much with the engine.
The engine is the stock 75 1800 FI engine. It runs although a little tired. Compression was 110, 110, 105, 95.
I pulled the engine to access the fuel tank, for better access for body work and to paint the engine compartment.
Now that it's out I've pulled most of the tin for painting but volks are encouraging me to continue and pull the heads and see what I've got going.
So Monday I stopped over at Fancy Pants to borrow an engine stand.
100_2764 by Mike P B, on Flickr

and to borrow this
100_2763 by Mike P B, on Flickr

I hope it's PG13. I have a 12 year old in the house.

Monday evening with my darling wife and darling daughter the engine is no longer sitting on the floor jack.
100_2766 by Mike P B, on Flickr

Is this called the "J" pipe? mine has a hole in it. Are they still available?
100_2770 by Mike P B, on Flickr

100_2771 by Mike P B, on Flickr

So I'll watch the video through and then get at it but I may need some encouragement from the crowd, and maybe some help.
Enjoy your weekend.
Mike

[dtrumbo]

Is this called the "J" pipe? mine has a hole in it. Are they still available?

Yep. I've always heard them referred to as an "elbow" instead of a "J" pipe.



http://www.airheadparts.com/vintage-vw- ... -021251531

It even has the bung to hook up an LM-1 if you ever want to.

[poptop tom]

Good luck with the build, Mike! You can do it! The Raby vid., and the Wilson book are all you really need! And your friends here, of course!

[Mike Boell]

So I have been real busy on my bus over the winter, just not actively posting.
I completely dismantled all the cabinets, and went with formica glamour cherry. I thought I took pictures of the process but can not find them now.
I also picked up a new GoWesty Propex off Craigslist and have that installed.
Got to love Craigslist. It really was still in the box from GoWesty never installed.
Here are some pics.
Mike

I choose to install it under the sink cabinet . It's a tough area to get at for storing items and I've seen other propex heaters installed in that location.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3047 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

It fits real nice back there with plenty of air space and clearance underneath for intake and exhaust.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3048 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

So once the heater was in place I drilled through the cabinet and into the side bench seat.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3050 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

Next I drilled through the front of the bench seat and out to the floor.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3053 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

Then I added the vent cover.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3056 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

That baby really cranks out the heat.
Can't wait to use it out camping and or just motoring down the road on a cold day.
Driving a bus with heat, gotta be a great concept.
Mike

[Mike Boell]

So, as I've gone along looking for the correct green and yellow colors to match the original pop top canvas (not available), and the carpeting (not available) it was time to source some curtains. (also not available.)
When I purchased the bus there were two remaining curtains. The one behind the closest cabinet and the original front window.
My sister had just sewed new curtains for her Rivera and saved the old yellowed ones for me. Something and free was better than nothing at all.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3104 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

Her first suggestion was go with something fun and different. Have you ever tried to come up with something fun and different that still goes well with Yosemite yellow and blue plaid interior? Nothing I found looked right to me, so I went back to sourcing the original color and texture of the front window curtain.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3105 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

Not a real good photo but the yellow green really goes well with things but after several days and hours of looking both on line and at fabric stores I was coming up empty.
I scored some original green curtains from a 78' bus at Trafton's Foreighn Auto but they are the heaver canvas style.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3107 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

The color actually look real nice against the paint and are even the same color and material as the rear armrest. The bus they came out of unfortunately had gone through a fire so two of the curtains were burned, the others were sun faded and the front curtain was missing. They did work real well for patterns though.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3109 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

The best part was you can buy new material as Bus Depot. The bad, $35.00 on sale per yard and we needed about 7 yards.

So I went another direction and started looking at curtains in stores. K-Mart, Fred Meyer's, Target, Sears, and stopped when we looked at World Market.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3120 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

The fabric weight was about the same as the original and the color was also very close. Best part, I could get all the curtains sewn out of five drapes running just about $125.00.
The picture really doesn't do justice to how they really look from inside and out but they really look great.
My wife and mother-in-law must have the credit for a great job cutting and stitching these together.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
100_3116 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

[dtrumbo]

That looks great, Mike! Personally, I like the neutral color which allows the blue, green and wood grain of the interior really pop!

[Mike Boell]

Hi Dtrumbo,
I like the neutral as well.
I am really trying to keep this stock although I can see how much fun taking a bus and doing your own thing with it would be.
So last night I put the side step back together.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
000_0001 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

Over the weekend I plan to mount the front spare tire and front bumper including the overriders.
Mike

[Mike Boell]

Too many irons in the fire but I did get the front overriders on and the bumper installed. Also reinforced the front tire mount by running a bolt through the nose and adding a fender washer, lock washer, and nut from inside. There certainly is not much room too work up there.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
000_0002 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]

Then of coarse the tire and tire cover.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/first ... .jpg[/img]
000_0002 by Mike P B, on Flickr[/url]