'66 Deluxe
Re: '66 Deluxe
Well, Bus 1 was feeling neglected 'cause Bus 2 is getting all of the attention lately so I figured I'd give Bus 1 some love. The last time I drove it at the fall cruise I was nearly gassed to death by exhaust fumes entering the driver's compartment through the heater from an unknown leak. I used a hillbilly stethoscope tool to identify a couple of very small leaks by corking the exhaust with a rag.
I bought a small power amp for the stereo last year and finally found time to install it. The red thing is a USB jump drive holding several thousand songs, you can see other MP3 input ports on the adapter too. (I installed the stereo a few years ago). The power amp feeds the JBL Control 1 monitors and subwoofer that I bought 30+ years ago and recently had reconed. Before I was married those were powered by a 200w amp and really kicked ass! These accompany the small Bose front speakers I have behind the front seat cushions. The amp works fine but it's only 15w/channel so you can't expect thumping lows.
Tunes!
[ I figured perhaps that some exhaust was being recycled due to my Jethro tailpipe not clearing the bumper.
I resealed the heater box/muffler connections and one flange that was seeping with muffler sealer and drove it a bit on a dry day last week. I also made a new tailpipe using tubing eliminating the somewhat restrictive damper pipe. I now have absolutely no muffling of any kind as the baffles have been cut out of the muffler and no damper pipe, and noise is only slightly louder than stock from inside the bus. (1904 needs to breathe) Still smelling just a hint of exhaust I extended the tailpipe a bit in case I wasn't clearing the bumper. Note how much the pipe discolored on a 5 mile test drive from all of that whopping horsepower. I think it's good now but need some dry weather to really test it. I can stall the engine holding a rag over the tailpipe and can't hear anything from the pipes using the stethoscope. I bought a small power amp for the stereo last year and finally found time to install it. The red thing is a USB jump drive holding several thousand songs, you can see other MP3 input ports on the adapter too. (I installed the stereo a few years ago). The power amp feeds the JBL Control 1 monitors and subwoofer that I bought 30+ years ago and recently had reconed. Before I was married those were powered by a 200w amp and really kicked ass! These accompany the small Bose front speakers I have behind the front seat cushions. The amp works fine but it's only 15w/channel so you can't expect thumping lows.
Tunes!
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: '66 Deluxe
I guess there's something to be said for having 12V
I remember the 70's when everyone was buying (or trying to afford) Harmon Kardon, Pioneer, Kenwood, Yamaha and Sansui amps for the home set up. The ultimate was a great amp with a set of BOSE 901's in a home set up. Maybe its just my desire to believe those days were better, but it just seems the sound back then at home and in the car was so much "richer." My 1973 8-Track tape set up in my '69 beetle had better sound than my wife's 2017 Subaru. Go figure. Those old amp/speaker set ups for home or in the car just delivered. It looks like I want to ride in Bus #1.
I remember the 70's when everyone was buying (or trying to afford) Harmon Kardon, Pioneer, Kenwood, Yamaha and Sansui amps for the home set up. The ultimate was a great amp with a set of BOSE 901's in a home set up. Maybe its just my desire to believe those days were better, but it just seems the sound back then at home and in the car was so much "richer." My 1973 8-Track tape set up in my '69 beetle had better sound than my wife's 2017 Subaru. Go figure. Those old amp/speaker set ups for home or in the car just delivered. It looks like I want to ride in Bus #1.
Re: '66 Deluxe
Great wiring and write-up as always, Bruce!
Sean, after I replace the popped wheel cylinder/shoes in the Eastern Michigan bus you'll have to get ride along in that for an additional stereo experience.
Nick a.k.a. Parts-whore, Young Nick, Subwoofer Nick, Nebraska Nick, Doc, the Amish connection.
Now: 1967 bug, 68 westy, 70 bus, 70 westy, 70 bug (FS), 71 westy, 71 bug
Past: 58 bug, 66 bug, 68 bug, 68 westy, 71 super, 74 super
Now: 1967 bug, 68 westy, 70 bus, 70 westy, 70 bug (FS), 71 westy, 71 bug
Past: 58 bug, 66 bug, 68 bug, 68 westy, 71 super, 74 super
Re: '66 Deluxe
I've not been really pleased with the oil temp on the 1904, it can commonly go past 250 or 260F on the highway on a summer day. The "experts" on Samba say that a larger sump doesn't lower oil temps, only delays getting to the final number. In my mind I'm thinking that there's a LOT of surface area on a sump and if you took advantage of that area you should be able to cool the oil. I'm guessing a 1.5 qt sump has 2-3x the surface area of an oil cooler, as the entire casting is exposed and finned with the exception of the small round spot where it mounts. If you get good airflow over that it should make a difference.
Bill supplied me with an 1.5qt old sump he wasn't using (thanks, Bill!) and I installed it. The pickup tube has a 10mm nut in a really tricky spot so I heated a cheapy wrench into a weird twist to get at it. To increase cooling I resorted to hillbilly ingenuity: I mounted a piece of .033" steel (heavy sheetmetal) on the tranny crossmember with some shock spacers, this will obviously get airflow all around the sump. You can see the temp sender in the bottom sump plate.
It doesn't show well in the pictures but there's a clear 1/2-1" of space between the added sump and the bottom of the case. After installing the sump but before driving it, I ran it on the lift on the top step of the cam for an hour looking for leaks. The bottom of the engine case read 220F with an IR and the sump read 180 at the same time.
The initial results are really encouraging- last week after Vermilion I took the long way home via 90/71 so it had a good hour on the highway on a hot day (about 90). I normally only go 60-62 but I was pushing it 65+ and the oil temp never went over 220F! Best of all it doesn't leak.
I'll know more tomorrow after Columbus, but it looks pretty good. It really helps handing on the highway to have the added downforce to keep the back end planted on the curves. Kind of like the wing on a Superbird, you know.
Bill supplied me with an 1.5qt old sump he wasn't using (thanks, Bill!) and I installed it. The pickup tube has a 10mm nut in a really tricky spot so I heated a cheapy wrench into a weird twist to get at it. To increase cooling I resorted to hillbilly ingenuity: I mounted a piece of .033" steel (heavy sheetmetal) on the tranny crossmember with some shock spacers, this will obviously get airflow all around the sump. You can see the temp sender in the bottom sump plate.
It doesn't show well in the pictures but there's a clear 1/2-1" of space between the added sump and the bottom of the case. After installing the sump but before driving it, I ran it on the lift on the top step of the cam for an hour looking for leaks. The bottom of the engine case read 220F with an IR and the sump read 180 at the same time.
The initial results are really encouraging- last week after Vermilion I took the long way home via 90/71 so it had a good hour on the highway on a hot day (about 90). I normally only go 60-62 but I was pushing it 65+ and the oil temp never went over 220F! Best of all it doesn't leak.
I'll know more tomorrow after Columbus, but it looks pretty good. It really helps handing on the highway to have the added downforce to keep the back end planted on the curves. Kind of like the wing on a Superbird, you know.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: '66 Deluxe
Winter. Ugh. Bored. Cold. Snow.
Clean a good case and put it on the shelf for future use. No, that's not silver paint, that's what it looks like when you wire wheel it. Fix some exhaust leaks that were gagging me through the heater, the CO detector says all is good now. Hook up my hillbilly exhaust so I don't die from CO in the shop. Hang the disc brakes I bought last summer, pretty boring and straight forward.
Prep the parts, knock the races in, pack the bearings, blah blah blah.
Clean a good case and put it on the shelf for future use. No, that's not silver paint, that's what it looks like when you wire wheel it. Fix some exhaust leaks that were gagging me through the heater, the CO detector says all is good now. Hook up my hillbilly exhaust so I don't die from CO in the shop. Hang the disc brakes I bought last summer, pretty boring and straight forward.
Prep the parts, knock the races in, pack the bearings, blah blah blah.
Last edited by Dual Port on Wed Jan 16, 2019 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: '66 Deluxe
Clean the spindles well,
Time for a drink.
Torque the caliper mounts with Loctite,
Hang the parts, bleed the brakes. Won't be able to go for test drive for quite a while by how it looks. Time for a drink.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: '66 Deluxe
Cute fridge
"There is no restoration process that can give a car legitimacy equal to originality."
- Karl Kombi
- Posts: 280
- Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:56 am
Re: '66 Deluxe
Wow! Discs for both bus 1 and bus 2!
Re: '66 Deluxe
With that exhaust set up you could have been an expert witness for the prosecution in the Kevorkian case!