Always good stuff!
Vegas Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
1963 Single Cab
1964 Bowman & Sons Camper (Vegas Bus)
1966 Westy S0-42 Hardtop
1967 Westy SO-42 Pop Top
1968 Single Cab
1964 Bowman & Sons Camper (Vegas Bus)
1966 Westy S0-42 Hardtop
1967 Westy SO-42 Pop Top
1968 Single Cab
Re: Vegas Bus
Camera card was full, time for an update.
FNG wire wheeling, bead blasting, and painting parts. It's hard to find good help these days, the last FNG only lasted a couple of weeks. FNG assembling the headlight buckets. Pretty much all parts are dedicated left or right so make sure you keep them straight and mark them top and bottom to make it easier to assemble. Heat any grommets to make them more pliable to install. Meanwhile I was doing the speedo head, when I took it apart the colored gels fell out, which is pretty much normal. I bead blasted the can, buffed the chrome trim ring, cleaned things up and glued in new gels with weatherstrip adhesive. I had the FNG bead blast all of the sockets and put in new 12v bulbs. I always test them for about 30 seconds each to make sure the bulbs are good and everything is super. Here's a before and after picture. After installation with the power on.
FNG wire wheeling, bead blasting, and painting parts. It's hard to find good help these days, the last FNG only lasted a couple of weeks. FNG assembling the headlight buckets. Pretty much all parts are dedicated left or right so make sure you keep them straight and mark them top and bottom to make it easier to assemble. Heat any grommets to make them more pliable to install. Meanwhile I was doing the speedo head, when I took it apart the colored gels fell out, which is pretty much normal. I bead blasted the can, buffed the chrome trim ring, cleaned things up and glued in new gels with weatherstrip adhesive. I had the FNG bead blast all of the sockets and put in new 12v bulbs. I always test them for about 30 seconds each to make sure the bulbs are good and everything is super. Here's a before and after picture. After installation with the power on.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
Here we're putting the bigger gen stand on, brand new 12v gen from Mick, replacing the flywheel, torqueing it. The flywheel was a used 12v so I blasted it and DA'd the friction surface with 120 grit. I checked end play before and after, it was the same.
Test running the engine to make sure the gen charges, light works, fan doesn't rub, etc. Exhaust pipe goes to my exhaust fan in the wall.
Smile, Ken, it's not that bad.
I wire wheeled the lower engine studs so you can spin the nuts with your fingers when the motor goes in.Test running the engine to make sure the gen charges, light works, fan doesn't rub, etc. Exhaust pipe goes to my exhaust fan in the wall.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
Upgrading to 12v either means you run 12v through a 6v starter or put a 12v flywheel on. Ken's 6v flywheel teeth were kind of beat up so that made the decision easier to go to a 12v flywheel which is larger by 1/8". You've seen me use this homemade "tool" before:
I welded a couple of tool bits from a brake lathe into an old flywheel.
Using a low speed 1/2" drill slowly insert it into the bellhousing. The drill does have a left side handle which doesn't show in the pictures. I told Ken his job was to watch and take me to the hospital if things went wrong.
The input is taped off to keep the chips off the seal, here it is after the cut.
Clean things up, knock in a 12v adapter bushing, a new TOB to replace the old growly one, clean the starter pad and bell flange to make good grounds, and bolt the starter in.
Hmmm, I can't remember if the trans is aluminum or magnesium, let's find out. Take a handful of shavings outside, and yes, it's magnesium. The propane tank is there for size comparison.
It worked great, when we installed the engine it turned freely without rubbing the bellhousing. Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
Replacing the torn axle boots requires leveling the axle with my homemade torsion bar compressor tool. Once again, keep hands and feet away from moving parts. If those welds break loose bad things happen and I'm not the best welder.
Engine flange cleaned to make a good ground.
And going in.Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
Those stupid upper bell bolts gave me a fight coming out because they turned, so I welded nails to them to prevent that.
They still need some masking tape to stop them from pushing back as you try to start the nut. The last Napa starter came through as a brand new PM unit, this was a reman German unit.
Here's the starter area detailed with Polyloom to protect the wiring. I've been epoxying a wire clamp to the tray so I have a place to put a ty-wrap, I don't like the harness laying on the heater box which is what happens after it warms up. You can't use a sheetmetal screw here as the fuel tank is just above it, ask me how I know that.
Here's the VR area with some Polyloom.
Tranny ground strap after cleaning.Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
The front bumper was loose and probably rattling, let's take a look. Someone put 8mm bolts through the 10mm weld nuts on both sides and ignored the broken 10mm bolt on the right front. Brother, maybe there's enough stub to grab if I glow it.
I did get it out and chased the threads, cleaned all of the f'ing undercoating from the rail and installed the correct 10mm bolts. I hate undercoating, it does nothing on a classic car but hide bad bodywork, rust and other issues. It's a huge turnoff for me to see undercoating on the bottom of a car.
I did get it out and chased the threads, cleaned all of the f'ing undercoating from the rail and installed the correct 10mm bolts. I hate undercoating, it does nothing on a classic car but hide bad bodywork, rust and other issues. It's a huge turnoff for me to see undercoating on the bottom of a car.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
I noticed some other issues while I was working, like the throttle cable binds badly inside the tube, the throttle linkage lever in front was really worn out and one of the spring clips was missing. This shit was also rusted to where it had to be cut off with a whizzer wheel.
I noticed the brake pedal was not returning properly and something was funky with the pedal return spring. I pulled it off (also rotted requiring a torch) to find previous hack had installed a clutch lever return spring here. Fortunately I had the correct spring on hand. Cleaned, blasted, lubed, new bolts, yadda yadda, works correctly now.
I used a long piece of thin wire rope on a drill and brakecleaner to clean out the throttle tube.
New lever and cable, it's as free as a bird now. I used TefGel spray lube on the cable as it goes in, it's a light Teflon based grease.I noticed the brake pedal was not returning properly and something was funky with the pedal return spring. I pulled it off (also rotted requiring a torch) to find previous hack had installed a clutch lever return spring here. Fortunately I had the correct spring on hand. Cleaned, blasted, lubed, new bolts, yadda yadda, works correctly now.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Re: Vegas Bus
You've seen this before, the 162 ohm resistor in series with the fuel gauge power supply to cut the 12v down to 6 for the gauge.
The fusebox clip is a SOB to get right, lately I've been epoxying the clip in place to make sure it doesn't come loose. There's many threads on Samba about this "Jesus" clip. Here you can see the correct installation in the mirror. Currently sorting out a problem with the throttle cable to carb alignment, the shroud/manifold/gov spacer don't all agree and the alignment is off by quite a bit requiring an extra return spring to get the carb to idle. I straightened the tube and ordered a 1" spacer to replace the 1.5" spacer which will help a lot. With the 1.5" spacer it's too high, without it it's too low. Ken has a Pic 30 with a built in spring we'll use, that should help even more.
Fold into a Z and more tubing, without it the resistor would likely break.
Installed in series with the power wire to the gauge.
Without it the gauge reads 1/2, with it it reads 1/3, just what I guessed when I read the sender with an ohmmeter.
Dimmer switch installed with shrink tubing.
The fusebox clip is a SOB to get right, lately I've been epoxying the clip in place to make sure it doesn't come loose. There's many threads on Samba about this "Jesus" clip. Here you can see the correct installation in the mirror. Currently sorting out a problem with the throttle cable to carb alignment, the shroud/manifold/gov spacer don't all agree and the alignment is off by quite a bit requiring an extra return spring to get the carb to idle. I straightened the tube and ordered a 1" spacer to replace the 1.5" spacer which will help a lot. With the 1.5" spacer it's too high, without it it's too low. Ken has a Pic 30 with a built in spring we'll use, that should help even more.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
- Karl Kombi
- Posts: 280
- Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:56 am
Re: Vegas Bus
I've heard of grinding out the bellhousing like that, but I've never seen anyone do it. That's very cool!
I'm afraid my heart would be racing, thinking of everything that could go wrong... Good job!
I'm afraid my heart would be racing, thinking of everything that could go wrong... Good job!