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78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:12 am
by ohiowesty
Intro: after almost two years of ownership and about 2700 miles worth of great memories, Gertrude aka The blue turd, aka The big easy, has been promoted to a status upgrade from ratty to less ratty. The plan is to have Carlos do the body work and paint, Chuck - the engine, Lurch - tank and glass, Bruce - rear torsion bar indexing and camber, Bill - upholstery, and me - everything else, including rewiring, cabinet lamination, front axle replacement, brakes and some upgrades. I'm sure there are some things I forget. I will be updating the thread as things progress.

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:36 am
by ohiowesty
First thing first: engine removal. First time doing it, it took me a whole 6 hours but I'm proud of it :) I also froze all my body extremities in 17 degree weather. Special thanks to Bill, Chuck and Mike for advice during removal. In order to avoid bugging them with too many questions, I just rotated calls and messages. I pulled the engine all the way back and the spline shaft was not clearing. I was ready to remove the bottom part of the oil filler neck to create the extra inch of clearance needed, but in a stroke of genius, or "I'm so cold I don't care if I screw up", I tilted and wiggled the engine until it detached completely, and was able to drop it. My happiness was short lived as I realized that my jack stands are too short and the engine is stuck under the bus. I ended up stacking some 2x6's under my 2 ton HF jack and lifted the bus enough for the engine to clear. VICTORY!

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:55 am
by ohiowesty
Next, I removed the firewall screws and the damn thing would not come out. It took me a whole 45 min to discover two hidden screws underneath. Got the tank out, does not look bad inside but mind as well have it boiled and treated. Inspected the filler neck and breather tubes and found some weak rubber. Bell housing is pretty caked, some cleaning is in order.
IMG_20180111_221011 resized.jpg

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:04 am
by ohiowesty
Over the next few days I gutted the bus. I have a big stash of labeled ziploc bags with all the hardware. Removing the dash took a while. bungees came in handy for supporting the steering column
IMG_20180116_001127 resized.jpg

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:11 am
by ohiowesty
for some reason I can't post more than one picture in a reply so here they are individually. All wires labeled

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:12 am
by ohiowesty
idiot proof drawings for all switches and gauges

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:17 am
by ohiowesty
Its' 1AM and freezing cold again, but I got the pop top off and laying in my driveway. Lifting it off the bus was a pain in the neck. I lost a hinge circlip in the process.

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:20 am
by ohiowesty
in the morning I had just enough time to remove some tidbits before the tow truck showed up. This is the final result

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:22 am
by ohiowesty
Sayonara bus! Also, engine dropped at Chuck's!

Re: 78 westy

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:21 am
by vwrick69
Nice!!!! Good luck in your restoration adventure. Some day I hope to get started on my '78.