Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

User avatar
Dual Port
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:06 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Dual Port »

It is a mystery motor, probably a regular old 1600 dual Port with twin Empi carbs and a ratty exhaust.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Six Volt
Posts: 3724
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:25 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Six Volt »

What’s the update on this rig?
User avatar
Dual Port
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:06 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Dual Port »

I was out of town for a while on business but I've gotten a lot done since I returned, it's about 99% done right now. A lot of this is repeat, just like yours and my '65 I did last year.

Splice the main power feed into three feeds to supply the HLS, Iggy and FB independently. This bus also got the 40 amp Maxifuse in the main power feed near the battery.
P9040017.JPG
Cover it with two layers of shrink tube to protect it.
P9040020.JPG
Clean all of the switches and stuff so everything makes a good connection.
P9040023.JPG

P9040007.JPG
This bus had an unusually large dent in the dash and parcel tray. Something very big and heavy was not secured properly and hit the dash with a LOT of force when the driver hit the brakes. I straightened it out using a ball joint press and some stiff scrap.
P9070008.JPG
P9070010.JPG
P9130018.JPG
P9130032.JPG
The starter stuck "on" even with the trigger wire unhooked so it got a new Napa permanent magnet (small, light) starter which was only $44 with a life warranty. I figured that was a good deal so I bought one for the shelf, too. Pics are in the camera at the shop right now but I did clean the flange well. :mrgreen:
P9130016.JPG
It's getting some simple stuff- an axle boot, free up the heater cables and put a new heater box lever, etc. The electrical is all done and everything works as it should. It will probably come off the rack tomorrow. (Yea!)
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Six Volt
Posts: 3724
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:25 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Six Volt »

Great work! And that’s good info about the NAPA starter.
User avatar
Dual Port
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:06 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Dual Port »

Here's the Napa starter, PN 244-6542. The Carrollton warehouse showed 3, I bought 2. It's a PM so it doesn't sound like the big old Bosch, but I don't care. Small, light, fast, and cheap is all I want. And life warranty, if you fill out the card it comes with they'll even pay the tow. Dated 7/30/18, it's not even stale from sitting on the shelf! :D Should fit all 12v apps like bugs and busses with upright engines.
P9140036.JPG
I don't like the starter wiring laying on the heater tube like it usually does and you can't put a sheetmetal screw into the tray above it as the fuel tank sits there. I clean off the tray and epoxy a cable eyelet there to put a Ty-Wrap through. The double-wire eyelet is mine, one wire comes from the Alt (charge wire) and the other feeds the 40A Maxi-Fuse in the engine compartment. The wires are soldered to the copper eyelet and shrink tubed. Better than OE. ;) The return wire from the MaxiFuse is soldered and shrink tubed to the main #30 feed to the dash, you can just see the end of it by the Ty-Wrap. Polyloom keeps things together and looking nice even though nobody will ever see it. I put shrink tube on a lot of the WW female spades like the #50 wire to protect them too.
P9140037.JPG
You've seen this before- the WW heater tubes come with a spring in them to hold back the insulation. Yea, that works great unless you want heat. :? I remove the spring and use "hardware cloth" (1/4" screen) to hold it back. Much better heat flow.
P9150046.JPG
P9150050.JPG
New gels in the speedo. :mrgreen:
P9150058.JPG
Done! Someone in a previous life took a lot of time to make those panels. Plywood covered with cloth, pretty nice workmanship. They even riveted a scuff plate where your clutch toe rubs. White pedal pads, classy. :P
P9150062.JPG
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
User avatar
Karl Kombi
Posts: 280
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:56 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Karl Kombi »

Thank you for the updates and associated tips and advice. Very professional! :D
User avatar
Dual Port
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:06 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Dual Port »

Rob decided to ditch the Empi dual carb setup and go back to a stock 34PICT. Here's an old picture of what it used to look like:
P8210053.JPG
Maybe someone could work the bugs out of these carbs by messing with the jetting and etc, but it's not gonna be me. Anyone want to buy a dual carb setup? I don't think these things have a thousand miles on them, they look like they just came out of the box.
PC100065.JPG
Pull the motor, do a compression test which was really good, and strip the top.
PC100074.JPG
The aftermarket 009 was installed without greasing the cam or oiling the felt pad. :roll: The cam got all rusty.
PC110077.JPG
I have a gizmo to drive the dist and used 1000 grit to polish the cam. It came out better than the picture shows. Surprisingly the advance curve was pretty acceptable, like 20° crank at 3000RPM which gives me 10° initial. Many aftermarket distributors have bad curves out of the box.
PC110079.JPG
PC110082.JPG
Intake manifolds with clear heat risers are hard to find, probably less than 10% of what I see at swap meets. I had a clear one and installed it with the correct air cleaner, crankcase breather, pre-heat tube, tune-up parts, plug wires and hardware. We used one of Mick's 34PICT Redlines which works well. It runs great now!
PC120095.JPG
Dual carbs are for lawnmowers. :mrgreen:
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
WideFive
Posts: 1270
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by WideFive »

#singlecarbsareforlawnmowers :evil:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
"There is no restoration process that can give a car legitimacy equal to originality."
User avatar
Dual Port
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:06 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Dual Port »

Been kind of bored with winter lately, mostly tinkering with stuff at my shop and Rob's many cars. His bus had some engine issues develop so we decided to pull it and look inside. It's probably been rebuilt several times as the case has already been cut. It has newer VW Brazilian heads on it, but one of the valves is soft, stretched, and lost its keeper grooves. It would have dropped a valve soon. Cam is bad also.
20220205_154210.jpg
20220207_160023.jpg
20220207_160537.jpg
20220207_161859.jpg
20220207_173956.jpg
20220207_174007.jpg
He bought a Corvair Rampside lately, not a VW but still a very cool truck. Desert dry, not a spot of rot anywhere. We've done a lot of work on it lately, too.
20220121_104540.jpg
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
User avatar
Karl Kombi
Posts: 280
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:56 am

Re: Just purchased this '66 Split California Roadrunner Camper

Post by Karl Kombi »

Looks like a lot of fun. Very nice Corvair!
Post Reply