'59 Panel

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Karl Kombi
Posts: 280
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Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Karl Kombi »

Excellent -- she breathes again! :D
WideFive
Posts: 1270
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by WideFive »

Amazing!
"There is no restoration process that can give a car legitimacy equal to originality."
Six Volt
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Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:25 am

Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Six Volt »

With winter coming and my plan to convert to 12 V, I thought its also time to finally address my speedometer woes. I've tried several used speedometers, but it always seems the odometers in them are bad. The hassle is you have to go through the headache of installing them to find out later that they're no good! :oops:

So speedometers on the samba for split buses that are re-done can be pricey. It's not uncommon to see fully reconditioned ones go for $400. I'm currently running an incorrect 80mph one (should be 70mph) with a bad odometer. The second (tenths) odometer wheel locks up on the number 3 digit. Bruce cleaned up my original 70mph unit, but we took a chance on the odometer being good and of course once installed it was bad! :lol:

So I started talking with a guy (Ryan) who has an outfit called Orange Empire Speedometer out of Corona California. Rather than buying one of his reconditioned units for $325, he suggested sending the 70mph unit out and see if he could fix it. I told him I had some other pieces parts from other split bus speedo's and he said send them along and he'll use them as possible cores and reduce my cost.

You probably know this, but if you're sitting on old speedo's from split buses, the 70mph ones are pretty valuable and bring really good money even as cores. The 70mph kilometer ones go for $600-$700 when reconditioned. Don' t throw those away!

Here's wwhat I sent out. I'll report back my experiece with this outfit good or bad.

My nice 70mph with bad odo.
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One crusty 80mph from 1962
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Another from '64
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Pieces parts
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Six Volt
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Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Six Volt »

Used this great weather to clean up my floor and engine cover areas. Love these warm November days!
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Six Volt
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Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Six Volt »

Got my speedo back from Ryan at Orange Empire Speedometer in Corona California. Great transaction. I recommend Ryan for your speedo work. Good communication, fair pricing and quality work. He’s right by Wolfsburg West so he often uses them for his out shipping.
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Marla
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Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Marla »

Those look pretty good Sean. I like this upgrade. I have the same blind spots with the curtains and cabinets.
It's Marla with an " L"
(My list of assets is just too long...)
toolbox
Posts: 902
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:58 pm

Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by toolbox »

Sean,

Will you be torturing your bride by driving the panel up for the Dream Cruise? Or will she be driving seperate.
Six Volt
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Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:25 am

Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Six Volt »

If the panel is ready and that's big "IF" right now. She will certainly ride in her air conditioned modern car. Just so we have something to drive back in together after I break down! :lol:
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Dual Port
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Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Dual Port »

I had Sean's bus for well over a month and if you went to KI you know he has it back. I built the engine over a year ago and it went on the back burner while Sean collected the correct tins for installation. He brought it back to me in July for completion and installation. This is the Cliff Notes version of what was a long drawn out process but the gist of the story is to not buy cutrate Chinesium parts. I spent way too much time trying to make low quality parts fit correctly and ended up ditching them and going with reconditioned German stuff. Anyway, the engine runs fine, a stock 1600DP with the CB2280 cheater cam. I also did a 12v conversion and some brake work along the way.

Mostly assembled
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On the run stand, I generally put about 6-10 hours on them, seal up the oil leaks, readjust the valves, change the oil and filter, etc before they go in. Several warm-ups, set the choke/carb, timing/advance, etc. Once this is done you know it's "good to go" and won't need much (or any) attention when it's installed.
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The MC was puking black gunk into the reservoir so it got changed. The fluid was clean in the reservoir, lines, and cylinders so I chalked it up to a bad MC. It was a Brazilian Varga which kind of surprised me, usually those are fine. We're wondering how long it sat on the shelf at the supplier......
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I have a copy of the October 1965 NADA "Blue Book" used to determine used car values. In '65 it shows a '59 panel bus to have a retail value of $145 and a wholesale value of $65. A lot of frigging work for a sixty dollar bus!
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Sean's happy which is all that matters. :mrgreen:
Last edited by Dual Port on Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Six Volt
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Re: Sean's '59 Panel

Post by Six Volt »

Can't say enough about all the great work Bruce did getting the engine together. Starting with the aluminum case he recommended that we sourced through Bill, the build was a great lesson. I'd never try to build an engine by myself. I'm aware enough to know I don't have the time, patience. expertise or cleanliness in the garage setting to put one together to know it would be done right. To say I'm thrilled with what Bruce put together would be a major understatement. He did a fantastic job. It runs like a top with plenty of power.

There's so much little stuff that Bruce did that makes such a difference to a great running functioning bus. It's too much to list and go through, but it makes all the difference in the world. Little stuff. He spent hours tweaking and fixing stuff I would have struggled with for years.

In addition to the aluminum block, I had a Brazilian crank, german pistons and cylinders, German connecting rods, (Bruce checked these all out) a SCAT cam that Bruce recommended with a slight lift. My previously installed big nut trans was already cut for the bigger flywheel. I struggled at home with the end play. It always seemed to move on me. No patience. Bruce straightened all that out including the seal.

Oh and I forgot to mention, I went with MOFOCO DP (35.5/32) heads. Bruce can share that story later. So far they run great. He'll also have to comment on the $29.99 SVDA distributor (a throw in on a big order) I can't believe I'm running that runs flawlessly. I had several German ones to pick from, but Bruce tried it (more as a joke I think) and even he was surprised by the performance. Sometimes you get lucky.

I bought the 12V alternator kit as a conversion unit. Save your money and just buy the alternator. Everything that came in that kit, like Bruce said, was junk. The alternator shroud tin was garbage as was the alternator stand. All junk. It had to all be swapped for used German. The alternator does work, so as Bill Murray would say, "I guess I have that going for me."

Bruce insisted on me getting a proper '64 to '67 bus oil bath air cleaner set up. I had part of one and was able to source the rest and I'm glad I went with that instead of one that would require the base that my bus doesn't have. Bruce did an awesome job of putting a bracket in for that cleaner. Looks like it was there from day one.

I was reluctant to move away from 6 volt, as it's kind of defined me, but the danger I experienced trying to merge on freeway entrance ramps in a panel bus, even for the shortest travel distances, scarred me to 12 volts and an engine bigger than the 36HP's and 40HP's I was running. When you're limping along in the right lane after merging onto a freeway and your foot is on the floor and you're doing 43mph you get quite fearful when you see an 18 wheeler doing 65 coming barrelling up behind you with no room to merge left. Very scary. I remember one time I had to ditch it in the berm so I didn't get run over like a Buffalo Bill trying to tackle Derrick Henry.

I'm not a total phony though. I've still got my 6V beetle.

So I have the stock 40HP 6 volt engine saved away. Also the small nut split case trans is saved, and front drum brake set up, just in case a future owner wants to go back to full stock.

Sanding the crappy mud job from around the former cut in window holes will be a winter priority when Chuck comes over and upgrades my garage for 220 and a big compressor. And heat of course!

Then it will be time for paint and some kind of logo.

In any event, I can't thank Bruce enough. Not only do I have a great running early panel bus, I also got a great education that will help me understand things as I enjoy it! :D
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