'65 Standard

TRL
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Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:59 pm

Re: '65 Standard

Post by TRL »

Dual Port wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2020 6:32 pm Stay tuned. Maybe I'll trade this stupid thing for a Bay so I don't have to mess with RGBs anymore. :shock:
Do it!
The Rick Lang
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Karl Kombi
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Karl Kombi »

Nooooooo! :shock:
WideFive
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by WideFive »

A Vanagon would be more appropriate for you Bruce. Pretty sure Chuck has a Syncro he'll sell you :lol:
"There is no restoration process that can give a car legitimacy equal to originality."
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Dual Port
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Dual Port »

Changing the axles/RGBs is dirty, nasty, greasy work. Disassemble, scrape the gaskets, wire wheel (throwing crap everywhere), solvent wash, then brake clean before RTVing it together for final assembly. I've done this a few times and I'm never looking forward to it. Note shit everywhere and the tarp on the floor. I probably used at least 5 cans of brake cleaner. The only good thing is that everything was new here a couple of years ago so nothing (besides axle seals) needed changing and I didn't pull the stub axles/freeze plugs out because the inner bearing felt fine. I won't post step-by-step as I've already done that at least 3-4 times here, if you want a step by step let me know and I'll send you links. I think I put it up on Samba too.
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Something was funny about the hockey stick, Jim warned me. It turned out the one I had was wrong and the dimple was drilled about 20 degrees from where it should be. Both of these are wrong.
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It's now assembled and ready to go in. I didn't paint it, that's from 2 years ago.
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I'm anal about the install sequence, I don't want the mounts under tension and I want the tranny level.

Stuff it in and start all of the bolts. Tighten these tight, than back them off a full turn.
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Torque these to spec.
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Tighten these.
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These are the ones that have play in them, the holes are slotted from the factory. If you don't pay attention and just bolt it together it's likely to be off level.
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Put two RGB bolts into the upper bell holes and lay a straightedge or level across them. Compare the top of my straightedge with the fuel tank mounting bosses, it's pretty close.
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If it's not level the motor is crooked and looks stupid. The shifter might not work just right, the tailpipe might hit on the bumper, the air seals might not fit right and other ridiculous things. Get the frigging trans level.

Use a 24" screwdriver to pry the tranny until it's level, then tighten the slotted bolts.
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Then tighten the front mount again all of the way.

Connect the shifter and make sure it goes through all of the gears. Don't forget the tie wire.
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Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
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Dual Port
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Dual Port »

Time for something to laugh at. The trans I had built was an early 60's 6v, probably a small nut, and I put big nut axles on it but my 12v flywheel won't fit in a 6v bell. You know what comes next, the Hillbilly Bridgeport. :mrgreen:

Weapon of Mass Destruction.
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Tape up the input to keep chips off the seal. Leave the starter out as that's the exhaust for the chips.
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Start it slowly, then back out and see where it's hitting for fun.
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Do the deal. Make sure you're health insurance is up to date in case you need a trip to the ER.
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It truly does look like it was done on a Bridgeport.
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Shoot some primer and test fit the engine, turn the crank with a wrench. No rubbing at all! The only mark is where it started in.
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Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
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Dual Port
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Dual Port »

While the motor is out, might as well change the leaking DP boot that acted up on the Mohican trip causing a no-idle complaint.
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You can see where I put some RTV on it to buy time.
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All done, put about 70+ miles on it yesterday and today. Runs and shifts perfect, much quieter and NO LEAKS! I'm really happy with the trans. Labor was $400, total was $616. It took almost 3 months, though.

:D
Bruce Amacker
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'65 Standard Bus
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Dual Port
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Dual Port »

Pretty quiet around here with the virus, nobody else is posting so I figured I would.

The driver's door on Bus 2 had a pretty good twist to it. On close inspection, I think this might not be the original door for this bus. It has damage that might indicate it was in a rollover, and it doesn't fit well even when straightened so I think it might be from another Texas bus that happens to be the same color combination.

It had a big twist to it. This is closed- the top is inward about 1/4" and the bottom is outside where it should be by at least 1/2". I'm thinking 5/8"-3/4" twist, at least. Wicked air leaks and wind noise, of course.
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And the center is bowed out 3/8"
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Even though the front hinge area is kicked in over 1/4". Man, this is one messed up door. I knew this all along but didn't want to take the time when originally building the bus. I knew it would be a large investment of time to make this right.
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Strip the door and window frame and set up a hillbilly jig to straighten the twist out. It took some serious grunt! Muscle and prybars would not touch it without extra effort. The threaded rod is anchored to a nut bolted to the seat belt mount.
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Glow the hinges several times to get the angle right.
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Pull the door and flatten it with a giant c-clamp to get the bow out. I flattened it by over 1/2" here.
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Heated the window frame to make it fit also, and replaced the weatherstrips for the slider.
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Put some brake lines in the strips while the glue dried to make sure they dried straight.
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When done, it fits and closes perfect. No air leaks or wind noise. The gap at the bottom seems a bit large which makes me think it's not from this bus. If I lower it to make that gap right, the beltline is mismatched considerably.
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I don't want to tell you how many hours I have into this but it's way more than it looks...…... :|
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
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Karl Kombi
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Karl Kombi »

Great job -- that fits very nicely! The bottom gap isn't bad at all. How many straightening "attempts" did that take?
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Dual Port
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Dual Port »

Ugh, still bored stiff and no relief in sight. Normally at his time of the year I just returned from Florida and am planning to return there shortly but not this year. :( Been working with Rob on his vehicles, nothing interesting, mostly maintenance and minor repairs. Bus 2 is getting more attention due to too much time on my hands.

First, let's fix that leaky stupid fresh air flap above the rearview mirror. The rubber is dry rotted and leaks cold air like a bitch, you don't care in the summer but in the spring and fall it's too chilly for me.

Remove the access panel if you use one, I don't. I like the huge hole that allows a ton of fresh air to come straight in.
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Remove the two pinch bolts and disassemble the pivot rod and flap assembly.
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Drill out the rivets.
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Clean up and bead blast the parts, the new flap is at the top.
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A shot of paint doesn't hurt.
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Assemble the parts with Pop rivets.
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Assemble back in place. Spraying with silicone makes it glide open and shut and shouldn't leak anymore.
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A pretty easy task, like 2 on the 10 scale. If you can handle a pop rivet gun, this is cake.
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
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Dual Port
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Re: '65 Standard

Post by Dual Port »

OK, now to the interior. When I go camping in this bus there's no storage space so it looks like a giant shithole when I open the doors. Shit everywhere and nothing put away because there's nowhere to put anything. Let's fix that, but on a budget and on my terms. A real Westy wouldn't work well for me because of my size, I roll around a lot when I sleep so I need a full width and length bed. I budgeted $10 each for cabinets, let's see what I can get done for that. First, I'm going to get rid of that "X" brace holding the plywood bed frame up and replace it with cabinets for storage. Old TV stands work well so I bought 2 for $10 each, one off CL and one at Habitat for Humanity in Cleveland. H4H has a location in Medina but the west side location has 10x the stuff at a fraction of the price. Go figger. They're not the right size so I cut them down to the 19.5" tall needed to make the bed level, pretty easy for some guys but I'm not a carpenter or cabinet maker so it's a challenge for me. Every minute I spend with a wood saw in my hand reminds me how terrible I am at woodwork. Anyway, I get the cabinets shortened to size and I cut the backs out of them so I can access room behind them too. This is real butchery so when you see them in person keep your mouth shut and don't remind me how shitty they look.
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I have a problem with clothes storage- there's none, so my suitcase keeps getting moved around and in the way. In our attic I found an old hideaway built-in ironing board that we removed years ago and never pitched. It's about the right size for a clothes wardrobe closet but I have to build a cabinet around it. Anyway, 900 hours later this is what I came up with. :roll: There's a 3" spot on the right to hang a couple of shirts and plenty of room for underwear, socks, shirts, shorts, and the rest. Shoes go in the bottom. Each shelf is about 7x9 and 22" deep, all are glued except the bottom one for access to my big shoes. Anyway, it's all done and I put an extra interior light in so I can see inside the tall cabinet at night. :|

Camping crap will go in the lower cabinets.
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The peanut gallery can keep their comments to themselves...….. :mrgreen:
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
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