A while back I bought a baywindow in the hope to relive some of my younger years 😂 I had a great time bashing around in mine in my 20's and think of how awesome it could be with more money and knowledge, Only one thing stood in my way......TIME......
After a year of pushing my baywindow around the yard to make sure it didn't kill the grass and the brakes didn't seize I didn't even get to make a start. I guess doing an engine and brake swap in my Baja did not help things along. I had saved plenty of money for this project and for awhile I did entertain the idea of having it built by someone else, but the thought of ten's of thousands of dollars on an old bus just for me to look at it and pick apart other peoples work. ( no offence to anyone, I'm just bad like that) I looked at a few ready built kombi's with huge price tags that where just not what I wanted.
I never really considered a T25, though I remember bouncing around in the back of my parents '82 as a kid. Until just by chance I saw one for sale on AVD looking great and pretty original and the best thing......You get sooo much more bus for your money, there is no way I could get my, or any baywindow to this condition for this price. So I took a look at this van that was in the same town as me and it was everything the ad said it was and after 2 weeks of thinking about it, I pulled the pin.
At first I thought it was maybe a little too original for what I had planned and that I was going to be a butcher, but after week of owning it, it's not totally unrestored original anyways. so chop, chop. The best thing about this purchase, is I still have easy $7000 for making it what I want. I started with some basic service stuff just to know where I stand, was a bit of a can of worms really. Though it ran well, at closer inspection it was only a matter of time till something stopped.
Starting with a spark plug instead of a sump plug, the wrong oil filter, the wrong temperature spark plugs, mass amounts of corrosion in the ignition leads, burnt rotor and cap. A few new parts, ALOT of cleaning and a bunch of parts ordered it was time for a drive, Girlfriend riding shot gun, dog in the back off to the hunter valley for a day of indulgence.
Boozo ·
nice grandpa mobile :P
Bizarre ·
Congrats and welcome to the club
you are right - you get so much bus for your money
and they are a joy to drive.
I am onto my 3rd one now 👍👍
nils ·
Boozo wrote:nice grandpa mobile :P
just wait till you see it man, you'll cry that yours will never be this new.
Boozo ·
nils wrote:
Boozo wrote:nice grandpa mobile :P
just wait till you see it man, you'll cry that yours will never be this new.
thanks for the words of confidence, hopefully dad throws some money at it soon......as soon as we kill the L300 it will happen, and seeing as trav has been driving it, that shouldn't be too long
h ·
👍
Special Air Service ·
nice bus, I had the sparkplug as a sump plug thing going on with mine when I bought her as well. As has been said they are great vehicles, I'm onto my 2nd one.
Scottkombi ·
Big thumbs up from me too.
You cant beat a T3 for being a classic VW yet such a pleasure to drive. I have a T3 syncro and a low-light bay and my wife refuses to drive the lowie becuase the T3 is soo nice and easy to drive. Just a bit of a climb to get in.
What are your plans for this sparkling bus?
nils ·
Scottkombi wrote:Big thumbs up from me too.
You cant beat a T3 for being a classic VW yet such a pleasure to drive. I have a T3 syncro and a low-light bay and my wife refuses to drive the lowie becuase the T3 is soo nice and easy to drive. Just a bit of a climb to get in.
What are your plans for this sparkling bus?
Hi Scott,
Exterior/interior will stay pretty much stock, with a few little add in's to make it more friendly for short camping trips or overnighters. Under the skin, plans are fully retrotech. remote central locking, power windows, dual zone aircon, fridge, coffee machine, EJ25 (or diesel if its viable) plus the matching 5MT (I dare say the VW 5 speed is doing my head in) All super, clean super functional.
nils ·
So have been spending some time getting this thing to PURRRRRRRR. It wasn't that bad to start with agreed, but not factory spec anyways.
I had a growling coming from the rear passenger side - turned out to be a toast outer CV because the boot was broken, DONE
leads,rotor and cap where all corroded - changed then out for new which solved my slight surging at low RPM and has cleaned up the torque
Replaced a few cracked vaccum hoses
Changed the oil and filter, I originally used a 20-50w seeing as with 300k on the clock surely it would need it. As it turns out it just caused hydraulic lifter noise. Dumped that and went for the Penrite HPR15 15-50w which I have always had good results with and, bam quite again (fussy bitch kombi)😂
Went though the first whole tank of petrol, mixed highway/city traffic netted 11ltr/100km. I expect 10 or less on a highway only trip, so the subi conversion is lower down the list than the aircon.
Anybody have the engine aircon bracket for the 2.1?
Well.....off to the beach with the girl, the dog, some sundowners and a tub of ben and jerrys
Scottkombi ·
Those aircon brackets were never available here - we only got after market extremely heavy duty steel rubbish which breaks the mounting points after a few years of use.
You need to get one from the States - try thesamba.com.
They come up every now and then.
Boozo ·
11 is a good number for combined use, but you are a grandpa.....so realistically thats a 13+ 😂
nils ·
Boozo wrote:11 is a good number for combined use, but you are a grandpa.....so realistically thats a 13+ 😂
ah.........but grandpa with a licence
Boozo ·
Licence because gramps 🤪
nils ·
Not much going on this weekend, selling parts has taken the spotlight.
I did spend some time chasing my mystery rattle ( just on small short sharp bumps) Came up with maybe the fuel filter bumping against the chassis (its backwards BTW 😂 ) or the handbrake cables doing the same. Both got some foam and zip ties to find out whether they are indeed.
Otherwise I took the bumper off to add some new bumper ends as they are all cracked, Turns out a previous front end incident means that the front bumper has spent some time under the hammer. Meaning that its not quite the right shape to suit the ends anymore, guess that why they are cracked. So with a rubber hammer and a lump of timber they are better now, looks a million bucks,
matberry ·
Nice one Nils
T3's are very underrated.
Boozo ·
Even the one on our old van never fit well, seems a common thing
nils ·
matberry wrote:Nice one Nils
T3's are very underrated.
thanks Matt
nils ·
Hi guys, just starting to get the parts together for the mother of all AC systems. I'm thinking of replacing the radiator while I am at it.
Anybody know if and where I can get a real BEHR unit in Australia or am I stuck importing?
Also more on a general question, where is the best place to get vanagon parts in OZ. Just Kampers have get service, but not everything that I need
Cheers
nils ·
Oh, and I am looking for a good condition syncro radiator fan ( I am lead to believe they flow more air)
Bizarre ·
nils wrote:, where is the best place to get vanagon parts in OZ.
Luckyphil
Seems to have most stuff 😂
Scottkombi ·
nils wrote:Oh, and I am looking for a good condition syncro radiator fan ( I am lead to believe they flow more air)
Not only do you need the fan in good condition - you need the fan shroud.
My syncro fan is larger than the 2wd but the fan blades are the same size.
Syncro fan is noisy and its so heavy it fatigues the fan shroud to the point it cracks and fails.
I would recommend sticking with the 2wd version.
nils ·
Scottkombi wrote:
nils wrote:Oh, and I am looking for a good condition syncro radiator fan ( I am lead to believe they flow more air)
Not only do you need the fan in good condition - you need the fan shroud.
My syncro fan is larger than the 2wd but the fan blades are the same size.
Syncro fan is noisy and its so heavy it fatigues the fan shroud to the point it cracks and fails.
I would recommend sticking with the 2wd version.
Thanks for the heads up Scott, I have rethought a few things on the aircon and found a work around for this situation.
On another note, I have been stripping all the purple tint off this thing window by window and replacing it with my favourite silver tint, best heat rejection is the goal of course. 35% front and 15% rear. It is a little hard to tell in this photo, but you can see the clarity difference between the front and rear window in the photo.
I replaced the front washer motor, but it does require the plug to be changed.
and I am slowly but surely cleaning the paint and body on this thing, although it does look good in photos the paint really has been badly mistreated in years gone by. you can see the difference between the clean left side and the dirty right side.
I have also become aware of the fact that kombi owners name there cars (seems vw owners generally) This has never been my style, it is a big hunk of metal after all. But as it turns out this one has a very long history of carrying a name. Looking over the rego papers of long gone it has for most of its life worn the number plates ''GRAZI'' as in thankyou in Italian I guess by the original owners names' heritage. Didn't mean too much to me as the plates are no longer on the van but as I continue to clean I have been finding this name on more and more parts of the car.
So I guess it has a name.
Now to question time, for any WBX experts. My valve train is still rather noisy when cold, Is replacing the lifters worthwhile? or should I just deal with it?
kaiisons ·
Looking sweet Nils.
baghall ·
Looks nice Nils but any advice on what I should be looking for with a T25 or T3, as I am currently looking to buy one. Thanks
nils ·
Thanks Baghall, all i know is what i have learnt since I've owned this.
parts in oz are not quite as easy to find as i would have thought. I'm finding pretty much all the run of the mill things wrong with this one, you can pretty much jump on the samba and find anything that can and will go wrong.
air con parts are hard to get hold of.
the front window needs to come out and have the rubber and rust fixed
those chrome trims in the rubber are worth more than gold
and you don't realise how much every other road user is in a hurry till you own a stock kombi
baghall ·
nils wrote:and you don't realise how much every other road user is in a hurry till you own a stock kombi
Nice one Nils might have to use this one myself when I get one!
Thanks
Boozo ·
Nils, your never in a hurry.....on bitumen. Bringing this up for easter?
nils ·
Boozo wrote:Nils, your never in a hurry.....on bitumen. Bringing this up for easter?
yeah mate, be stealing those seat swivels for awhile. probably see you Saturday.
nils ·
Hope everyone had a good easter!
I took the van up to queensland and I'm happy to say 2000km+ event free, very happy with my bus. Ironically enough I had some time free Tuesday afternoon and started measuring up for my aircon pump, I pushed one of the fuel lines out of the way and.....Crack, fuel leak (happy that didn't happen on the road) So I have work to do this weekend.
I tell a lie actually, during the road trip the drivers windscreen washer jet blocked up and didn't manage to unblock it. 😂 Really could have used them actually, I forgot how kombis attract bugs,
Before getting away last weekend I wanted to take the top half off the back seat, to make more space. (I remember doing this a hundred times in the old bus) turns out this is not a standard feature either! Jeez I've been lead astray. So I made some quick release brackets before the trip.
Boozo ·
wow, really? I assumed that was just part of the back seat.....maybe it was back in the 80's when kombi's were stiil air cooled (just) and cool :P
Did you take those seat swivels?
nils ·
So after my broken fuel line incident the fuel lines were top priority. I changed all the lines for SAE 30R9 spec.
While pulling the injectors and fuel rails out I also noticed that the injectors sat somewhat off kilter, turns out the seals that hold the injectors into the manifolds where well past there use by. One was missing entirely! Lord know how it was sealing. I could only get the seals in lots of a dozen, so I have 2 whole sets left over for anyone who has the same problem. Say $15 for a set? (4 top seals, 4 bottom seals) The pictures show how badly the old seals where swollen.
I also have finished the window tint, if only the weather would hold out I would post a photo.
Boozo wrote:wow, really? I assumed that was just part of the back seat.....maybe it was back in the 80's when kombi's were stiil air cooled (just) and cool :P
Did you take those seat swivels?
Nah, they are welded in. With is a bummer, maybe if I have more time when I come down some time. That or you have to start work on that thing!
matberry ·
Good work, I love how Volksies look after you and break at home, my T3 did the same thing but it was the plastic water hose that comes off the #3 cyl head by memory. Better check that too Nils. Mine was after a Sydney trip towing the car trailer. 🙂
nils ·
matberry wrote:Good work, I love how Volksies look after you and break at home, my T3 did the same thing but it was the plastic water hose that comes off the #3 cyl head by memory. Better check that too Nils. Mine was after a Sydney trip towing the car trailer. 🙂
I am pretty shocked on how well this thing behaves although I come across more and more worn out pieces.
Cleaned out the window squirter lines today and fitted new squirters to the front panel. As well as polishing out the HI beam lenses, which made the world of difference to the lighting.
And finally some photos of the new window tint,
Also touched on what plans lie ahead for the van, I have a small temptation to lift it alittle to make some more space underneath for some of my plans. Anybody know wether I can just bolt on syncro front and rear arms,spindles,springs ect and just leave the front axles blank?
mackaymanx ·
Syncro rear arms are the same. You would need the Syncro front subframe which bolts on to a syncro but requires some serious mods to just bolt up to a 2WD. Check out the PreRunner Vanagon thread on TheSamba for some tips on lifting a 2WD http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=389820
Syncros use different springs and shocks to get extra height in the rear, raising the rear of a 2WD is harder on CV angles as the syncro gearbox sits lower in the chassis.
nils ·
Thanks for the info. I have spent a bit of time on the samba thread, I'm not completely convinced on the front end mods. The cv angle is not an issue as i plan on using a Subaru gearbox, which will drop the output shafts 55mm
baghall ·
That was a good call mackaymanx. Seems they are quite capable off road.
Boozo ·
nils cant help himself....just road it and use it to tow the Baja
nils ·
Been a little while, Been doin' alot of driving. Have managed to clock up a little under 6000km since purchasing this bus. Went back to Queensland again last week to see the family and attended Dubs by the Abbey while I was there too.
Though the van did come down with a case of VS on the way home, so have the recommended capacitor on order and hope to install that once it shows up. Fingers crossed.
Now that I am home again, I thought a bit of time wrenching was in order. Spent Saturday installing remote central locking, The old solenoids were not compatible so are now changed out to the more common style and have a satisfying CHUNK noise instead of that weird winding noise. The tailgate also now unlocks every time instead of most of the time.
As a result, I have 4 original solenoids lying here all in working order. Anybody chasing some? free to a good home
Also picked up a K&N filter for less than a paper, Normally I won't use these but for a road car it seem convenient
Scottkombi ·
Good move on the central locking kit.
I replaced my factory set with a $100 aftermarket kit which has never failed me and is keyless - brilliant!
The K & N filter is a good investment.
nils ·
Yeah keyless locks sure are great, I used the kit from Jaycar and have a alarm to match still to be installed
nils ·
Hi guys, few things going on this fortnight.
Added some power points front and rear, Changed the front ciggy lighter for a USB (that's all you us them for now days anyways) and added a dual USB/power plug to the rear. Both have a blue back light.
Little more detailing went on, on the outside, Gave the front and rear badges a little bit of love. I can't bring myself to spend the $50 for chrome ones and this looks nice and neat now at least, If I had to be honest the paint I used being a wheel paint (I was hoping for some fleck) turned out to be texture which I'm not real happy with, but will do for now.
Did the capacitor mod to the AFM wiring harness. I know most open the box up and go internal, but mine was so well sealed up I decided not to mess with it. The capacitor sits under the boot of the AFM plug which is now full of silicon. Very happy with this recommendation actually, Not sure if it has cured my long trip VS but time will tell on that one. I has however smoothed out a lot of the bucking the ole' vanagon has, on backing off the gas hard it is gone gone and that low gear kicking as you pass the top of the torque curve is cleaned up a lot. At car park speed it is also very civilised now. Generally is just a lot more forgiving to drive now, I think with some new cv's it would feel just like a new car. Best $8 spent to date.
And lastly, something I've been wanting to do for awhile now. Put the passenger swivel seat base in.
I got them pretty rough a few weeks ago out of the old mans '82 rusting in the backyard. A sand blasting, coat of epoxy and just some rattle can semi gloss back looks new again
Still looking for a few parts for my brake and subi conversion, check my signature line and PM me if you have any. Cheers
mackaymanx ·
You won't regret it. Got this fired up today after a bit of fiddling.
baghall ·
Did the capacitor mod to the AFM wiring harness. I know most open the box up and go internal, but mine was so well sealed up I decided not to mess with it. The capacitor sits under the boot of the AFM plug which is now full of silicon. Very happy with this recommendation actually, Not sure if it has cured my long trip VS but time will tell on that one. I has however smoothed out a lot of the bucking the ole' vanagon has, on backing off the gas hard it is gone gone and that low gear kicking as you pass the top of the torque curve is cleaned up a lot. At car park speed it is also very civilised now. Generally is just a lot more forgiving to drive now, I think with some new cv's it would feel just like a new car. Best $8 spent to date.
Curious what you mean by this mod Nils as I am having what sounds to be the same issues.
nils ·
It is supposeably very common. The yanks call it vanagon syndrome (VS) figured it was a thing here too. I do most of my VW related research over on the American and German based sites. If you want hundreds of pages to read on the subject type syndrome into the samba vanagon/eurovan search engine.
Or I'll make it easy and here is the link to the original VW service bulletin from 1992
the bulletin states to use a 10uF capacitor, but 20years of trial and error by enthusiasts has come up with the magic number of 22uF 16-25v tantalum capacitor.
nils ·
mackaymanx wrote:You won't regret it. Got this fired up today after a bit of fiddling.
the subi motor looked as lot smaller in there, I am thinking to make a throttle body relocation neck that allows the use of the OG VW aircleaner snorkel arrangement. Or does it look that the subi intake manifold would hit it?
matberry ·
baghall wrote:
Did the capacitor mod to the AFM wiring harness. I know most open the box up and go internal, but mine was so well sealed up I decided not to mess with it. The capacitor sits under the boot of the AFM plug which is now full of silicon. Very happy with this recommendation actually, Not sure if it has cured my long trip VS but time will tell on that one. I has however smoothed out a lot of the bucking the ole' vanagon has, on backing off the gas hard it is gone gone and that low gear kicking as you pass the top of the torque curve is cleaned up a lot. At car park speed it is also very civilised now. Generally is just a lot more forgiving to drive now, I think with some new cv's it would feel just like a new car. Best $8 spent to date.
Curious what you mean by this mod Nils as I am having what sounds to be the same issues.
Interesting, in all my years I've never heard of this one. Surprisingly my '91 has no issues like this at all, low speed response and smoothness all good, max torque kicking.....what the??? very interesting.
Good work Nils
nils ·
If I didn't spend some time on the side of the highway scratching my head wondering what the hell happened on the way back from the abbey the other week, I would have told you its a bunch hokey and is just an excuse people use to justify poorly maintained cars. I spent days looking for an air leak/fuel starve/struggling injector and used this as a hail Mary move, But this made a fantastic difference to the vans composure.
Seems to be more common on high KM vans. Wonder how many vans have been given up on for such a easy fix after spending big money try every fix imaginable with no change while VW service have know about it for 20+ years
matberry ·
Only high milage, phew. I'm only aty 420 000km so should be right for a while 😉
L469 ·
i have 653000 km on mine and smooth as silk ! once i fit a new gearbox lol . crown and pinion bearing and mainshaft bearing has got noisy dyna truck style :-(
mackaymanx ·
nils wrote:the subi motor looked as lot smaller in there, I am thinking to make a throttle body relocation neck that allows the use of the OG VW aircleaner snorkel arrangement. Or does it look that the subi intake manifold would hit it?
Ok I wedged an original aircleaner in where it should go and this is the result. Not enough room and this is in a syncro where the engine sits lower.
nils ·
Thanks for that mate, though it does look like only the fuel an vacuum lines are a problem, guess time will tell
nils ·
Except for too much eating and drinking, not as much is going on this long weekend. A little bit of kombi time was had while the girlfriend was in a food coma.
I finally got the wiring in for my heated seats that seemed a good idea for the up and coming snow season, The seats go to the trimmers on Tuesday to add the pads as well as a rebolster and add a lumber pad to them.
I decided to completely hide all the wiring well under the carpet. So out came every inch of carpet factory deadening and centre console, definatly no rust here.
And then things got crazy.
The dash, doors and front end are yet to be done, waiting on when I do the air conditioning and power windows. I also started filling all the rear half cavities and sliding door with this close cell foam and MLV combo which is a great product, But run out of contact glue 🥲
vduboy ·
Looks great mate, wow I wish any of my old cars looked that nice under the carpet! All I ever found was broken glass and rust.. where did you get the heated seat elements from? I'm thinking about doing that to my buggy.
nils ·
Ebayed them mate. The seller is overseas, but has fantastic feedback and service. I'm very happy with the service and the quality is good,can't tell you how well they work yet give me a few days on that front.
the capacitor trick looks like it may be the origin of the $20 HP chip you can buy on Ebay which fuck with your AFM signal....and don't work. good to see there is one aplication it works for, even if it isnt HP.
What brand is that sound deadener mat?
nils ·
It's very worn out actually, my passsenger seat rattles when not occupied, maybe some teflon sheet iin the runners or just squash them flat a bit.
. The deadening is resomat and comes from trufit carpets along with all the other foams and felts. I'm adding a little under 40Kg in deadening 🙅
HP chip and kombi in the same sentance 😂 there is also a VW loom extension that plugs between the AFM and its harness that goes for well over $100
mackaymanx ·
You have PM
baghall ·
matberry wrote:
baghall wrote:
Did the capacitor mod to the AFM wiring harness. I know most open the box up and go internal, but mine was so well sealed up I decided not to mess with it. The capacitor sits under the boot of the AFM plug which is now full of silicon. Very happy with this recommendation actually, Not sure if it has cured my long trip VS but time will tell on that one. I has however smoothed out a lot of the bucking the ole' vanagon has, on backing off the gas hard it is gone gone and that low gear kicking as you pass the top of the torque curve is cleaned up a lot. At car park speed it is also very civilised now. Generally is just a lot more forgiving to drive now, I think with some new cv's it would feel just like a new car. Best $8 spent to date.
Curious what you mean by this mod Nils as I am having what sounds to be the same issues.
Interesting, in all my years I've never heard of this one. Surprisingly my '91 has no issues like this at all, low speed response and smoothness all good, max torque kicking.....what the??? very interesting.
Good work Nils
Matt I've been having the exact same problem. Put it down to my driving but I have never done it in any other vehicle.
Thanks for the link Nils. Will have to do this as soon as I get some more time.
nils ·
Yes please sir, PM sent
not sure whether 85's are early or late though. The difference is the caliper attachment point
vduboy ·
nils wrote:Ebayed them mate. The seller is overseas, but has fantastic feedback and service. I'm very happy with the service and the quality is good,can't tell you how well they work yet give me a few days on that front.
Thanks for that dude, let me know how they go, are your seat leather? Do you think they will be ok in fabric seats?
nils ·
No mate, just plan ole' vanagon fabric seats (or are they velour?) The manual states that it should take 15 seconds per mm of fabric for the heat to transfer. Will test in a few days.
vduboy wrote:
nils wrote:Ebayed them mate. The seller is overseas, but has fantastic feedback and service. I'm very happy with the service and the quality is good,can't tell you how well they work yet give me a few days on that front.
Thanks for that dude, let me know how they go, are your seat leather? Do you think they will be ok in fabric seats?
nils ·
nils wrote:Yes please sir, PM sent
not sure whether 85's are early or late though. The difference is the caliper attachment point
Cool I fount the difference, earlies have a threads instead of holes for mounting and also the caliper mounts from the other side so will not have the machined area on the rotor side.
Boozo ·
nils wrote:It's very worn out actually, my passsenger seat rattles when not occupied, maybe some teflon sheet iin the runners or just squash them flat a bit.
. The deadening is resomat and comes from trufit carpets along with all the other foams and felts. I'm adding a little under 40Kg in deadening 🙅
HP chip and kombi in the same sentance 😂 there is also a VW loom extension that plugs between the AFM and its harness that goes for well over $100
After the KM's that van has done im not surprised, was probably fine before you clean all the years of padding (dust and gunk) out of it and painted it.
Was it not tack welded into my van? I assumed thats what the grinding was about?
Yeah those "performance" chips are just screwing with the signal from the AFM and make zero performance gains.
nils ·
Yeah I had to cut it out, I made up some hat section which I welded to the spinner. So can just pull them in and out now.
nils ·
Finally got all the sound deadening in for the time being, under the dash, the front doors and the front panel will wait till another day when I pull them apart next. Whether there is a notable difference in noise I can't say for sure, I think the tyre noise is less now particularly at the front of the car and the background hum is gone (once again, I think) The stereo sounds different, more full. So something is different, just can't put my finger on it. Guess I would have to just straight into a van without deadening to really say for sure.
For interest sake, here is what I used.
I got my seats back from the trimmers, they feel different much plusher but I think still need more reviewing. On the up side the heated seat pads work a treat, I remember some mention they are only for vinyl or leather seats but I can confirm they are quite fine on cloth seats.
Another project I have been working one is the chrome window rubber inserts, the sun has damaged them to just a burnt brown. I had originally thought to replace them and add some style back to the old van, but at over $300 for the six windows I can't do it. I tried pulling one out cleaning the insert, painting it and putting it back in. The process took near enough to a whole day and left me with blisters and some mighty sore hands and fingers. This is for chumps, so I pulled the pin and decided to replace then with plain rubbers. Thanks again goes to Kai at Just Kampers for exchanging those rubbers no fuss.
nils ·
small job for a weekday,
In my never ending hunt for a small rattle that has been bugging me since I bought the car, I decided to replace the bush at the gearbox end of the shift rod.
A bit of cleaning and a few new parts,
and done, shift feels a bit better too 😎
nils ·
Just a few bits that I found on my photobucket that I forgot to add,
Replaced the intake boots with silicon hose while up at dubs by the abbey.
The rear hatch grommet was a little worse for wear and after searching in both Germany and America for these I decided to use a Subaru rear hatch grommet, A little grinding was involved to turn the round hole to and oval but is a good fit.
The picture also shows just how dirty the nooks and crannys where.
Ah...... I was thinking "why would you not have some sort of seal over the top of the cup. Just didn't click because there wasn't one there to start with. 😁 will order one now.
how did you go finding that second axle Brent?
mackaymanx ·
Going up to Townsville on Saturday so will be able to pick it up then.
nils ·
This weekends work: found my clutch slave was leaking while I was under there tuning the shifter bits, Turns out the fluid was more like grease than fluid too. So flushed the whole clutch and brake system while I was at it.
mackaymanx ·
Ok got the second axle but I have two different lengths 531mm (as per Bentley) and 522.5 about 8.5mm shorter. Found out that the early T3s had different axles to the later ones, this has to do with the moving of the gearbox further back in the chassis. Think is has to do with the change from the nose shift gearboxes to the side shift 4/5 speeds.
As the axles come from a '83 aircooled and a '85 watercooled they are in the change over, not sure which is which.
nils ·
mackaymanx wrote:Ok got the second axle but I have two different lengths 531mm (as per Bentley) and 522.5 about 8.5mm shorter. Found out that the early T3s had different axles to the later ones, this has to do with the moving of the gearbox further back in the chassis. Think is has to do with the change from the nose shift gearboxes to the side shift 4/5 speeds.
As the axles come from a '83 aircooled and a '85 watercooled they are in the change over, not sure which is which.
learn something new every day, In any case I need the one that is 16mm shorter than what I have now. So will have to get back to you on that.
mackaymanx ·
Yeah I didn't know there was a difference until yesterday after some searching.
nils ·
After an oil change (can you believe its been 7500km already?) and a clean bill of health the little lady and I headed for a holiday seeing as we have had such huge snow fall. Staying in Bright we headed to both falls creek and hotham and I have to be honest the climb up to hotham from the Bright side is a little too much for the old van, more power is defiantly needed to make that a easy trip.
Though I have developed a small (or what seems like)fuel starvation issue, which didn't make things easier. It started after a fill up at some shonky looking petrol station in the back of nowhere and seemed to get a bit better after a few top ups. Though at sustained high revs or high load it does come on, if you stop and turn the engine off for a minute you are good to go again. Think it might be time to drop and flush the tank.
On a positive note, heated seats are the shiz!! 😀
OH! by the way gas struts don't work at below zero 🤪
A few snow time photos
Of course all holidays must come to and end, this one particularly ended with a bang. When a deer appeared out of a worm hole and tried to enter my car through the radiator.
And is now on a truck somewhere on its way to pioneer smash and vintage vee dub supplies for reconstructive surgery.
When I arrived home I think the german vee dub gods were rubbing it in, as there was a parcel from Germany waiting on my doorstep. I went a slightly different direction with procuring some parts this time and decided to order from the mother country. The postage from Europe is actually much more reasonable then the states, pricing is about the same. but the service and waiting time can't keep up with the americans. If you are after some parts that the yanks just don't seem to stock, Germany is the go. but expect to wait 3 weeks.
The front mud flaps are nicely made of proper soft rubber, have the original part number printed on them and the letters ''PG'' in a circle (no idea what brand that makes them) As a little note they come with all the fittings including the pressed steel holders in stainless steel, which is kind of neat.
The number plate light lenses are true german VW with the little silver painted in section at the back.
vduboy ·
Shit dude that sucks.. Everybody ok? Bet the bastard deer just frolicked off too.. Hope you get it back soon
nils ·
vduboy wrote:Shit dude that sucks.. Everybody ok? Bet the bastard deer just frolicked off too.. Hope you get it back soon
heya Nath, Everybody is fine.
And the deer only got a few more metres at best, we got to hear it crying in pain somewhere in the tree line while we waited for the tow. It was making the girlfriend quite distraught (more than the car accident it seems 🤪)
Just a quick update. I talked to the insurance assessor and the panel shop today and the bus will start to be rebuilt in the next week or two. Repairs ringing to the tune of $7500!!
This really puts into light anyone who is restoring a bus and think they will be able to send in to a panel shop and get the rust cut out, straightened and painted for under $10k
baghall ·
So glad it's getting repaired for you
vduboy ·
nils wrote:
vduboy wrote:Shit dude that sucks.. Everybody ok? Bet the bastard deer just frolicked off too.. Hope you get it back soon
heya Nath, Everybody is fine.
And the deer only got a few more metres at best, we got to hear it crying in pain somewhere in the tree line while we waited for the tow. It was making the girlfriend quite distraught (more than the car accident it seems 🤪)
Just a quick update. I talked to the insurance assessor and the panel shop today and the bus will start to be rebuilt in the next week or two. Repairs ringing to the tune of $7500!!
This really puts into light anyone who is restoring a bus and think they will be able to send in to a panel shop and get the rust cut out, straightened and painted for under $10k
Not surprised by those numbers at all mate, doing smashies on bikes at work get up there quite quick too, one of our good customers ran up the ass of a taxi didn't even drop the bike and the quote came to over $4000, wasn't any structural damage at all just plastic.. Awesome news that it is getting fixed though mate! 👍
kaiisons ·
The bus looked schmick before the accident Nils. Hope it gets restored back without much fuss!
nils ·
Thanks Kai, Hopefully it will come back just as good.
On that subject. I was talking to the boys at vintage vee dub today and decided to ask about how much was really going into my car, particularly whether I should expect a total black grill now or if I still have chrome trim/badges. Either one is fine, I'm just still making styling decisions based upon that. I was surprised to here they are putting a used grill on and told ''It has most of its chrome on it'' which took me aback a bit. My insurance PDS clearly states the car will be return to me in the same state as before the accident, and my grill including the chrome was pristine. Also told they turned down the new BEHR radiator, instead going remanufactured for cost reasons. How much am I in my right to turn down the workmanship if the car is not up to my expectations? where do I draw the line? am I just paranoid because I don't have control?
Bizarre ·
need to have a read of the "fine print" of your insurance contact
Quite a few say it is ok to use 2nd hand parts
vduboy ·
I know we have to use new genuine parts on our smashes at work I would want nothing else.. That's why we pay silly insurance for..
nils ·
Oh no, it clearly states they can use second hand parts. I have no problem with that, but those parts must be as good as the ones that were on it. The chrome trim was just an example of what I meant.
vduboy ·
Shit. That sucks. Should be returned to pre accident condition though. Can be hard to prove though sometimes. At least you have heaps of photo proof.
Scottkombi ·
I would definately insist on a new Behr Radiator. I got mine from Tuggerah (Wyong Radiators or something in Ace Crescent Tuggerah) for $400 brand new. Its the proper 45mm thickness - dont buy the JK ones - they are pathertic 30mm thick - useless in Australia - designed for cold European climates.
Second hand radiators are all now about 25 years old and gouped up with crap - I wouldnt trust one as far as I could throw it.
Insist on a new Rad - its the least they can do.
vduboy ·
Scottkombi wrote:I would definately insist on a new Behr Radiator. I got mine from Tuggerah (Wyong Radiators or something in Ace Crescent Tuggerah) for $400 brand new. Its the proper 45mm thickness - dont buy the JK ones - they are pathertic 30mm thick - useless in Australia - designed for cold European climates.
Second hand radiators are all now about 25 years old and gouped up with crap - I wouldnt trust one as far as I could throw it.
Insist on a new Rad - its the least they can do.
x2 see if you can get the quote too, if they quoted for a new rad that's what should be used, unless you are recouping the savings...
nils ·
Thanks for the feed back guys, will chat to the boys at pioneer on Saturday. Will look up wyong radiators and probably contact the insurance company in regards to my worries
nils ·
Went and had a look at the repair on Friday, seeing as a was told it would be done this week. I think I can sum it up by quoting something my little brother posted when I first told him about the accident. ''OH NO, ultimate sad face''
The attention to detail is nothing short of woeful and 2nd hand parts used should be thrown on the scrap heap not have been bolted to the front of my car. Basically exterior wise a mint van has been turn to a sunburnt/backpacker mess you can find anywhere on the side of the road for $1000
The short of it? On the face of it, the grilles are junk. Not just compared to those that were there but JUNK, JUNK, JUNK. The indictors are the same (which is funny because they are cheap to buy) The dents in the bumper have been totally overlook and just left as is. The demist vents no longer sit in the dashboard, nor does the radio. The carpet doesn't fit, probably due to the fact the sound deadening has not been replaced but just tucked in under the carpet. The plastic nuts that hold the carpet in have just not been put back, due to the holes not lining up anymore. The rubber conduit that the cables between the door and the body run though, just not plugged in.
This was what I found in a half hour! I couldn't look anymore, I can't think about what is missing behind the grill and dash.
A complaint has already been raised with the insurance company and am expecting to make another trip out there with the insurance assessor. My saving grace here is actually that I have photos of detail on my van (Next time the missus says ''stop taking photos of your car'' or ''I don't know why you always needs to post that stuff on forums'' ignore her, everyone with a classic car needs to do this!) And this situation is why.
To make matters worse, in my washed state I drove the baja into the garage with my mountain bike still on the roof when I got home, Idiot 🤪
matberry ·
😠 SHIT❗
vduboy ·
Crap. Not good at all mate. I'd be kicking up a stink with the insurance company. Especially since yours was so nice before and not just some "van" sorry to see mate.
Scottkombi ·
Bugger.
These parts in good condition shouldnt be hard to find. I got a set of band new indicators for my van for $35 delivered.
The interior mis alignment will be a problem.
Best of luck with it.
nils ·
I'm off to the shop again on Friday, armed with some blown up photos and an independent assessor. Thanks again to the insurance company for hooking this up and paying for the hire car to go down there.
kaiisons ·
Hey Nils, We sell new lower grilles for $63.00 - its not genuine i dont think but it looks 10000x better than that secondhand one. That just looks plain unacceptable.
kaiisons ·
I feel your pain though mate I had a wombat hit mine, and by wombat i mean...
Bizarre ·
^^^^ ouch!!
nils ·
How does that even happen Kai? Is this a recent happening?
I've cruised just kampars a bit, bit have a line on some new old stock German grilles and indicators. Alot hinges on the assessor tomorrow, he gets to decide wether to pull the pin on this panel shop. The insurance company have offered to possibly deliver without parts like the grilles, then reimburse me for the cost of me ordering some.
kaiisons ·
3 days before valla nils
Boozo ·
pics of the mountain bike?.
nils ·
Ha ha, the bike actually looks to have come out unscathed. Just tore the roof rack clean off the roof.
The meeting with the assessor went.........something. My computer has pooed itself again and there is too much to write on a phone.
Special Air Service ·
Nils, I would possibly be interested in a NOS upper grill as well if you end up going that way....... let me know if you end going that direction.
nils ·
Hi Brendan, thanks for dropping those parts off for me.
The upper grill runs in about $500, let me know maybe we can save a few bucks shipping two?
nils ·
As I posted earlier, I went and saw the van again with the assessor again last Friday. I am not sure how it went actually, the assessor does not specialise in classic cars, nor seemed to have any interest in cars generally. Which I thought was a little weird. He did give me the impression that he thought I was complaining about nothing and continued to mention that the parts were not available in good condition in Australia, of course to which I replied '' have you looked over the whole of Australia?'' and that the $650 I am asking for to import new grills was peanuts compared to what it might cost to source these parts locally. Particularly considering this repair is bound to have cost the insurance company upwards of $10K by now.
I pointed out a bunch more things they had missed in the repair, such as deciding the radiator air deflectors were not necessary and the fact they had torn the carpet because they neglected to move the seat forward when they disconnected the battery 😠
Once again, attention to detail is woeful. I also mentioned that I will be pulling the dash in the coming weeks and months to do the air-con and if they where missing anything we would be back to square one again.
It turns out the assessor talked to the panel shop (I get the impression they know each other? conflict of interest perhaps?) before he talked to the insurance company. As I got quite a phone call from the panel shop. He was most pissed about the car still being there ( imagine how I feel! its my daily damn it!)and although I won't go into the details, I told him that he is no longer dealing with me but with the insurance company and that I can't give him any details.
I emailed the insurance company outlining the exchange. Also calling them on Monday to see if anything had come of it yet, turns out the assessor had not yet submitted his report. So once again I am waiting.
Oh! and I found the donor for my front end
kaiisons ·
shit go mate, that is terrible for what should have been a relatively simple job.
baghall ·
If they were a serious repairer and they genuinely couldn't get the parts it is not hard to dress them up so that they look 100% better than that. That is rubbish. Sorry you have got to go through this. I feel your pain. When the female P plater ran in the rear of my baja her insurance didn't want anything to do with the car. If i had pushed the issue I think they would have written it off and i would have lost it. IN the end I told them to "f)&* off" and repaired it myself.
matberry ·
Very sorry to hear of your plight Nils but unfortunately quietly not surprised. Keep up your efforts to get what is expected of a "reasonable repair".
Matt
vduboy ·
nils wrote:Oh! and I found the donor for my front end
What is the go with the donor dude? Are you doing more repairs?
nils ·
Hey guys, thanks for the pity party. This hasn't been an easy road, if I had to do it again I would use a local panel shop just so I can work with them face to face from start to finish instead of over the phone. My missus says i'm stressing because I don't have control, I argue its because it's near enough to impossible to find anyone who has pride in a job and I guess this is another example of why I might feel this way.
Matt is totally right, I'm not surprised either. The bad experiences out sourcing work to others out weighs the good 10 to 1. Unfortunately that is what we have to expect now (what a croc right?)
Baghall - you are totally right, and my point exactly. They haven't even tried to make it presentable, everything has been done to the bare minimum standard and this is my gripe exactly.
Nath - Slight misunderstanding there, the photo was taken in the lane near Vintage, I'm in the assumption that this was the donor to my repair. Just thought in was a interesting photo.
On another note, I came to a agreement with the insurance company on how to proceed from here. So I organized a truck to pick up the van and deliver it to my home and will source the rest myself and bill them, I hope not to find any more surprises 😀
mackaymanx ·
Thanks for the tip on these Nils, I must confess I had a look at these when I was stripping a subaru wagon a while back and discounted them because I thought they woundn't work. Need to look a bit harder next time.
nils ·
Brent - No problem man, I originally bought some newer Passat ones, The part number was the same but for the prefix. Guess what nowhere close, and them just stumbled on those lying around.
I talked to the insurance company again on Wednesday and it was decided to bring the van home and get the rest of the parts myself. On Thursday the van was home, thanks to General trades and towing in Newcastle for organizing that quickly and for a great price, with great service. I didn't get a chance to really have a look till today unfortunately, I knew from the get go I would have to tear the whole thing apart and paint and rustproof a lot of raw metal. On the face of it the repair looks quite good, and the colour match is spot on. Unfortunately once you look behind the panels it gets a little sad.
Looking though the passenger side indicator, where the lower center panel meets the deformation panel, must not have a welder on hand, turns out SIKA is the new weld. Found about 8 welds across the whole front.
Looking though the driver side indicator, It seems that maybe there should be more than 2 little spot welds holding the lower center panel to the corner panel.
Should this be straight?
baghall ·
Crap that work is terrible. Sad that you have had to do this but good you have been able to check it all and get it done properly with the insurance companies support.
nils ·
Moving on from metal work to basic do and do not do's ( should have put this in the ''what not to do to your Volkswagen'' thread)
Looks like someone had a few troubles getting the radiator in.
Here is one of my pet peevs with this repair, remember that new sound proofing I put in? I This has been pulled out and put back in twice now (because of complaints about the carpet no longer fitting) You would have thought the time involved, the $50 of new material would have been cheaper, guess i'm not a professional. After pulling it out and throwing it in the bin I found a whole lot of water underneath, glade the front would have rusted away before the floor. Turns out the water was coming from the drain tube from the ventilation airbox, because somebody seems to have hit it with a Stanley knife while cutting out the sound deadening.
nils ·
Moving on because my photobucket is playing silly buggers. Details, details, details.
This is what happens when you don't know how the window winders come off.
The door handle had 4 screws, guess two will do.
The driver side actuator didn't work, here's the culprit. The 2 zip ties used to make sure this didn't happen must have been no longer avalible parts.
Just like head light adjusters.
I also complained about the air deflector on the passenger side missing, the left is my original one. Not in great condition but all that black paint and pop rivets makes it look a million dollars 🤪
After pulling the heater duct in the center, turns out it's easier to drill new holes than find the original one. Another place for water to come in, Super! and one of the missing door screws, hooray!
Seems this should have water in it.
nils ·
Lastly, can anybody get me a picture of this area in there van for me? seems like I have an extra bump that is not helping with my carpet fitting.
vduboy ·
Shit dude really sorry to see that mate, hope you get it sorted to your standard or at least gets done by someone that gives half a shit about workmanship. Good luck with it all, is it at least straight now?
matberry ·
So dissapointing. Crap workmanship is so prevelant in this country, it makes me sad I see it so often. One of the issues is the insurance companies drive down the price that they are willing to pay, this is both as an hourly rate and how long to do each individual job. I am by no means condoning the work done, but we were seeing the writing on the wall way back in the ninties at Volksrestore. The insurance companies just don't pay, the hourly rate offered doesn't even cover what the employees get!!!
I hope you can get most of this crappy work sorted mate. Usual rule, if you want to do it well, you may just have to do it yourself.
Bizarre ·
I got some work quoted from a panel beater in Sydney the other day and I was quoted $35/hr.
No way I can employ a sheet metal worker for those rates. Has to be an uneducated labourer.
Still. You see big public companies offering cut price insurance premiums, there is only one way you can get cheap premiums and a return on share prices - cheaper outlays.
nils ·
I completely agree with you there Matt, if this repair was a $ 3000-4000 job in with parts included.
But the parts list from what I can tell is - radiator, 2 indicators, left hand headlight bucket and the front cut pictured earlier. Plus paint bog and SIKA. What do you think $1000 in parts if paying top dollar (and he didn't) mind you NO postage cost where incured.
. That leaves $6500 for labour and workshop fees, way too much for a rubbish job.
Nath - you are right it is straight now and if I didn't look behind and wasn't concerned about it rusting away in the next few years I would be happy with the outward appearance.
Baghall - The insurance company has agreed with me so far, but I do wonder how far I can push this issue And unfortunately from here on out I need to front up the cash for repairs and parts and have them reimburse me. Which is going to take a toll on my cash flow. I will call them again today and see whether they want me to live with it till problems arise (lifetime warranty on repairs) or if I take it to the next panel shop and have it rerepair.
vduboy ·
I would try and take it to the next panel shop mate or fix it yourself, I wouldn't be waiting for a problem to arise like rust later on, It could get to the stage they they just write it off later and you'll be out of a bus again.. Or they just palm it off later as not their problem..
nils ·
Just got off the phone with the insurance and they say they are 100% behind me on this, even the resomat IS covered. Will be off to the new panel shop in the next day or two to give the insurance their opinion on the repair. In the mean time I am looking for a big water leak because as it turns out the cut Hose I pictured a few posts up is the BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM HOSE!!!!!
Boy that will make the colour leave your face.
matberry ·
Geebus......keep up the good work, I'm glad the Insurance Co. is on your side. 👍😀
nils ·
I decided now is finally the time to update this, I kind of got sick of just writing bad reports.
But as of yesterday my van has been written off, due to the cost of repair being too high. I imagine there is a panel shop in Sydney that is getting so rather bad news in the next few days, karma is a bitch fellas.
As a result the van is in my garage at the moment waiting for me to have to time to assess my next step (here I was thinking that down sizing my life was an option 😵💫 ) In the next few weeks I hope to pull the whole front end apart, the dash and window out and get to the bottom of the real amount of damage that is in there because after taking it to the assessor last week I can tell you everything under the dashboard is not ok. The van will be back on the road next year, but at this point not in a hurry. So much for spending some time up in QLD camping over Xmas.
Boozo ·
Silikon macht das schön?
nils ·
Boozo wrote:Silikon macht das schön?
Apparently works in all languages now
nils ·
Just a quick one, Rego on friday
First drive today.
vduboy ·
All fixed mate? Looking good! How much drama did you have repairing the repair?
Scottkombi ·
Very nice Nils.
Are you happy with the finish?
nils ·
vduboy wrote:All fixed mate? Looking good! How much drama did you have repairing the repair?
For the most part I left the metal where it was, but systematically pulled apart every seam, cleared it of glue and brazing (in some places even added metal that had been replaced with bog). Everything fits now and for the most part the front end looks like it just rolled off the production line.
. Strangely ever the paint colour was wrong and my front doors are a shade lighter than the rest of the bus, but that a project for another day. I just spent every spare hour of the last 6 months getting this far, I think the girlfriend and I may need to get to know each other again first.
. Scott I'm not sure I'll ever be 100% happy, but that's me and not the van. For now it is a better car than what it was before the accident, only because I spent all the money from the insuraance on it and did the work myself. I can't imagine what this would have cost to farm out.
nils ·
Oh. I would really like some real hella front indicators
Scottkombi ·
I might have one of them.
My [parts storage system is crap and finding bits isnt easy.
I will check for you.
baghall ·
So glad it is on the road again. Well done. Hope to see it on the road one day!
grazza7755 ·
Hi Nils,
Just looking at your dash.
Did you make it like that or buy it?
Also, who did your air con installation as I am needing one done?
Thanks
Grazza
nils ·
grazza7755 wrote:Hi Nils,
Just looking at your dash.
Did you make it like that or buy it?
Also, who did your air con installation as I am needing one done?
Thanks
Grazza
All my own work on both accounts I'm afraid Grazza.
Due to the amount of broken bits a full underdash rebuild was called for, and since I can't seem to leave anything well enough alone. 🤪
I could probably make another dash and add whatever you may require, (mine is still due to go under the knife again for a nice pull out pair of cup holders)
The aircon, (a vintage air GEN 4) was a huge job and wouldn't want to think of the cost of getting someone to do it.
nils ·
baghall wrote:So glad it is on the road again. Well done. Hope to see it on the road one day!
Thanks Baghall, Its really nice to have it back. The Baja is not really a suitable daily driver.
I saw you have plans to raise your bus up? This is one of my long term plans too, all the extra gear in the front has bought the front down quite noticeably.
Boozo ·
looking good, I see why you need the reverse camera...I thought my house and shed overlapped a lot.
vduboy ·
I thought your dash was stock! Awesome job there mate! Happy with the air con unit?
nils ·
Ha ha... Not much stock going on there Nathan. The air con is still waiting on a few hoses and bolts, but it not really hot here now so I am not in a hurry.
