Just got home from Taree. Bought myself a T3 transporter. Pretty ratty looking but only rust is a couple of small spots at the bottom of the tailgate window. Engine was a very strong runner driving home from Taree.
Several problems though.
* Speedo not working (thank God for GPS on my phone)
* Horn not working
* Very bloody noisy both inside and outside (has a hotdog exhaust)
* Drivers seat angled towards centre
* Paint terrible (4 colours on van)
* A wine in the transaxle in 4th and 5th
So far plan is to clean it up first then
weekend camper with L shaped lounge, rock and roll bed, storage under bed and seats, 2 cupboards behind front seats and nice sound system.
Also hope to have it ready to camp in for Valla since Al the baja won't be ready.
Will load photos tomorrow but too late for photos tonight.
nils ·
Sounds like you bought a project 😎
Bizarre ·
Good on ya!
baghall ·
Yeah Nils, she's a project but will hopefully keep it as a rolling project. Want it as a daily driver.
Special Air Service ·
dark red/maroon? or was originally?
baghall ·
I think it was a yellow originally as that colour is under the maroon also floors inside that haven't been repainted are yellow.
Was surprised to find that dash is pressed metal. I thought that all dashes in '85 had to be padded.
Took forever to clean lunge off the tearing wheel, etc. Also fitted some window winders, it got a bit hot in there while driving when stopped.
Noticed today that it got a lot hotter in stop, start traffic than when it was running on freeways etc. Is this normal for these busses? Do they have a thermo fan at the radiator?
nils ·
Found mine got pretty warm while standing idle in the pacific hwy car park for an hour last weekend. Probably 2/3 on th gauge, where as normally seems to run 1/3 to 1/2 way.
there is a 2 speed thermo fan, inside the car low is barely audible. Hi I have never heard turn on.
Special Air Service ·
thermo fans only come on once they are pretty hot, normal driving mine never sees action. Only as you have said in stop start traffic, or stnding still for a period of time. Fan wont come on until needle is a little past half way on the gauge. Don't think the second speed has ever needed to come in on mine whilst driving.
baghall ·
Ok thanks for that, it hasn't even got close to half way has only got to max 1/3.
Scottkombi ·
Brilliant purchase.
These are very under rated - cant wait to see the photos.
baghall ·
Finally took photos, while cleaning the interior. Removed driver's seat cover, was filthy. Has taken almost 2 tubes of cleaning wipes to remove all the grime from few plastic components. Also removed the bed previous owner started even though it was a nice large size. Have different plans.
baghall ·
Any suggestions for removing the polystyrene lining?
The timber dash needs to be removed. Not sure it is original and broken anyway.
Also has Mercedes rims on it, which give it wider tyres.
nils ·
ha ha ha !😂 whats going on with that speedo console?
baghall ·
Not really sure Nils. I can actually see daylight through the top of it. Also timber is broken sadly. Was a very nice piece of timber just wrong for this application. Thinking a carbon fibre facia might be nice but got lots of other stuff to do first, including getting the speedo working. Still using the GPS as a speedo atm.👍
matberry ·
Good to see mate, I've always been a fan of T3's, on the money with the temps and fan altho mines noisey so easily heard. Ditch that timber on the dash, but switches are non std so you might have some electrical fun ahead. Also best if you can repair the noisey trans being noisey, the failing bearings will trash the gear sets and cw/p among other things
Special Air Service ·
Yep that's the one I thought it was......never had a real good look at it though.
baghall ·
Yeah I guess you would have seen it around sometimes SAS. It runs well all be it a bit noisy with the hotdog exhaust. Mind you I like the noise but feel it would not be totally legal. Still very mixed on how I want to do this. Whether to lift it for some off road work or lower it to make a nice cruiser, both have their merits and all good. Maybe I should just get a second one! 🤪🤪🤪
Boozo ·
all these vanagon threads.......
seriously makes me want to do the same
baghall ·
Boozo wrote:all these vanagon threads.......
seriously makes me want to do the same
👍👍👍
nils ·
Join us poor people 😂
Boozo ·
poor because we can't afford a splitty? or because fuel and repairs?
baghall ·
Both for me Boozo!😵💫
nils ·
Boozo wrote:poor because we can't afford a splitty? or because fuel and repairs?
I meant the first one, but the second is taking up abit. Though I got under 10ltr/100km on the way up at easter.
baghall ·
Well, went to Blast from the Past at Berry. Tried to get there 3 years ago with Al (68 baja) but it broke down twice on the way there. I gave up and got trailered home. That was the last trip in the baja as I took it off the road and began restoration work (still in progress).
So glad I made it today. Had a great time meeting VW owners and in particular T3 owners, and discussing the T3's merits and camper setups.
Also got to see what the van should look like inside and out. I now understand what you were talking about with the dash Matt Berry. I believe I have sorted my parts dilemmas. I bought a non runner for parts. Some things have been removed but seems to have everything I need.👍👍👍
Happy days and think I should name her 'Happy" short for happy camper.
baghall ·
Picked up a rock and roll bed this arvo. Hope to install it on weekend. Will load photos then, and of the parts van I am picking up saturday!
baghall ·
Well got started on repairing the dash.
You were right Matt Berry, definitely fun with the electrics. I think a previous owner was a butcher.😂
Where do I start:
* broken mountings as well as whole binnacle cut up to fit the other dash gauges (at least they were VW).
* Plugs cut up in order to fit other gauges as well.
* Cables going in all directions.
Anyway here's some photos. Hope you guys enjoy them.
1st shows broken mounts
2nd shows tab off another dash inlace
3rd filler to aid in welding pieces in
baghall ·
4th & 5th shows new mounting tabs welded in
6th shows son learning to plastic weld using a soldering iron (would use a plastic welder but don't have one). Soldering iron seemed to work well.
baghall ·
7th Also had to repair a couple of cracks in the replacement dash.
8th shows the ruined wire connector (cut to fit other gauges)
9th shows wires being soldered to attach new connector.
baghall ·
10th shows dash installed. Still got to figure out a few issues and check all warning lights are correct, but no dash lights or hazard lights yet.
11th & 12th show some of the led lighting effects for exterior of van when camping. Will be used to help deter mozzies.
baghall ·
13th more of exterior leds
14th Interior led lighting for camping.
Also have some green leds for lighting up the floor in the back of camper.
All leds remote controlled, so I don't have to get out of bed to turn on and off.
baghall ·
Dash seems good charge light works properly as does oil light, fuel gauge and temp gauge all good but still no dash lights or hazard lights. Ordered some green led globes for dash lights incase globes are gone but suspect wiring issues. Have to look at these next weekend. Also began pulling down bed/ seat as it was unbelievably dirty. Gonna reupholster it and possibly modify to the brackets. So not a lot done today.
baghall ·
Did a bit of a yard cleanup today so I could get the parts van behind the gate. Now dogs can guard it as well as the bajas.👍
Also managed to get the dash lights working. Very happy about that but still have 2 spare cables on the 14 pin connector and no radio or piggy lighter!
Looking forward to VW Spectacular. Need to get some parts for Henrietta.
baghall ·
God bless the long weekend.
Got some work done on Henrietta today
Took out the mats from the front of the parts van and put them in. Looks more complete.
Also took a drivers door card as the other was stuffed
Fixed the horn (hasn't worked since I got her). Turns out previous owner had reversed the wires. Easy fix for a change.
And decided to wire in some rear speakers as I had them lying around.
Also wired in a new Tachometer and got the stereo working properly. Dash tidy (which is not tidy ATM) was put in last weekend.
nils ·
you know for a dash tidy that sure is a mess 😀
But seriously, great to see you have the dash and console sorted out
baghall ·
Gave Henrietta some love again today. All rubbers replaced on movealble driver and passenger windows. Also installed weather shields, tested new window vents for camping and screwed on map packets.
Decided rear speakers weren't big enough but think head unit has a bad rear right output as no sound now matter wthat I do. One more check to make on cable, otherwise new head unti required. Didn't get time to change oil or coolant due to wet weather.
baghall ·
Very happy boy at the moment. Just got hold of some custom leather covered WRX seats for mounting into Henrietta. Just got to research recolouring the tan leather to match my plans for interior.
baghall ·
Been sound proofing doors on Henrietta this afternoon. Has made a big difference in sound when closing them. Also speakers are sounding a lot better. Upgraded speakers in tailgate to 6x9s, bought a sub and new mechless head unit as was having trouble fitting in CD players. Ran out of day light so still got to do the other panels.
Start hollidays on Monday so looking forward to installing rock and roll bed and cabinets for the camper.
modnrod ·
I've been seeing a lot of these things getting re-done lately.
Mine had the dragbike loaded into the side door, easy tie-down, and when I got there I would flick out the shade off the side and relax inside on a beanbag! Very civilised!
1/2way up Greenmount hill one day heading home from the drags there was an extraordinarily large sound from the back, and an awful lot of water suddenly had gravity do it's thing with a plop.
Bugger.
Until then it sat happily on 100kph all day up hill and down dale, I even overtook something on the highway once. 😂
baghall ·
modnrod wrote:, I even overtook something on the highway once. 😂
👍👍👍
baghall ·
Well, been doing quite a bit this week on fitting her out for Valla. Running out of time to get her internals finished though, but should still be usable for sleeping etc.
Will post photos sometime next week to show progress.
baghall ·
Started to fit the new 2nd hand rock and roll bed. Decided I wanted to make it a little stronger so added two RHS bars which make it easier to fit it.
New steering wheel looks good!
Had to do some more plastic welding on the steering column plastic.
baghall ·
More plastic welding.
Needed some new planels.
Tried the new foam on the bed, very comfortable!
baghall ·
Small seat box made up.
Carpet glued in at rear of front seats.
Second seat box made.
baghall ·
Working on the rear as well!
Also shows the false floor covering some of the engine cover and giving me a pocket for my front window vents and will also give me a slide out shelf!
baghall ·
Started the upholstery today and a bit of carpet laying but finished in the dark so no photos of the carpet covering engine area. Also cut it wrong due to the dark so gotta but some more. Bugger it!
baghall ·
Finished carpeting the rear engine area.
Upholstered under the seats and fitted the remainder of the speakers (just got to wire them up).
Also upholstered the sliding door but it will need redoing as it is a bit too thick and rubs a bit on the latch.
Scottkombi ·
Wow,
That looks great - what a transformation!
baghall ·
Thanks Scottkombi. It's getting there.
baghall ·
The work has been very frustrating and slow this last week but managed to get some wiring done ready for extra batteries and amps and begin building cabinet for fridge. Money drying up a bit now so can't finish with drawers etc yet.
Still soo much to do. Won't be a finished interior for Valla but guess If I get a lot of it preped I can screw it together and finish wiring up there.
baghall ·
Apparantly I can't load just photos so here are the the other 2.
baghall ·
Finally got the material for my seats, mattress and roof lining.
Very happy but not a lot of time to get it done before Valla.
Also 2nd battery arrived as well, and already on charger. Should be able to connect it up tomorrow since I have already prepared the wiring for it.
baghall ·
First cushion completed for rear engine cover area! Not perfect but it is my first attempt at this sort of work. Took approximately 6 hours to do this one. Learnt a lot.
baghall ·
Just a normal sewing machine used. These things are pretty tough as far as domestic sewing machines go.
baghall ·
Well have a bit of work to do to Henrietta for rego. Steering transfer case needs replacing as does front wheel bearings. rear brake adjustment. She has also developed 2 water leaks. All in all not too bad for a 29 year old van that's showing the neglect she is showing.
At least the steering is done thanks to the parts van I bought.
Scottkombi ·
Funny how old these vans are getting now (nearly 30 years) and many still on the road with mega kms still going strong. Look at Matt Berrys T3 panel work truck that is even a tow truck at times.
Maintain them and they just keep going. Or just throw in a scooby donk.
baghall ·
Well henrietta has passed her rego check for another 12 months. Had to do wheel bearings, steering transfer case and adjust handbrake. Not bad for her age. But when doing the wheel bearing I noticed the pads were in very poor shape, almost brittle. Not sure if they are the correct ones either. Set I was given for replacement are very different in shape (longer and curved, compared to older square shape. Wondering whether the new pads are correct or not. Can anyone help with photos of a set of '85 T3 pads, or a description. Please.
baghall ·
Thought I might post a photo of Henrietta camping at Valla this year. Also a photo of the Syncro boys.
oldskoolguy ·
🙂👍
baghall ·
Well have been working on making a new roof basket and longer bars for the roof rack on Henrietta.
Also finally got around to changing the front brake pads. Wasn't never happy with the feel of the brakes and as it turns out the pads had been cooked at sometime. Pads were flaking and starting to fall apart. Still plenty of pad left though. Just felt they weren't safe.
Also got the solar shower painted ready to fit when I have completed painting bars and basket.
Boozo ·
looking good man 🙂
baghall ·
Thanks Boozo
baghall ·
Been a little while since I posted. Spent first week of school holidays working on Henrietta in preparation for my trip to Inverell and then to Old Bar for Kombi fest.
Firstly got the rotors machined and installed new front brake pads as I felt their were not up yo sctratch.
Secondly started work on building my new roof basket and roof bars for the thule mounts since the existing bars were too short
baghall ·
Completed basket
Also son made me a solar shower I designed for fathers day. Worked so well that if I am parked for a day under full sun gets almost too hot to stand under the water.
baghall ·
Thought I might include photos of Henrietta on her trip.
Since returning I have bought some plugs, leads, dizzy cap, rotor button, air and oil filters to give her a going over. Seems the rotor cap has been trying to weld itself to the cap. Also Mike at CBB found a broken wire to number 3 injector. So have only had 3/4 engine since buying her, which explains the lack of power. Made a huge difference when I fixed it. Can drive up hills in 4th or 5th gear instead of going back to 3rd. Love it. 👍👍👍
Lastly, am thinking of a haltech ecu and a turbo from a diesel engine. What are people's thoughts?
Scottkombi ·
Aftermarket ECU's just use too much fuel.
Stick with the original - loads of costy testing went into that from VW.
Cheers,
Scott
baghall ·
Was going to connect up my UHF radio tonight but it seems that not all my fuses are what they say they are. Looks like I will need to spend time finding out what goes to where. A bit of a pain.👎
On the upside I have a UHF radio now.
baghall ·
Totally forgot to post these. Fell asleep in the middle of the process. so here they are.
Coopernook State Forest before I got stuck in a gully.
Camping at Coopernook State Forest
Camping at Copeton Dam Inverell
oldskoolguy ·
What a great setup.
You've really made something good there.👍👍
baghall ·
Thanks oldskoolguy. I am really enjoying her.
baghall ·
Henrietta is not well she has got some issues and is of the road for a bit. My plans for the christmaas break need to be brought forward now. On the plus side I have now ordered an aftermarket ECU etc to fix the problem with the wiring loom in the engine bay and to give me more power. All the wiring in the engone area is brittle and starting to crack and break.
Oh and my TD04 turbo arrived yesterday.👍👍👍
oldskoolguy ·
Saw Henrietta at Boris's Picnic Day the other week, looks good, lot of character!
Hung around for a while hoping to say "g'day" but we had to get back to Coffs Harbour that night.
Hope she gets back on the road soon.
baghall ·
Sorry we didn't get to talk. Yeah she has plenty of character. As far as getting on the road I am looking for a suitable distributor. Seems they are a bit scarce.
baghall ·
Well unable to get Henrietta to run with another distributor so sadly it's going to be a while before I can drive her again. Have bought a Heltech system to graft in and hopefully remove the gremlins with a new harness, computer etc.
Messa got some wiring to do.
baghall ·
Little bit of wiring to do for the Haltech ECU and wideband.
Also can anyone tell me what series motor this is from the engine number? My manual is a little hazy on this!
Also what would be the best 4 into 1 merged exhaust? I need it for 2 reasons : for the exhaust sensor and for the TD05 turbo that has arrived!
Thanks
vduboy ·
Oooh that looks fun! I actually enjoyed doing the wiring on mine, at least you will get rid of those nasty electrical gremlins.. and the turbo won't hurt either! Good luck with it mate.
baghall ·
Almost finished the wiring but have been forced to hold off for a while as was bitten on the hand by my dog trying to break up a fight. So won't be finished till new year now.
baghall ·
Well I must done something right as I now have power and the fuel pump cuts in and out when I turn on the key. Just waiting for Mike at CBB to upload the start program so I can take it to the workshop and get it tuned.
Now started wiring in the 3rd battery.
baghall ·
Well she is running. Was able to start her today and keep her idling now to just get her tuned.
vduboy ·
Awesome news mate! Good stuff! So base maps are readily available for the aftermarket ecu?
baghall ·
Mike at CBB set up the map for her vduboy so not really sure on that.
Well wasn't able to tune her properly due to the twin hotdog exhaust and all the rust holes in it. So got a custom 4 into 1 exhaust made up. Not completely happy with it. Guys have hung it too low for my liking and the tone while sounding good actually vibrates the panels more at around 110kph. So may be redoing that when I fit the turbo.
Also fitted some Audi rims with 4wd tyres. I think the rear is a little too big as has less than 2cm between rear of guard and tyre. Also had to clearance a little on the tailing arms. Have also had my alarm and central looking delivered as well as my HUD. So more work to do again.
baghall ·
Well I have on my list of things to do to Henrietta the fuel lines replaced and the engine mounts. However, Henrietta in true form decided she wanted the engine mounts done first. 3 sheared apart today on the way to work. Looks like it will be a busy week trying to replace them before the weekend.
baghall ·
Pulled out the broken engine mounts this afternoon. Definitely needed replacing, I think.
Also 2 photos of new wheels and a comparison of sizes as well.
Sizing may have contributed to the failure of engine mounts, however, I do think they may be the original mounts.
baghall ·
Got a custom 4 into 1 exhaust made by a mob in Penrith. Bloody horrible job.
Here's a ist of issues so far
1. Header on rear right side pulled out on a trip to newcastle. ( blamed me for using second hand headers as a starting point. Charged $205 to get it repaired)
2. Welds are bloody ugly and lumpy (this includes a lump of metal inside the threaded nut for the 02 sensor)
3. One weld leaks quite a bit.
4. Some joints in exhaust are dinted so as to fit one section into another before welding.
5. One joint has a bend but the is cut and another section welded but not got a bend so rather a sudden change in angle.
Last 2 points affect gas flow.
6. Used wrong paint for exhaust so all burnt off in a 1/2 hour trip.
7. Rear section of pipe is weld around the engine cross member. Cannot remove exhaust without removing water pump and cross member.
Very poor workmanship and the guy who built it was proud of his work. What a joke of a business.
vduboy ·
baghall wrote:Got a custom 4 into 1 exhaust made by a mob in Penrith. Bloody horrible job.
Here's a ist of issues so far
1. Header on rear right side pulled out on a trip to newcastle. ( blamed me for using second hand headers as a starting point. Charged $205 to get it repaired)
2. Welds are bloody ugly and lumpy (this includes a lump of metal inside the threaded nut for the 02 sensor)
3. One weld leaks quite a bit.
4. Some joints in exhaust are dinted so as to fit one section into another before welding.
5. One joint has a bend but the is cut and another section welded but not got a bend so rather a sudden change in angle.
Last 2 points affect gas flow.
6. Used wrong paint for exhaust so all burnt off in a 1/2 hour trip.
7. Rear section of pipe is weld around the engine cross member. Cannot remove exhaust without removing water pump and cross member.
Very poor workmanship and the guy who built it was proud of his work. What a joke of a business.
Bloody hell that's not good at all dude! Did they weld it all on the car? That's pretty silly form to not check whether or not it can be removed easily..
baghall ·
vduboy wrote:Bloody hell that's not good at all dude! Did they weld it all on the car? That's pretty silly form to not check whether or not it can be removed easily..
Yeah I think they did and now I have new engine mounts exhaust is hitting on cross member when engine is running.
Scary thing is that they had several muscle cars in there for new exhausts.
baghall ·
Well Henrietta has done it to me again. While working on the engine mounts I noticed that one of her CV boots was severely damaged and added that on my list of things to do, however, was taking her for a drive and the drivers side CV just went on me not 200m rom my home. looks like lawns won't be getting done this weekend either.
Fortunately I have some new CVs I bought for the baja.
Scottkombi ·
Nice Shoes Ben - what are they off?
They look Audi style??
baghall ·
Yeah Scott Audi but a little too much offset. Need to do some clearancing.
Also got the broken CV completed this arfternoon. Also did the CV at the wheel as well. Now if she will hold out till the weekend I will get the remainding CVs done. Also hope to get the remaining fuel lines changed over.
On the plus side the gear changes are more precise due to the engine mounts being fixed. Much nicer to drive!
Scottkombi ·
What model Audi are they from and what size tyres are on them? - they look huge!
Also any centre bore issues?
baghall ·
Actually not sure what model they are from, sorry. Bought them of another Kombi owner. Only the centre bore for the fronts needed enlarging. Yeah tyres are large, particularly the rears. Going to put smaller tyres on the rears and larger on the fronts so as to be runnings same size all round. Tyre mob said rears were 31s but they measure around 29" fronts only about 1-2" larger than standard.
pete wood ·
31" is only a catagory. Actual size varies greatly from one actual model to another. I always took a tape measure to the tyre shop when I needed new ones. 😉
baghall ·
Henrietta has lights again. Turns out it was just the switch replaced it today and they worked fine, however, they are a bit dull. What do people use to polish the reflectors.
nils ·
You mean the high beams?
Pull them apart, throw a bit of metho in there and wipe though with a lint free cloth.
Done and like new
Wait, I just realised you have the round headlights 😊
baghall ·
Got the final tune done on Henrietta.
Not as good as I hoped for. Engine is definitely a bit tired best we got was 67.8hp at the wheels which is about 84.5hp at the flywheel so she is down on factory specs. Clearly needs a rebuild to improve on that. Still it is a lot better than what I had when I first bought her.
baghall ·
Went to Canberra for a trip in Henrietta. She ran perfectly. Pictures of her camping.
vduboy ·
Awesome mate, how many k's are on that motor? Did they do a compression test or anything like that?
oldskoolguy ·
That is a cool looking kombi. Looks good riding high on the wheel/tyre combination.
Good to see her back on the road 👍
baghall ·
Thanks guys. No compression test vduboy. Was told she had some engine work before buying her, but from what I have seen since owning her it may not be true. Debating with myself what to do on the motor next but am thinking about a larger cylinder/ piston set and head work but comes down to time and money. Still have turbo for it as well and do need to get back onto the '68 baja. Haven't done anything to baja since buying Henrietta.
Scottkombi ·
Looks great Ben.
Just leave the engine how it is and enjoy the camping fun.
Cheers,
Scott
baghall ·
I am enjoying it Scott. It is so cool just parking it up. Love it.
Still got more work to do inside as well. Need to install alarm, finish stereo, instal central locking, more cabinetry and just finishing touches to others, like doors etc.
baghall ·
Well after going off roading on Sunday have decided I need to make changes to tyres and possibly wheels. Currently needing to run spacers for fronts so they don't rub on the upper control arm. Rears need spacers to stop them rubbing on bottom wishbone but this may not help when I let pressures down off road. They hit a lot on the bumps on the fire trails. Currently they are 30x9.5s so going to try and get some muddies with a rolling diameter of about 28inches.
Also decided I'm not happy with the direction the inside is taking so going to redo it on my holidays. Going to look similar but some changes to be done.
Scottkombi ·
Ben,
Where is that trail at ?
Bummer about the tyres but spacers should solve you problem (I didn't say that as they are illegal in the nanny state).
Keep enjoying....
Cheers,
Scott
baghall ·
Trail is started near Black Springs/ Oberon. Going to have to go there again to stay overnight. Might be fun with a few other Kombis if your interested Scott.
Yeah I have actually got some of them Scott but am going to go to a smaller diameter for the nanny state. 😉😉
baghall ·
Well have finally got around to getting new rear tyres. Was driving around for a time with 14" and 215/60s raod tyres on the rear and 15" 205/70 all terains on the front.
Rear now has 15" 205/75 Maxxis Muddies. Plenty of clearance now, but can now see I could have gone 215/75s.
Also have had to drill and tap out the right head for fitting the exhaust. This is due to bloody poor workmanship from a local exhaust shop. Was a nightmare job. Custom exhaust was very difficult to refit. Due to this I had to loosen where the hoses join the water pump in order to get the exhaust off and on. SO now am in the middle of trying to refill coolant system. Anyone got any tips for this process. I have had the radiator and engine compartment bleeders open and not been able to get any air out of the system.
nils ·
The Bentley manual mentions jacking the front 500 higher than the rear, reving, filling, capping, sitting, repeat.
Get a Bentley, it helps.
Otherwise, go to the samba and search Libby bong. Many have had great success with that method.
Scottkombi ·
Ben,
These things are the best for re-filling the cooling system.
As Nils says it also should be jacked up at the rear.
Cheers,
Skot
baghall ·
Thanks Nils and Scott. I have been trying that but not 500mm above. Have had some success and finally bled out some air just not 100% it is all out yet. Driving her again and keeping a close eye on temps. Trip to Berry Blast from the past should tell me how she is going!
baghall ·
Well no luck in trying to remove rear brake drums again. Gonna give it to Mike now. Have the feeling they have never been off.
baghall ·
Did some more work on Henrietta.
Now have driving lights and rear facing roof lights. All LEDs. Just love how bright they are.
baghall ·
And here are the driving lights. Only 45 watt but so bright.
Still have to run cabling for the Light bars on the roof but am having trouble running the wires where I want them.
Scottkombi ·
Mmmm nice and bright there Ben
baghall ·
Yeah Scott but still not happy with the standard lights. Have ordered some LED globes for the headlights, hopefully they will be brighter, especially if I finally get round to cleaning the reflectors.
baghall ·
Finally upgraded headlights. Much better on low beam now, can see ahead of me. LED globe plus a new multifaceted reflector headlight.
Also painted both the upper and lower grills. Unsure whether to refit the chrome strips. Opinions welcome!
baghall ·
Thought I would throw up a photo of what it is like with the new lights when on low beam.
baghall ·
Picture 1: Had a go at doing a carbon fibre wrap on centre piece of dash. Results are the balled up wrap on the right.
Picture 2: Painted pieces (centre dash piece and a test piece) black ready to attempt Hydrographic transfer.
Picture 3: Shows the film used for the transfer. This is only a test piece. Just one of many.
baghall ·
This test pice is my first success (to some degree). It is now clear coated but did need to paint it a different colour than black. Black just didn't show the contrast enough.
baghall ·
Spent afternoon preparing Henrietta for rego and the steering wheel needs new bearings. No worries I'll just get the wheel from the parts bus, but it has the same loose steering at the same point. Looks like I will be walking to work for the remainder of the week.
Has anyone ever needed to replace the bearing at the top f the steering column?
baghall ·
Ok, once fitted the steering column from the parts bus is not loose, also have much better feeling in the wheel. Had to change over the pins of the ignition as the new one wasn't working. Ignition is clearly in better condition as well with a nice positive feel to it. Only issue now is the plastic covers don't seem to fit as well so will have to paint the stalks as well as the covers from the parts bus.
baghall ·
Got passed rego easily but on way home had to get a tow.
Suspect some serious engine issues. Haven't as yet begun looking into it but had a loss of power, horrible noise like an exhaust loose but not quite the same and oil all over the bottom of the engine!
oldskoolguy ·
Bummer, I hope it's not all as bad as it seems to look. Good luck.
vduboy ·
Crap poor bugger.. Maybe the previous owner was full of it when he said it had some engine work.. Not good at all mate..
baghall ·
Yeah I don't really believe sellers.
Engine is definitely toast. Had a look today and nothing to see on the outside. So did a gentle turn over of the engine and a clunking was heard. Sounds like a bottom end or a rod has given out.
Scottkombi ·
That doesnt sound good - kind of like what happened to mine.
I even nearly bought a new exhaust but realised the noise was still there after I removed the offending old crappy exhaust.
After getting another engine and taking it to my mechanic for some gaskets to make it a really good engine - my mechanic said it may have just been a hydraulic lifter.
I did check the valves to see how well they were working by taking off the rocker covers to find a push rod was beside the rocker arm not fitted in the recess of the arm it as it should.
I fixed this and put it back but I now think it still could have just been a dodgy lifter. You can fix these by removing the push rods through the head, remove the push rod tube and then you can get them out or at least inspect the cam?
This may be your problem and be much cheaper to fix than what mine is costing me.
baghall ·
Well I am curently preparing to give Henrietta open heart surgery, so I will be looking into that but engine doesn't want to turn over anymore.
Hoping to start the strip down on the weekend.
baghall ·
Bought a 2.1 wbx on epay last weekend. Got it for a good price. Turns over nicely but have decided to do rebuild on it. Started the teardown today. Hopefully get it mounted on the engine stand Monday so I really get into it. Thinking new rings, bearings and will see how the pistons and bore look once I have it apart. Gives me an opportunity to get all the fuel lines and water hoses replaced as well!👍
baghall ·
Well finally got around to washing the parts for the new motor after the tear down. Seems like a bit of a mixed bag. 1 head has a split in it and the other is a bit suspicious. Big end bearings showing wear but at least in 1 cylinder I can still see the honing marks.
Can't load photos at the moment.
Smiley ·
Nice work man!
Sucks about you engine. Keep up the good work and we might be able to go offroading together in our buses!!
Smiley 🙂
baghall ·
Hey Smiley, maybe we can one day but we just have to keep working at them for now.
I have actually decided to get Mike at CBB to reassemble all the internals for the engine due to needing it done faster than I can. Also have a hernia and am waiting for surgery so need to be smart about the engine change over. I need to spend my efforts on removing and preping for new engine. New fuel lines and water pipes.
baghall ·
Well engine is finally out and the 2nd engine I bought is now with Mike at CBB to get the internals sorted. Hopefully not much longer and I'll have her back on the road.
baghall ·
Trying to get the flywheel bolts undone yesterday and broke a 10mm allen key.
However was able to crack them this afternoon by using a butane heater used to make creme brulee, to heat the bolts. Love it when i have a win unexpectedly.
Smiley ·
baghall wrote:Trying to get the flywheel bolts undone yesterday and broke a 10mm allen key.
However was able to crack them this afternoon by using a butane heater used to make creme brulee, to heat the bolts. Love it when i have a win unexpectedly.
Nice work mate. I have used heat before in that same way. Using my little butane soldering iron to put some heat into stuff.
They must have been tight, or just loctited?
Smiley 🙂
baghall ·
Tight Smiley very tight!
I don't think this engine has been out ever except for clutch plate changes.
baghall ·
Well 2.1 is finally apart. Mike had some trouble getting head studs out but managed to get them out with heat and gentle persuasion. But looks like more money required for the build. Needs new:
Heads
Studs
Crank
Pushrods
Pushrod tubes
Big end bearings
Little end bearings
Clearly last rebuild was only half done. At least she will be right when i get her back, but my cheap van has increased in value by approx. 500% 🤪😂
pete wood ·
New crank? Sad face 👎🙁
Sure you don't want to put an EJ25 in?
baghall ·
Been thinking I should have Pete, it wouldn't have been much dearer in the end. I really prefer the sound of a good vw motor over the subis. If I have to do this again I will probably go subi. Mike had difficulty getting a new crank and cam and when he found a supplier they apparantly wanted to charge close to 3 times what he quoted me. Fortunately he found good 2nd hand ones on his shelves so we are using them. Can't wait for it to be back and in the van. So miss driving her and my other vehicle is now off the road.
pete wood ·
Oh well. There is something cool about staying with the factory stuff. I totally get that. Also done the subaru thing and that was pretty fun too. Hopefully this motor lasts a long time. Waterboxers are great motors, but a lot of people didn't do the specialized servicing they really needed. 🙁
One day I'd love to build an aircooled motor up with a 2.1L crank. 👍
baghall ·
Preping the engine bay for painting with POR15. 2.1 engine should be ready soon.
baghall ·
Got final coat done in engine bay as well as 1st coats on engine mount and cross member.
Can't wait to get new engine in!
baghall ·
Decided I wasn't happy with having the edge around the engine hole yellow when engine bay is now a nice grey. Also with the newly rebuilt 2.1 looking so nice I have had to clean up more parts and paint them - including inlet manifolds, heatshield over exhaust and headers
Bizarre ·
looking great!
credit to you 👍👍👍👍
baghall ·
Thanks bizzare
Also including a photo of headers painted
Bizarre wrote:looking great!
credit to you 👍👍👍👍
baghall ·
Assembly has started. Not alot done today as I slept in late and struggled to get engine from car and onto engine stand an my own. Almost dropped it once 🤪.
baghall ·
More slow progress today cause it takes me all morning to get off my ass and moving. Found some issues with the thermostat housing. Firstly found a wasp nest inside cleaned everything up and then found that the housing jas a decent crack in it. Also suspevt thermostat not working.
vduboy ·
Do you reckon that's what killed that last motor mate??
baghall ·
Nah tyhi is from the 2.1 I bought. I think th e 1.9 might hve lost some oil as it is very dirty in the bell housing and the front of the motor. Also only had about half the oil that i expected to empty out.
vduboy wrote:Do you reckon that's what killed that last motor mate??
baghall ·
Got these parts today so will be running home straight after work to get them onto the motor before dark.
baghall ·
Did some baking tonight also a photo of the quality welding on an exhaust I had custom made last year. Unbelievable that the business was proud of their work.
Also photo of engine. Currently waiting for some more parts and working on the remainder of the exhaust. Using the muffler and wonderibg whether catalytic converter that I removed from the 2.1 would be any good. Any suggestions on how I can check it?
baghall ·
Bit of work planned thjs weekend. Finish exhaust, and all going well I am going to try and fit the syncro springs in the rear.
baghall ·
Sadly not alot achieved but did get exhaust pieces made up. Still need to drill and tap for the O2 sensor though.
Straight tubing was flanged by hand with ball pein hammer as didn't have the correct tools.
baghall ·
Well this bitch has finally beaten me. 3rd attempt to get the engine in has failed. Bought a new clutch alignment tool and all., but still unable to get it all lined up.
Anyone interested in helping me get it in. Willing to pay for time!
vduboy ·
Is it a alignment issue? Have you double checked it has the right size spigot bearing in the flywheel for your input shaft? Stuck the box in gear and turned the motor over by hand until it meshes? Clutch cable backed off? I realise you have probably tried the lot of them by now though...
baghall ·
Hydaulic clutch, have spun motor, wiggled and jiggled it but haven't checked the bearing as I assume it is the correct one. My mechanic installed it for me and I understand they are the same for both 2.1 & 1.9 wbxs.
Special Air Service ·
clutch and pressure plate the same or did you change them?
baghall ·
Special Air Service wrote:clutch and pressure plate the same or did you change them?
All new
rocknrob ·
hey Mate, hate to see you stuck. You might have done this but before i tighten th clutch down shine a torch through to the bearing...sometimes it helps getting perfect alignment
Special Air Service ·
baghall wrote:
Special Air Service wrote:clutch and pressure plate the same or did you change them?
All new
Any chance there is compatibility issues between pressure plate and release bearing?
baghall ·
Well received my new tig welder/plasma cutter today. Very excited. Just have to get engine mounted after I recover from surgery. Once engine in and running will start on rear bar with wheel carrier. Hope to get it done during school break.
baghall ·
Christmas came early for my van.
Recieved a campervan culture order today.
Rear flyscreen with zipper, power flex bushes for front suspension, an upgrade kit to replace the foil at the back of the dash and a set of rear engine vent scoops.
vduboy ·
Did you get the motor mounted up yet mate?
baghall ·
vduboy wrote:Did you get the motor mounted up yet mate?
No had to have surgery for a hernia early November and not allowed to lift anything till 25/12. Puts paid to my plans of having it running by Christmas. At least I can install some of this smaller stuff in the meantime.
vduboy ·
baghall wrote:
vduboy wrote:Did you get the motor mounted up yet mate?
No had to have surgery for a hernia early November and not allowed to lift anything till 25/12. Puts paid to my plans of having it running by Christmas. At least I can install some of this smaller stuff in the meantime.
Sweet I've had three of them! Doc said it is a mess in my stomach.. good to hear!
rocknrob ·
baghall wrote:Christmas came early for my van.
Recieved a campervan culture order today.
Rear flyscreen with zipper, power flex bushes for front suspension, an upgrade kit to replace the foil at the back of the dash and a set of rear engine vent scoops.
very interested in your scoops...i am considering some for my aircooled.
Bunnings sell an indoor outdoor temperature weatherwall for $19...i put the outdoor sensor in the engine bay and not happy about how hot it gets in there...scoops would improve
nils ·
baghall wrote:Well received my new tig welder/plasma cutter today. Very excited. Just have to get engine mounted after I recover from surgery. Once engine in and running will start on rear bar with wheel carrier. Hope to get it done during school break.
Like this Ben?
baghall ·
Hven't installed them yet. Hope to this week. Seem to be very good quality. Made from fibreglass, approximately 2mm thick. Will post a photo when mounted.
rocknrob wrote:
baghall wrote:Christmas came early for my van.
Recieved a campervan culture order today.
Rear flyscreen with zipper, power flex bushes for front suspension, an upgrade kit to replace the foil at the back of the dash and a set of rear engine vent scoops.
very interested in your scoops...i am considering some for my aircooled.
Bunnings sell an indoor outdoor temperature weatherwall for $19...i put the outdoor sensor in the engine bay and not happy about how hot it gets in there...scoops would improve
baghall ·
Something similar but a bit bigger as planning on mounting Jerry can holder and wheel carrier using some beetle front spindles as the mountings. Also hope to build a bike carrier for it as well (motor bike that is).
nils wrote:
baghall wrote:Well received my new tig welder/plasma cutter today. Very excited. Just have to get engine mounted after I recover from surgery. Once engine in and running will start on rear bar with wheel carrier. Hope to get it done during school break.
Like this Ben?
baghall ·
Finished the update to the dash cluster and also changed out the white LEDS for green for the dash lights. Won't complete install of dash till I get a new speedo cable. Clip snapped off when removing it. Also got the rear vent scoops mounted and painted. Only showing one because I forgot to wipe the first one with prepsol so the paint lokks rubbish. Gonna have to sand it back and repaint, dam it.
baghall ·
Wel still had troubles getting engine mounted, so got a mate over to help and he suggested I drop the box mate them up and lift as one piece. Seemed a good idea to me so dropped box cause I remembered I had ordered a new poly bushes for the front mount. Well dropped the box (gently) and have not been sucessful in removing the old bush. Anyone got any suggestions.
Also wondering if there are different bush sizes depending on engine types in these buses. The new bush is approximately 10mm larger than the hole?
TIA
Thanks for the help mackaymanx. Was having problems finding someone with the smaller mounting. Forgot about T3 Technique. Have no bought complete front bushing set as well. Not cheap but should be well worth it.
baghall ·
Finally found a solution for the snorkel. A little bit of modification (squashing it) had it fitting nicely.
Also my fire insurance arrived yesterday, will be fitting it once engine is finally installed. Ended updeoppong gearbox as nedded new front rubber. Needless to say I bought the wrong ine (larger) so have now ordered the correct size poly replacement.
baghall ·
Well been upskilling on new 3D CAAD for work during the holidays. Decided to make it somewhat productive and designed som new cabinetry for the van. Looking at a steampunk influence.
All edges to be done using copper tubing with all the latches to look like brass and may even do some gears etc as dummy windows.
Also have another idea but not steampunk.
What do people think?
Oh and have now dropped the gearbox to try and get engine mounted. Looks like I need a new front gearbox bush as well. Currently waiting on that and a full set of poly buhes for front and rear.
rocknrob ·
yeah autocad 3D is great fun...i used it to design all the pipework when i fitted a turbo but your upskilling shows!
baghall ·
Thanks for the complement rockncob
Smiley ·
Love the Steampunk mate. I say go for it!!
Smiley 🙂
baghall ·
Thanks Smiley, pretty sure that will be the look, just hope I can pull it off!
baghall ·
Had a hell of a time getting out the old gearbox bush. Took several attempts but ended up having success using cold chisel and driving a screw driver all the way between bush and housing which helped break the seal. Nocked oit with hardly any impact after that but not even me smashing on a large enough socket with a framing hammer was enough. Now just need to make sur inside of housing is still good.
baghall ·
Ordered these from T3 in USA about 5 weeks ago. Some were not in stock so they held off sending order for around 3 weeks. Been on school holidays and they finally arrive on my first day back at school. So much for doing them over the Chriatmas break.
Oh and accidentally ordered 2 gearbox mounting bushes. So if anyone needs one!
Boozo ·
coming along nicely. I'd be losing my marbles not getting the engine in for that long, hope it all comes good. And i'll definitely be getting one of those T3 front bushes in the not too distant future.
Rear mounts alone made a huge change on mine.
baghall ·
Well can sell you one for cost price if you want. What gearbox you got. I have the larger one for auto and the smaller one for 5 speed. Let me know if you want one and yes it is driving me mad not having it done. Will be doing a long drive once done just to make my head space better.
Boozo wrote:coming along nicely. I'd be losing my marbles not getting the engine in for that long, hope it all comes good. And i'll definitely be getting one of those T3 front bushes in the not too distant future.
Rear mounts alone made a huge change on mine.
Scottkombi ·
Hey Ben,
What did you use for the snorkel?
I have to redo mine after changing motors.
baghall ·
Gidday Scott,
Bought an extending flexible hose from a local car parts store that is used for air intakes etc. Size was perfect for connection onto the end of the pipe pf the plastic plate for the snorkel. Just needed better hose clamps then the ones supplied with the hose. They didn't have the flexibility needed for water tightness.
Sorry but lost photo when phone died.
Scottkombi wrote:Hey Ben,
What did you use for the snorkel?
I have to redo mine after changing motors.
BlasterTheRedBajaBug ·
Well wouldn't it offer more air to the snorkel as it is out of the vent?
baghall ·
Snorkel seems to be on wrong side. Is this for a subi or TDI?
Have considered one of these but won't work with the new ears I put on it. Thinking of a second set for driving in dusty conditions so I can do this but is a right pain getting the rear screws in to hold the covers in place.
Scottkombi wrote:I'm getting partial to this version:
baghall ·
Not sure it would offer more air as they only suck in as much as they need. May however, offer slightly cooler air. But thye are a good pre-filter for dusty roads.
BlasterTheRedBajaBug wrote:Well wouldn't it offer more air to the snorkel as it is out of the vent?
Scottkombi ·
Ben, Sebastian has a 2.2L suby motor in his syncro.
He loves it and it works great for him as he lives around very dusty dirt roads in Alice Springs.
You should see the gadgets he has on that syncro - awesome!
baghall ·
Well brother was down overnight and helped with van engine. Sorted out why it wasn't going on engine properly. Clutch plate not lined up correctly. Gonna have to check the clutch alignment tool as looks like it night be stuffed. Anyway got engine mated to gearbox but then had to pull it off again as some stud bolts too short. Fixed that and git it back together with Josiah's (eldest son) help now bolting them together. Happy boy. Still need to lift engine and gearbox into van and bolt up. Should be fairly easy.
Ready to lift into van, hopefully this week sometime.
baghall ·
Some goodies have arrived this week for the van.
baghall ·
Well got gearbox bolted up today but now have to cut out some metal to fit the new engine in due to thermostat housing being in a different position on the 2.1.
baghall ·
Finally turn over engine today. Still have a few issues to sort out like a leaking fuel line. Thought I got them all but apparently not, and tidy up a few items as well as find my missing temp sender but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Oh also now need to get it ready for a blue slip since it has been 15 months since motor gave up the ghost.
baghall ·
Here it is ready for coolant. Just have to wait on temp sender from JK. While waiting will replace some worn front bushes with poly ones.
vduboy ·
Almost there mate! I bet you are hanging to drive it after 15 months!
baghall ·
Really mixed emotions. Definilety looking forward to driving it but a little worried, hoping I have done it all properly.
vduboy wrote:Almost there mate! I bet you are hanging to drive it after 15 months!
baghall ·
Well got some parts for bus today but won't be fitting them till I have had it runnimg for a little while.
baghall ·
One day I love this van next day I hate it.
Got it to run yesterday and sounded really nice, loud but nice. Today decided to check it over for rego and light swtch started smoking as well as horns not working.
I hate elctrical problems.
baghall ·
Well she is finally getting back on the road after a dam long journey of rebuilding a 2nd hand motor. She continues to fight me to the bitter end though. Took her to the mechanics on monday morning for the day so he could do fuel lines, wheel alignment and dyno tuned. Work was only completed today due to rust being found in front passenger step, then at base of windscrreen, then more at base of tailgate window, then base of middle driver's side window. Due to deterioration of fuel lines injectors needed cleaning again and flow checking. Produced just over 89hp at the wheels but would have been considerably better if I had the correct sized wheels on. May get power checked with correct wheel and tyre combination at a later date. Still not blue slipped due to RMS having incorrect details in their computer system, so need to go back in the morning to get that sorted.
baghall ·
Now bus back on road I spent time painting the merc rims for the new AT tyres.
baghall ·
Here are photos showing condition of shift rod and bush at transaxle end.
baghall ·
Have since built new door cards. Not quite complete as need a few more coats of clear coat.
baghall ·
By the way, dyno was showing 90hp at the wheels with 27" diameter wheels, so I am happy with the result. Do have an oil leak but mechanic thinks it's the main seal of transaxle. Guess I will be fixing that when I get a rebuild and paloquin diff put into it. Hope fully next year.
rocknrob ·
I like your doorcards...are they burnt or stained?
baghall ·
rocknrob wrote:I like your doorcards...are they burnt or stained?
Burnt
baghall ·
Front seats fitted. Are around 100mm higher.
baghall ·
Decided to start work on rear suspension bushes. What a PITA of a job. 4 hours and Still not completed one side. hoving a lot of trouble getting bushes out and urethane goes in easy but having trouble getting them to close up enough to get the pivot into the slot. I should've got an expert with the right gear to do it. At least I shouldn't have to do it again. Also contemplating changing springs to synchro oe springs for a small lift.
baghall ·
Finally got the door handle made last Friday. Stuffed the passenger sides so got it made today.
baghall ·
Very happy with the result even though it is my first attempt at silver soldering but now I think I need to redo the paint on the speaker and door opener surround.
Andy ·
Looking great Ben, been a long road and a lot of work on you van!
Was good to meet you at Macksville
Richard
baghall ·
Thanks mate. Always good to meet fellow VW tragics, makes your own obsession looks normal.
Andy wrote:Looking great Ben, been a long road and a lot of work on you van!
Was good to meet you at Macksville
Richard
baghall ·
Fitted up the new towbar and bumper last 2 days. Very happy with the look. Just need to fit light and make up some end caps for it to finish the job.
baghall ·
This van is hurting me again. Just spent several hours trying to sort out some electrical issues on the van with no luck. Still no horn or reversing lights. At least I now most of the fuses are wired correctly, only 2 not where they should be.
baghall ·
Son decided to decorate the front of the van and renamed it to outlaw so git plates to suit. Also have begun to nake LED lights to fit the holes in the bumper.
Scottkombi ·
Good plan Ben - Are they coloured?
baghall ·
No using clear lenses and clear LEDs that are coloured when lit up. Thinking a smoked lens would look good.
Scottkombi wrote:Good plan Ben - Are they coloured?
baghall ·
Thought I should update this thread.
Completed sound deadening from front to back of van. And also made some new sun visors.
baghall ·
More photos
baghall ·
Still more cause it won't let me do more than 3.
baghall ·
And last one with message as apparantly can't post a photo without a message.