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Post by riffraff on Sept 19, 2010 16:29:27 GMT -5
I was gratified to read your response dp. You're right, it can't get worse, so have at it. Just be realistic about lipstick on a pig. The fundamental rule that you need to follow is to "fix" one part at a time. If you ever find yourself thinking "While I'm at it with the grinder, I'll just cut out most of the rust", you have crossed a line. One piece at a time ONLY, whether riveted or welded or Bondo or JB Weld!. If you make sure the bus stays drivable the whole time you are working on it, you won't go too far wrong.
In my best Monty Python voice- Have at you then
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 20, 2010 7:56:04 GMT -5
Thanks Keith. There are a number of very small things I'd like to "correct" on this bus. I saw a Twoonie sized hole in the cab floor. A small patch should do it...and if it's ugly, it'll be hidden under the floor-mat. Outside of the rust, I did mention that I'd like to pull the motor and just check the fanshroud and tins for dirt build-up or mouse nests that may have made their way into the bus while it's been sitting. Time and my limited resources will keep this from being a "project". It's all about having some fun... Making it "not run" or not drivable is the last thing I want to do. I'll be keeping it simple... So, if you see a bay in a scrap yard that might have a panel or two I could salvage...check into it for me. Thanks again... - DP
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 21, 2010 0:09:17 GMT -5
So... I made the mistake of going to CIP to check out the prices of replacement body panels... Rockers, front wheel arches and a left rear arch...(any maybe some jack-points) I was astonished that the panels are so cheap... I mean, the nasty left rear wheel arch that needs repair so badly...?? $40 !?!?? Really? That's it? Rocker Panels $17 ?? I was astounded... I also will need to keep this in perspective.... Found a couple of articles on TheSamba about fabricating your own replacement parts. But really, at an averge of $30 per panel, vs. what time and energy it might take to fabricate? Hmmmm (I'm Promising you all I won't turn this into a project... But, I am astounded at the panel prices ) Safety before looks... Brake Lines, pads, cables? - Fluid...light bulbs and some TLC.... long before any rust repair. Sigh... - DP
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 22, 2010 23:36:49 GMT -5
So, I've committed. I've told the owners of the SC to write up a bill of sale...I'm buying the truck. Now I face the struggle to not start spending money on it (outside of cleaning/waxing products and some tarps for the winter. I have to admit that I did some local searching and found a set of Vanagon Syncro - Alloy wheels for about $100...( They'd look sweet ) I also talked to Chris Murray who will assist me in keeping a level head about what and how to fix some of the rust issues this bus has. ( he offered to give me one of the Klokkerholm repair panels so that I could see for myself how utterly terrible they are ) At this point, I'm just an excited new ( to me ) bus owner.... Tune-up, Maintenance and Safety are my top priorities. I should have it by the end of the month...one week away. I also wanted to mention that I've been thinking a lot about what Keith says regarding these busses. We're not so much owners as caretakers... I don't have a need or purpose for owning this bus. But, I plan to be its care-taker and fix it up a little, and do some repairs to salvage its dignity. I didn't want to see this go to the scrap-yard. I think it still has a few more miles in it... Cheers!! - DP
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 25, 2010 13:27:53 GMT -5
Well, the deal is done... DP is the proud new owner of a RUSTY '71 Single Cab truck. I'm planning to pick it up Sunday ( tomorrow ). I was handed the Transfer of Ownership papers yesterday and a set of keys for all the locks on the vehicle. ( Doors, Ignition, Treasure Chest, Engine Lid ) I'm pretty excited about this... I was told that the battery is dead and I'll have to boost it...and that one tire is low. Beyond that, the previous owner is confident that it should start right up and drive away. As a bonus, they offered to keep the plates on it ( expire at the end of October ). So, I can drive it right after I buy it. I won't abuse this offer, as I know of the complications that could happen in the event of a collision with their name on the plates. Just a short drive to show it off to some people...and maybe a drive to the Shop at Work so I can clean and detail it in a warm indoor environment. For fun, I visited Bus-Selecta.com and came up with an Original Style rendering... And then I did a little update work...imagine this in a semi-flat Tremclad. ( except Not Lowered and with Vanagon Syncro wheels instead of the Phone Dials ) - DP REAL photos and M-Code Plate details coming Very Very soon...
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Post by matt123 on Sept 25, 2010 15:49:46 GMT -5
Good on ya dude! Have fun with it.
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 26, 2010 21:27:46 GMT -5
Picked up the Single Cab today. All it took was a battery swap and after 30 seconds of cranking she fired right up and ran like a top!! I had been warned by the previous owner that they had turned up the idle like Crazy because it had a tendancy to stall...so I was prepared when it roared to life and raced for two minutes before we adjusted things a little to bring them closer to normal. We pumped up the left front tire and with a quick check of the brakes and brake lights - off we went!! My brother David shot video of me pulling out of the back-alley where it had lived. With a little more confidence than I should have had... I took off and drove it away like it was any other vehicle...and it drove pretty good. The cab-over steering took only a little adjustment and the extra large steering wheel was welcome in the parking lot speed maneuvers that I had to do earlier. The Single Cab has a very up-right driving position and offers a commanding view of the road ahead. So far so good...right? Well, Starts.... Check! Runs..... Check! Steers... Check! Working Brake lights... Check!! Brakes....... Well, sorta.... ( oops! ) The first long straight-away went smoothly enough with one or two minor gear grinds because the shifter is quite vague and I couldn't find second gear right away. When I came to the first set of lights and the stopping part...things didn't go quite as planned. Yes, the brakes work... BUT...( and there's always one of those ). When I pressed on the brakes...they didn't have a ton of stopping power...and I was coming up on the rear bumper of the car in front of me faster than I had liked... Press Harder on the brakes and SCREECH!! ....one of the rear brakes locked up.... I still needed to stop so...again... SCREECH!!! I locked up the brakes a second time... Fortunately, the car ahead of me turned the corner and cleared the way for me to swing into the intersection and round the corner myself without a collision. <WHEW!!> I reminded myself that maybe I should take it a little more easy on the throttle AND the brakes. Once I was a couple of blocks further down the road I approached a second set of lights. This time, I was a LOT better prepared and stopped smoothly and without incident. BUT... ( and there's always one of those....) Now, I couldn't find first gear... It was there a minute ago...now all I had was a mushy gear-less / gate-less shifter in my hand. Try as I might...no gears. I looked into my rear view mirror at the growing line of cars backed up behind me...and frustration started to grow. Deep Breath... one more time... this time...it slipped right in...and off I went through the intersection...and into the 7-11 Parking Lot. This wasn't the end of my challenges though... The parking brake lever works...but they don't operate the brakes. I left the Bus in first gear and Dave and I bought Slurpees. As I was backing the Bus out of its parking spot..It wouldn't go into reverse gear. ... So, now a bunch of yahoos...seeing me struggle with the old truck start yelling "If you can't find 'em...Grind 'em! " at me... and I ignored them. The rest of the drive went smoothly...as I was finally getting used to the idiosyncrasies of this "new to me" vehicle. I took some time and photographed some more details of the truck..Vin Plate, M-Code Plate... VIN Sticker on the door jamb. Shots of the headliner, interior, dash, front floors etc... We took a closer look at the drop gates ( which have some bad sections...but generally pretty good ). This bus needs a SERIOUS clean-up... and It'll happen...a little at a time. Enjoy the photos and video..and watch as I clean it up and make it a little bit better than the way I got it. - DP
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 26, 2010 22:08:49 GMT -5
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Post by karmann57 on Sept 27, 2010 19:13:15 GMT -5
Looks good Doug, hopefully the second drive isn't quite as stressful.
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 27, 2010 22:51:56 GMT -5
Tonight, I made some small progress...just the way I planned it. I tried the CLR and '00' steel wool on the nose of the bus. I cleaned up a LOT of the rust, and certainly a LOT of the faded re-sprayed paint. Its nice to see the rust stains gone and the tiny rock chip spots aren't orange anymore. The paint is even partially shiny. ;D I was able to open the treasure chest today and found two rims with grippy winter knobby tires and one tire with no rim. Yes, there are a couple of holes in the cargo floor...but less than I was expecting. Over the next few days, I'll keep at it with the CLR to clean things up... it certainly helps the looks. I'll make arrangements to swap out the old carb for the one I've been saving from my old Ghia...I'll give that a go and see how it works. Also, re-setting valve lash and some tune up parts like points, rotor and condenser will find a new home. I'll check the timing on it as well...it's been so long since I've had a stock motor..I'm looking forward to this. I'll also clean out the interior and get rid of years of crap...and detail up the dashboard..the padded dash is in decent shape with only a couple of cracks. Anyone have experience with those add-on short shift kits you can buy for $5 ? I'm just curious if it can be used with this bus. I got the kit from my brother...and CIP's page says Bus...but isn't specific enough to say Split or Bay ( although I'm pretty sure they're close enough...if not the same. I've taken some more pics...but I haven't dumped them from the camera to see how well they turned out. Here's a Treat for you... M-CODE information. It's an Alberta bus... now I think I might be subject to the Alberta Bus Tax I'll update again when I have more to report... - DP
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Post by rareair on Sept 27, 2010 23:27:41 GMT -5
Glad to see you are enjoying your new toy...just don't neglect the Ghia now. BTW, the tax shouldn't have to be payed since you didn't export it. ;D
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 28, 2010 7:59:16 GMT -5
I'm having some fun with my new toy...yes. ( and by fun, I mean work ) But I haven't forgotten the Ghia. I actually worked on it on Sunday. I re-installed the door panel I removed to install the window glass that I'd replaced earlier. I took it for a long drive...and it got too hot...again. The weather is supposed to be nice all week...so, the more nice weather we have..the more time I can spend on both vehicles. Thanks for the info on the Alberta Bus Tax..You're right. I bought it from a Sask Owner who had it for decades. - DP
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Post by riffraff on Sept 28, 2010 13:04:11 GMT -5
The Alberta bus tax is supposed to be paid before the bus leaves the province. If the buyer manages to smuggle it across the border when no one is looking - well, I gues it's grandfathered. Besides, I think there is still a net deficit of sask buses coming west anyhow.
I'm thinking your heating issues could be caused by a couple other things dp. The exhaust you have on the 2 litre is restrictive. A 1 1/2" sidewinder would let that animal both breathe and run cooler. I have a sidewinder on the 1904 I built for Mango, and it runs WAY cooler that the 2 litre in Gus that, coincidentally, has a similar restrictive exhaust to what you have on the Ghia. I'm going to upsize the 2L to a 2110 this winter and run the sidewinder and I'm betting it will run cooler than the 2L does now.
Secondly, have you checked the seals between the oil cooler and mount and between the mount and case? If those are the wrong ones, they can pinch off the oil flow through the cooler and that would lead to overheating. You can pull the shroud off of a ghia engine without having to pull the engine? If so, it's a couple hours well spent to eliminate that possibility.
What total advance are you running? What distributor? Backing it off to 28 to 30 degrees total and running a 010 can make a significant difference in both less heat and better effeciency.
Just a couple thoughts
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Post by dpeters81westy on Sept 28, 2010 13:20:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips Keith. I'll add those to my list of things to check on that engine. I have a number of things to check and double-check and document before the winter comes. Yes, you are correct, I can remove the fanshroud without having to pull the motor. We'll see how my time schedule looks... And, finally...here's the video I promised. (BTW, Ignore my brother's banter...he mistakenly calls it a '79) Sept 26 2010 1971 Single Cab 001.avi - 64.13MB - DP
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Post by dpeters81westy on Nov 9, 2010 8:11:09 GMT -5
It's been a while since I updated. There's not a lot to report since we got the first blizzard of the season and the snow and cold stopped my progress on the truck.
I did start with some Tremclad painting. I started with the flat black on the Belt-Line up portion of the bus. It turned out decent actually. I do need to get into all the nooks and corners for complete coverage. I also need to tape around or remove things like washer nozzles and wiper arm bases so that everything gets covered.
I've slowly done some work on the exposed metal sections...where a bump or scratch exposed the metal and some surface rust had started. I learned a little bit about how rust creeps underneath clean paint and how a nickel sized spot of surface rust can actually have 5 times the size of rust-creep underneath surrounding paint...so it all has to be cleaned up. I've used my grinder to gently clean up the metal surfaces...then I hit them with a rust neutralizer chemical and then touched up with tremclad to seal it up for the winter.
I also dived into the Treasure Chest and the Nose. These two sections had THICK applications of Bondo that was cracked and would retain moisture. I decided to stop this with some creative work with the grinder. What I found, shocked me....although - really..it shouldn't have. I found that the treasure chest door had either rusted or metal fatigued to the point that it needed to be "repaired". My guess is that the lock cylinder had seized in the closed position and was pried and cut out - to be able to open the door again. Then, my good friend "brass" was used to solder the panel back together and then a healthy layer of bondo was applied to cover up the "repair". Looked Good from Far..but Far from Good.
The nose was next, and looking at the large crack in the nose bondo...I decided that it should come out. The Grinder was a BIG help with this...but, amazingly, my 4" cutting disc would frequently sink up to the motor-hub and still not make contact with any metal. I cut out a section that is approx. 5" tall...and 18" wide...and about 3 1/2 inches thick in the middle. WOW.. That's a lotta bondo. I exposed a large section of original nose metal...and it's been bend...but not crushed..and not rusted through. I expected worse.
There's lot more to do...but the recent warm weather has come to a close...and I'll get back to it again in the spring time.
I'll post up a couple of photos in the next day or so. It ain't pretty, ...but it's getting better in very very small steps.
- DP
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