Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Moderators: Sluggo, Amskeptic

User avatar
whc03grady
IAC Addict!
Location: Livingston Montana
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by whc03grady » Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:00 pm

While better than no-name Indian, those hecho en Mexico Hella taillight housings and lenses aren't particularly impressive, imho.
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:29 pm

whc03grady wrote:While better than no-name Indian, those hecho en Mexico Hella taillight housings and lenses aren't particularly impressive, imho.
They are especially impressive after having to drill the mounting holes and hammer a set of aftermarket jobs into Dory (VW Treasure's bus). I have ordered a set of new taillamp housings with lenses from an E-Bay seller.

Steve, I paid $15.00 for the left rear bracket at Austin Veedub. I would like to try to straighten my bumper just for car karma.
Would like to get an original VW rear corner and use the necessary section from it.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
Bleyseng
IAC Addict!
Location: Seattle again
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Bleyseng » Sat Sep 24, 2016 8:26 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
whc03grady wrote:While better than no-name Indian, those hecho en Mexico Hella taillight housings and lenses aren't particularly impressive, imho.
They are especially impressive after having to drill the mounting holes and hammer a set of aftermarket jobs into Dory (VW Treasure's bus). I have ordered a set of new taillamp housings with lenses from an E-Bay seller.

Steve, I paid $15.00 for the left rear bracket at Austin Veedub. I would like to try to straighten my bumper just for car karma.
Would like to get an original VW rear corner and use the necessary section from it.
Colin
Ask Ken@thebusco.com to see what he has in late bay left rear corners..
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/

phaedrus76
Getting Hooked!
Location: Bloomington, MN
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by phaedrus76 » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:07 pm

Colin - There are places all over the country that specialize in bumper straightening. So long as yours is salvageable, I'd strongly recommend bringing/sending it to one of them. No reason an insurance company wouldn't cover that cost, as it's not really that expensive.
76 Sage Green Deluxe Westy w/ manual trans.

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:33 pm

phaedrus76 wrote:Colin - There are places all over the country that specialize in bumper straightening. So long as yours is salvageable, I'd strongly recommend bringing/sending it to one of them. No reason an insurance company wouldn't cover that cost, as it's not really that expensive.
But the reasons are there. Progressive Guy was much more interested in some Brazilian bumper he thought he found than "the labor required to straighten". I said, "I need the correct German bumper to be in a presentable condition in order to not demand an adjustment for 'diminished value'."

I look forward to finding craftsmanship.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
wcfvw69
Old School!
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by wcfvw69 » Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:05 pm

phaedrus76 wrote:Colin - There are places all over the country that specialize in bumper straightening. So long as yours is salvageable, I'd strongly recommend bringing/sending it to one of them. No reason an insurance company wouldn't cover that cost, as it's not really that expensive.
X2

My original bumpers were beat, twisted and dented. I'm no bumper straightening guru. But, with (lots) of time, hammers/dollies and an acetylene torch, I got them very straight again with only a very thin coat of filler in a few spots. 99% of folks who see them would say they're perfect.

With your skills Colin, you could make that bumper perfect again yourself. You can also rent small torches pretty cheap too. With the impact your bumper took, you have lots of stretched metal that would need to be shrunk. It's a fun project.
1970 Westfalia bus. Stock 1776 dual port type 1 engine. Restored German Solex 34-3. Restored 205Q distributor, restored to factory appearance engine.

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:05 am

wcfvw69 wrote:
phaedrus76 wrote:Colin - There are places all over the country that specialize in bumper straightening. So long as yours is salvageable, I'd strongly recommend bringing/sending it to one of them. No reason an insurance company wouldn't cover that cost, as it's not really that expensive.
X2

My original bumpers were beat, twisted and dented. I'm no bumper straightening guru. But, with (lots) of time, hammers/dollies and an acetylene torch, I got them very straight again with only a very thin coat of filler in a few spots. 99% of folks who see them would say they're perfect.

With your skills Colin, you could make that bumper perfect again yourself. You can also rent small torches pretty cheap too. With the impact your bumper took, you have lots of stretched metal that would need to be shrunk. It's a fun project.
I'll have to drive to Phoenix during the off-season for some pointers . . . and dinner.
Colin :blackeye:
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
Bleyseng
IAC Addict!
Location: Seattle again
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Bleyseng » Sun Sep 25, 2016 7:11 am

For my parked bus accident 3 years ago I got $2800. Included in that was $250 to have the bumper straightened and painted at a local shop nearby. I bought a perfect oem front bumper from Ken for $100 and painted it myself.

Now for the Ghia I sent in two of the front bumper guards to a chroming shop to have them remove the dents and rechrome which cost $100 each! They turned out perfect but I wish people would stop bashing my car when they park!
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/

User avatar
bradleygt
I'm New!
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by bradleygt » Mon Oct 10, 2016 6:47 pm

on Friday i noticed my engine was again clattering louder than normal- checked the valves and found #2 intake tight and #2 exhaust hard to pinpoint contact and after getting the best adjustment i could noticed there are fewer threads exposed on that valve now than what was normal before- what could be going on there?
an ounce of prevention is waaay more than a pound of cure

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Oct 12, 2016 8:39 am

bradleygt wrote:on Friday i noticed my engine was again clattering louder than normal- checked the valves and found #2 intake tight and #2 exhaust hard to pinpoint contact and after getting the best adjustment i could noticed there are fewer threads exposed on that valve now than what was normal before- what could be going on there?
Define "tight" on #2 intake. Hydraulic lifters, yes?

#2 exhaust, "hard to define contact" means "easy to screw up the adjustment".

Again, assuming that it is hydraulic, back off the screw until you know you have clearance, clacky under light push/pull. Endeavor to rotate screw until contact using just your fingers. 1 1/2 turns in from there.

Lifters pump up best with a good warm 20-30 minute drive.
Oil level must be full and it must be clean.

Once the above is verified, clatter now needs to be assessed as far as cold versus warm engine.
Noisier cold? Noisier warm?
With a good ample rag, block exhaust pipe fully while idling. Does clatter diminish or remain the same?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
bradleygt
I'm New!
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by bradleygt » Mon Oct 17, 2016 3:22 pm

what i encountered was an ill defined contact point on the #2 exhaust, ie when i was attempting to adjust it, the threading was difficult and when i did arrive at the zero/contact point, i then gave 'er 1.5 turns- i now see fewer threads than before/compared to other lifters- is this a breakdown of the hydraulic lifter or is the valve sinking- what is the big picture diagnosis?
an ounce of prevention is waaay more than a pound of cure

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Oct 18, 2016 7:06 am

bradleygt wrote:what i encountered was an ill defined contact point on the #2 exhaust, ie when i was attempting to adjust it, the threading was difficult and when i did arrive at the zero/contact point, i then gave 'er 1.5 turns- i now see fewer threads than before/compared to other lifters- is this a breakdown of the hydraulic lifter or is the valve sinking- what is the big picture diagnosis?
Fewer visible threads is evidence of wear, not recession.
For more catastrophic possibilities, please send a SASE to:
Itinerant Disaster Musings

. . . so, how is it running?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
bradleygt
I'm New!
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by bradleygt » Thu Oct 20, 2016 7:22 pm

:pale:
an ounce of prevention is waaay more than a pound of cure

User avatar
sgkent
Addicted!
Location: Citrus Heights CA (near Sacramento)
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by sgkent » Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:53 pm

check the rocker arm nuts to be sure they are torqued to factory spec. Don't tighten by feel. If a rocker arm stud nut is loosening that can cause it too. so can not being at TDC, or not feeling the lifter properly for zero lash. Colin will fix you up.
TBone208 wrote: "You ppl are such windbags. Go use your crystal ball to get rich & predict something meaningful. Nobody knows what's going to happen. How are we supposed to take ppl who don't know the definition of a recession & "woman" seriously?"

Merlin The Wrench

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Oct 23, 2016 4:00 pm

sgkent wrote:check the rocker arm nuts to be sure they are torqued to factory spec. Don't tighten by feel. If a rocker arm stud nut is loosening that can cause it too. so can not being at TDC, or not feeling the lifter properly for zero lash. Colin will fix you up.
This was a Boston Bob engine that we had to remove shims from under the rockers in waayyyyy back I can't remember when, because the valve adjusting screws were contacting the valve covers! It has an additional 7,000 miles, and has developed a sharp rapping click that comes up when warm. We diagnosed valve train, re-adjusted valves, timing, etc, and test drove on September 21st.

His conclusion at the end of our valve adjustment/timing adjustment was that the engine was quieter. My conclusion at the end of the visit was "engine is running acceptably, the sporadic clatter when warm sounds valve train-related and not serious IF:
it does not deteriorate.

Now I am getting reports that the noise is more serious-sounding, but I am not sure I have heard the alarming sound, I only got our post-valve adjustment sound where he said it was reduced.

I like SG Kent's suggestion to recheck the rocker stand support nut torque values (11mm nuts / 10 ft/lbs @ TDC only).
An immediate valve adjustment after doing the above is mandatory. Please check for any signs of contact between the valve cover and any valve adjusting screws. If you have to paint the insides of the covers to better see if contact occurs, do so.

Please keep me posted!
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

Post Reply