1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

Post pictures and stories about your cars both present and past. Also post up "blogs" on your restoration projects - the more pictures the better! Note: blog-type threads often get few replies, but are often read by many members, and provide interest and motivation to other enthusiasts so don't be disappointed if you don't get many replies.
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89rallye
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Location: Widnes, Cheshire

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#71 Post by 89rallye » Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:27 pm

Luxobarge wrote:Oh OK, cool - that looks ideal, sorry for doubting you for a moment! :oops:

I'm sure you'll agree though that grease or oil could have been the culprit for them getting in that state in the first place though - just goes to show eh?

As I say, nice work, keep the updates coming!

Cheers :D :D
Definitely!

It's certainly lived its life in a desert somewhere as everything is full of sand and crap but even so I've never seen a lock like the one out of the sliding door on this van :shock:
Mark.

89rallye
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Location: Widnes, Cheshire

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#72 Post by 89rallye » Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:26 pm

Well it's been a frustrating shitty couple of weeks on the bus and I think I need to take a massive step back from it all or I'm going to loose my mind.

Just slowly working through all the small stuff so not many photos, but everything I seem to do just highlights more problems :(

This pissed me right off though, sums things up at the moment but is completely and utterly my own fault.

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Brakes have been a worry for a long time..

Last job was to mount the reservoir, not original but it will work, was cheap and being a beetle spares are plentiful.

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And as I thought they would be been a mare, could not get any pressure at the rear so worked things through and wasn't getting anything out of the compensator/regulator so I've ended up just bypassing it for now to get it through an mot. I've stripped it down again and it appears to be working on the bench (airline) but still isn't giving much pressure out so I'll look for another second hand one at the soonest opportunity.

Then spent days setting things up and bleeding air out but still don't have a very good hand brake on the off side.

I've had to make a bar to pull the cables clear of the servo, I'm sure lates have these as standard? But they also have a compensator/adjusting bar for each cable underneath so maybe I need to look into this too.

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Accelerator cable next up, been trying for days to get it through the tube, it seems every single cable I've put on the van has been a nightmare. It would go halfway through and just jam up, no kinks, no damage to the tube but it wouldn't budge. Tried it forwards and backwards, had some welding wire in which seemed to unblock something a little. Anyway, airline set to about 200bar shifted what ever it was in a cloud of smoke and dust.

So accelerator cable finally in and it's..... To short :(. Can you see where this is going.

Driveshafts, only have myself to blame with this one as I knew I shouldn't be reusing the old bolts but after a clean up and with the impatient to get the van moving..

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So after breaking a couple of bolts I've decided to replace the lot, although it did notice this while the driveshafts were on...

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Anyone else see what I see?

There's loads of bits that have been slowly ticked off the ever growing MOT list, replaced all the washer hose,

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Pressurised the bottle and.... Washer switch just pissed water out all over the place :x so I've ordered an electric kit for it.

Still haven't had the engine running in the van, it's got about 10litres of fuel in the tank but I'm still not getting anything out so I'm praying it just needs more fuel.?.

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And one for fun,

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new eyes fitted too..

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What can I say? dont really like them, they dont fit very well (needs minor adjustments to the mounting holes) but there cheap, legal and brighter/easier to upgrade being H4's.

Since it's been raining most of the week it's confined me to the garage.

I am having one of these made up in stainless by our fabricator in work but made the fatal mistake of saying I'm in no rush for it. So I've cobbled my own together for now just in case it doesn't appear in time for the mot.

It's dog rough but fits,

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Fitted although still needs gaskets, which are on order.

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Nice bit of clearance now,

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It is a tad low so it probably won't stay on for long, although the rear might be coming up a touch with air. It'll do for now to get through the mot.

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Down to the small stuff, someone in the past had broken the ring that holds the speedo glass and had decided to just glue it back in place which didn't work and looks pants!

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So to repair this properly I filled the voids with some fibreglass filler,

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And then held the ring in place with some screws,

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Will clean the rings up eventually but looking a lot better,

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And I ordered an electric washer kit and some new washers from eBay, which I've mounted under the dash and it doesn't work :( so cheap for a reason. It has a one way valve which doesn't seem to be working and I think I need to reposition the pump closer to the tank.

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And as a temporary quick fix I mounted the switch where it wouldn't damage the dash, which fitted perfectly in a P clip,

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Screwed in place off the fusebox mount, I have ordered the switches to modify the wiper switch to electric but this will do for now.

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And I found a heater switch to fill the hole someone had hacked out for a key switch, this will eventually run that monstrosity of a heater seen further back. Just need to ordered a resistor pack for it.

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Mark.

89rallye
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Location: Widnes, Cheshire

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#73 Post by 89rallye » Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:28 pm

Been a long day of doing nothing really in between down pours.

Finally managed to get the engine running, it's had about 14 litres in the empty tank which I thought would be more than enough but after a few cranks it was apparent something was wrong. So I jacked the n/side of the van up a little and it started :lol:

And yet when I put the van down again it ran for a good ten minutes, managed to drive it forwards 8) all be it only 2-3 foot and no reverse so that needs looking into.

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And most of the day was spent trying to box the dashboard up, which started with the top

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A lot of sanding,

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Some etch primer, followed by filler primer (no photos),

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Some more sanding, then some matt black,

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Last job to do is the speedo needle and I have a temporary idea for that, then it can all go back together 8)

Oh also got my sidelights in, these LED's are pants :lol:

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Dashboard finally buttoned up, second one of these I've done in a week 8)

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Very happy with the gloss on matt black.

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New (to me) screen (thanks to mark6455 for sorting this)..

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Fitted with new genuine seal (that actually fits!)

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Also started prepping for the other windows,

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Found a use for all the Heritage packing paper, god knows I've got enough of it at the moment.

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Slight problem with my new glass though :lol:

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Genuine seal 8) ... Fits like a glove

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Pattern seal :shock: :x :cry: .... Could not for the life of me get the side glass back in with the pattern seals.
Mark.

kevin
Posts: 856
Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 7:49 am

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#74 Post by kevin » Wed Apr 02, 2014 3:39 pm

Great work mark, keep up the good work m8

Kev

89rallye
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Location: Widnes, Cheshire

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#75 Post by 89rallye » Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:37 pm

Thanks Kev 8-)

I'm taking the foot off the pedal for a while as I'm not going to make my deadline (Vw 18th April) so there seems no point rushing things for no reason.

Been a little sidetracked this week building (or really rebuilding) an engine for someone, I built the long block up about three years ago for them and it's been sat in there shed since waiting for a finished shell. The shell is nearly ready for painting so we've decided to strip/check/rebuild and get it running ready.

Surprisingly is opened it up and it's like brand new inside :o although I'm glad we stripped it as a lot of the rubber o rings had started to perish

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I did get back on with the 68 to though, well technically the 71 as this is what this valance is off :lol:

Ive been putting this job off for two years, basically since I got the first van.

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Its hard to show but its in a very bad way,

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Its never going to be concours and tbh it would probably of made more sense to just buy a better one and sell this on but I always like a challenge :D

Cut out the damage,

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New steel fitted and welded in,

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Ground down, which will be more neighbours off the xmas card list.

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Re-Spot welded the box section underneath

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Captive screws for the catch unearthed,

Measure twice cut once kids!!! I impressed myself how neat this worked out,

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Screws in time to plug weld the plate underneath for some extra support,

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I drilled the middle one through too much :oops: which is why I had to fill it up with weld,

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Ground flush again,

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Still miles away from being straight but a million times better than in was,

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I wasnt happy with the rear flap. Stupidly it actually didnt look bad as there were no creases in it or anything but the angle just looked wrong. Still being pretty new to earlybays its hard to say.

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So after looking at my other van I set to it with a hammer and a block :lol:

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Still plenty to do with it but im very happy with the results,

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And to completely send my neighbours over the edge :lol: I started on the monstrosity...

As rough as it looks im relieved that who ever welded it up didnt actually do a bad job,

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Still needs a bit more but it was getting late, heres how it started for comparison. The guy who built it probably did it as a favour on his day off from building ships!

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So hopefully it wont look too bad once its all painted up. 8)
Mark.

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JPB
Posts: 10319
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:24 pm

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#76 Post by JPB » Wed Apr 09, 2014 6:14 pm

Anyone else see what I see?
Possibly. That N/S driveshaft looks most uncomfortable but what I'm struggling to see is why. :?
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

89rallye
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Location: Widnes, Cheshire

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#77 Post by 89rallye » Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:44 pm

Driveshafts are not level with each other, the van has been lowered slightly on the rear with the torsion bars and because this van has no rear arches (cheap period mod in the states to fit bigger wheels for better gearing) it's difficult to get a reference point to where it should be.

All sorted now though but had to strip the o/s down again just to move it 1 spline :(

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Mark.

blades
Posts: 39
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 3:36 pm
Location: Sheffield

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#78 Post by blades » Fri Apr 11, 2014 12:26 pm

Well done Mark, keep it up the van is going to look really good when you have finished

Nick

89rallye
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Location: Widnes, Cheshire

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#79 Post by 89rallye » Thu Aug 21, 2014 12:28 pm

Not updated this for a while but I've had a bit of a deal on the cards with the 68 that has taken weeks to sort out.

So last weekend after a 450 mile round trip to meet a guy half way in Scotland somewhere,

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I waved regrettably goodbye to the van,

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I came home the proud'ish (more on that later) owner of this,

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A 1969 Karmann Ghia,

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The Karmanns supposed to of been restored completely 800 miles/2 years ago but in starting to have my doubts and regrets doing the deal.

Even though it's had a very recent mot there are things ive found after just a quick look that in not happy with.

Worst one so far was this fire hazard, the engine won't idle properly and the throttle is sticking so after a quick investigation (because it didn't take long!) I spotted this,

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For those not familiar with aircooled engines that's the throttle linkage, that's running up again the main feed pipe out of the fuel pump which also has the alternator wiring wrapped around it!!

If this is the guys standards it makes me wonder what else has been done, not happy taking the family out in it till I've gone through it thoroughly.

So a new saga has begun, all the wife's fault as she wanted me to get rid of one of the vans and get a classic car, which I let her choose.
Mark.

jpsh120
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: 1971 VW full build (warning lots of pics)

#80 Post by jpsh120 » Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:27 am

Better the devil you know maybe. Let's hope you don't find too many worries, car looks nice in the photo's.
1971 Sunbeam Rapier H120

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