Date:         Wed, 15 May 1996 09:49:46 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         dlytle@as.arizona.edu (Dyer Lytle)
Subject:      `66 progress, bits and pieces


Hi all,

This is a little long but what the heck......

'66 bits and pieces

I'm still working on the engine for my '66 standard so I thought I'd share
some of my experiences with various bits and pieces.

Oil filler fixture/generator/alternator pedestal.

I'm putting an alternator on this engine.  For various reasons, I had in
my possesion two generator stands with oil filler fixtures on top.  I also
had a *new* alternator stand that came with my alternator kit from Wolfsburg
West.  The oil filler fixture is attached to the generator/alternator stand
with a sort of toroidal shaped bolt with a slot across the top that looks
like it needs a *very* large standard screwdriver to remove/install.  In the
Bentley manual they say to use VW tool #170 to deal with this bolt.

Well, a couple weeks ago when I had all my sheet metal powder coated I went
ahead and had the generator stand with the best oil filler fixture (O.F.F.)
done as a unit and planned to move the O.F.F. to the new alternator stand later.
My first tact for removing that bolt was to take the assembly to the local
VW dealer to see if they happened to have VW tool #170 and would unbolt the
bolt for me.  No luck, not only didn't they have the tool, most of the
mechanics didn't even recognize the parts :-( .  Finally, one of the guys
said "Oh ya, I remember those, you can just use crossed screwdrivers to
unbolt that, no problem."   Weeeeeeeell, it's not always that easy.  I
mounted the gen stand to my long block and tried, very carefully, to unbolt
the bolt using crossed screwdrivers.  It wouldn't budge. I used penetrating oil
and I used heat, but no matter what I did, the bolt stood fast. So I sat and
thought, hmmmm, what I really need is a BIG standard screwdriver for this.
Went to Sears and looked, no screwdriver big enough.  However, there was
this small crow-bar and it's end resembled a BIG right-angle standard
screwdriver!  (I think they called it a ripping bar or something, about $10.)
So I bought it, took it home, filed the 'screwdriver' end a little and
it worked like a charm, took that sucker apart easy and gave me a good
tight joint then I reassembled the O.F.F. to the new alternator stand.

Rear engine tin.

When I had my engine tin powder coated, I was still in the learning stages
of understanding what a complete, semi-stock, type-I Volkswagen engine and
all it's bits look like.  So I didn't realize that my rear engine tin was
missing the little boxes that clamp around the intake manifold pre-heat
pipes.  After I spent some time looking at pictures in my Bentley and Clymer
manuels, I realized what was missing and went to the junk yard to procure
a replacement.  Well, as I reported earlier on this list, I found some tin that
was a little bent but had the little boxes with the asbestos gaskets still
in place etc.  The hole for the air-cleaner pre-heat hose was on the wrong side
but what the heck, I could route that hose across the back of the engine to the
hole.  Well, I spent a couple hours with pliers of various types getting
the metal straight and some time with the solvent tank getting it all clean
and when I went to fit it to the engine, oops, about an inch too narrow,
40 horse tin, damn.  Well, back to the junk yards again.  No luck finding
anything that was rust-free, had the boxes with gaskets, had the correct holes,
hadn't been cut, etc. etc.

So I drilled out the spot welds and pulled the little boxes off the 40-horse
rear tin, drilled out the spot welds and pulled what was left of the little
boxes off my original, powder coated, tin, placed the 40-horse boxes back
on the original tin, clamped them, and used my wire-feed welder to weld
through the holes I had drilled to re-fasten the little boxes.  Worked a
treat.  Then I used an angle-grinder to clean up the welds, touched up the
paint, and it fits perfectly!

Doo Dads

I had bought new cylinder cover tin that was made by a place called BugPack.
Apparently, their manufacturing jigs don't accurately reproduce the jigs used
by Volkswagen because the tin doesn't fit very well.  The main problem is
that it isn't long enough down the sides of the cylinders so when the lower
tin is screwed on, it doesn't fit around the exhaust ports.  Also, it doesn't
have the screw holes on the back side of the tin where the little pieces that
go around the intake manifold pre-heat pipes screw on, just blank metal there.
I guess these tins are made for someone building a sand rail or some such.  To
me they are junk.  So I mail ordered a pair of nice used original duel-port
tins from Jack Griffin's Vintage Volkswagen parts place in Mass.  They came
yesterday, look good, and are at the sand-blasters today.

Engine tin sealing.

I'm trying to make the seal between the top and bottom of my engine as
complete as possible in hopes that this will help keep the engine running
cool.  To this end I find myself purchasing many small and large seals,
and not all from the same place.  Some from Wolfsburg West, some from
Rocky Mountain Motor Works, and even one from West Coast Metric.  The
one from WCM came yesterday and it is the seal around the 1" I.D. air
cleaner pre-heat hose that goes through the above described rear engine
tin.  It's perfect for the job; it looks *almost* like a common grommet
but made from a softer material and has a partial diaphram that extends
inward from the edges of the hole so that when the hose goes through it
makes a perfect seal. ($2.60)  I think trying to use some sort of home-made 
replacement for this seal would really be a kludge so I'm really glad the
aftermarket is producing things like this.

Arizona Bus Club Meeting

I'm driving to Phoenix this evening to attend the general meeting of the
Arizona Bus Club.  I have two reasons for going.  One is to try to get
a copy of the Az. Bus Club constitution and/or bylaws so I can have some
guidance for starting a Tucson chapter of this club.  The other is to
meet fellow list member Jim Ellis aka. Rusty VanBondo and perhaps
sell/buy/swap some bus parts.  The meeting is at 7:30 PM tonight (May 15)
at the Peter Piper Pizza in the Metro-Center shopping mall.

Well, I hope I'm not using too much bandwith but I thought someone
might find some of this information useful.

tired of typing,

 -Dyer


------------------------------
Dyer Lytle              
dlytle@as.arizona.edu   
http://as.arizona.edu/~dlytle
HST NICMOS Project      
Steward Observatory     
University of Arizona   
------------------------------