Just a few good men.

The show's just one week behind us, time to reflect some things.

I think I wouldn't have made it there without the vital help of a few crazy blokes which I call friends. The term "just a few good men" stands for all of them instead of mentioning each name and should express my thanks for their granted support. Those who are meant, know it's them. Cause it's just what it takes: a few good men.

Just one thing I want to point out and say cheers to tom gotta of wheelerdealers' fame from my hometown frankfurt. Reason was that I was quite struggling with my sidewinder system I have ordered in time (nov 06) from serranos, few of you might know the story as they unexpectedly failed to get a fitting system here in time after 4 months. In the end I am not very upset with him as I know that real shit really happens even to the whore with the golden heart :)) Steve this one's for you. I would recommend him nevertheless as I'm not that resentful as certain one's might suppose.

But back to saint tom: I just resigned to the fact to travel with the ugly stock system as he came across and offered to lend me one of his customers systems to see if it would fit and if it does to go ahead and use it. We'll do the exchange once the muffler from serranos arrives.
So nothing to write home about? Well, regarding that we both didn't even met in person before last weekend...
Cheers to you, tom. It was worth the effort even the nightshift on wednesday till 3am to get the bastardo fit :) R&D!

For that matter I raise my glass to frankfurts pritschen-präsi who got a well earned Top20 award for his slick & perfect splitty-coupé. This polished dash is damn sick! Great one, spez!





Another story to tell of was the fitment of the OE waistline deluxe trim set from vwheritage just days before departure. I don't know how many man-days went into it, especially to get the rear corners fit in any way. They simply had no OG fit. It was a nightmare.

These trimsets have been launched by vwheritage only weeks ago and everyone who lacks them should be happy that they have even done it (even with this pricetag). Except for the rear corners the set is perfect. Ian of vwheritage took the issue really serious and they will approach the manufacturer with it. So fitting round corners might be round the corner :))
If you consider ordering a set, just ask for them. We made the r&d on them, too :)))) Just kidding.

Mission completed.

Three pictures that capture three certain feelings that moved us over the last weekend around the 20th Volksworld Show at Sandown Park in London.
For further information check our schwarzwald-kolchose blog

Redemption: we made our double baywindow display, no matter what struggles we've been through (note boris' superbeetle charming the bus nose)


Disbelief: can things get any worse? Hours before departure the gods pushed the reset-button and sent loads of snow, rain and stormwinds. No heating system whatsoever.


Joy: cruising into sunrise no matter what temperature is always an impressive moment to enjoy. Especially when you're returning from your first time out with a Top20 award in your pocket.
Now, things couldn't be any better. The bus made its first 2000 kms with no hassle and works like my breitling's clockwork.

Boomerangs arrived in the old world.

Today I got my customs slip, so I pick them up tomorrow morning. Phhheeeeew! That was a close one. Sunday I have to attend our rollout party and make some more miles.
It all works out in the very last minute.
I even dare to say that serranos sidewinder will make it here in time.
It should be scheduled for tomorrow to arrive at serranos and then steve promised to fedex it in a rush. 3 business days or so. That will be wednesday. On thursday we head off...
If he fails we have a plan "B".

Getting ready.

Just still waiting for the boomerangs :(
Meanwhile I got back the freshly anodised wheelnuts to match the rims, the silver is not exactly spot on but it's ok.
Also on the "Done"-list are the oil-gauges, pimped out auto-meter sport-comp metrics modified with vdo chrome bezels and painted indicators to match the sun-tach. Nice.

Doors finally done.

Speakers are in, looking good. This evening I washed the cube and began polishing...:)

16 days and counting down.

We make it. Boris' car is running & rollin, catching up with minor bits & pieces. Nothing severe.
My bus is sitting idle in the workshop waiting for the postman to ring.

Boxer-Shop's Toni finally sent the pair of modified konis for the rearend:


Porsche's upholstery-dept. skinned the mdf-speakerrings (thanks again Boris). The threeway (like that term) system is finally in the doorboards, looks (& sounds) like a factory option.
Fits in very well.




After last weeks wrong delivery of 12 sets runingboard trim for beetles, vwheritage/UK managed to rush a correct set of deluxe trim over here. Much appreciated, Joanne! I'll hand you over the wrong bulk at the show.


So I think we are pretty close to completion, only thing missing are the boomerangs, they should be under way in the next couple of days.
Rollout party is scheduled for the 18th...Strike!
:))))))))))))))))))))))))

No shortcuts.

The main principle while undergoing any project is to avoid shortcuts of any kind. Especially when you're getting close to your deadline & begin to panic.
I still have the problem with my rear suspension bottoming out on the bumpstops. With two outer splines you need to notch the springplate and perhaps the framerail due to driveshaft and trailarm interference.
I didn't get a bold solution until I came across the busboys boomerang plates. I guess it is the only way to go.
These plates retain stock springplate travel, torsion bar springrate and OG rubber bumpstops. So you do not have to notch anything and click any splines on the torsionbar. I heard they would even loose tension when you turn the springplate thus resulting in "sagging-out".
So the only thing you'll do with the boomerangs is to move up the bearing housing to gain a 4" drop. Just like dropped spindles in a way. Clever one.
Spotted these on samba, should be here next week or so.

Fackelzug Schwarzwald.

Sorry, I have no news concerning the bus, just work myself through tiny bits & pieces which aren't that relevant.
But I won't leave you alone with some cracking updates on boris' '73 superbeetle.
We are heading for a double-bay display inside esher hall in about 4 weeks time. I guess these two cuties match pretty well together in terms of color, stance, age and, well, windshield shape :)

For starters: black ceramic coated Ahnendorp exhaust


Unterstatement rules.


ahem, talking about daily drivers...


Fackelzug, Schwarzwald chapter.


Strong 1776cc, 40 idf webers, note innovative 1-2-3 ignition which seems to prove very promising


Not overdone subtle "color-concept"


Above the tranny, yes working heaters.


Nice nightshot


Front end shot with swaybar and rubber-mounted oilcooler behind OG slotted valance. Looks like a factory option, no? :)

Knob it.

Just received the last contingent of Fackelzug billet-parts yesterday. They have such a snug fit & quality in haptics, shine and treatment....
I don't know how often I adjusted my backrest yesterday evening. Billet porn!
After fitment I went for my first 50kms of cruising. Rear suspension needs some attention as it blocks on the rubbers :(
Before I go one spline up I try to ride on konis without bump rubbers, perhaps it will improve. In current state it is not possible to drive.

Everything else is in perfect working order. In about two weeks we have an appointment with the dyno...
4 weeks to go.

A sad day in VW history.

Yesterday I heard bad news about my one and only prime billet & polish supplier: my dear friend moldo will ultimately close the doors of "Fackelzug Engineering Ltd.".
The reasons for that instance are pretty simple to describe: Closed upon abundance!
That happens when a high turnover in a short period of time meets excessive profit maximisation. If I only had known! :))
So the rest is to be left to the historians as this company will queue itself up in the line with other nameless companies like DDS, Auto-Haus, Treuhaft,....

One major key to the breathtaking success of Fackelzug Ltd. was to manufacture each and every part only ONCE! Well OK, the other focus was a massive attention to detail, design and shine.
These are the latest and last parts to find their way out of moldos mill. With the backrest adjuster-knob in a sunray-like design you finally made yourself a legend.
Themed: quit at peak performance. Very well done, matey.
Thank you for your extended commitment, I owe you something that cannot be paid back.
:)))

Stance reference.

This early bay is one of the most beautiful buses I have ever seen (besides Addes 68).
Subtle, reduced, sophisticated.

:) Chill (:

I don't know how they do this...

...but it's awsome. Check the calcruiser website. Wicked stuff!

http://lozerifornia.skynetblogs.be/

Thanks to Damien of Lozerifornia for having our bay posted, much appreciated, man!
The same to the lads of BAYS, keep up guys, well done blog!!

Getting it done.

Ten hours at the workshop yesterday gave us a perfectly redone wireloom in OEM-condition for the engine-bay. A very big thankyou to my briefly committed fella boris who never lost track on all that wires.
Whilst he was performing his art I dedicated my eye on misc mechanic bits which had to be done. Now the bus is roadworthy: engine's running well on stock exhaust, brakes done, ride height done, stance done, electrics completely done, instruments finally wired & in working order.
Next week I have to replace the throttle cable to have a smooth pedal feel & go out to a few test drives. Looking forward to this! :)))

Wrong muffler.

Shit happens. Crisp looking header as expected but with a bug muffler. No way to fit. Have to send it back for exchange. Early bay muffler takes 2-3 weeks...
Hope dies at last?
6 weeks left to turn a coin. We leave at 21:00 on 22nd march destination london, come what may.

A1 sidewinder finally arrived.

Nevertheless it took some time, Steve at Serranos did a prime job: perfect product, correct size, well packed and sensibly declared for customs :)
It's on the engine this evening, stay tuned.

Boris, we'll make it!

Never surrender and keep going, chap! We have enough time!
It's funny in a way as we are wrenching in a kind of synchro mode at the time. i.e. tomorrow he's picking up his summit parts and I will see tomorrow morning if the customs will accept my fakey invoice on the sidewinder. I'm quite creative on that one.
My dropped spindles from wagenswest for example I declared as "refined goods" and wrote an invoice for the welding worth $120.... A similar document is ready for the sidewinder. I briefly can tell stories to the customs bloke.... :-)
I do not cheat, I just make up my mind....

Tiki-matic.

sorry, can't spell, still laughing my brain out... This car must be inspired by the gods. Nice move, boris.
:)

Un die Fackel brennt als weiter...

Picture puzzle, advanced version. First to know what this gem is for, gets an assorted series of buttkicks of his/her choice.
:)

Wired.

The clothesline from generator to regulator is now hidden away for sleek looks. Once in a rush, my matey boris skipped to the rest of the wireloom without a pause:
"des kammer ned so lasse, wart ma kurz..."

pros at work, to be continued.

Engine's in again.

Quite happy to have this off my list, thanks to Jens and Benni for your handy help!
Just a few cables left to pimp & hide and we're ready to roll.
Serranos packing my box at the moment for the sidewinder, after 3 months it arrived from A1...

Roof rack ready.

A bus without a rack on top, I don't know... This is one of the more popular "Auto-Kuli" racks which were produced by Busch of Cologne in the 70s. It merely doesn't always have to be a westy except for splitties :)





This is another one from the same manufacturer which was supposed to go on the tintop at first. I restored it until the very last bit only to find out that it has less width than the other one and it won't fit the roof with the supplied brackets :(

How blind one dump bloke can be! Now it serves as another spacious storage area hanging on the workshop ceiling.
I guess it's a perfect rack for a squareback.

Kleinkram, der nur uffhält.

These "please pass"-signs are available NOS from the UK. Saw them on last years vowo show and got to have one. Gorgeous piece.

Details, details...:) Well, if someone has NOS knobs for sale, please contact me.


Finally found a line-in setup for the pod.

Dropped spindles.

These wagenswest thingies are in, to be honest, they are 'slightly' on the rough side in terms of workmanship altough they are solid and thoroughly welded.
Just have to make adjustments for the bumpstops in the shocks and raise the adjusters 3cm to retain some sort of, well, can I say comfort?

The narrowed track is pretty gone, uh? :)
If these 5,5s just weren't that expensive these days...


er, yep, still the late 6s, will fix that next week :)

Upcoming baywindow display.

On this year's show in london we'll celebrate the 40th anniversary of cool baywindows with a display of two prime representatives of this breed.
This will be the kansasbeige '73 superbeetle belonging to my fella boris of groundspeed-pilot's fame and, well you guessed it, my '71 bay.
So this will make it a matching numbers event for me as I also turn 40 in a few weeks time (I just can't believe this).
Thanks to Ivan and his staff for the invitation.

Ready for roadtrippin'.

The things left to do are getting fewer each day, I feel quite confident to roll the first miles in about two weeks or even earlier. Enough time to sort out things that might happen, or, just have fun because everthings working fine. I'm pressing thumbs...
To get entertained during test sessions and cruising around I teamed up with the godfathers of car hifi installations Thomas N. and Marc H. Believe me, they never leave you disappointed!!
If they show up, consider it done!!
:)
Thanks mates.

New 1776cc almost ready to go in.

After collecting missing bits & pieces, changing the fanshroud, get the things blasted and newly powdercoated I ended up in a whole different appearance.
It was just a try to make something different. I thought the engine bay in a bus is dark and forlorn enough so I chose a lighter color for the tinware. I think it works out that way, lets wait until it's in.

No monster tach.

I have a weak point for old classic watches and gauges as well. So I never understood the hype around these huge and ugly monster tachs, redlined at 10K and even shiftlighted as well. In a race car, ok. But where's the point of mocking yourself up and blemishing your dash in prominent areas....?
Well, to each his own.
I exploited my dear old Sun tach out of the oval, as he is receiving a rare 4 cyl Sun Super-Tach which is about to be refurbished by Tacho-Thomas at the time.
The 6K scale suits the bus much better than the oval.
The gauge pod manufactured by moldo's fackelzug engineering is now fitted, it is so gorgeous I can't believe it's mine.
Thanks moldo, we made a vision come true.

And yes, it clears the left knee comfortably... :)

Early Fuchs for an early bay. What else?

Today I received my reconditioned deep 6s, it's amazing what difference a little polish and TLC can make :)
This pair was a test to the company, they will redo all my fuchs now.

Before...

...and after the treatment:

Before:

After:


News from the trimmer.

Next saturday I'll pick it up. I'm quite excited to say the least.



Hinge caps will be painted though...

Spy Shots.

Here are some update images of the interior... Thanks Gero.
:)

Mean machine.

Imagine deep negative °C degrees in a dark and lonesome workshop somewhere in the wide fields near Bad Vilbel.
Imagine the scene with a just as dark and forlorn guy standing shivering in a dim light at the MEAN MACHINE polishing parts of the gauge cluster for the bus.
MEAN MACHINE is EVIL!! MEAN MACHINE runs on a three phase current. That's something like 110 octane. The MEAN MACHINE has such insane torque it would easily start any high-CR 2332cc monster.
Moldo messed up with it the other day and - survived. See the result below. Gauges are still at Tacho Thomas for glorification, see the complete ensemble in the finished car in two weeks time.

Special request.

Just won't leave you alone without the latest news on Marc's '63 super sano ragtop aka "streichelzoo": these are pictures taken from the surgical area where once the engine used to be at home.
He opted for an upgrade to version 2.0 using only the latest soft- and hardware by his skilled friends of mainspeed.
BTW: Do trailer km's actually count twice as much? :)

Under construction.

Some impressions of the trimmer's work so far. He estimates to get the car ready for the first week 2007.

94 days to count down...

It's gonna be wicked.

Winter Impressions.

These pictures set the right mood. Although we have temperatures as if springtime's round the corner here is something for those who like the scenery of fallen leaves and grey skies just like I do...
Adde's friend roland of crazy colors' fame found the right angles to shoot the service-wagen.

Left to Do.

What's up after the trimmer is ready?
- engine (done)
- wheel track alignment
- brake adjustment
- fuchs swap
- further deluxe bling to complete the clone
- new window rubbers with chrome (done)
- align sliding door (done)
- stereo (done)
- car wash
- buff job
- fuel up
- rock on

I'm quite confident to make it in time.

More images.

Here are some more pics that adde has taken with his cell phone. Don't tell me that the rear bumper tilts to the right side (missing bumper iron nut) and that you wonder about the gap at the sliding door. I know!
:)

Miles and more.

I just thought about how often I trailered the bus till now and how many miles would have virtually added up to its mileage without even turning one single wheel...
But it was good to see it moving again last saturday, moving always means progress and march 07 is quite round the corner.
16 weeks to go.
Now its up to the trimmer to finish in time but this should be no problem. Longblock is ready this week, too. The Fuchs rims are getting a full resto to NOS condition (anodised & painted) by Keller in Leverkusen.
Everything's fine and lined up.

Time to kick back & relax, soothing and grooving. Time to think about what already has happened this year concerning the bus.
Although I am writing this blog home alone in my room doesn't mean that I do all the work on the bus by myself.
So many other people are involved and play a big part to make things happen. So I will use this opportunity to say a "big thank you" to all those guys and gals behind the curtain for whatever they've done: my girl Heike, Adde, Gero, Oli, Rainer, Hanspeter, Moldieu, Thomas, Norbert, Marc & Heinz (unsorted row).
It would've been less fun without your help.

Interior.

Busfurniture in the UK offers a large variety of cupboard-sets for camper conversions. All made of CNC-machined marine grade plywood they seem to be the best your money obviously can buy.
As I am not quite into westfalias I always wanted something like the old english devon or danbury camper conversions. I think they had much more style than the dark doomy oakwood designs of the westys (sorry, folks).
The company's main business is a contract with Sunseeker yachts for furnishing the interiors of their highend model range.
Busfurniture's premises are located in the city of poole and that's in the county of devon...
Next march I plan to pick up a bulkhead box while on my way to london.

Der Weisse Riese.

Strolling through some pics on my laptop I came across a few images of the interior of my white oval.
Hope it will work out that way on da bus...

Next big thing.

On saturday morning the bus will leave the workshop for the last big milestone on the way to esher in march. The same trimmer who did my oval will do his magic in the cube. This week I prepared the necessary for this task.
So whats on my wishlist for christmas?
The new headliner in off-white original guise will team up with all black TMI cardboards and a darkgrey carpet. The seatbench will receive a cushion job and gets covered by TMI original basketweave in black. No trials here, less is more.
The quality of workmanship will hopefully speak for itself.

I heard you.

This 16" set of rims just isn't made for a bus of that kind.
"Wheels make or break a car" is an old saying and yet again confirmes to be dead straight.
We thought the 16s would look more mature on the fat chick which comes out pretty cool on the front but the back didn't work out at all. No room for another spline and a stance like a golf pussy.
Nice try but I'm back with the 15s, but for now I changed from the late style to a set of deep 6s with the larger trefoil.
I will stay with this setup. Period.







Adaug Jailbars.

All the rage for lowlight bays, the complete set of stainless side- and jailbars is now available. For more info just drop me an email.

Gauges.

The Sun-Tach and Sport-Comp oil gauges finally have a new home. The panel is a striking piece of art and fackelzug by another dimension.
It's been trial fitted today, you'll see it in its whole glory once it got the final touches and the mandatory polishing job.
:)
Cheers to moldo and a big "thank you" for your dedication!
("...Futthurndreckskackverwichste Amigewinde")

Rims for adults. X-rated.

7"+8"x16" offset 23,3mm. You die-hard aficionados spot these 951-coded fuchs wheels on the different dish-design if compared to the 911s.
Tires are Conti 195/50-16 upfront & 205/50-16 on the backhand.
Looks quite as speedy as on particular 914-6s :)

I hope not everyone will like it that way.

Upgrading the setup.

As the engine's getting a 1776-review I got caught for a decent header/muffler update: One of europe's first coated+flanged A1 sidewinder systems for early T2's is on the way from Serrano's...

Horn button paradise.

My dear friend moldo did it again, as this is another original "Fackelzug Engineering Inc." spare part.
It's billet, it's polished, it's unique. I just love it.
It says "No Guts - No Glory!" and quotes a famous nose-art on one of my favourite WW2 airplanes.
This Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt" was flown by Lt Col Ben Mayo, CO of the USAF 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group which was based at Duxford/UK from 1943 to 45.



The next Fackelzug-product is already in the mill and I'm quite excited about this one. Thinking of tach & oil gauges...
It will sweep you off your feet, to say the least. Stay tuned.



BTW: the seatbench is ready for the trimmer as well.
Blasted and coated, what else did you expect? :-)



The anxious & likewise stretched surfbus-theme is gone.
The overall appearance will be more sophisticated and reduced.

(the rear is miles tooo high...it's about to be adjusted :-)

Engine once more.

Winter's round the corner again and I couldn't resist the temptation:
Engine's out for the third time now, yesterday evening I tore it down again. It's gonna be a 1776cc to be built by Udo Becker.

When all's well...

Picture me rollin'.

Hospitality weekend.

Last weekend the white oval had company with moldos green 914-6 as he popped down for a visit to meet a few people and to have his car expertised on monday.
We joined each other at the vw meeting in pfinztal which was very well organised by the lads of the Badenser Käferschlenzer.
Well done, guys! Nice new site!
Unfortunately we couldn't attend the evening program and had to leave early. We cruised back home in low level flight through the woods with the roof wide open having no problems but a lot of fun.
I enjoyed that flight even more as the oval didn't leave the hangar since more than 18 months or so.
It took almost an hour and quite solid language to bring him back to life on sat morning, he's a real diva! I thought divas are female... :-)
But he tried to resist with some acceleration problems: someone must have put the 3K pill in the MSD rev-limiter :-) OK, I have the only keys to the workshop so it must have been up to me.
I'm getting old. In a way...



Arty shot. Marc, I'm getting close to it... :-)




We found some tunnels the other afternoon leaving them with 7200 RPM in third gear...
Awesome! I owe you something my friend.


This is an original "Jägermeister" Team-Jacket of the MaxMoritz Racing Team, Reutlingen. Moldo got it from an MM employee who was responsible for the whole engine department back in the racing days. It is slightly faded in some places with great patina but in excellent shape and size-perfect for moldo which is a thing that didn't surprise me at all.
Apparently, in 1970 this car already knew its destiny. I guess the whole story gets more and more mystic as things come to the spot where they always belonged to, making the puzzle even more complete. Amazing!


Gorgeous 70s style at its best. And genuine!


I hope no-one would ever think about making repros of these.
This jacket is still breathing!


I won't tell more about it but I had my moments this weekend, too.
Thank you for that ride, Peter, and also to Claudia not only for the delicious cake. We had a pleasant stay at your home. Looking forward to see you both at the RetroMotor in September.

Redux.
Dedicated to Mark Herbert, who died in a car accident on his way to the DKP Cruise night yesterday.

My thoughts are with his family and his friends. He once owned the socalled Super Shit Box (SSB) which was groundbreaking in both style and performance and propelled a new breed of cars: The Rat-Lookers. As the SSB fortunately is now in loving swiss hands, the ancestor of this breed will live on.
Thank you for the inspiration.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Today my cheers go out to Rainer and Adde for their offhanded and appreciated help to sort out the electrics on the bus and to get even the engine running.
As I got up this morning I hoped to get possibly the headlights in working order. But apparently, I teamed up with the pros!
The wrong cables were sorted out quite quickly as there was one major mistake with the starter connection. The rest was unexpectedly easy to convince and works fine now. The horn was the only thing to refuse the job due to ground problems which are about to be solved.
Having finished before time we looked at each other and agreed to buy a can of petrol and to try our luck. Big time!
If you want you may enjoy the short video of the resurrection: Heartbeat!

Looking in my rear view mirror...

... and getting rid of those tall elephant footers. These are stainless motorbike bar-end mirrors which you can fit quite easily on the stock holders. Result is neat and lean.







Now I could almost live in my workshop, the only things lacking are a shower (hello neighbor...) and a waterbed :-)

I simply like the design.

I don't even dare to think about fitting a numberplate. Any suggestions...?

Drivetrain ready for roll-out...

...why doesn't someone stop me?

The Volksworld Magazine
Issue July 2006, Page 42

Yeah, Ivan, has been big time. :-)

Well that was easy.

Like franz ferdinand says, to throw a motor in a car isn't such an impossible mission as one might think. Especially if you have a detachable rear apron like on the T2a's. 20 minutes and you're done if everything is properly prepared.
But then again, it is also a moment to kick back and enjoy. These moments make our hobby worth every each penny we spend in it. So don't miss them during the rebuilt of your car whatever you are wrenching on, as there are so many of them.
Light a cigarette, rip open a beercan and cheer yourself!


The original riechert mesh filters...



...or polished stacks (with brass mesh).



The Behr oilcooler is off an e-class and is mounted right in front of the rear axletube.



Torn threads were cut off and JIC-adapters were welded on. The whole body was then glass-blasted and powdercoated in satin-black. Result is perfect. Cost: €55 the cooler included. I remember paying about €250 for the setrab of my oval. Oh my...





This time I tried the push-on style fittings which should seal without any additional clamp, once pushed on it isn't possible to pull the fitting off, no way. So I tend to trust them.



Mocal oilfilter-bracket with thermostat right above the transmission was a tight fit as there are not too many options of hose-routing due to throttle- and clutchcables.
It is not as roomy as you would think a bus would be...









For the MoT (aka TÜV) I fitted a stock muffler setup with heaterboxes, both have been sandblasted and hot-aluminised which was a treatment I always wanted to try out. The tip is still at the chromer and ready for monday.
However, it's a nice bling for the MoT bloke in the pit but will surely be replaced with some sort of a ceramic-coated hideaway muffler setup after I will have my approval.



Sorry for the poor photo-quality, I'm still in a battle with my cybershot. Most pics are taken with "solarisation" effect, whatever that will be...
It will get better next time. :-)

Riot van got his heart back.

Was a nice move today sweeping the workbench, gaining space again. Engine's in. Looking killer (Thanks oli for your helping hand). Well, it's nothing bold though, no IDFs, no stroker, no straight cuts, no highlift. I experience that in my oval from time to time and believe me it won't suit the character of this bus.
The edge on this engine lies in its purity and down-to-earth habit. It's a little like driving aircooled in a way like it was meant to be in the days. I am looking forward to that, a nice and sleepy cruiser to ride on.
Will break it in next week, just about checking electrics.

Sorry for having no pix at the moment, I broke my finepix last week, got a new cybershot this morning but not as familiar with it still studying the handbook... :-)

Stay tuned for a stylish update tomorrow featuring some "arty shots" as marc w. would name it, wouldn't you? Check out what the lads of GEZUVOR do on their weekends to enjoy themselves on www.luftkraft.ch

Ahh, latest news on moldos 914-6: it's rollin'!! He freshly experienced his first sweatsoaked 60 km cruise. Lightfooted, vigilent to the point and wondering around what's just happening inside the crankcase after almost 30 years of retirement, he gently took harvest of his efforts. Perception is that this car doesn't only look like it's new, it just operates in that way , too.

But did you silly bloke honestly expect anything else?
You got an MBA in Fackelzug-Engineering, so what should have gone wrong on that masterpiece?
Now quit weeping and enjoy your rides! :-)))



Original scheel-mann bucket-seat. And yes, these were OG equipment on the GTs...
Something special for the aficionados among us: the oval logo on the steering wheel's horn button spells EMPI... no joke!

It's been a while....

But I am busy, do not worry. The engine's been apart again the last two weeks due to a change of CR. But thats nothing to take photos of for a second time.
Everythings in line now and just waiting for the powder coater to get some sheetmetal done. Then its time to swap the lump back in the bus to get it sparked.
This weekend I prepare the necessary things for the remote oil cooler which I decided to install instead of the stock doghouse.
Yes, I missed the Maikäfertreffen turnout in hannover last weekend. I have to realise that it is not me to set the schedule, it is the project itself that terminates timelines.
Plans for the debut will be a turnout to an upcoming cruise night in fribourg/switzerland.
But I won't announce to which one it will be :-)))
In the end it has also something of a tradition to make the break-in cruise to our swiss neighbors. Back in the days, it was the first long distance destination with my oval, too.


photo courtesy of stefan bau/vw speed

Beltline trim.

Although I have no genuine deluxe clipper, a little beltline bling will suit every bay nicely. I sourced two original sets on thesamba.com and sorted out the best to get one good set.
These were de-anodized as seen on the picture (thanks norb) and are now awaiting extensive finesanding and polishing to get them anodised again afterwards. This will be a waiting game but who cares anyway...?
Clamps are already blasted & plated, what did you expect... :-)

Happy easter to everyone!

Another highlight to check out in esher two weeks ago were dave palmer's rear hubs with 5x130 pattern studs. If only all aftermarket products were so brillantly engineered like these two sweeties!! Since I've been absolutely happy with their narrowed weedeater frontbeam I can highly recommend Creative Engineering in both service and product quality.
You sure can use wheel adaptors, no problem. But you have to realise that they do have downsides. I used the 15mm H&R adaptors with studs and was close to contact with the rear wheel arches. So wheel choice was badly restricted. Now I could use 8x16" with no hassle.
Another point is that you can't use the two screws holding the drum to the original hub. So the drum merely floats and rocks against the studs each time you brake. Some guys may say that this doesn't matter.
But these smart hubs ARE available. So why not using them? In the end its a matter of safety and after all the rear end looks less weird with that ugly wide track stance :-)
....yeah, you got me

Sliding door.

All bling's here, but still tryin' to close it...:-(

Windscreen.

It's in but please don't ask...

Doors done.

Horror. Don't like that mess at all. And for all who didn't know it yet: the glass goes in first. Problem was that they have the tinted foil on it and you won't have it spoiled while assembling the other stuff. Tricky task but I won, I swore like a trooper :-)
But everything works and fits fine now. Looks awesome with the whole side tinted.

BTW: the trailer hitch went back in the shelf, luckily I found a pair of bumper irons in Esher which came from australia. Gosh!
And they have other trick accessories in down under as well, check it out below.


Sorry, just wanted to show the tinted glass... hope I do not offend anyone :-)


Guess that's a better shot...


Genuine australian accessory! Plexi air deflector, only the right side though 'cause down under they have RHD... I treasured it in esher the other day. They got 'em also in a repro guise for both sides, but this one is an original. It's perfect and truly has style.
Got something of an aircraft canopy, in a way...
Well, after all, I'm a pilot :-)




I still search a swamp-cooler in good condition and any offers are really appreciated. But for the moment the "canopy" got to be enough ventilation aid. However, summer's not really "round the corner", isn't it..?

Nightshift.

Before I tend to glorify my friend's rides too much :-) I just wanted to remember that this is still the web logbook of my '71 vw bus... but I will keep an eye on them, so stay tuned for their updates.



The next thing to happen on the cube was the rebuilt of the engine. As mentioned before I keep the stock configuration of the 1600cc type 1 motor, just mildly tuned.
The spec so far: 1600 cc displacement, ported & flycut 043-heads 35x32, valvetrain by scat, cam by scat (C-25), 30mm schadeck pump, 215mm lightened flywheel, "vintage" 34 pci riechert dual carb-kit. Perhaps we will experience 70HP.
After weeks of collecting the mostly new or rebuilt parts we came up to torque it yesterday night. I have never done that before so I assisted my friend gero during the session.
After about three minutes we could have split up with no success whatsoever. While checking the main bearings fitment we found out that kolbenschmidt assumed that if you have align-bored your case +0,50mm, the no.4 bearing saddle (close to flywheel) was also worn out and therefore flycut to 21mm width.
So there we stood, two silly looking but ambitious blokes with a no.4 bearing too narrow to fit on the 22mm saddle in the case which of course wasn't flycut due to being damn true. I checked the parts-list a thousand times OK but this little bastard really f***ed me up. My fault!
Friday afternoon: now go and find a workshop with access to a lathe to cut off the missing 1mm on the inner collar of the bearing. Killingly funny, isn't it?
My mobile went hot checking all possibilities. We were still keen on building the engine TODAY! In the end I had one option left: driving 100km oneway to a friends garage to have it cut.
You guessed it, three hours later I returned with the machined bearing which fitted dead-perfect on the saddle. Thumbs up and big thanks to jens b.'s father for helping us so promptly.
It was a far cry but worth the effort although it caused an extended session-timeline. Scheduled for midnight we left the workshop at 3 am. Tough job.


left case half ready to accept the right one


yep, no stray-cats, sorry, straight-cuts here :-)


shortblock torqued


pistons & sleeves about to go in


torqueing the heads


longblock completed


biggest clutch available for type1-engines (215mm)


just everybody throws them in the bin but I found the airflap/thermostat setup works well


nearly complete to go in


nice shot of two future workmates :-))


and this was my workmate yesterday night: "suggar daddy" gero.
Thanks a lot, buddy.

The ultimate Porsche 914-6.

Remember the rims? :-)
This car is now nearly done. A few bits 'n pieces left to go in possibly but it runs and roars at last.
I never witnessed such an awesome project, in my eyes it was always close to risk of failure. Why? Doing a car like this with all its heritage aspect can easily been overdone by too much of a motivation. The result you get of it is a dead yet pretty ride.
Despite that Moldo captured and preserved the spirit of this truly amazing -6. I can't repeat enough that this gem has such perfect atmosphere that it almost shakes your knees off.
Yeah, duckskin, mate. I guess you're a happy and lucky guy :-)
Now your "snake" has the owner it deserves.

If you are as impressed with our paintjobs as we are, you should contact the Heymann Paintbox for details. These guys combine dedication with professionalism. Strongly recommended!!





Proof of moldos commitment to detail and know-how. Fackelzug at its best :-))
Before & after shot of front suspension with rebuilt shock-unit, nickel-plated roll-bar linkage and reworked brake/wheel-setup.


Yes, it is the same car... just wonderful.

Innocent and mean!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour to introduce another Bus-Lekker project:
Founding member Gero aka "Suggar daddy" has done some research & development.
One day he woke up and screamed "Heureka"! I found out! Less weight, faster times! He has overthrown his plans of fitting his 2110cc 190HP-quartermile stomper into a radio-flyer but ended up in this little tiny fiat 500.
This will gonna be the ticket to hell! But: No guts, no glory! :-)

Show essentials.

The quality nowadays is truly second to none, there are guys out there who are going far beyond my efforts of building a car. That's quite ok 'cause mine will be used as one :-)
So, heads up to the insane, these were my favorites:

Mind blowing paint job on that spider

(image courtesy of "his highness" ernst b./austria, thanks!)

still da slickest of dem all, the melliard's


splitty coupé, cool and useless

(image courtesy of "his highness" ernst b./austria, thanks!)

this lowlight was my weekend love-affair....

(image courtesy of "his highness" ernst b./austria, thanks!)

Lazy....

We returned home yesterday morning and I'm still tryin' to get back every minute of missed sleep. So today I will kick back and relax to come back tomorrow for maximum attack :-)
The Show was a blast and all we can do is to thank Ivan and his committed crew to put up such an amazing show every year and even getting better from one time to the other.
Weather, was, er, english, to say the least. But its got to be like that, in a way. After all it's england!! I pretty much like it that way even though we froze our asses off and got fucked up beyond all recognition.
We were a bunch of nine blokes on a mission having a great time and enjoying ourselves as much as we could possibly can.
Also on the positive side of things: we found out that there's a second pub in esher just round the corner of bears inn.... But thats another story.
Another good thing is that we have opened a "bus.lekker" UK-chapter with gavin of southwest splitz joining us with his barndoor deluxe. Welcome, gavin, and see ya at vanfest in september!

Having a break.

I'm off, guys. London calling! The annual VolksworldShow will be the flavour of the weekend!

Glasses.

Guts and a lot of vaseline helped me through this. And yes, you CAN do it alone, but you doesn't neccessarily HAVE to. This really gonna make you sweat!
But I'm home alone and got no friends... :-))
The glasses are tinted with the lightest shade of chromolux window-foil which helps to keep the heat and snoopy glances outside.
Blinds with hawaiian style hibiscus blooms matching the cars colour will be sewn the weekend after easter, my loved mother will stop by to help me with that :-))









Say "Hi" to my faithful workshop-mate steve mcq. He's sometimes the only one I can share my ideas and obsessions with... he always understands what I mean :-))


Yes, I know that 6 bolts may be enough to fix it, but, no guesswork here, 20 won't hurt either, hehe.

Motor Lounge.

I was fed up doing the doors. So I skipped over to the engine compartment for some final works. With the fueltank back in place I could prepare everything ready for the engine coming in.
OK, this will take still some days to be done (we'll wrench it the weekend after VolksWorld Show) but I like to be prepared (sometimes).
I replaced the ugly insulation-covers on top of the engine bay with birch plywood, a material which is about to be seen in the passenger compartment as well in the near future. Four layers of carpenter-laquer with in-between fine-sanding and final polish has done the job. Ambiance!! :-)



Electricity rewired and ready for action.


Engine bay ready and prepared for the 1600cc engine.


Yeah, I'm hooked....somehow :-)

Did I say "delicious"?

Hmmmm....!
:-) Have a nice week.

Dash is in.

I decided to work myself from front to back. The dash was my first task and is now in, completely with both vent flaps + grille, defrosters, cables and instruments reconnected, handbrake-lever back in place, glovebox etc.
Fortunately, I managed to get this done without any scratches, puuuh :-)

Dummy trial fit.

As a birthday gift for myself I sourced a complete Riechert 34 PCI carb kit in mint condition. Great! I always wanted to own a kit like this but never had the engine to run them with.
Just wanted to see how high the stacks will build when mounted.
I guess they will clear the engine compartment but will not get enough air through them :-(
But luckily the original mesh-cleaners will...

Machinery.

Without engine there's no move. I will keep the stock config with a 1600 cc Type 1, rebuilt from scratch. I purchased a low-mileage case which was out of round nevertheless so the main bearing saddles had to be reamed 0,50mm.



Parallel work on the new heads. Just a little unshrouding and smoothing will be enough. This bus will be a cruising sleeper not a racer :-)





Always rely on the most experienced workmanship you can get. This is "Papa Cloes", an old friend of my mate moldo. He worked on aircooled VWs all his life and now has retired.
But to good friends he still gives his unrivaled expertise. I do not know him personally, but he seems to be a nice guy!
Check out his workshop:

Bumped.

Since today every part goes in resident and final, clearing out my shelves!!
Wow, every each week I ask myself "when will I loose motivation?", I am almost waiting for that moment but it won't come yet. I see progress. I get support from my blog-readers. I get pushed by my friends. I get time from my girlfriend to create my dream.

A sort of homecoming...

Now, after two weeks at the paintshop the bus is now back at my home for final completion. The painter did his magic with a last coat of clear and buffed up the whole cube, shine on baby. Thanks to Heinz for his patience and dedication.
Well, below, thats me, tired after 800km trailering in one day, checking out seat position, but happy after all :-))



The way back home was kind of a convoy as my mate Moldo and I picked up our cars together yesterday. That was a really nice sight.
His toy is a '70 porsche 914-6, colour is (original) conda-green, rims 7x15 (911R). The car retired in 1977 and was stored away ever since. First owner was Gerd Quist, a well known racedriver for the MaxMoritz-Team in the 70s who used this gem as his private car. Being also serviced by MaxMoritz it wouldn't stay stock for a long period of time. The stock 2,0l 110HP-engine was modified with all neccessary parts to make it a genuine S-Motor plus several special tuning provisions to result in 185HP. 911-S brake-calipers, a 914-GT suspension, 80% limited-slip differential and much more bits and pieces "off the shelf" were fitted in these early days. So this car is absolutely unique. Although being one of the most ugly sportscars ever created (which is my opinion), this one really got my heart. This jewel was restored to a condition "better than new" but this ultimate -6 still breathes atmosphere. Awesome!! Still get a duck-skin thinking of it.
I am looking forward for the first turnout, moldo!





thats how we celebrate "welcome home" parties on our side :-)

Nu shoes.

And back in the paint booth again. After completion of the whole technical stuff its now time to spray on the final clearcoat before the windows get in. Afterwards it will be polished to a shoeshine gloss. Bling bling!
By the word "shoeshine": check out these 7x16" Fuchs which I got borrowed today from my mate Moldo for a trial fit. These are rare 16's of a 944 (7+8") and will be bolted to his awesome 914-6 that will hit the road this season, too.
This was an expensive weekend as now I have to source a set of 7x16" for myself. They indeed look far more "mature" on the bus and the classic paintscheme pays off very well.
Aren't they gorgeous?

Brakes.

After some trouble with wrong year discs :-( everything is fine now and works and fits properly as is should.
Can't wait to see this baby rollin'.



Couldn't it stay in that shape forever....? First step on the brakepedal will be painstaking.
:-)

Stance.

Well, less motor...

Details.

Trailing arms





Nicest and best engineered beam available
The 88mm narrowed "weedeater" from CE:



Bits & pieces





Front hub.
Unfortunately we won't see 'em anymore.



Handbrake linkage

Tool-time!

Fun ahead! I love wrenching and torqing 17+mm nuts and bolts, thats my world. Especially if you can take new, NOS or refurbished parts off your shelf.
I spent countless times driving to and from the sandblaster or powdercoater while the car was away to get endless parts restored.
Hours at the screen hunting parts on ebay end up in tons of parcels arriving at my home, countless orders at specialised vw-dealers summed up in a quite large inventory of parts. Not one part of the bus that wasn't replaced, refurbished or in any other way been treated to be in perfect shape for reassembly.

You really can go crazy while doing this.







Creative Engineering's weedeater "narrowedbeam": tight and snug fit, perfect in every aspect (sorry for the dust...):

POR15 and Sikaflex time!

In order to get the bottom of the bus bulletproof I decided to use POR15 chassis paint. This special enamel is based on a formular with cyanacrylat and happens to react with air humidity.
It dries to an incredible rock-hard, non-porous finish that won't chip, crack, or peel, and it prevents rust from recurring by protecting metal from further exposure to moisture.
I found this to be pretty cool and the result feels ok.
I applied the first layer directly on the aseptic and dustfree sheetmetal. Next step was to load my gun applying a total of 12 cartridges of sikaflex bodysealer throughout specific areas of the chassis. Every water- or mudtrap was spotted and closed forever. Finally the whole chassis received a finishing coat of POR15.

right-rear wheelarch:


right-rear torsiontube/outriggers:


frontaxle area:


rear-left wheelarch:


rear-left wheelarch/dampermount:


left-middle floorsection:


middle floorsection/shiftrodtube, showing
sikaflex treatment:


rightside framerail floorsection:


right-front jackpoint, remember the "before"-shot?:


right-front jackpoint/outrigger area:


left-front wheelarch/jackpoint area:


rightside floorsection towards front:


again left-front wheelarch:


rightside view of main framerail and floorsection:


another angle of the same:

First task...

...on my list was a complete tidy up of the entire undercarriage to get rid of all the ratty, greasy, sticky waxoyl teroson bullshit, luckily is has been dry and chippy on most areas. But because of the ingenious floorshape I only could use a 18mm blade. Now it's your guess how long it took to have it all removed...

Back home again.

After 4 full months. Now it's up to myself to finish the project.

...be delicious!

Ready for the Paintbox

Late Summer 2005: Great step for mankind is done. The next guy who will do magic on this bus will be Heinz Heymann and his crew. Paint scheme plans call for L378 prairiebeige for the body and L90D cloudwhite for the roof and bumpers. Thats quite a classic treatment as this bus will become historically licensed. L378 is an original vw colour for the oval-windowed bug and was available in the 50s. It's quite similar to an original bus colour called L620 savannahbeige but thats a bit more pale, so I went for the more unusual shade.
Otherwise, I personally, would strongly recommend choosing L620 as no other colour could charm the lines of an early bay better than savannahbeige, isn't it, helge? :-)))

Well, some day you're done.

And if you were lucky, your friends stuck with you.
Originally planned for 4 weeks time, the task blocked a whole of 11 weeks.
Bloodshed, torture treatment and disgusted neighbourhood included...
From left: "Suggar daddy" Gero, Basecap-Oli, me, and the man himself: our metalbeating wizard and prime welder maniac Thomas. Thanks for your support, mates.

Never surrender.

Don't get on it if you can't stay in it. It has been told that Thomas works with surgical instruments from time to time. But, thats rumours of course :-)

OK, lets work...

Yeah, a bare metal bus! Everybody said to paint it clear as is. Got something of the KCW barndoor panel. But that's for copycats...
On the other hand I thought about removing the raingutters... but then again, where should I put all of my roofracks?
The other day I went to Thomas telling him I purchased a whole roofsection of a deluxe Clipper complete with sliding roof.
"Thomas, how about....?"..."GO AWAY, LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

Crossmember centers: Fun anyone?

Doesn't matter how ugly they are, they've been cut away anyway.

Rockers: get a glimpse

Freak, baby. Freak, freak, baby... Numerous layers of "repair" sheetmetal will get you the regular horror-show. Enjoy.

For Starters: some patchwork welds...

This little bastard has had tons of artful bondo, filler and useless weldspots on it. Straight out of hell. We should have scrap it all at this very moment. Check this out:

Worst things first...

To make things even worse: the rear torsionbar housingtubes were rotten at both frame rail joints as well. Normally a death-row issue on any bus... But Thomas did his best to rescue this one.
When I see these pictures today I can't believe what we've been through. To put this right: there are companies like the bug box here in germany who pull such projects for a living and on a professional basis. But on this bus we did something what even they hadn't done before.
The both replacement framepieces were beaten over a custom-made hardwood-template out of 2mm gauge steel. This doesn't only sound like pain, it felt like, too.
But aren't they lovely? I would give them an original part-no. , i.e. 211 666 666.
NOS, beast only, hehe.
Thomas is a true wizard and I really appreciate his hard work.

Nightmare: Push the button...

There were examples on sale who looked even worse on first sight so I decided to take this one over for €2800.
You have to realise that vehicle choice is not that wide if you are looking for a late T2a non-camper kombi with discbrakes and oldstyle body with early taillights. 12 months overall productiontime (till 07/71) and you're done. So, how many of these kombis will have been produced AND survived, and if so, in what shape did they survive? I even doubt that the offered vehicles at Kieft+Klok are the only "blessed" ones around. However, there weren't that much similar vans up for sale on ebay or mobile.de ever since I had bought my one.
Early T2s have reached level to mid- to late T1s in price AND interest. At last.
So, what I got was a basis for extended resto: Some dings and dents were detected "plus" the usual rot and rust spots. And these two below just weren't the baddest of them all, a real nightmare began to take place.
This bus got me virtually on my knees.

Well, how it all got started in summer 2004...