Build Thread, 1964 Splittie

[Stray Catalyst]

This weekend, I finally managed to buy a splittie.



She belonged to a fire department in Germany, apparently, and was brought back to this country by a serviceman who bought her while abroad. Fast forward several years, and she was a started-but-forgotten project, tucked away in the back of a garage.

She's solid, especially considering this is New England. She needs rockers, a section of floor near the doors, and a panel over the engine (it was cut out, but neatly). It also needs a bulkhead, which was also cut out. But - the good part - all of those parts are with the bus! The floor section and rocker (inner AND outer) are Wolfsberg West, and brand new! The cut-out panel and bulkhead are there - and as it's a neat job, I can put the bulkhead back, and change the open hole and cut-out panel into a hatch to get into the top of the engine compartment - I'm not going for the purist restoration, I want this to be a reliable and easy-to-maintain daily driver by the time I'm done with it.

I haven't had a lot of time to do anything to her - I brought her home saturday, and have been busy the whole time, trying to get the house ready for winter before I'm doing it in the snow. I've installed her headlights, though I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to replace the entire wiring harness - I've done that on one later-model bug, I doubt it'll be much different.



I'm planning, when I've finished the bodywork, replaced the rusty sections, etc, to paint her in a similar job to the one the fire department had - black top, red lower. The roof appears to have had a light in the center - I saw one on thesamba a few weeks ago, for far more money than I could afford to spend on it. If I really want one, I guess I'll have to fab it - that's part of the fun.

I'm thinking of naming her Löschfahrzeug - it means "fire truck" in German (though I expect it's the type with ladders, pumps, etc) and it's a name that will sound good when I'm swearing at it for my latest skinned knuckle.

Stray

[Stray Catalyst]

And here's a list of some of the things I'll have to fix before she's a vehicle again...



The floors in the front, on both sides, are toast. The PO included a lot of useful parts, but these I'll still have to buy - I'd rather not try to fabricate anything this complex if I can avoid it.


The floor by the side door - and the rocker underneath it - are so rusted that they almost aren't there - but he included the parts for that, so it's a different problem. The frame itself is quite solid.


The wiring harness is a tangled mess. There are places where it's running through rust holes in the floor.


See the gap?

I'm going to get a lot of welding practice out of this bus. I haven't MIG welded in decades, but I just bought a used Hobart MIG welder at the same time. I've been practicing stick welding for a few months, and am getting back some of the skill I had in the dim and distant past.


There's also some rust in the back - but I have two good fenders, which are a few years newer than the rest of the bodywork,I think - I'm not that good at identifying splittie features, but the fenders on it have a single light, while the other fenders have a separate backup light. I also have two of the fender bottom curves, also from WW. The flat metal, I can fabricate easily enough.


The driver's side doesn't seem to have as much rust, but the windows still need to be finished - welded in, ground, painted, etc.


Her engine - she didn't come with one, but I have a used 1500 SP on my work bench, which I'm cleaning up to install in her. It's not going to be a high performance engine, by any means, but with the reduction gear boxes, I'm sure it'll be enough - as long as I'm never in much of a hurry.


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[Thundarfoot]

Nice Bus!

[namelesswonder]

You've got some work cut out for you, keep taking photos, you will appreciate it later! I didn't take nearly enough at the beginning of my project and I regret it now. Keep us updated =)

[radiant-designer]

Im going to miss that bus! but then again i would rather see it being worked on then sitting in my garage. As i find more parts for her I will update you. I did find a few seats if you want it stop by and pick it up. I will hold it till you can get here so even if its in a year.

remember you promised I get a test drive when its done!

I had so many plans for this Bus... I was thinking of doing an electric motor with hollowed out surf boards and solar panels, get some scoops and wind turbines, and magnetos in the rear wheels, then paint it white and go cross country and have people sign her and take pictures and get them transfered onto the bus, when I get back clear coat it! but its your project now, GOOD LUCK!

[Stray Catalyst]

This bus is a dream come true for me, though the nitty-gritty details are still half nightmare. I'll definitely bring her over for a test drive or three, once she's done, but it's not likely to be before spring.

Stray

[radiant-designer]

Spring?!?!?! well that's still a lot earlier than I would have been able to do it, that's for sure. The Joke between my friend Dave (the one with the 72 Camero) and I was we were going to buy a tow truck and tow the cars so it looked like we were driving

Definetly don't rush it. Take your time and enjoy it, easier said then done because i am always upset when a part is late or i have to order it from Cali as I want my bug on the road NOW!

I know Wolfsburg West can get the whole floor part, and just about any other part you need too, but its not cheap and shipping is pricey. It may be worth buying thier catalog as it has all the parts layed out, even if you just want to reference something.

If you ever need something big shipped let me know as I can usually get it shipped to work no problem, and because they have a dock and its a business its generally cheaper. I can bring the truck one day and bring it up to you.

I was thinking at one point being so rare and such of selling advertising space on it to finance the build... say for the sides, door, and back to companies. I mean the fact it I would be showing it off at the VW shows and classic car shows anyway, being that it is a fire truck, and an old VW you may get some good interest. I see lots of places paying good money for ads, this is sure to get people's attention.... hey ahve you ever seen the million dollar website, some young kid decided to make a website and sell ad space for $1 a pixel and promised the ad will be up there for 1 year, now hes a millionaire!

[Stray Catalyst]

It's an idea - but I'll have more fun getting it pinstriped, rather than advertising on it. Once Luis gets me that picture, I'll be shopping around to find a pinstriper. I'm not an artist - I can fabricate sheetmetal, but paint is far from my strong point. I've been drooling over some of the pinstriping on Volksrodders.com - I'd much rather get the logo done by one of them, as my pinstriping job would look like something a proud mom would hang on her fridge.


Stray

[Stray Catalyst]

I started working on the motor today - removed a head to install new push rod tubes, and to get a peek inside the pistons, to check for wear. In doing this, I found a LOT of end play, so it may be that this case is too worn for me to rebuild. I don't currently have the flywheel installed - I have one, but no gland nut or shims - guess that'll be my purchase for this weekend, so I can do the end-play test correctly, and hope I'm wrong. As there's no flywheel on it, this really hasn't told me anything.



Stray

[radiant-designer]

Let me know what you find, if its that bad I can look for a new case for you.

i had this running in my baja and it worked fine, if a little underpowered for the huge tires on the rear. But if you find its worn out beyond what you can use let me know and I can try to find a new case or whatever you need to make it right.

Oh, I do have a set of Push rods from a 2275 if they help at all, I took them out when I upgraded to the Chromolly.

I did some research and believe I was right when I said you can use a 6v flywheel on the 12 engine, but not the other way around (unless you clearance it) I know its a slightly different tooth pattern but I did some research and it seems it can be done, I admit i have never done it (I believe I haven't) I know Luis had a 60 Beetle and I bought his engine his flywheel fit on mine, but he had an issue witht he flywheel that I gave him (the one originally on the 1500 you bought) becuase his bell housing and trans was originally a 6V

[Stray Catalyst]

No pictures at this point - I've mostly been working on winterizing the house before it's too late, so I haven't had time to sink into the bus. The shop is semi-winterized - I can work on the engine or other small parts in any weather. I've ordered some of the parts for the engine - still haven't picked up a SVDA, but the rest of the small bits are headed to me now. I'm not rebuilding the engine I have on my workbench, just cleaning it up a little, trying to remove oil leaks, and the like. I have most of the parts for a rebuild, but I'm hoping to pick up a dual relief case for that - this engine worked recently, so there's no reason to pour the parts and effort into an engine that already should run.
I have the MIG welder together, with flux-core wire, as I don't have a large budget and would rather weld NOW than in a month or so when I have the spare cash. I'll practice with it on sheet metal in the shop until I'm comfortable with it, then I can start on the bodywork.

Stray

P.S. 6V to 12V - the diameter is a little different, and I'd have to change the starter, or at least the drive gear on the starter, to match it. A 6V starter cranks the engine at incredible speed, and as long as you don't use them for long periods of time (ie, crank the engine a lot with it) they tend to last about as long as other starters. I haven't tried this, but I've been reading a lot about it.

[Stray Catalyst]

Life's been getting in the way of this build lately - OT at work, pre-winter house repairs to get out of the way, etc. Tonight I got some work done on the engine, now that the pushrod seals arrived.



I haven't extended the tubes any more than finger-tight at this point, but I wanted them tight enough to keep debris and dirt out of the engine while I do the other side. This isn't a rebuild - just a few quick things while it's on the bench - removing any oil leaks I can find, cleaning off the cooling fins and outside of the case, etc.

Note to self - when tipping an engine that's had the pushrod tubes removed, check if you remembered to drain the oil first.



I guess the workbench won't rust now. I'll have to clean it pretty thoroughly before I weld on it again, though.

Stray

[Stray Catalyst]

I got some more work done on the engine - I still need the gland nut and shims for the flywheel, but I'm swapping my lightened flywheel for a standard flywheel (which I prefer) and an SVDA for my daily driver.



Cylinder tins...




Carburetor...




And all the rest.

I still need to get more parts, but it's mostly together now... the engine, anyway. I've done nothing much to the bus itself, but when there's a ready-to-drive engine in it, it should help to light a fire under my ass about the rest of the work - in addition to giving me back my welding area, to finish my other projects before the snow flies.

So, anybody in central NH have one of those torque tools for the flywheel? I'd like to get one, but I don't have the budget for it, and it's rare indeed that I need to remove or reinstall flywheel gland nuts.

Stray

[Stray Catalyst]

Ran into a slight snag - I killed the motor in my daily driver! So, I'm rapidly putting the 1500SP together and swapping it into the bug, so I can rebuild the 1600DP at my leisure. Most of the parts are here, and I've taken Monday off work, so I have three days to get a working motor into the bug, and get some more work done on the bus.

Stray

[Stray Catalyst]

Today, I got some of the welding done on the bus. Had some difficulties, as I'm still re-acquainting myself with MIG welding, and the learning curve can be a pin in the ass... but I have the bulkhead tacked in, and I've removed more of the rotted-out rocker panel. I've also filled in some of the welding on one of the popout windows on the driver's side. The bulkhead was a pain, in part becasue I was too impatient to completely clear out the back of the bus to work on it, and in part becasue the sparks kept setting fire to the oil on the floor.



It's only tacked in, I still have plenty of work to go on that, but it's a step closer to completion. The welds on this are mostly in a place I can easily reach with a grinder - so though they're ugly right now, they'll be smooth as silk before I paint them.



The popout is also getting closer to grinder time, but has a ways to go. My grinder died, and the only other one I have is a cordless - great toy, but mediocre tool, as hard grinding drains the battery in about three minutes. My local hardware store was out of grinders, as well. I guess it's back to Walmart for more chinese crap that's marketed under an american name - my last Black and Decker lasted for three uses, I might as well just get Harbor Freight.

Stray