It followed me home...

[Ol'fogasaurus]

"... I'll still be defrosting the windshield with one of those little 12V hair-dryer looking defrosters..."

I've always wondered... Be careful with the hair dryer in that cold climate back there as you could break the glass.

There is a comic strip in the paper here called "Zits" and it is based on the parents dealing with a teenage kid (very well done and even I recognize the situation and I never had kids. I also get frustrated reading it as it really is that well done). A couple weeks ago, instead of going out and scraping the windshield the kid got lazy and threw hot water on it (a VW bus) and you can guess the rest. I’m old but I also remember seeing or hearing about this when I was a kid. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ar ... e=20120111

Lee

[Stray Catalyst]

I've seen a number of mistakes done this way - hot water (turned into an iceberg), blow torch (spiderwebbed the window due to thermal shock), metal scrapers (left lots of scrapes in the glass) etc. The electric defroster isn't very high heat, and spreads that heat over an area, so it's slow and not all that useful for fast work, but it never popped the windshield on the DD bug I drove for a couple of winters. I'm hoping to fix the heat so I can use the camper whenever I feel like it, without freezing, but for now I'm trying to find the easiest way to get it on the road.

[Stray Catalyst]

So, what sort of CHEAP hubcaps would work the best for four-lug 1976 Westy wheels, to paint to match?



It's not ever going to be showroom quality, but I'd like to make it look good, for all that I'm a cheapskate and haven't got a lot of budget left.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

The flower decals are still available so get some full covers, paint and decal!

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Standard- ... s,567.html

They’re advertised on eBay too

http://www.who-sells-it.com/r/spun-alum ... discs.html


Lee

[WestyPop]

So, what sort of CHEAP hubcaps would work the best for four-lug 1976 Westy wheels, to paint to match?

Should be 5-lug wheels... or did I miss a joke? Likely that any of the Type 2 hubcaps from 1971-79 will fit.

As far as chassis identification, look at the hatch-facing tin just to the left of the engine; should be a VIN stamped in there, somewhere under those paint & grease layers. Not a full load of info like an M-plate, but something to go on. The style of fuel filler indicate that it's '74-on model.

Nice starting point; have fun with it.


J.R.
SoCal

[Chris V]

I use hot water to clear my windshields all the time, to this day...You wouldn't believe how many screams I heard while pouring hot water on my Porsche's windshield when I was 19...never a problem.

[Stray Catalyst]

It's not older than 76 - it has the fuel injection stuff in the engine compartment, but a carbed engine. It has all the features of a 76 through 79 Westy Berliner.

And I haven't actually had a chance to look under the hubcaps, I'd guessed four lug - incorrectly. I should have it back from the shop next week, and I'll have a chance to find out all the features then.

Stray

[fusername]

five lug, but uses the same hubcap as a vanagon or blate bug, so if you have any lying around you should be good. you should check that it still has the fi tank. two outlets vs one. makes it easier to swap back to fu later

[fusername]

oh and vracking it with a hair frier or whatnot shouldnt be any more dangerous than defrosting it with, say, the defroster....

[Stray Catalyst]

Today I spent sme time in ajdenette's back yard, helping him to remove all the heating components I need from a donor. The ebersbacher, unfortunately, was a lacework of rust, but the rest of the component to were good. I also got the bottom plate, to go under the heater - I've never even seen one of these intact, so it's going to be interesting to see if it quiets down road noise.

My DD is having inspection issues, so this Westy may be a vehicle sooner than I'd expected, b necessity.

Stray

[Stray Catalyst]

Today I took out all the cushions except the driver's and passenger's seat. Tomorrow morning I get the upholstery fabric, and a friend of mine will be bribed to stitch together the new coverings.

The pop top has one mouse hole, but it's small enough to patch. The screen needs some repairs, but it should be fairly easy. Now that the weather's looking nicer, it's time to get this Westy back on the road!

[Stray Catalyst]

The cushions and upholstery in the westy are in okay shape... for a vehicle that's 39 years old and has been used. Yesterday I removed the folding rear seat and all the cushions, as my GF volunteered to redo them for me.



This isn't the original upholstery, but they did a fairly good job of it. The sun and time have destroyed the fabric, but it was carefully made and installed when they did it.



The liner is stained but not torn or worn - it's going to stay. This bus will never be showroom condition, just comfortable and reliable.



Aligning the fabric, so that there will be even lines on all the seats and the cushions.



This fabric was on clearance, and the colors compliment the colors inside the bus already. I'm not repainting the interior, I kind of like the marino yellow, so the new fabric has to match it somehow. The gold ties in with the yellow.



Rear seat, finished! She hasn't started on the other cushions yet, but they'll have the same material on top, and a softer (cheaper) fabric on the bottom.

One step closer to using this Westy!

[Sneaks]

Nice find, David. Where did you pick that up? A couple of things of note. That progressive WILL work despite what other might say. We put one on the tintop that sparklingredpepper has (Jake). BTW, that turquois color was the interior of her bus. Fuser purchased it, he might still have the codes for it, dunno. As for the heater tube running up the middle, I've heard PVC pipe works pretty well. The cot should be a pull-out affair under the poptop and not a foldout one like the earlier Westys. The M-code plate might be up under the dash, they are HARD to see without a mirror on a steeeeek. I might have a few spare hubcaps, next time over to the house I'll look for them. 14" LT tires are a bitch to find in the correct load range but early S-10s ran them so it isn't impossible to find. IIRC, you can also run Mercedes wheels and get up to 15" tires. Check with Fuser on that one too. I might have a few other odds and ends that I'm not going to use, I'll look.
I used one of those defroster things on Eggplant, didn't do the greatest and that windshield is a lot smaller than a bay. I've heard rain-x on the inside can help but don't quote me on that one. I've looked into a couple of interior heat solutions but haven't found anything that really seems like it will work outside of a propane heater, but that will still not solve the defroster issue. On the 79 Bay, I'm going to have figure out heating as that will see 3 seasons, the Westy will only be fair weather (if possible).

and birddog, the beauty of NH is you only need a bill of sale and a VIN verification to register a vehicle over 15 years old. If you have an old NH reg, you don't even need the VIN ver. NH is one of three states I know of where other states have to accept a BoS and valid registration in leue of a title since we are a non-title state. You couldn't get an NH title for a vehicle over 15 years old. Period.

[Stray Catalyst]

Welcome back, Scott.
The tires on it are passable, I'm going to stick with them for now. I picked it up near Milford, and have done some more work to it since these pics.







Installed the rear seat / bed, installed the mattress behind it, patched up some holes in the bodywork. I'll probably wind up using PVC or similar for the heat, though I'd like to get the gas heater working if I can. My mechanic has one bus left that I need to check, it still has the sheet metal over the belly so I can't see if the heater is worth saving - probably not, but it's only about a dozen bolts to remove, to check.

The bodywork was just to get it inspectable. Once I have it back home I'll get out the MIG welder and do a better job - but for now I just want to get it roadworthy. I'm going camping in a little over three weeks, I'd like to have it on the road by then.

[Sneaks]

I'm digging the interior...