Birdddogs '69 Baja and beam build

[Devastator]

Did it come with that "parking brake" under the front tire?
Lucky you!

[dansparts]

Dang! That's a good deal!

Around here (SoCal) everyone wants top $ for everything. I wish I could find good deals like that.

[birddog1148]

Did it come with that "parking brake" under the front tire?
Lucky you!

I went over there to fill the tires up and it was GONE!
Couldn't get any of my buddies to help get it out of there so I went and snatched up a nurse from work. I pushed it into the street, hooked up my strap and she steered as I pulled it 4 blocks or so to the shop.
Hooked up a jumper cable to it and the radio came on.
Got my deep cycle boat battery out and hooked it up and hit the key and she fired for a second
Bad old gas smell and leaky old fuel lines but she fires on either after that. But had to leave to get ready for work.


Gotta go help mom out before work tomorrow so wont get to play again till friday now.

[bajaherbie]

post up some pics of the nurse.......

[birddog1148]

Now I could see doing it up like this:
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/865513.jpg

[birddog1148]

Finally got the new push rod tube seals and got them in today.


No more oil leak.

Bolted some Scat ratio rockers on.

But I couldn't adjust the valves and the pushrods looked to be rubbing. Guess I need to order some cut to length push rods and an adjustable push rod tool? I didnt run it, put the old rockers back on. Hope to get the antenna/whip on it tomorrow and some other odd stuff.

[winifredevw]

I tried those aluminum threaded push-rod tubes way back when, but they still leaked. If it wasn't the O-rings, it was the "donut", and the temptation to use the tubes like a turn-style to stop the leak was too great for me.
Back then, I switched to the "cheap" plastic spring loaded push-rod tubes and carried a few spare push-rods and tubes. I would still recomend the plastic cheapies if your not willing to tear apart your top end just to stop an oil leak.

The aluminum tubes you have might be thick enough to cause clearance issues with the push-rods.

[Leatherneck]

[quote="winifredevw"]I tried those aluminum threaded push-rod tubes way back when, but they still leaked. If it wasn't the O-rings, it was the "donut", and the temptation to use the tubes like a turn-style to stop the leak was too great for me.
Back then, I switched to the "cheap" plastic spring loaded push-rod tubes and carried a few spare push-rods and tubes. I would still recomend the plastic cheapies if your not willing to tear apart your top end just to stop an oil leak.

The aluminum tubes you have might be thick enough to cause clearance issues with the push-rods.[/quote]


That would be my problem too, trying to tighten to stop a leak. Doesn't always work.

[birddog1148]

The old seals were rock hard. The new ones are soft silicone and I put new "O" rings by the nuts. Ran it in the shop for a little bit and no leaks. The tubes came with the motor, it was a $35 Craigslist motor about 3 years ago.

[madmitch]

Don't see many thermostats out here.

[madmitch]

I won't use the plastic push rod tubes. I tried a set and they melted on a hot break in day.

[Lotrat]

Don't see many thermostats out here.

My buddy in San Marcos thought I was joking when I told him that VWs had a thermostat. "I've had over a 100 VWs and never seen one."

[birddog1148]

Finally got STF ORF flag mounted on the car!
That was about all the "work" I did today, took the bus for a 3.7 mile drive around town and the baja around the block before all the snow melted, first time I ever drove it in the snow.

[birddog1148]

Drove the Bus around the block a few days after this photo and the blue flag fell off and I didnt know it
Drove it around the block a few days later and found it
These damn people in this town dont appreciate a good off road flag cause it was still in the road and no one picked it up

Anyway, put one of those alluminum quick shift kits in the baja and cant seem to get it to go into 3rd and 4th, is there some trick I am missing? Put one in the bus and all works well. The heater seems to be working fair judging by all the smoke coming in thru the vents from the burning oil from when it had an oil leak. The engine dont smoke, but I look like a old Cheach and Chong movie with all the smoke rolling out the windows.

And a pic from today just because I was off and it was nice and I moved em out to sweep the floor and let em see some sun.

(And the truck had to go in to fix a broken brake line)

[birddog1148]

Well this lovely ohio (79 and sunny today, St Patricks day) weather trying to get the Baja back out and couldn't get 3rd or 4th with the new quick shift. Realised last summer when the coupler came off the trans I put it back on wrong, fixed that. And found 3rd Now lost 2nd and still no 4th. and the shift rod bushing that I put in a few years ago is broken junk now . They dont sell those in Sandusky either. So gotta order it.