ObnoxiousBlue wrote:Audrey... I am very concerned about you...
Did gravity stop working at your house? Or, are you doing a headstand?
I read this post on my phone and could see that the pic of Tom's bus was inverted but when I posted and previewed it on my computer it was oreintated correctly so guess the cyber gods are having a good laugh!!
Well, my sheared bumper bracket bolt nightmare has a happy ending. Last week armed with a dremel and a drill I was able to get the sheared bolt out of its threaded hold.
The bumper that was on the bus was not properly supported and it leaned down on the driver side so I had attempted to correct it with a new bracket and in the re-installing process had done some damage.
I have two sets of brackets and over the weekend I interchanged the brackets to finally get a set that gave me a level bumper. It probably took about 6 different versions to get it right but when it works, it's worth it. Once the bumper was attached I added two spacers on the side to attach to the body with carriage bolts. The splash pans I have did not fit and I had read to get the added side support to avoid any cracks in the mounting holes.
What about when you're backing up? Won't it be in front of you?
Glad you got it worked out, I know how much fun it was getting my Astro van's bumper brackets/tow hitch set up correctly. I don't imagine yours was any easier.
Picking up on a project that didn't get finished in 2013, getting the stereo installed. Tom gave me some motivation!!
I had put the speakers in the door panels but due to water issues I decided to move them to the kick plates. I had to replace the existing fabric once I had cut the holes out and they came out okay. I got the stereo hooked and rear speakers are on the way.
I had to recut new door panels and used the same product I used on the headliner and covered them with burlap. Again this was not a fun process but I got them finished. Glad I decided to do this as the door panels that were on the bus were already showing mold issues since I had used a wood based panel. The new panel look like PVC material based.
I read this on the Samba and created an interior liner that goes into the door cavity as well as the standard vapor barrier. Hope it works since doing window scrapers is on the list any time soon.
"A lot of people seem to think that these scrapers have something to do with keeping the water out. They don't. They are primarily devoted to reducing wind noise. Next time you hose off the car, look at how the water actually cascades down the glass and neatly disappears into the door.
If you have replaced your outer scraper desperately hoping to stop that water that keeps leaking into the door and dripping out the air extractor vents and puddling behind the seats every time it rains, your new outer scrapers will not cure the problem.
The problem is cured by a correctly installed vapor barrier. The later air-extractor buses have a two piece vapor barrier with the second piece serving as a door-long flap that folds over the back side of the extractor. Use nothing less than a 4 mil piece of plastic."
Aud, my doors are apart if you need pics lemme know.
My OG barriers were SHOT. I think just the heat-cool cycle alone made them brittle and hard.
I was happy to see my drain hoses were in real nice shape, but you can get any rubber hose from your FLAPS to fit. Also the drain holes in the bottom of the door need to be clear.
Real nice work on the kick panels.
I need to do mine. They're on the list when the new door panels are fit.
I'm also relocating my speakers and installing a new stereo possibly with two outdoor speakers under the body by the slider??
ObnoxiousBlue wrote:Audrey, where did you get the black vinyl? I'd like to do my panels this week but want to have everything I need at hand.
I bought the fabric at Joann's. Think there is one out by you. I used spray contact cement to apply. Leave about 1" overage to fold over. Notch the fabric on the outside and inside corners to take the tension off the folds.
After two good rain storms it seems like the dual vapor barrier is keeping the rain outside the bus. I checked after each storm, one being post hurricane Arthur and the passenger side shows so signs of water getting in through the door panel. It was a simple fix and worth the effort.
Have been having issues with the directional and parking lights the past few weeks. The directional starts out with the normal click and them goes into a fast paced staccato. The parking lights have not been working and the turn signals are quite dim. Took the fixtures out to check on the connections and they were all there but since the wiring in the bus is circumspect I decided to give each one a new ground. Sanded down a spot inside the cavity (def need a dremel for those tight spots) and ran a separate ground wire for each side. Tested them before I reconnected the lenses and the directionals worked like a charm and the parking lights shined steady and bright. They even looked better once I got the lenses on.
I found some dead ended wires in the cavity behind the kick plate so I want to investigate some more to see what else is lurking in there. When I got the bus there was garden hose running front to back under the chassis that had an assortment of wires so not sure what is true to the bus.
We had a discussion over the weekend about the bay window door vents. It started with the 1971 model year. I have a '71 but do not have the door vents. I checked my Bentley book and it was introduced in April 1971, so I guess mine came off the production line prior to that. Meant to copy the VIN to see when it was in production but got involved in finding my key code number (which I did find!!)
Audrey, your VIN will only tell you model year - not date of production.
To find out the date of production you need the M code.
On an early bay, I believe it is behind the drivers seat.
Also, what are you looking for on the door to discern if it does or doesn't have the vents?
The vent flanges may be in the door shell, but you don't have the sliders to open/close them. I recall seeing your doors - and know you don't have the vents exposed but when you did the door panels did you see the flanges on the doors? There isn't a "duct" in the door, the vent is quite rudimentary actually. There is just a few perforations in the forward edge of the door -!: the vent works by positive pressure. I suspect you do have them, but are missing the sliders and expect (rightfully) for the vent to be a bit more functional.
Thanks for the update Mike. The bus is October 1970.
I spoke with clay at terryville about my key issue. To start I took off the cargo door handle and emailed him the code on the stem. He is sending two keys. I will try those on the front doors to see if the key will open those doors. If not then I will see if I can send him the handles to reset the pins to match the key he made. Will also try the key to see if it matches the ignition. If this all works I'll be amazed!!
