'71 White Wagon

[Raj]

If only it were always that easy! whew!

[ObnoxiousBlue]

Grease is TERRIBLE on those tracks. I'm glad it closed, but you should spend an hour on the track and mechanism over the winter. The track is a collection point for road grime and debris because the cover acts like a parachute and grabs air when the bus is driving along. Over years of being slathered in heavy grease, this road grime coagulates in the bearing and the cam lock on the slider and bungs up the doors opening and closing. You likely can't see them, but on the slider mechanism and the cam lock there are arrows and holes which are intended to be lubricated with motor oil. I usually just let some drip off my dipstick whenever I feel the door acting sluggish. This is important, because if there is too much grime eventually the slider bearing locks up and skips the track - as many a bay owner will tell you - the resultant crash of the door falling to the ground is quite depressing.

Robbbbbbbbbb... Lol

[AoT]

Thanks for posting up your notice. Was not aware that the grease could/would do that kind of damage. I'll clean out the tracks and lock and use motor oil to keep it lubed. Appreciate the info!!

[Big_kid]

X2 what Mike said. I don't own any spray lithium, in my experience it hardens with cold and age and cakes up. I use dry silicone or graphite where appropriate. They go on wet but dry quickly so they don't catch and hold dirt and grime.

[AoT]

Mike:

Is there a good product to use to clean the grease out or just use a cloth and some "elbow" grease? I have some degreasers I could work with but not sure what would work best. This weekend looks like it will be a mild one to get this done!!

[Raj]

wow..... good tip Mike.

Mine a bit sticky too, time to clean out all that grease!

[ObnoxiousBlue]

Pick up some purple power degreaser at Home Depot. Don't put it directly on the paint.
Getting the door off of the track is really easy, so you may as well pop the slider hinge off - but keep the rollers in their tracks, don't completely separate the door from the body. That way you can take the hinge off and clean that too.
You don't need to completely disassemble it to soak it in degreaser and lube it up right.
If you need directions or photos lemme know.
There should also be a bunch of photos of this in my build thread. The cam on your hinge is a bit different, but if you pay even an ounce of attention you'll see it is pretty obvious how it works.
Lemme know if you need anything.

[AoT]

Was checking the oil after the ride out east this weekend and I noticed the reverse light connection that goes onto the coil has separated and the fuse is MIA. is that an 8 amp here?

Also Glenn thanks for heads up on the rear light. I had to give it a good whack after the last meeting and it worked. I guess the bumpy ride loosens the bulb because I gave it a whack last night when I got home and it worked. Have to check up on that.

[Glenn]

8amp... the white one.

[MrBreeze]

8amp... the white one.

Racist.

[Glenn]

8amp... the white one.

Racist.

Who you calling racist?

[AoT]

When I was out at the Duck we talked about the steering issues on Bays and Mike recommended checking the steering coupler. I took a photo of the one on my bus and it is cracked in two places that I can see. My steering isn't bad but probably best to replace the item for safety. Unfortunately it is out of stock on WW. I am going to check out the castle nuts to see how easy they are to get off.

Will post pic later.

[BusBq Bill]

Ive done mine once and now it is really badly cracked scary.. the aftermarket ones are really soft rubber and dont seem to hold up, this time i bought an oem vw one off ebay it is much stiffer.. i actually had an aftermarket one on my shelf in stock but wont use it.. if you want it you can have it audrey, however i would spend the extra few bucks for a genuine vw one.. Its a tight area but can be replaced without removing the steering column. probably the hardest part is getting the rusty cotter pins out if its original or really old. if you have trouble and need a hand let me know

[ObnoxiousBlue]

DO NOT buy the Euromax one, and if it shows up - send it back.
You want one that is marked VW, if it isnt VW you can tell the Euromax because it is more rounded than the "good" style.

[AoT]

Ive done mine once and now it is really badly cracked scary.. the aftermarket ones are really soft rubber and dont seem to hold up, this time i bought an oem vw one off ebay it is much stiffer.. i actually had an aftermarket one on my shelf in stock but wont use it.. if you want it you can have it audrey, however i would spend the extra few bucks for a genuine vw one.. Its a tight area but can be replaced without removing the steering column. probably the hardest part is getting the rusty cotter pins out if its original or really old. if you have trouble and need a hand let me know

Is this the seller on ebay? this is the only vendor I see.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-BUS-STEERING ... 10&vxp=mtr

[ObnoxiousBlue]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... ?p=5299252

[BusBq Bill]

thats not who i got it from but it says genuine vw ..
the person i got it from doesn't seem to have any listed right now.
Stay away from euromax or any of the other ones which are made in the same factory
I have a euromax one i can give away or i will keep it in the bus for a roadside emergency haha

[BusBq Bill]

correction here is the one i bought
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-Bay-Window-B ... mp&vxp=mtr

[AoT]

Thanks Bill. Just ordered it up. Will keep you posted


This is the one in the bus now.

[ObnoxiousBlue]

That thing is golden. Mine had chunks missing! Lol

[AoT]

Got a request to have my bus used in a sporty beach vintage photo shoot. Not sure how many pictures he took in 2 hours but it was a lot. He is going to send me the link once the photos are uploaded.

Here's the general idea!!

[Big_kid]

COOL!

[Raj]

thats so awesome!

[Tom]

I'm interested in seeing the rest of the shots !

[Glenn]

Nice tease, but let's see it from a different angle.