1963 Turkis Kombi

[dubstar]

with bill's assistance, I was finally able to get the passenger mirror arm installed...first, I painted the arm with Krylon Jade Green, which was graciously supplied by snoop bob from the samba...the color is a good match and I am happy with the results:





next, I tried unsuccessfully to remove the remove the door pin, which would not budge...I did cut the paint seal between the pin and the hinge, which was helpful later...bill's dad recommend using the following:



as it was sprayed, we could see it seeping in between the pin and the hinge walls, which does always happen, according to anecdotal information on the samba...after letting it sit for a while, we used blankets and blue tape to protect the paint and windows...bill then used an air hammer to free the pin...it took a while, but out it came:







hopefully, the other pins never have to be removed, as the bottom ones would not be fun to to deal with

it took a while to adjust the arm position and mirror angle, but I think it is decent now...the mirror is fairly stable, but nowhere near as useful a view as the driver's side, which is extremely clear and accurate in distance scale...it does offer a good previously unavailable view of the blind spot, however, which is the main reason I installed it...hopefully, this will prevent any Vespa riders from being run over

initially, I did not have the metric nuts (8M 1) and I was going to order from WW...however, Ace in Island Park had them, so now both sides have the proper nuts and fiber friction washers...only the passenger side has the bendable lock washer, but I'll probably pick one up for the driver's side to make it complete (they aren't really necessary)

















thanks again to busbbq bill and his dad for the assistance and hospitality



to be continued...

[Glenn]

Looks nice.

[Raj]

Nice job removing the door hinge pic with minimal damage to the paint work surrounding the immediate area. I usually use alot of heat on the hinge, but obviously not a solution here given the painted nearby sections.

[dubstar]

thanks for the comments...

yes, raj, the paint made that an issue...there is a great thread in the bus forum about the difficulties encountered in removing hinge pins...bent hinges, broken windows, paint and body damage, pins that required thermonuclear detonation to remove, drilling, cutting, etc..not very confidence-building

more cool stuff from later in the day to follow...including a special appearance by GA and a cameo by AoT

[williamblanda]

Looks great, John. Nice match with the Krylon too. Satin Jade, mmm...

[dubstar]

thanks, the rear corner is on the list...

[williamblanda]

We still have a place for ya' in ROC if you make the trip up to Tim.

[dubstar]

thank, but no $$$ and a $2,467.14 second half school tax bill due on tuesday necessitate a Krylon garage fix

[Glenn A]

Looks nice John. Do objects appear closer than they really are in that mirror?

[dubstar]

yes, they appear closer than they really are...the mirror seems to have the slightest distortion to it, in that the center seems to ever so slightly bulge out (convex?)...I've already somewhat adjusted to it, but I think I am going to keep an eye out for an original mirror...other than that, it seems well made...as I said, it definitely eliminates the blind spot, but it's not perfect

[dubstar]

[gotboost79]

nice job, looks good! Does the mirror vibrate when you're driving? The WW Elephant ears are almost useless when the bus is running

[67SAMBA]

The elephant ears on my bus are great, some vibration but nothing really bad. John, I do like the color match stalk

[Glenn A]

John you have to take care in adjusting the mirror. The stem is riveted or pressed into the round backing. If the clamp is tight and the mirror is moved it can loosen up that connection. it can't be fixed because it is behind the glass. Be warned I bumped into mine and it loosed up. I had to drip some crazy glue on it to get it to stop wiggling.

[AoT]

Nice fit John, looks like it does the job. I miss the side mirror on the wonder (no comments please!!).

I'm sure it will give you a safety net changing lanes!

[dubstar]

there is minimal vibration with the new mirror; the driver's side does not shake at all...I have heard that the reproduction elephant ears wiggle, but not the originals

I have also heard that the WW round mirrors are now more sturdy...regardless, I am still careful when adjusting

back-to-school night, so no update until tomorrow

[dubstar]

following the installation of the mirror, we moved on to the accessory reverse light...thanks to manny, I had a nice condition hella light with glass lens to mount through an existing hole in my rear bumper:





it took forever, but after much effort, I removed the superfluous bracket and returned it to manny....I then found an original bosch reverse switch, shift rod bracket, wiring harness, and hooded light (need to check brand) for $45 and asked the seller to bring it to englishtown:



the switch and bracket alone often go for above $100, so I was very happy with the purchase...the trick now was to mount it underneath the bus...from what I can tell, these were much more common on type 1 and ghias, so some work was needed on the mounting...although I did my homework and knew where everything needed to go, my lack of proper tools and experience prevented any further progress...once again, bill and his dad (former VW and eastern airlines mechanic) came through

test fitting the switch and bracket location:





fabricating the bracket:





installed and engaged in reverse:





wired up...harness installed, ran through engine compartment, connected to coil, and back out rear corner (an inline fuse will be installed, but was temporarily misplaced):



let there be light:





tools of the trade:





later that night:





stay tuned for our next installment...

[Glenn]

Job well done.

You're really making some improvements tot he bus.

[Raj]

real nice work on that one bud.

[Glenn]

Are you attending tomorrow?

Bring it.

[dubstar]

thanks...the great thing about getting the help from bill and other DVG members is that my knowledge and skills are improving, it's fun, and it gives me the confidence to do smaller jobs on my own...the bentley service manual is also invaluable...still got a ways to go, however

I will try to make it tomorrow and if I do, it will definitely be with the bus

[Glenn]

thanks...the great thing about getting the help from bill and other DVG members is that my knowledge and skills are improving, it's fun, and it gives me the confidence to do smaller jobs on my own.

That's why DVG is the best club on Long Island... we help each other improve their skill set.

[williamblanda]

thanks...the great thing about getting the help from bill and other DVG members is that my knowledge and skills are improving, it's fun, and it gives me the confidence to do smaller jobs on my own.

That's why DVG is the best club in NY... we help each other improve their skill set.

'Nuff said.

[Glenn]

Sorry Will... I stand corrected.

[williamblanda]

No need Glenn, it's all 'cause y'all do what you do.