The Vinestard - 1963 Vw Double Cab Split Bus

New address

2010-03-23T19:08:00.003+01:00

I've merged my blogs.
The story continues on:

www.topvw.blogspot.com

Snow...

2009-12-16T16:19:00.000+01:00

November weekend

2009-11-02T16:30:00.004+01:00

While I was trying to begin with the rubbers and seals of the Eriba,
I couldn't help letting my 20-months-old nephew play inside the caravan.
All is child-dimensioned there, so he felt better than at home!

He tried to dismantle everything inside...

On Sunday I helped Silvia with her KG...
Caution! Work in Progess!

Rust is already eating the pan here, so we just sanded the whole thing...

We opted to stop the rusting process for now, putting a black antirust gel by Saratoga, applied with a paintbrush. Not for show. But I'm sure it will be fine for a while.

In the meantime the winter recovery for a pair of VWs is almost ready:

New rubbers for the Eriba Puck...

2009-10-30T00:11:00.001+01:00

New 6v horn

2009-08-04T20:30:00.003+01:00

I mounted the 6v horn bought at EBI 3 in Chimay. Good strong sound!

Volks'n'Roll 2009

2009-07-14T18:11:00.005+01:00

This year, as every year we didn't miss the Volks'n'Roll meeting

I could take both the 'doka' with the puck caravan, and the 'duve'.
Good weather, awesome location, cool music, best company.
Some problems with the regulator made my trip a little troublesome.
Still better than the friend of mine who had to find a new alternator to replace the one he broke at the meeting...

feel the Nature? :-P

cruising on the highway to Val d'Aosta (total 750 kms)

David and Goliath...

Goliath and David... :-)

Climbing Appennino's hills

descending Alpi's hills

Adjusting front height

Volks'n'Roll 2009

2009-06-14T20:24:00.002+01:00

This year we didn't miss the Volks'n'Roll meeting, as every year...

I could take both the Double Cab with the eriba Puck caravan (driving), and the Split Beetle (on the trailer).

Duebener Ei!!!

2009-03-30T18:38:00.002+01:00

More news during the weekend. It's another caravan, a Duebener Ei from East Germany.
We drove all the way to a place Bamberg and towed it to Italy.

as it is now:

as it should come out:

Newcomer: the Hot Chocolate, now il 'DUVE'

2009-01-06T11:27:00.003+01:00

front split window...

rear split window!

I just picked it up in Sweden and took it home on a trailer (5600 km right in the middle of winter time... total madness!!!)

Follow the story on

www.ilduve.blogspot.com

Merry Xmas & Happy 2009!

2008-12-23T19:06:00.002+01:00

Snow...

2008-11-24T09:41:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, 23 November 2008...

today, 24 November 2008!

Did the snow transform the GoldFather in a stupid modern car?!?

Mostra Scambio Auto e Moto d'Epoca - Padova (part 1 - Porsche 356)

2008-10-26T23:48:00.016+01:00

I just got back home from the annual oldtimer swap meet in Padova.
It was stuffed by desirable cars and bikes, and I was impressed by the number of Porsches in there, more than one hundred! And most of those cars were for sale! Just to get an idea, here are some shots taken to the 356s I could meet up there: original, replica, A, B, C, Speedster, Cabrio, Carrera, etc etc Porsches for every taste!
Also the VW family was well represented. In the next post you'll find pics of the 911s, VWs and accessories for sale.

Engine bay revamp and new clutch

2008-10-18T14:03:00.008+01:00

Because of tired clutch and massive oil leaks, I decided it was time for some work...
So engine down and doka out on stands:

I hand sanded all engine metal... lot of rust!
Can you smell it?

I bought a LUK clutch kit from Dei Kafer Service

Original distributor up again with new wires:

Here is the final look after some hours. I also decided to put an EMPI pulley because the previous caused wrong advance readings. I mantained the Bosch blue coil and painted the exhaust white. I needed a new inlet manifold and some work inside the 30 Solex carburetor.

Since the engine was down, it was time to get rid of some rust inside the engine bay...

After a lot of hand sandblasting and a coat of antirust:

Then a coat of Light Grey paint:

Looks better uh?

Time for the engine to go up again, after some testing sessions
It all works! Great.

50.000 visits! Thanks guys...

OldClan at Hill's Race #5

2008-10-06T17:00:00.003+01:00

Were they really doin' this while I was driving??? I need to dissociate myself from this kind of despicable conduct... :-)

Hill's Race #5 2008 - Rivanazzano Dragway

2008-09-09T11:02:00.006+01:00

Click on the picture below to see the album from Hills Race 2008, 6-7 September, Rivanazzano Dragway (PV)

New wheels for the Eriba Puck!

2008-09-05T13:05:00.005+01:00

On eBay Germany I found a pair of nice wheels I can put on my Eriba Puck.
I paid only 40 euros including tires and shipping!
A real bargain in my opinion.
I like them because they feature those triangles and recall me of the famous Fuch wheels...

I'd like to detail them black/silver.

This is a tryout using Photoshop...

Sardinia (4) with Eriba Puck + VW Bus

2008-08-19T02:12:00.002+01:00

Driving in the nature... towards Munavera, on the South East coast
A typical 'nuraghe' along the street

At the Village 'I 4 Mori' with the moonlight

Incredibly turquoise water between Costa Rei and Villasimius

A Spanish 17 years old guy we gave a lift to. He was thumbing and spending his holiday with 3 euros a day for food.

We stopped on the road, descending a steep slope (15 minutes walk) to reach one fo the most beautiful places where you can swim...

Look at this water!

Swimming pool?

What style of diving is this??? hehehe bomb style

The difficult part was to get to the doka again, but we did it

Driving on the SS125...

Horses on the street...

Rocky mountains...

PIGS! I tried to mix with them...

Pigs freely f..ing around on the street

around 1000 meters from the sea level

Then downhill road full of bends and precipices...

Lonely cloud chatting with its own shade...

6.00 AM trying to get the ferry in time...

Taken!

Do you know how to spend 5 hours without getting bored?

On the way home we spotted this VW powered trike

And some strange Citroen objects returning from an International meeting in Rome...

What is it like to drive something like this???

It gives place to six people to sleep

Sardinia (3) with Eriba Puck + VW Bus

2008-08-17T17:24:00.006+01:00

The doka dirty because of off-road driving

Sweeties at a local 'sagra'

Driving at night can be difficult in such lonely roads with 6v electrics

Moon shined in those days...

The full set up

Lights in Pula for San Giovanni

gazebos on a beach near Chia

The crew cab on the grass, a few meters from the water...

Open those safaris!!!

Let's stop here and take some pics in the sunset
In the sunset... testing the sand

Wow!

Silvia relaxing on the bed

Sardinia (2) with Eriba Puck + VW Bus

2008-08-13T18:07:00.004+01:00

We visited the nice places and beaches of the South West Sardinia, keeping the Eriba at the Cala D'Ostia camping, near Pula.Here's the doka at the camping. Beautiful atmosphere.

The little two-places caravan

We also used the original Eriba awning, since we stayed until the 16 August. Useful!

Having dinner inside a Puck is always a romantic and happy experience

This was the view right outside the camping. The safaris were also useful, just to be in direct touch with Nature!

Rough roads to reach the best beach is a constant

Salt area behind a beach

We had to do this! A sand tribute to a 45 year old tireless worker

One of the most particular beaches was through a military area

5 kms of white road to reach the white sand beach

Here are 20 meters high dunes!

The beach from the dunes

I'm the king of the wooooorld! hehehe

This is 'Peace of mind'

Sardinia (1) with Eriba Puck + VW Bus

2008-08-09T18:23:00.003+01:00

Here is a brief report on my trip to Sardinia with Silvia, driving my 1963 crew cab VW Bus (The Vinestard) towing my 1972 Eriba Puck caravan. We left on 6 August and returned on 19, after over 2000 kms!
The double cab had no problem at all.

We left Pistoia and reached Civitavecchia (300 kms) after 5 hours

Here it was our car-audio set, an MP3 player with little speakers

On the ferry, not much problems to go up. We didn't scratch the ground.

Sunset and wind on the ferry...

Different panorama in Sardinia

Driving to reach the West coast after two days in the North East (Cugnana, La Caletta, Santa Lucia)

Beautiful Spinnaker Village/Camping near Torre Grande (Oristano)

nice Private Village beach

The road to walk to reach the beach

Silvia at the BBQ at night

This was the view of the bungalows near us

The double cab in place

The Eriba Puck in place at night

I spotted a Mercedes camper... Hey!
It really looks like a narrowed beam huhuhu
I had to take a pic of this

Then we drove to the South, Silvia helping me with the map

Towards Cagliari

Between Cagliari and Pula we found a windy area, it looked like a sandstorm...
We reached Torre Chia, where we enjoyed the beautiful turquoise water and tranquillity

Creative Engineering Safari Windows Installation

2008-07-29T08:30:00.010+01:00

Got Safaris? Yeah!

It's a real pleasure to drive with the windows up. Better than Air Conditioning! A nice update for the upcoming trip to Sardinia. Just need to wear sunglasses on high speeds hehe
I also got the rear of the doka a little higher and tuned the red konis on slow return, just for better driving when the Eriba Puck is towed and to avoid scratching the ground of rough roads.

Here is how I installed my Creative Engineering Safari Windows Kit:

I removed the wipers...

Then cut the seals to remove original glasses...

One..

and two...

ok need to check the condition of the edge now

passenger outer side: some surface rust

no rust on the upper side

much rust on the driver inner side

no rust on passenger inner side

I sandblasted the parts needing repair

...masked and sprayed with antirust, then grey paint

I offered the frames... the bus is just ready to get the Safaris!

Nice view...

I measured both sides to ensure the frame is centered

Then marked the sides and the holes with my free IKEA pencil

I drilled 2 mm holes, then enlarged to 2.5-3 mm

Fixed the screws...

Here it comes up!

At this point I mounted the slides

I drilled and put the mounts on

Now the frames can stay in any positionI inserted the rubbers, trimming them

It's time for the glasses to go up, the most annoying task!
I used silicone grease to let the seals slip in the frame without plies.

Not exactly 5 minutes later...

I drilled the holes for the catches for a tight fit and fastened them on the dash

And at last... here is the result. At the sunset I had my first cruise with my Safaris up!

The sensation is really unique. Wind on your face, better than with a motorbike. You don't even need a helmet.

People seem to be impressed when they see you can enjoy fresh air. They cannot open their front glass on their Minis!!!

VW Meeting Staggia Senese 2008

2008-07-21T10:39:00.002+01:00

Click on the pic to see the Photo Gallery...

European Bug In #2 - EBI 2 with the GoldFather

2008-07-10T19:48:00.002+01:00

Click on the pic to see the Photo Gallery of the trip to Chimay for the EBI 2.
A total of 2600 kms was no problem at all for The GoldFather...

Preparing for the European Bug In #2...

2008-07-01T16:35:00.004+01:00

This time the car I usually drive to tow the trailer is stopped for a defect of fabrication to the heads, so I'm managing to drive the Goldfather for 1250 kms to Chimay and 1250 kms back home...!!!

Here is the spare tire... I had to use a spacer because it touched the caliper

I polished a little my Boyd Coddington wheels. I never did it since 2005.

30.000 visits! Thank you guys!

CE Safari Windows arrived from Serial Kombi!

2008-06-12T11:00:00.007+01:00

On Monday 9 I ordered a Creative Engineering Safari Windows Kit from Serial Kombi in France. This morning (Thursday 12) I received a parcel... arrived already! Incredibly fast...

Opening...

So called 'instructions'...

Here are the seals... I don't know if I'm going to use these, or use bigger ones...

They sent 4 body seals...and 3 glass to frame seals...
bolts, brackets, etc. It's all there.

Extruded aluminum frames, black-primered: They are incredibly light!

Glasses...
They arrived safely!
It seems they are also legal

One wheel (sorry no Super-Diff!) burnout in Cecina - Maggiolino Show 18 May 2008

2008-06-03T09:47:00.002+01:00

Only one wheel started rotating. I need a superdiff!!! Sorry 'bout that.

Burnout at Versilia's Bugs Party

2008-05-27T14:01:00.003+01:00

Making a little burnout with the Vinestard at Versilia's Bugs Party in Lido di Camaiore on 24 May 2008...

Burnout in Thenay - The Vinestard at Super Vw Nats 2008

2008-05-23T14:56:00.006+01:00

The video of The Vinestard making a burnout in Thenay is available

HERE

1940 Ford 'banjo' steering wheel mounted!

2008-05-08T18:27:00.002+01:00

I bought this ratty steering wheel from eBay US, since the Minor Morris one was not so easy to mount on the Split. This is a 1940 Ford 'banjo' steering wheel, and... it went directly on my doka steering column! You need only to file a little the opening where the key goes in! The size is very similar to the one of a Split (17"), so it's not like the 14" Flat4 banjo!!! With this you can still drive! And it seems nice to me. I may also restore it when I need. Now I have to fit a horn button.

Some accessories mounted...

2008-04-06T21:34:00.003+01:00

During last week Fabio from HH Garage installed some accessories I had bought...
Sorry for the not-so-nitid pics, I shot them by my mobile phone.
Here is the FoMoCo fog light, fitted through a custom made aluminum plate.

The fog light runs! It is a sealed beam 6 volt NOS unit. Great for those nights when normal headlights are not enough...

Here is a VDO 'bullet' tachometer. Installed through a custom made plate put in place of the usual ashtray.
I saw this for the first time at the 1st European Bug In, and I immediately thought it was the right one for my crew cab, with its rough black outer surface and cream numbers on black background. So when I found one on eBay Germany, I just bought it. It's not wired yet, because it is a 12 volt unit.

Here are my favorite add of the moment: the thin white band trims. I bought them from Mecatechnic in France, but the badge on the parcel says 'VW Heritage', so I think the French store buys them from the English store.
I like very much the result. The gloss black Teledials with polished edge looks at their best with these trims!

Overall appearance:

The day after, out in the sun.

Fabio also installed the 6 volt Bosch blue coil and the Bosch 010 distributor. The pics in next post. Stay tuned!

The Vinestard vs Italian lowered single cab

2008-03-31T23:31:00.005+01:00

Tonight a friend of mine reached the HH Garage with his lowered ratty VW single cab. It is a pre 62 (bullet turnlights and rear little round taillights). A photoshoot was obvious! My one seems around one inch lower. But I can go lower than this... :-P

I left the doka at the garage to install some accessories... stay tuned!

The Vinestard vs. stock 1967 Italian double cab

2008-03-26T00:27:00.004+01:00

Last Monday at Hot Heads Garage my friend Massimo came with his stock Italian 1967 double cab, so we couldn't miss a shot of the two VW crew cab pickups together. They are so rare! and here in Italy his one is the only I could see on the streets... and with original Italian number plates!

You can note the differences, first in height! My one is much lower than stock, thanks to Peter surgery. More evident differences are: the rear window on The Vinestard is of the little type (she's a '63), US bumpers, red US rear lights, 6 volt electrics, side vents and... opps I left my dropgates at home, sorry!
We also drove part of the street home together, it was fun to cruise on Milan's freeway side by side... then his reduction boxes had the worse. :-P

Amber FoMoCo Fog Light

2008-02-27T20:16:00.006+01:00

I just bought this nice amber fog light from eBay USA.
It's an NOS FoMoCo FORD VINTAGE 1950s FOG LIGHT MODEL H1

Never mounted and has been stored inside for years. It's beautifully chromed. No dings or pits. About 5 1/4'' tall.

It will fit perfectly the style of The Vinestard VW double cab.

Here is a pic of The Vinestard, recently moved to Milan, where I use it during the week.

Eriba parts

2008-02-25T00:48:00.006+01:00

The works to be done on the Eriba puck caravan are a lot, but for the moment we can begin from some minor things.

One reflective triangle was missing while the other was broken. These are compulsory for any type of trailer or caravan to be towed in Europe.

I bought a new pair from eBay Germany. They are not by Hella but they are very similar and good quality, and also E-marked (= fully legal).

The four outer handles, useful to move the Eriba by hand when unhooked, were oxidated and the black film was coming away in pieces. The screws were also very rusted and blocked. So I removed completely the screws, the film, then brushed the handles, ready for a new glossy black paint.

16.000 visits! Here is the girl for you guys.

bling bling for the 019 dizzy

2008-02-05T16:48:00.000+01:00

I decided to give some bling bling to my 019 Bosch VW - Audi distributor, just for fun.

You can see the 'before' and 'after' pics here:

I used 3M water sandpaper and AutoGlym metal polish:

This is after some massaging with P500 sandpaper:

P800:

P1200:

First polishing:

Second polishing. Of course the result cannot be exciting, but it will work together with a black cap and the rest of the engine of my top chopped Beetle, The GoldFather.

Mondays at Hot Heads Garage...

2008-01-30T00:50:00.001+01:00

Typical Monday night at the HH Garage in Milan.. chatting with friends and mixing US cars with VWs. say cool.
Now that I live in Milan, I can't miss this.

Porsche style fan hand polishing & new doka guest

2008-01-26T17:24:00.000+01:00

Last night I polished the Porsche style fan from the type 4 engine of my Beetle.

This was the way it looked before polishing:

I began with 500 sandpaper on the lip:

Then 800 and 1200:

Then hand polished with Auto Glym metal polish:

After that, I had the center demounted and decolored by Fabio at Hot Heads Garage in Milan:

So I began also here with 500 sandpaper, then 800 and 1200:

And finally polished by hand. It's not perfect, but I like it!

This weekend I got back to Pistoia to see my nephew (he is only 2 weeks old!). Today it was a splendid day, cold but sunny, so I enjoyed the bed of my doka, soon Silvia reached me:

Then also my nephew enjoyed the bed, becoming the youngest VW fan in the family:

Sure the suspension will hold all this weight?

NOS 6v Bosch Blue Coil

2008-01-22T02:08:00.000+01:00

I just bought this nice NOS (!) 6 volts Bosch Blue Coil from a guy in Belgium

6v bulbs for the Eriba + Bosch dizzy arrived

2008-01-12T13:04:00.000+01:00

Here are the 6v bulbs for the Eriba Puck. This is because it has to be towed by the doka, still with 6 volts electrics.
Internal lights of the caravan can be run by a 12v battery mounted under the seat.

And the 010 Bosch distributor arrived from the States! It took more than 45 days to arrive.

Plate:

Original cap:

Condenser:

Inside it looks all OK. Rotor and points are not original, but I don't care:

This week I availed myself of the season sales to went back in time, buying this cheap BMX at the shopping center near my new house in Milan. It remembers me of the good old early 80s, when I used to own (and modify) a similar bike. This is not same quality, but who cares? It has to be functional.
I needed something light and fast, to easily reach the subway station and to be kept in the living room.

Ehi guys 13000 visits! thanks...

Door Locks & Keys

2007-12-29T22:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I decided to solve the problem of closing the doka's doors. I had one new key and managed to use it to open the driver's door and the cab door.

One cylinder was broken on the top, but I fixed it with a special glue, and for now it runs.

Deciding what pieces insert to make the key turn.

Applying the glue...

Then it was time to drive the bus to a friend's house for a Xmas dinner. 130 kms with no problems. :-)
What better than reading a book on old custom VWs while stroking a nice cat and then chatting about carburettors, engines, exhausts together with friends?

Bosch 010 distributor bought on eBay

2007-12-18T20:59:00.000+01:00

Christmas shopping on eBay! I bought this Bosch 010 distributor. It comes from the US and it seems complete. I have to wait for a while, but I hope it arrives around Christmas time.
I'm going to try this dizzy on my doka!

Towing home the Eriba Puck

2007-12-07T22:48:00.000+01:00

Today is the right day for taking the little Eriba home. It is around 12 kms from my house in Pistoia.

I had to create a hand-made rear license plate matching the one of my car

Close up on Eriba Puck logo... nice!

This is the original trailer license plate from 1973, when it was imported in Italy

A look inside...

M-plate from Hymer

Front bent window... perfect match for an old VW!

Front badge...

Fabio, the seller, is enjoying making the transaction with my credit card in the open air. You should see MY face...

Fabio owns himself a modern VW Transporter (T5?) He leaves in a hurry for another appointment.

Then I had to wait for his collaborator that went to buy an adapter to make the old-style few-pins plug of the Eriba match with the new many-pins plug of my Seat.

Fitted!

Now the lights work.. ehm 'almost' all the lights

So I immediately take the way of my trusty electrician, Mr. Breschi, a pair of kms away.

The right rear light and the license plate light don't work.

The problem is on the worn plug, to be changed with a better one...

In the meantime I take a look at the original papers...

Here is the new plug. Tough!

Here it is, finally at home.

11000 visits........

VW Space Up! Blue Concept (Bologna Motor Show)

2007-12-06T00:19:00.000+01:00

Sorry if I talk about modern vehicles today, but -you know- VW is in my heart, so...

FORZA VOLKSWAGEN!!! Hurry up with the Space Up! Blue Concept

Today I was at the Bologna Motor Show, and I had a close look to this nice version of the concept model.

This was the draw:

And this is the result. With those little windows on the roof it reminds me of the mitical Samba Bus:

It features also a bigger than usual front logo, and round external mirrors... like in the good old times!And THE ENGINE IS IN THE BACK!

Look a those doors! No pillars in the middle.Thin seats for more space. Open space.

Simple and minimal dashboard. Effective.

Rear view. I have to train my eye to this, actually.Perhaps in 2010 we will go on the beach like this?

Watch a video of the presentation in L.A. Auto Show

Old-style toe-in

2007-11-10T19:51:00.000+01:00

It's good to see this beauty in the garden, but it needs some professional toe-in, in order to drive better and avoid uneven tire wear.

Since it's not possible to use modern methods, I went to Mr. Spapperi, one who could use the old style method for the toe in.

Back again home, and parked aside Silvia's '63 Karmann Ghia. Good couple eh?

10 thousand visits!!!

Eriba Puck!

2007-10-21T10:32:00.000+01:00

YESSSSS WE BOUGHT IT!
An Eriba Puck with original Italian papers and number plates from 1973.
Imported from Germany in 1972. But we don't know the year of construction yet. Please help on this.

We were in love with it since we spot it for the first time more than one year ago, just around the corner, from a caravan/camper dealer in our city, Pistoia, in Tuscany.
We've seen a lot of these around Europe, often towed by VWs, but this was the ONLY ONE we could see here in Italy, and now WE GOT IT!
Every time we passed from that street, we always had a quick look at the little object parked among the modern caravans and campers. We were afraid someone could buy it.
Some time ago it was moved about 50 meters and for a moment I had a shock!
But Fabio, the dealer, was not selling it. Once he told us he would use it for show in his next new store. But the new store got stucked in burocracy and so recently the caravan had become his little son's preferred place for playing.
Yesterday he told us: "If you want to buy, you can". And we didn't want to miss this opportunity. So we gave him the advance.
Keep your eyes wide open out on the streets, because soon you might see something like this:

www.caravan.it

To Belgium and Back...

2007-10-14T18:37:00.000+01:00

Air Beam Videos

2007-10-08T22:33:00.000+01:00

9000 VISITS!

Stage 1 Finished!

2007-09-30T21:14:00.000+01:00

Here we are! It looks so Californian! ISN'T IT COOL?Peter put his Belgian number plate to go out on the street...

Everything is there for the stage 1 of the project: raised steering box, four Porsche 944 disc brakes, IRS with adjustable spring plates, narrowed adjustable beam, dropped spindles, hydraulic line loc, Koni red shocks, Teledials.

154 cm is the height of the roof just behind the front door.

I could subscribe the Steering Box Scrapers club now...

With the 1.4" raised steering box, the lowest thing on the front is the horn now.

The body on the rear wheel arch is 42 cm from the ground.

Last sight. I just LOVE it! Thanks Peter for the nice lowering job! He IS clever.
Soon I will post the pics of the steering box raising, the brakes fitting, the line loc installing.
In the meantime visit The Slambulance Blog

Doca's first test run

2007-09-30T21:11:00.001+01:00

First engine startup

2007-09-30T21:04:00.001+01:00

The Vinestard has again his running 1500 H inside. It works. But the 6v battery is soon to be changed or everything be upgraded to 12v system.

IRS: last touches to get the lowest possible!

2007-09-03T00:42:00.000+01:00

Some more pics... trying to get it to the lowest possible position! ;-P

Peter modified the a-arms and the chassis legs in order to keep one distant from the other.

A-arms notched and rewelded for strenghtening:

Same thing on the chassis:

Now the doka can go much lower than before...

Look! The center cap is right under the edge of the wheel arch!
THAT IS REAL LOW!

38 centimeters (15") from the ground... and with 215/60 R15 tires!
With smaller diameter tires you can go even a little lower than this!

In fact the physical limit now is the tire touching the wheel arch. The bus is actually sitting on the 'arches...

So trying the lowest ROLLING position. With this height perhaps you cannot drive on the streets, but you may enjoy f..king around at shows hehe

Look at the chassis. It's at a few centimeters from the ground...
Front view... scaring!Now it's time for Porsche brakes...

IRS (part 2)

2007-08-29T16:25:00.000+01:00

New pics after finishing with the a-arms and shocks brackets.

I JUST LOVE IT!

Just look at what it was like in July 2006, when I bought it!

IRS

2007-08-14T01:08:00.000+01:00

Peter mounted the gearbox this weekend, so he could test the rear wheel fitment (7" Porsche rims...)
I love the stance! And it's fully adjustable...

For the work done, please look at:

Removing Westfalia Hook
Removing Engine and Transmission
Removing Original Springplates
Back Is Empty!
IRS Arms Dismantling 1
IRS Arms Dismantling 2
IRS Brackets
IRS Brackets Positioning
IRS Brackets Welding
IRS Gearbox
IRS Arms Fitted
Adjustable Springplates
Shift Rod
Gearbox Fitted
Adjusting Camber
Checking Drive Shafts
Rear Shocks
Modifying A-Arms 1
Modifying A-Arms 2
Modifying A-Arms 3

Nose down...

2007-08-05T02:58:00.000+01:00

The front is done, so now the Vinestard has this curious stance.

Low and narrow on the front! Cool. Now it's time for some IRS job!!!
Look at Peter's son enjoying the little cruise...

Nice ultra-narrow result, with those high ET Porsche rims and low profile Kumhos

Damn good!

Dropped spindles

2007-07-28T13:31:00.000+01:00

The old spindles, 44 year dirt...

Worn pins and bushings

Precious Californian dirt from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s...

Destroyed shims

The new beam installed and waiting for the revised dropped spindles and new king & link pins...

Here we are!

Over 7000 visits!

The PBW Airbeam

2007-07-24T20:11:00.000+01:00

Peter projected his own air beam some time ago:

4" narrower than stock, adjustable via airbags or standard racket adjusters

Last year he was testing it on his samba bus...

The beam was still needing its definitive upper brackets for the bags...

Then he created the brackets

Last week he welded the upper brackets in place:

Bags lower brackets were also fitted:

Peter cleaned the swing lever and the trailing arms

Then he cutted the leaves 2" (5 cm) each side to the new 4" (10 cm) narrower airbeam and welded them together again.

Then he painted the beam and put in the new bushings:

Installed the bags and the trailing arms:

The finished beam:

The original steering idler pin needed a substitute...

It arrived together with the new mounting kit, track rods and track rod ends.

New pin installed:

Track rods were shortened and rethreaded:

The old beam could be taken off after some clever work to remove the shiftrod, the clutch cable, the mechanical brake cables, the tie rod steering bar:

The Vinestard is now impatient for the new beam...

Got dirt?

Leaves that were broken:

And the new beam is on!

See the original PBW logo on the brackets:

The bag is very near to the heater tube. Peter reworked the upper bracket to avoid cutting the tube. I hope it doesn't touch when working!!!

Next come the dropped spindles and the 944 brakes... stay tuned!

Low-Budget Wheels & Tires

2007-07-12T11:11:00.000+01:00

To begin, I was needing a set of cheap tires and wheels.

I chose one of the lowest-valued Porsche-pattern wheel around (if you exclude spare rims of course). The unfamous Teledials (Telefon, Phone Dials or how you call the rims from the Porsche 924/944).
I found a set on eBay Germany that are beautifully painted gloss black in the center and have polished edge. Highest effect at minimum cost.

6 x 15" ET52 front
7 x 15" Et23 rear
(hope they fit!)

Then I had to think about the right tire size to match the rims and to have the right stance and driving.
Again I had to find cheap ones so I bought these from Delticom in Germany:

175/50 R15 front (avoids rubbing on top + not too narrow + right for 6" rims)
215/60 R15 rear (permits cruising at reasonable speed + good for 7" rims)

On the front, even if the tread is 175 mm like the original, it seems much wider.

Shoulder is now /50 instead of /80, so the tire is indeed much lower (more than 10 cms in diameter, so it lower the vehicle by around 5 cms).

On the back the difference in width is clear (175->215 mm)

The rear diameter changes only by a pair of cms (lowering the bus of around 1 cm)

Evident difference between front and rear tires!

But I could find a very similar design. Lucky man!

Peter had the tires installed on the wheels. Cool sight!

Peter's doca vs The Vinestard

2007-07-10T11:24:00.000+01:00

On Sunday night (1 July) we reached Peter's house near Bruxelles.

He will take care of lowering The Vinestard.

Peter shot some pics of his doca next to mine.

THESE TWO ARE PHOTOSHOPPED:

Over 6000 visits!

European Bug In, Chimay, 30 June - 1 July 2007

2007-07-03T23:26:00.000+01:00

Spraying - Part 2

2007-06-28T09:37:00.000+01:00

Yesterday night i finished spraying. I'm quite satisfied. It's my first time and the paint is enough even for me, and that's enough at the moment. The color is a little lighter than I wanted, but it's all in all nice. Tonight I reassemble everything and take it to the European Bug In, then to Peter in Belgium for the lowering job.

Spraying - Part 1

2007-06-27T09:18:00.002+01:00

While most people were having dinner, I was at work... I sprayed the bed, then the sides and the roof of the cab.

This morning it looked like this.

Now I still need to spray the front and the back.

Bed work...

2007-06-24T22:09:00.000+01:00

The bed had been sprayed several times from previous owners during the years, but these couldn't stop hungry rust continuosly eating everywhere. Unfortunately some little holes are already present. First I removed the various layers of old paint.

I used a strong paint-stripper. This was the result. Romantic...

Let's see some less romantic details...

Then I used a metallic brush rotating on the drill.

At this point I put a layer of Remox (a deoxidizer) using a brush. I let it work for an hour, then I removed it with water.

After filling holes in an unorthodox way, I sprayed an antirust.

On Sunday I sprayed Max Meyer filler on the bed and other parts, and prepared the rest for final paint.

With my body I was at home working on the doka, but with the mind all the weekend at the seaside...

Dropgates removed & roof work

2007-06-10T22:34:00.000+01:00

Today I could remove the dropgates thanks to a special hammering screwdriver, this helps for working on the body and gates themselves. It looks cool too!

I filled the little holes of rust caused by many years of leaves sitting on the edge of the roof. Ready for primer.

I sprayed it with Max Meyer filler.

Volks'n'roll meeting 2-3 June - Chiaverano (TO)

2007-06-03T22:53:00.001+01:00