Some paint for the '67 VW Panel

[kombi1976]

I've had a lot of trouble getting onto THL lately otherwise I would've put these up when I took them.
 

 

 

 

O.k.......let me spell it out right now that this is not base coat or primer.
It's 2-pak with a matting agent.
I was initially going to get it done in base coat but after some discussion with the painter we both decided that it would probably end up porous and then I'm back dealing with rust problems in no time flat.
So he spoke with the paint rep he deals through and the guy recommended the matting agent.
My Panel is a bit of a test run actually.
The painter wasn't sure exactly how much matting agent to add to get the desired effect but by the looks of things he got it exactly as he, and I, wanted.
The colour is actually a Tamiya model paint colour called Desert Yellow.
Personally I think there's little yellow in it but there you go.
As you can see the light makes a tremedous difference to how it looks.
Apparently it took AGES to colour match.
The girl at the paint outlet did it once and my spray painter gave it a test run and it was wrong.
So it was back to try it again and he said it took all of her ability to get it right.
Then, because of the matt finish, it was virtually impossible to tell if there were runs or if it was dry.
All in all a fiddly and frustrating affair.
But the finished product is breath taking.
Just look at the side of the van below.......
 

 
Amazing, huh?
And reactions have been really, really positive.
After getting a whole lot of furry sound proofing stuff off the engine shelf by pure elbow grease, rubbing and sanding it back for ages and then cursing and swearing over the rotten paint the painter wandered out to the shed one morning after about 2 weeks work flat out and thought to himself "I've been painting cars for almost 30 years....why didn't I think of this?!"
All of his mates came over and looked at it sorta puzzled and said "That is weird but I LOVE it."
And then there's Steve at Kombi Rescue(who's doing the re-assembly).
He probably has the largest collection of VW Buses in Australia, grew up the son of a VW specialist and has done pretty much everything with VWs.
He was blown away.
If I'd gone on his recommendations EVERY part on the car would be Desert Yellow but some sanity prevailed and other stuff will be black, like the roofrack I have for it, although the bumpers and badge on the nose will be the same colour.
The biggest challenge for me the day I went to check it out was keeping my 2 boys out of the Panel.
Here they are with me below.
Bryn (3yrs) was continually opening the doors and then would go to shut them hard.....not great for a new paint job with no door rubbers!
But Rigby (who will be 2yrs in November) was insistent in trying to get behind the wheel.
What there ISN'T a pic of is just before the below photo when I was trying to get Rigby to stop trying to lean in through the windscreen frames to get to the steering wheel!
 

 
So there you are.
Some other decisions have been made too.
We've decided to use a heavy sand coloured canvas for the seats and I'll ScotchGuard them like mad to make them really stainproof.
Anyhow, let me know what you think.

[Nelsdou]

Kombi, I like it.  The body looks good and straight beneath it too.  That kind of a color you can do a lot with the trim, accents, in just about any color and still look good.

Nels

[kombi1976]

There actually isn't any trim to go on it; that's it.
The aim was a very subdued look, military style.
To stick trim on it would really defeat the purpose.
Besides, VW Panels didn't have much trim to speak of.
They put over-riders on the bumpers in the USA and the Deluxe Microbuses had chrome trim and bumpers but the standard buses were pretty pedestrian affairs compared to the American cars of the time.
Often the only chrome items were the hubcaps and many buses didn't even have chrome hubcaps, often having white or grey items.
And nothing on this bus will be chrome, with the possible exception of some old spotlights I have.

[recoil junky]

SSoooooooo, when do you want to come up and help me "powder" the Bronco.

RJ

[kombi1976]

Powder????

[recoil junky]

You know, like sheilas do to get pretty?? In this case "powder" means "to sand, primer and paint"

RJ

[kombi1976]

Oh, I'd be little help.
I paid for this paint job.
Wouldn't mind learning how to do it though and you see to know exactly how.

[recoil junky]

Bugger, I was hoping to get you up here to share some tucker and fosters and do some shooting.

Check out my new Bronco threadand you'll see why it needs a powder.

RJ

[kombi1976]

Mate, I'd love to come and do some shooting with you.
Clearly I have to do a North American trip some time in the not too distant future.
I need to visit Ol'John and you but I also have a number of Canuck mates who, and I quote, "will hunt you down like a dog if you come across this side of the pond and don't come hunting with us."
Remember there are plenty of spare beds for you and the fam if you make it Down Under.

[recoil junky]

Crikey, I'd have to take a month off work so's I could take in all the cool sites down your way. And I still wouln't get to see everything.

Not saying that there's not plenty to see here, like Glacier Park, Yellowstone Park and of course, my place

So are you doing anything special to the old pancake engine? Or is it going to be stock.

RJ

[kombi1976]

Crikey, I'd have to take a month off work so's I could take in all the cool sites down your way. And I still wouln't get to see everything.

Your point being?
 

Not saying that there's not plenty to see here, like Glacier Park, Yellowstone Park and of course, my place

Oh, no, there's practically nothing to do in the States...... :D
 

So are you doing anything special to the old pancake engine? Or is it going to be stock.

Originally this bus would've packed a 1500 single port engine with a Solex 28 PICT carb and governor (rev limiter) but it disappeared long before I bought it.....tahnk goodness!
As such the engine going in is a standard 1600cc dual port motor from a '72 Bus as far as internals go but there are a few add ons that should make it more reliable and a little more powerful.
The Solex 32 PICT carb is going to be replaced by a pair of Kadron carbs.
These provide more juice for each cylinder bank and will give it a tad more power.
The standard Bosch 010 dizzy has been replaced by a Bosch 009 dizzy and it will get a Pertronix pointless ignition insert to overcome the constant issues of replacing points and timing.
Makes it "set it and forget it" unit.
The compression will be low to enable it to push the bus up hills better too.
But the most significant improvement, at least in terms of looking after the engine, is the installation of an external oil cooler.
This is a popular item on Porsches but for some reason VW decided it was unnecessary on their aircooled vehicles.
For Beetles that's probably ok but Buses really can overheat in hot weather and since the oil is really the cooling agent in the engine an external oil cooler does much to prevent engine damage.
It involves tapping holes in the engine case for send and return lines.
It'll be mounted right up front with a thermostat at the engine end to avoid the engine running cold the entire time in winter.
The exhuast won't be standard either.
As it's running heat exchangers to provide warmth in cold weather I can't run extractors but the muffler itself is a stainless item that's much less restrictive.
Mind you, the biggest impact on the whole car is the conversion of the transmission and rear suspension from the original single control arm, swingaxle 'box with reduction hubs to the more modern IRS dual control arm suspension with CVs on the transaxle and hubs.
I'm talking a different language, right?
Basically swingaxle only had CVs on the transaxle so the camber changed everytime the suspension travel did.
That isn't so bad, except that with the addition of the reduction hubs, which were an attempt to give Buses more torque, the diff had to be flipped.
So instead of squatting like a Beetle does when you floor it split buses pushed UP.
Now, imagine you bump one side and put your foot down to drive out of it.
One side is slightly in the air, the axels push up and the wheel in the air, having no ground under it and and the tendency to head downward under power, swings UNDER the car.
Result? It rolls.
It wasn't a common occurance but it made them interesting to drive.
So IRS makes Split buses much easier to drive by having a fixed camber and with the use of a 70s Beetle gearbox, gives them a much better top speed comparatively i.e 60mph tops with swingaxle; 75 to 80mph sensibly and more using a hotter engine with IRS.
Anyhow my bus has been modded so it'll happily travel at about 65 to 70mph all day, or at least until the fuel runs out! :undecided:

[Alboy]

Looking nice Kombi
 
You are giving me the fever for another bus again.

[kombi1976]

Looking nice Kombi
 
You are giving me the fever for another bus again.

Look into my eyes.......
You are feeling very sleepy.......
You are now under my power.......
You WILL buy another bus.
You will not remember this and believe it is your idea.

[recoil junky]

No Kombi you were making sense to this Ford man. My father-in-law is a VW nut too. He had a Kombi but I don't remeber the year. I've also been around a couple Bugs. And of course there's the rol lcage a friend and I built and put a Bug front end and engine/tranny in.

And no you won't be able to hypnotize m. . . . . . . . . . .  



RJ

[Nelsdou]

Kombi,

I would imagine driving a bus 75-80 mph would be "quite thrilling" based on its aero qualities, weight ratio front to back, and the steering arrangement (driver position relative to front wheels).

I've "flown" Bugs a couple of times when driving highway speeds and suddenly hit high winds.  The light front end, coupled with smooth bottom floorpans tend to wanna go airborne when airspeed is high enough.

Can't imagine doing a bus over 70 without a good bit of ballast up front.  But then again I never thought they had enough horsepower to approach those speeds either.

Nels