New to all this! A few questions if you don't mind?

[Stuster]

Hi all

Hello- and what a great forum!

I'm very new to early bay ownership. I cut my teeth on Beetles and building beach buggies in the 90s so no stranger to aircooled stuff- but bought my first camper this week- a '68.

It's not a show winner, but very solid where it matters and a few patches on the body work, and lots of new panels and paint. A mixed bag if you will. I have to say, when I got it home I had a bit of 'what on earth am I doing buying something like this!', I know what happens, you can't lave them alone and they suck money from you.... ha ha!

I have a few questions if anyone can help...

Steering- seems pretty heavy. The van is lowered 4" so is this to be expected? There are also a few strange cluncks etc, but it is not too sloppy- but should it be heavy?

Smell of fuel- I'm paranoid about the fires that can happen, as I have a little one strapped in the back and nearly took the engine out to replace fuel lines- Is there anyway I can check what's causing the petrol whiff?

Interior- it's missing a few things like table and buddy seat- which I quite like as the little one can play. However, if I want to put these in, are there any good second hand interior people? Also, if I want to put in a table, whats the best thing to do- not sure if I want to cut a hole in the floor for a recess.

Hazard Warning Lights- do we have these on an early bay? It has the usual wiring spaghetti from multiple owners so no idea what should be there and what should not!!

Last thing- I'm on Devon/ Cornwall border- who are the people to talk to for any work round here?

If anyone can help with the above- I'll be grateful!

 

[rickyrooo1]

welcome, read this about the petrol smell
http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=53229" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Araon]

Hi all

Hello- and what a great forum!

I'm very new to early bay ownership. I cut my teeth on Beetles and building beach buggies in the 90s so no stranger to aircooled stuff- but bought my first camper this week- a '68.

It's not a show winner, but very solid where it matters and a few patches on the body work, and lots of new panels and paint. A mixed bag if you will. I have to say, when I got it home I had a bit of 'what on earth am I doing buying something like this!', I know what happens, you can't lave them alone and they suck money from you.... ha ha!

I have a few questions if anyone can help...

Steering- seems pretty heavy. The van is lowered 4" so is this to be expected? There are also a few strange cluncks etc, but it is not too sloppy- but should it be heavy?

How is it lowered

Smell of fuel- I'm paranoid about the fires that can happen, as I have a little one strapped in the back and nearly took the engine out to replace fuel lines- Is there anyway I can check what's causing the petrol whiff?

Read the fire risk thread in tech

Interior- it's missing a few things like table and buddy seat- which I quite like as the little one can play. However, if I want to put these in, are there any good second hand interior people? Also, if I want to put in a table, whats the best thing to do- not sure if I want to cut a hole in the floor for a reces

Place a wanted ad on the for sale

Hazard Warning Lights- do we have these on an early bay? It has the usual wiring spaghetti from multiple owners so no idea what should be there and what should not!!

Last thing- I'm on Devon/ Cornwall border- who are the people to talk to for any work round here?

If anyone can help with the above- I'll be grateful!

 

[67panel]

import?is it LHD ,I think if it is a US spec then it will have hazards,UK spec then no not fitted.(but might have been an option)welcome to the 68 club ,the O my god where do I find this one year only bit?????
edit ,should have looked at your other post first whats the build date.thats the numbers top left on the M plate as in day/month.




dave--------if my bus was any earlyer it would be a split.

 

[stokeseys]

hi and welcome.
on my way down to woolacombe two weeks ago and ended up on the back of an AA truck. a couple gave me a number for volkswerke in taunton. Derek was very helpful and fitted me in. 20 mins later i was back on my way.

 

[aogrady]

Hi all

Hello- and what a great forum!

I'm very new to early bay ownership. I cut my teeth on Beetles and building beach buggies in the 90s so no stranger to aircooled stuff- but bought my first camper this week- a '68.

It's not a show winner, but very solid where it matters and a few patches on the body work, and lots of new panels and paint. A mixed bag if you will. I have to say, when I got it home I had a bit of 'what on earth am I doing buying something like this!', I know what happens, you can't lave them alone and they suck money from you.... ha ha!

I have a few questions if anyone can help...

Steering- seems pretty heavy. The van is lowered 4" so is this to be expected? There are also a few strange cluncks etc, but it is not too sloppy- but should it be heavy?

Smell of fuel- I'm paranoid about the fires that can happen, as I have a little one strapped in the back and nearly took the engine out to replace fuel lines- Is there anyway I can check what's causing the petrol whiff?

Interior- it's missing a few things like table and buddy seat- which I quite like as the little one can play. However, if I want to put these in, are there any good second hand interior people? Also, if I want to put in a table, whats the best thing to do- not sure if I want to cut a hole in the floor for a recess.

Hazard Warning Lights- do we have these on an early bay? It has the usual wiring spaghetti from multiple owners so no idea what should be there and what should not!!

Last thing- I'm on Devon/ Cornwall border- who are the people to talk to for any work round here?

If anyone can help with the above- I'll be grateful!

Hi,

Welcome along!

Steering is heavy at parking speeds, though if new ball joints, lowered etc, it could maybe make it heavy, tyre pressures etc. Maybe you need to ride in another one to compare? The lowering may cause the ball joints to run at the end of the travel, that wont help, maybe some noise from this area too?

Fuel smell. Needs sorting right away, look at the thread as mentioned, and replace all the rubber lines and filter, they could be years old and about to fail. Fit the fuel filter under the gearbox, not in the engine bay. May just be this, but the vent hose on the tank and filler can split too, engine out to fix - or even if someone has drilled and screwed into the wall under the seat bed, the tank isnt that far away!

Interior, look in the for sale, post a wanted add, your best bet for that.

Hazards, as mentioned, standard on USA buses, not on UK earlys.

As for people to work on them, I live in Barnstaple, here are some for you, and have a look at my thread, I have used recently Bob @ Restohaus, Barnstaple, and Karl @ Beetlebank in Westwood Ho! Other people are Ian at South West VW's in South Moulton, or further down in Cornwall is Evil Bens, or Scott Wilson, are a few of the top of my head.

You are more than welcome to come over to Barnstaple for a mooch around my van, or come over to the Big Sunday VW show in Croyde, Bank Hol Sunday

https://www.facebook.com/BIG.SUNDAY.1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers,

Alistair

 

[Stuster]

Hmmm with regards to the fuel smell and link to the post with the breather diagram- I do not appear to have anything like that fine array of pipes!

For a start I have a pancake airfilter so nothing is attached to it...

There is a breather pipe seemingly to come off the filler area, go around the top of the tank and into it somewhere.

Should it have as the plan at http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=53229" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or do some buses not have this- I had the old Haynes manual out which only really talks about the charcoal canister set up.

Call me paranoid- but the van is parked in a garage which is below my bedroom and next to an oil tank..... so I'd like to make sure it does no go up in smoke below me.

I think I'm also going to fit battery isolator switches for security- anyone done this and where do they fit nicely?

 

[r73]

My bus doesn't have such an elaborate fuel vapour system. It just vents back to the filler thru the cap. This means you do get a slight fuel smell sometimes also the seal on the cap becomes more important so I never over fill it.
I think an ignition cut off works better as a theft deterrent or if you've got an electric fuel pump you could add a safety (alt light) cut off and a hidden switch.