Update to the saga

The head is still sitting on the ground tonight, I stretched out the pushrod tubes a bit after painting them and decided to fix the thermostat bracket attach point before I put anything back on. It seems like last time I did the re-seal job I didn't stretch the tubes, which could be what contributed to the leak after I started moving stuff around to fix the alternator.

Anyway, someone decided it would better to cut the stud for the thermostat off flush with the case rather than unscrew it. So I tried to drill it out, using progressively larger drills until I reached the size specified for an M8x1.25 tap. I tried the tap, and it didn't work. It was removing pieces of the old stud as it tried to cut the new threads, and generally it just made a big mess. So, I got out the fixer. Drill the hole bigger, and shoot a helicoil into the hole. Problem solved. New stud installed.

The new tarboard was as much fun this time around as it was last time, and the time before that on someone else's car(read: It sucked). But I am loving the dremel tool I picked up last night, with a sandpaper roller I was able to clean up the edges after I trimmed the tarboard, and I managed to get it installed and bring every single tab through when I pushed it up against the firewall. Even new it doesn't look all that great, and the old tarboard seemed to turn hard as a rock as soon as I got it installed, but I guess I want to keep it stock so I put tarboard in again. Maybe next time I'll try something else.

I bought new sled tinware, the only kind I could find. It didn't fit. Insert the dremel tool again now sporting a cut-off wheel. After some trimming was done it sorta fits, and can probably be persuaded the rest of the way with a little touch-up work tomorrow. Did I mention how awesome a dremel tool is?

The tips of the valve adjuster screws on the passenger side are all mashed flat and have pits in the metal. Total crap, only been on there for a few thousand miles. Going to buy new ones, maybe spring for the swivel-foot dealies if the wallet cooperates with me.

I am going to try and get the passenger side of the top-end reinstalled tomorrow and then tear the drivers side off. Hopefully sometime this weekend I can put it back in and see how I did.

And I just wanted to send a big thank you to Mr. Bob Hoover for all of his contributions in recent weeks. It's just been really nice seeing a whole bunch of posts from Mr. Hoover lately. Keep up the good fight, Bob. You're in my prayers.

Chris

Reply to
halatos
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It is possible that the oil cooler seals need replacing.

Reply to
Jim347a

I checked..top of the case in that area is dry as well as the cooler adapter and the cooler. Hopefully it stays that way when I put it back together ;-)

Chris

Reply to
halatos

If you get tired, take a break or take a nap. You will do better work when you are rested.

Reply to
Jim347a

It never ceases to amaze me how LONG it takes to fix one of these old VW's when they have a problem. Between finding parts, making additional repairs once you tear into the thing to fix something else, or waiting for the paint to dry while you recondition other parts...it is just all very time consuming.

It's a Good Thing that the fat chic is isn't my daily driver anymore. I'd be walking/biking to work a lot if it was.....;-)

Chris

Reply to
halatos

Here is a link about potential oil leaks:

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Reply to
Jim347a

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Dear Chris and All,

What you are seeing is the side-effect of being forced to NOT work in the shop. I've tons of work that needs doing, half a dozen engines at various stages of completion -- and here I am forced to sit or lay around the house. So I end up playing with the computer, sticking my nose into other people's business. Which isn't always a good idea. Sometimes I forget to include a critical bit of information. Other times I fail to understand what the poster is trying to say, end up writing a thousand words about the WRONG subject :-)

-Bob Hoover

Reply to
Bob Hoover

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Like the rest of us! :D

Reply to
Jan Andersson

Bob,

Even the "wrong words" that you may write are enjoyable reading. Keep up the fight.

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Dear Chris and All,

What you are seeing is the side-effect of being forced to NOT work in the shop. I've tons of work that needs doing, half a dozen engines at various stages of completion -- and here I am forced to sit or lay around the house. So I end up playing with the computer, sticking my nose into other people's business. Which isn't always a good idea. Sometimes I forget to include a critical bit of information. Other times I fail to understand what the poster is trying to say, end up writing a thousand words about the WRONG subject :-)

-Bob Hoover

Reply to
Erik Dillenkofer

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Having to be inactive has got to be the worse but am glad to see you're keeping your mind busy until you can get back to the shop. Best wishes, Bob.

Reply to
Remco

Well here is where it gets frustrating. The good news is, the drivers and passenger side top end are back on, I still need to do the valve adjustment screw replacement but I figure that's done just as well with the engine back in the car. I guess I have what you could call a longblock again.

So I move forward to tinware. Most of mine is german, but a lot of the 'less important' stuff was thrown away before I got the car. I built the hoover bit out of angle aluminum a couple years ago and it is holding up well, and I put the tinware that hangs down on the rear cylinders in a few years ago. But I never got the original sled tin to fit with the engine in the car, and today I found out why. I've spent about 2 hours trimming ONE piece of tinware to get it to fit. Total, total crap. Nothing lines up out of the package. After a bunch of work I finally get to where the holes mostly line up and I find out that the threads in the captive nut are rather crappy, but I finally got the big one-piece deal on the drivers side installed. I wore out a dremel cutoff wheel in the process of doing so.

The two piece deal on the passenger side I have been working on for a bit but I got a bit miffed at how poorly this stuff is made and decided to take a break. If VW had to put up with this kind of crap quality control at the factory they would have never finished building any cars.

On the upside, I installed the new tubes for the heat, the ones that go between the body and the heater box. The old ones were the originals, cracked, and basically leaked all the hot air out so the little bit that did get into the car didn't do much good. Amazing, the original squeeze clamps were still in place on the body-end of the tubes and even more surprising, when I removed the rubber 'seal' that the OE VW style used..it literally looked brand new. Been on there for

34 years and it was still pliable and not a single crack on the rubber. I could even see the VW stamp and the original part number. The new tubes have a smaller ID on the ends and it just kinda slips over the body and the heater box with an interference fit, no seal required.

I need more sheet metal screws so I guess I'm done for today. I'm still hoping I can find the linkarm for the flaps so I can install those too.

Chris

Reply to
halatos

Welcome to my world. your right it becomes a chain reaction some times and the time to fix problem after problem can take alot of time.

take one that has been wreaked 5 times and had a dozen different people just keeping it running for 35 yrears.

Reply to
Kafertoys

Good to hear you are making headway, do all the work you can with the engine out of the car, it is allot less stressful and annoying. Keep us posted.

J.

Ps. You know you can get the complete rocker/shaft/swivel-feet as complete bolt-on units for aprox 150$ ? Have a look at

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Reply to
P.J.Berg

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