Author Topic: Weather improving: time for the driveway mechanics to start!  (Read 2284 times)

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Offline kinggeorge13

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Weather improving: time for the driveway mechanics to start!
« on: February 25, 2019, 06:38:46 AM »
Ok, camping season is just around the corner as well as cruising weather!   Snow is gone from my driveway and other than it being a wee bit cold still, most of this week is supposed to be sunny and dry!   

This week (today) I'm going to start working on Bart.   This is how he was configured when I bought him:  1973 bus, tin top camper but has some cabinets from approx 1976.    Should have had a carbureted 1700cc engine but it’s been replaced with a Fuel Injected engine coded “GD” which is a 2000cc solid lifter engine from 1976/77, likely same bus as cabinets came from.   Folding bed likely original from 1973 as has front oval door.   5 Rib transmission possibly came with the GD engine from 1976/77 donor but I wonder if it's a year older since a 1976/77 GD engine I would have thought came with a 6-rib transmission.  Maybe it was an early 1976 engine and at the time were still being mated with 5 ribs?   Seems unlikely but either way, clearly this bus has had some kinda history with stuff replaced.   

Note that the AFM on this bus is a 6 pin (AFM 280 200 012 which was used from ’74-’75 to early ’76) which would mean that it’s replacement GD engine must be a very early 1976 engine as the 1976 buses went to a newer 7 pin AFM  later in 1976 (AFM 280 200 018).  I like the 280 200 012 AFM because in a pinch I can (safely according to some resources I've read) swap it with the 280 200 006 AFM in our 1979 Super Beetle which we had to do last summer so my wife could drive her beloved beetle around during the summer.   A couple months ago I managed to snag a good used 006 AFM online and have installed that into the Beetle and the 012 AFM back into Bart the Bus. 

I'll start with the basics and start narrowing down why the engine is doing nothing but turning over.  Hopefully it's got compression in all cylinders.   We only spent a few minutes in the car lot where we bought it seeing if it would start so I've done next to nothing diagnosisy on it yet.   Yes, that is a word because I just invented it.   

Just waiting for the sun to get the heck outta bed so I can get started.   

1975 Westy, Serenity
1975 Westy, Jack Sparrow
1979 Kombi, Pistachio
1979 Kombi, Oliver
1977 Tin top camper, Cosmos
1974 Westy, Garfield
1973 Tin top camper, Bart (now thinking he's 1976)
1974 gutted Riviera, Casper
1975 Westy, Stella
1979 Super Beetle, Penelope
1967 Fastback, Green Hornet