Now we have both a wheel machine and a tire balancer. Also adapter for balancing VW 205/5 (wide5 rims) pre 1967 that most tire shops don’t have anymore.
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Some additions to the T3 have been done. A axe with holder, perfect for campfires or trees and branches laying over small dirt roads. Also a 20 liter spare jerrycan have been mounted on the tailgate. I have two cans I choose between, one with diesel or fresh water. Good to have in remote places.
Just some random pics from last month on the T3 Highroof or as my son calls it “The Monster bus” 🙂
The old 1,6 CS diesel was a bit to slow in hills/highways (to the point it get dangerous in traffic). So it needed to go. I don’t going to race Lemans with the bus, I just want a more modern, stronger, cheap to drive (diesel) and most important RELIABLE engine that always work. First I was looking at a AAZ 1,6/9 Turbo engine but with a turbo it’s just another thing that can brake and these engines always runs much hotter. So I decided to go with a VAG 1,9 AEF engine, found in VW Polo, Golf, Audi and Skoda Felicia.
THE NEW ENGINE
I managed to find a really lowmilage 1,9 AEF diesel engine from a Skoda Felicia, year 2000. But it is not just to bolt this engine in the bus and drive, a lot of stuff need to be changed and parts from the 1,6 CS need to be re-used and modified. But its probably the easiest conversion you can choose, if your thinking of using a non standard engine in your VW T3 diesel bus.
TRANSMISSION
While the engine is out I will also take out the transmission. And make a check up, change shifter couplings, linkage bushings and gaskets. Upgrade driveshafts to stronger, Porsche. Upgrade the differential with a difflock from Weddle Ind. In a standard “open” differential, torque is divided equally between the wheels. If one wheel slips and spins, only a fraction of the torque is utilized. The difflock eliminates this problem. Power will always be delivered to the wheel with the most traction to keep you moving instead of getting stuck, up to 100%. Then it we can do some serious off-roading 🙂
More to come soon! #vwt3overland
If anyone need new wheels, tires, installed and balanced to a good price. Send me a message on: info@maindrive.org
After a weekend of work on the bus roof its now in primer! Finally. It needed a ton of work, was alot of gelcoat cracks that needed to be sorted. And the left rear corner of the roof had been hit earlier in the bus life and needed to be fixed up nicer. Will test fit a new Fiamma rooflight/ventilation and then I can continue with the bodywork on rest of the bus. Looking forward to paint! But still a long way and lots of hours left…
Here is some news on the build. Got the fuel tank installed today. With new fuelfiller neck, feeder hose, sender unit, tap and filter. Also replaced all rubber hose connections for the tank ventilation. Next time I will start bodywork on the huge roof…lots of fun…
Started to get the other side done, blasted, painted and new bearings and seals. Waiting on some new parts from JustKampers and hopefully I can put the bus back on its own wheels this weekend for first time in 6 months. Also fixed the rusted and dented up front floor cover, blasted and painted ready to be installed when all wires and brakes are fixed.
Trying the fitment on the new wheels on Bennys T3 bus. Its going to be a badass car! 
Broken pieces of yesterdays life… 
A great documentary about the Volkswagen buses, hit the play button!
After alot of bodywork and sanding it was time for topcoat paint in VW Marsala Red H3D. Looks nice in red! Also got new Deepblack paint on the sun grey faded trim and parts like the front grills, handles, air intakes, wipers etc. I think all the black parts will match the black wheels perfect when its all together. The wheels from Germany will arrive this week and the other new VW parts from Just Kampers will be here tomorrow!
Time to sand the primer and fix small dents and scratches, and its alot of them both. When this is done a new coat of grey primer/filler is needed to get a good even base that needs a light sanding with 800 grit by hand before paint! Alot of work for sure!
All the places that have been sanded and sandblasted down to the bare metal have been painted with yellow 2k epoxy rust primer for protection. After this, all the small dents, scratches and imperfections in surface/metal after sandblasting etc have been filled up and sanded smooth and all the seams have been sealed up with new seamsealer. Then it was covered in yellow epoxyprimer again. When it was all dryed it just needed a light sanding before 3 coats of grey surfaceprimer was added. Now it has to dry a couple of days before it can be sanded down again, but this time more carefully and must be perfect! When this is done its ready for topcoat paint in VW Marsala Red H3H3.
Bumpers and some smaller parts is at the sandblasters at this moment and more new parts from Just Kampers in UK is on its way right now. Time to choose some cool wheels also, stay tuned for more pics and updates!
Maybe these 17″ wheels? 🙂
Some updates! All windows are out, all rust is repaired and the body have been sanded. Now the body work can start and I hope to have it in primer next week. Then its ready for more sanding and smaller bodywork before topcoat goes on. Maybe VW Marsala red paint?
Got some stuff done on the front beam/axle on the Highroof bus this week. Fitted new grease zerks to the beam, installed a new center swivelpin and bushings, test fitted the new brakebooster, 4 new needlebearings (made a tool so they were easy to pull out). They were seated 8mm inside the tubes. Used a old bearing to knock them in again, and then the tool the last bit. New dustcovers mounted too. Got the axle bolted up in the frame on the bus and during the weekend, I will start installing torsionarms, spindles, tierods etc. The bus starts to look really nice, atleast underneath! 😉 More pics coming soon!
Volkswagens original tool
Been in Barcelona, Spain with the family on a vacation and just got back home. Nice to see some sun instead of snow! 🙂 Going to start put together the front beam axle this week. I have all the new parts from JUSTKAMPERS waiting for it, and hopefully have it bolted back up in the frame on the bus. More pics coming soon!
Some more progress made on the Highroof bus. More parts have been sandblasted and painted during the week. The chassi is finally painted too, after months of hard work. 2k polyurethane paint with elastic attribute. Good if you dont want to have stonechips in the paint later on. Cant wait to start bolting on all the new parts on the shiney chassi, no more dirty work! Also got a NOS 1960-70s roofrack that will get modified to fit on the highroof, perfect for the future solarpanels etc. Got a spare BA6 Eberspacher burner too, will be good to take parts from when I start the restoration of the original one. Here is the pics…
Sandblasted and painted silver metallic. RAL9006.
BEFORE.
DURING. Straightned out and sandblasted baremetal
AFTER. Painted, also made a custom mesh in stainless for it but forgot to take photo.
Marinoyellow VW L20A period correct.
Painting tons of chassi parts in Deepblack paint at the moment to the Highroof bus!
Doing some really boring work on the Highroof Baywindow at the moment. Specially when it’s -20 celsius outside. Removing all of the old undercoating. Work that takes alot of blood, sweat and tears and is not showing much later, but good to know it’s like new under also. Only going to drive it on the summers anyway. Next time I can start sanding the chassi and lay a coat of rust protection (epoxy primer). Then add a new layer of fresh undercoating, that sort thats possible to paint over. So when it have dried for some days I can paint all of the underside in top color, VW L20 Marino yellow. Ready for all the new parts, wires, hoses, grommets, bearings, bushings, balljoints, steering rods, brakelines, servobooster basicly every nut and bolt!
When the chassi is painted and ready I can start restoring the frontbeam, transmission and get the Eberspächer BA6 working again. A really good and clever heater, much better then the older BN4 ones. Will be nice on chilly mornings in the spring!
Still looking for some parts if someone have for sale? NOS parts for BA6 is intresting, like sparkplugs (BZE22) etc. Also looking for a pair of the slider rail metal covers (held with 2 screws). Engine cooling thin and heatexchangers is missing. Send me a mail on: info@maindrive.org
Chassi parts that are going to be sandblasted and painted/restored.
No more undercoating. Just some wires and tubes that needed to be removed before sanding and primer. Here you can see factory grey primer and the orange overspray from body. When I am done with this chassi it will be better and nicer than it was from factory for sure.
Color on chassi will be the same as on the body, original VW color, L20A Marino yellow. Period correct.
Can’t wait to start bolting on new parts on the painted chassi!
Replacing all rust with new metal on Benny’s bus, the VW transporter from 1983. Hope to finish the rest tonight and then it’s ready for sanding/bodywork/paint. New rubberseals for the all 6 windows, new bushings for frontend and new mirrors from Just Kampers.
A short TV-serie from the UK. Traveling around in a Baywindow in Devon and all around the country. You can see them all on Youtube for free!
Got loads of brand new parts from Justkampers today. Wow what a quick delivery! Basicly a new bus chassi in parts. Removed front beam, torsionarms and brakes. I think every nut and bolt had to be cut, they were froozen stuck! But it dosen’t matter everything going to be replaced with new parts anyway. Need to remove all chassi parts for sandblasting and painting!
Yeah the winter season is definitely here. It’s -10 celsius (14 Farenheit) outside here in Sweden. But days like that are perfect for ordering new VW parts with a cup of coffee in the other hand. Im making a loong list of new parts for the Baywindow Highroof project and also new window rubbers etc for the VW T3 transporter. After 10 years of building VW’s I finally found a serviceminded VW part store that have great quality on their stuff too!
Im now buying all my new parts from JUSTKAMPERS instead. They are based in the UK but ships worldwide, cheap shipping prices and have the best service you will ever find from a VW shop. I can really recommend these guys, take a look at their website here!
I also got some stuff done on the Highroof, removed all brakes, masterbrakecylinder, booster, steeringrods etc front beam soon ready to get dropped down and put on the table for some restoration (new needle bearings, balljoints, bumpstops, kingpin bushings etc). Hope to get started on the metalwork on Benny’s T3 soon also…
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