Tuesday, March 19, 2013

First look at my new bus.

So I took a weekend trip to Ohio to visit Lynn, my girlfriend.  I got to see my bus for the first time in the morning time, around the 5th of October.  I got my eyes on it finally! I am super excited.  I have my keys in my hand, and I am heading out to the garage.  You saw it as the wrapped door.  So here is the bus at my first view.  Seems my nephew Dylan claimed Ruby for his own.  I have to keep the garage locked so he does not run out and jump in.  Currently the bus is gutted so it is not safe to play in.  We will get to that in time.  As purchased the bus was not road ready.  It was taken by trailer to the house, and driven into the garage.  I'm told it stalled out about 25 times going from the street to the garage.  A distance of about 25 feet.  So I knew from the start I had some motor work to get into. 

 Above is Dylan.  He is in love with the bus.  Honestly, so am I.

So this is Ruby, in her new home of Newburgh Heights Ohio.  In a cramped garage, but hey it has electric.  And for the most part keeps her dry.  However it is hard to open the doors on both sides. The work room here was quite small.  So on my first visit, I went to start Ruby for the first time.  Turn the key and ZILCH.  Dead battery.  Booo, and Dinner plans.  SO no work on the bus.  Off to dinner and thoughts of greasy finger nails, and wing windows.  After dinner I went online and looked up parts. I ordered my first catalog too.  EXCITEMENT!!!!!  So with the morning came a new battery, and a couple cans of carburetor cleaner.  While I was at the auto parts store I bought a new inline fuel filter, cause I figured if I have a dirty fuel filter it will never run right.  So back home new battery in I start the bus for the first time ever! So exciting and scary.  It ran but barely.  I backed out of the garage, and down the driveway to the street.  It stalled out, I started again, and it stalled out.  Once more, and yet again stall.  So I fire it back up, pretty much flooring the throttle, back up the driveway and in front of the garage.  Lift the rear hatch, and removed it.  I took a look at things, and to be honest they did not look good.  This is my first air-cooled Vw so I am learning as I go.  First things I noted where the broken hoses going to the fan shroud.  Then the grease and grime everywhere.  I mean everywhere.  The motor is CAKED with years of leaked and burnt on oil.  At this moment it is still leaking, and dripping oil, you can see I placed a piece of wood and cardboard down on the ground in the photo.  So I started by removing the broken piping to fan shroud and found that my INTAKE MANIFOLD was rusted out.  On the right side of the motor.  SO that put the brakes on things.  So I went ahead on what I could do to get ready for the new INTAKE MANIFOLD once I had located one.  I removed the air cleaner, and carburetor,  disconnected the battery first of course so as to not shock myself.  Since I had removed all these parts I could not start the bus to put it back in the garage.  And as I had to leave in the morning to get back to Philadelphia, I pushed the bus back into the garage, and closed the door.  This is not seeming to be the easy camping trip I thought it would be...
   

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