Project Fleetline

[retrovan]

Well done Sean,
Now you have your own Pride and joy...
Sure you will NOW start spending money to make it your own..
Enjoy...

[beetlefanatic]

Well done Sean! I really like the end result. Hope mine will look that nice when it's been redone.

[splitbusahollic]

nice Sean...
did you get the gearbox sorted ?

[sean]

Wait, it’s not completely finished. Only when it's back from upholstery and I complete the first road trip will it be completed.


@Spltbusahollic. No, the problem is not sorted. I am still going to have to take the gearbox out. I should have another weekend at home in a month’s time and I can take it over to Andreno Motors to strip the gearbox. Thank goodness though that it is not such a mission as the baywindow with the type 4 motor to take the gearbox out.

The 4th is liveable with for the time being till next month, I just have to hold it lightly if I want to accelerate hard.

[sean]

I also spent time this past weekend restoring these original tail light lenses. As the original colouration was disintegrating and peeling off I cleaned them off completely and gave the lenses several coats with a glass stain.

I polished the outside of the lenses with the buffing machine and they cleaned up beautifully.

[Dawie]

Nice...
How did you remove the old "peeling off" colouring on the inside?

[Donovan D]

Nice work Sean,
I also have a pair of rear lenses that looks like the one in your first pic.

...What Dawie said. ???

I also sprayed the spots on the fasty with yellow glass stain. I have never connected it so not to sure what heat does to it

[sean]

Nice...
How did you remove the old "peeling off" colouring on the inside?

Lots of time with a very small screw driver and scouring pad. As the old tinting was in a very bad condition it wasn’t that difficult to get it all off. I just had to use the tiny screw driver in all the grooves to clear the remains.

Afterwards it was scouring it on the inside with lots a water.

Finally it was several layers of the glass stain. Probably about 10 layers.

[fig]

I've restored several taillight lenses like this. The only difference is I only removed the flaky original stain and left the stuff that didn't come off with a nail brush or thinners, then painted over it with new glass stain. Once it was painted you couldn't see any signs of the old stain.

I found I needed multiple layers of stain and I alternated the lens right side up/upside down when drying to ensure even spread, otherwise all the stain just flowed into the "valleys" and left the high points clear.

Your Fleetline is looking fabulous Sean. Well done!

[sean]

The interior is nearly there. Just the back seat rest is still outstanding.

Firstly it just looks so much better, but secondly the soundproofing also made a huge improvement.

I am quite happy with the colour; it looks quite grey in the photos but is almost between a cream and grey.

The middle seat is standing the wrong way round, I was keen to have it this way but with the spare wheel arch it doesn’t work very nicely the way it currently is.

[sean]

Pic of the engine while I was still busy with the alternator. Don't worry about that voltage regulator; it was going to be mounted on the fan shroud where it is until I put the air intake back on. I later moved it to the other side of the fan shroud.

[Bushpig]

Really a good looking ride, and congrats on doing it yourself. The costing is interesting and a nice reference. Looking forward to seeing it on the road.

[sean]

Really a good looking ride, and congrats on doing it yourself. The costing is interesting and a nice reference. Looking forward to seeing it on the road.

Almost, besides the interior. With my Baywindow being a camper I was able to do the interior myself, but wanting it like this I had to make use of an upholsterer.

Are you going to come check it out one weekend Bushpig?

[Golfmad]

Lookin' Good

[sean]

So, yesterday morning I took the Fleetline to work and when I got home I noticed a whole lot of oil had leaked out in the other brake drum. I went to inspect in the garage where it stood and it left a huge pool of oil.

Being pretty upset I parked it away and decided this evening to strip the motor out for the clutch and take the gearbox out to be repaired for the 4th gear and at the same time while it is stripped attend to all the gaskets and seals for the potential oil leaks.

The gearbox I will take in tomorrow, it was a little difficult to load with my other half being not to happy having already had to help with getting it out and then loading it into my other kombi but at least it's ready to go.

I stripped the clutch and flywheel, it's still genuine VW and it’s the 200mm later style clutch but the clutch plate seems to have been re-lined, it actually looks brand new but the surfaces on the flywheel and pressure plate don't appear to be even. Flywheel I can take to be skimmed and order the clutch kit.

I think this will hopefully be the final bit of mechanical attention to get it in tip top shape.