Well, it's been a while since I have had a chance to do any work on the bus, or update this blog. (moving cities will do that) Progress has been made. My dad and I have moved the Kombi onto concrete to make it easier to work on. We have jacked it up at the rear to make engine installation easier than when we removed it.
The engine is almost ready to be put back to together. All the internals have been tested by Retorque in Tamworth (I can't say enough good things about these guys, their service has been exceptional). The pistons, conrods, heads, case and crank are all in good order. The camshaft needed machining but it is also good to go and 8 new valves have been put in. The carbies need to be rebuilt but that is no major hassle as kits are readily available. Still scouring the net for a used factory EFI setup, but no luck thus far. Missed out on one 2 weeks ago and have been kicking my self ever since, as it was 90% complete. Shit happens.
Going to start some serious body work in the coming months in preparation for a respray. As I have mentioned before we have been very lucky with the condition of the Kombi and it's general rust-free state. The vehicle has obviously been in a rear end collision at some point and that it now evident as we have found a fair bit of bog in the rear panels.
As you can see this panel is not really worth saving so it will need to be replaced. This is another thing that amazes me about the whole V.W after market, I can purchase a brand new panel to fit this vehicle 30 years after it rolled off the showroom floor. There aren't too many other vehicles this can be said for. Sure makes my job easier!
Same story on the other side. Too much bog, so off it will come.
Below is a pic of the engine bay sans engine, gearbox and fuel tank.
Well that's about all for now, hope to have more updates soon.
