The StabbinWagon

[WhoGives]

And so it starts :





These photos were taken before it ended up standing for 5years. The last time it was used, it was driven to Splashy Fen, and ended up limping halfway there, and all the way back on 'three cylinders'. because of this, it was parked off, and never looked at.

When i first heard of The StabbinWagon, i couldnt resist inspecting it, and on inspection i saw that the all is in immaculate condition considering the age and history, and decided to have a poke around to see how serious this ' running on three cylinders' issue is. I ended up roping a buddy with a long beach buggy history into helping out, and within 3 hours, and around R300 worth of parts, she was purring on all fours.

The issue came down to: Sketchy leads, Badly worn Dizzy, and one sparkplug not being screwed in propperly
Needless to say there are one or two more issue that need sorting out before she's back to full health, but the above mentioned was all that was needed to get her driving again.

Mechanical/electrical issues as it stands:
1. Replaced the leaking Mechanical fuel pump with a slightly less leaky electrical pump(which is wired directly to battery terminal[safety first]) - FIXED
2. Starter only swings 43.6% of the time
3. From the looks one of the two carbs are horribly out of tune
4. Gearbox/engine oil change much needed
5. Exhaust is currently glorified meche
6. No working lights/indicators/dash clusters[would anyone know where i can get the wiring diagrams for this] - MOSTLY FIXED BAR BRAKELIGHTS
7. Handbrake cable snapped
8. Brakes tend to change steering direction(Most likely due to standing for 5 years)
9. Steering has about 30+ degrees play (already discovered front most tie rod end is shot)
10. Both rear wheels have one wheelnut missing, one stud had to be ground off as it was seized solid.
11. This list is very likely to grow.

What I'd like to do:
1. Replace the Civic front seats with something with more class.
2. replace all lights with exception of headlights (only one of these does not have a chip or a crack)
3. Get the Drivers to open and close [another one of those safety features] - DONE
4. replace Door Rubbers
5. Get the original seals/rubbers that are missing all round
6. Get interior(will include fridge, seats, bed, and possibly surfboard/skateboard rack)
7. Considering installing windows on the raised top.
8. Needs new VW badges front and back. - FRONT FOUND
9. This list is even MORE likely to grow

So thats about the gist of it so far. Suggestions, comments and advice are welcome and would be appreciated.

[snoeckie]

Good luck with your build there

[Retrobug]

nice looking bus

[jolas]

the shaggin er stabbinwagon is looking cool, congrats There is a similar looking bus in Montague, belongs to Ryno.
Door rubbers, try calooker on this forum, also for your lenses, etc. Pro Auto Rubber also supplies door and widow seals.
Are you still in Durban ? Dude, I know that these busses are the ultimate surfers vehicles, but regular visits to the ocean will be the death of this bus, especially in Durbs with the humidity and all
Also with this bus being in such good nick, keep those roof gutters caked with Tectyl or a similar waxy product, these high roof busses rust very fast in the gutters, or where the fibreglass roof meets the roof metal - a difficult repair when it gets rotten ....
Yes I agree, ditch the front seats, (and that front rim )

[WhoGives]

Thanks guys.

Door rubbers, try calooker on this forum, also for your lenses, etc. Pro Auto Rubber also supplies door and widow seals.
Also with this bus being in such good nick, keep those roof gutters caked with Tectyl or a similar waxy product, these high roof busses rust very fast in the gutters, or where the fibreglass roof meets the roof metal - a difficult repair when it gets rotten ....

Shot for the info and suggestions. Will definitely do so.

Yes I agree, ditch the front seats, (and that front rim )

Already ditched the wheel covers. Had a bit of a scratch around under the dash to see if i cant figure the Lighting issues out. Ended up discovering so much hackery and dead wires, even before having any wiring diagrams to follow.


The after Market horn button that was added was wired up with grey AC appliance wire, and instead of just rerouting the wires from the old horn, it was sliced in on the loom at the passenger side on the floor

I've also discovered a Dead Alarm and anti-hijack system plugged into the loom. This seems to be half decently done, and i'll most likely consider reusing it.
I was able to get all indicators and park/headlights up and running again, which was put to immediate use by taking a cruise up and down the beachway.

[DriftZ]

Happy Birthday Boet.

[WhoGives]

Dankie meneer.

Tis Thursday only. Had a bit of an early celebration today.

[WhoGives]

Morning All.

Just some minor updates as cash flow is a bit tight lately, putting bigger tasks a bit on hold:

started polishing and cleaning some odd bits:
The Cabin neede a washout from front to back:


Then the HUD:







next were the Headlamps:








the other silver bits soon to follow

Replaced the Fuel pump with a new one as the old one had a tendency of emptying out the fuel tank on the floor when the car was parked. I also need to get the one carb tuned as the motor is at a loss of power and is running really rough. Any pointers?

[Retrobug]

Dude!
What did you polish the headlight reflectors with
Looks fooking awesome!

[WhoGives]

Appreciate it.

Fort the most part Meguiar's cleaner wax did the job. for the Chrome surroundings i used super fine grade water paper just to get rid of the spots, followed by Cleaner wax.

[WhoGives]

A bit of an update.

I've had the car in at Vdub Sport where France has given the van a bit of a look over mechanically. sorting out quite a few things:
2 New CV boots
2 New Gearbox mounts
New Alternator bracket
Tie rod Ends
New Ignition Barrel and Key
Rear Brake Cylinder
Reset Tappets(apperantly cylinder 3 was kept open permanently)

He's also adjusted the timing and given the carbs a bit of a once over, however somethings still odd.

I've also managed to source some bits from the UK to help out Visually:


So now I'm sitting with the following issue. When the motor is cold(just after start up), it runs strong, the idle could use attention, but it pulls well. As soon as the motor warms up, its like I pulled up the handbrake. It goes from clocking 80km/h on the highway uphill without a struggle, to barely being able to get 50km/h on a flat surface when its hot.

Any suggestions what could possibly be causing this?

[WhoGives]

A bit of an update.

I've had the car in at Vdub Sport where France has given the van a bit of a look over mechanically. sorting out quite a few things:
2 New CV boots
2 New Gearbox mounts
New Alternator bracket
Tie rod Ends
New Ignition Barrel and Key
Rear Brake Cylinder
Reset Tappets(apperantly cylinder 3 was kept open permanently)

He's also adjusted the timing and given the carbs a bit of a once over, however somethings still odd.

I've also managed to source some bits from the UK to help out Visually:


So now I'm sitting with the following issue. When the motor is cold(just after start up), it runs strong, the idle could use attention, but it pulls well. As soon as the motor warms up, its like I pulled up the handbrake. It goes from clocking 80km/h on the highway uphill without a struggle, to barely being able to get 50km/h on a flat surface when its hot.

Any suggestions what could possibly be causing this?

[jolas]

Go for a spin and when you get out of the bus, feel each rim, its possible that the brakes might be binding ........... a feeking hot rim will confirm this. Usually you will smell it - I discovered this on my bay window bus recently

[WhoGives]

Go for a spin and when you get out of the bus, feel each rim, its possible that the brakes might be binding ........... a feeking hot rim will confirm this. Usually you will smell it - I discovered this on my bay window bus recently

Ill give that a try, however i doubt this is the issue, as the Wagon also struggles to stay alive and is almost impossible to start when its hot.

[jolas]

Yeah unrelated to binding brakes then - hopefully something simple like the timing or coil that needs to be replaced - good luck - is a 2l or 1600 motor ?