1966 Volkswagen 13 Window Deluxe Transporter

This bus has been in my family since the mid 1970's. Shopping for food at Publix, vacations, going out to dinner with the family... all done in this bus. I fell out of this bus onto the street once as a 9 year old kid. Both me and my sister actually. We were heading down Busch Boulevard in Tampa, on our way with the family to see the 'Jungle Book', and when we turned left into the theater, whoop! Against the side cargo doors we went, they popped open, and kids spilled out onto the road. Nobody was really hurt, although my sister landed on her face. She was pretty bell-rung I'm sure, but we went to the movie anyway. As I recall, we were late to the movie because of the spilling-of-the-children, and we stayed into the next showing so we could see the beginning.

I remember getting in trouble when I got home, for tearing my shirt on the pavement. Another 'those damn shoes' moment.

On to the bus...

View out the front from the middle seat. When we were kids there was no middle seat, just the back bench and the front bench. This is not a walk-thru, so the only way to get into the back seat from inside is... to go outside.

Sun-baked interior panels. The bus was painted in 1986 and the seats were last done in the 90's. The majority of the interior is original German.

No JC Penney speakers in Germany. These are not OG.

In the process here, of sorting out the gummy fuel system. I drained the gas (5 gallons) and refilled with another 3 of premium, and then replaced the goofy little inline fuel filter. There are of course, clamps on that fuel line now. Anyway, it would crank on starter fluid, but would not get gas. I used a bicycle tire pump to give a little toot to the fuel port on the carb, and that popped the float needle free and it started right up. Ran like poo though, and would stall when warm and coasting to a stop. I found that out the hard way when I got cocky and drove it up to the auto parts store to get some spares and the thing died in the middle of the road. I had to do some scrambling to get it running and get home.

After some head scratching and book reading I pulled the carb and scrubbed it down with carb cleaner, and cleaned the float bowl and drain and main jet, and swished out the butterfly and took some varnish off the whole mess. Then I pulled the top off the carb and blew thru the fuel input and the spare needle was free, so I flipped it upside-down (which should close the needle valve) and blew thru it and air moved that way too. I swapped in a new needle valve in the float bowl and it ran much better.

I took the family for a little spin around the neighborhood and all was well, but when I got home I found noticeable levels of fuel in the crankcase mixed in with the oil.

So then I pulled the top half of the fuel pump and replaced the diaphragm and that seems to be keeping the fuel out of the crankcase. The bus still hesitated upon acceleration though, so I went ahead and replaced the accelerator pump diaphragm on the carburetor also. Getting better, but still seems down on power and hesitant. I'm going to throw in another fuel filter tonight, and then I'll check the fuel nozzle for the accelerator pump and make sure I'm getting good stream into the throat of the carb from the 'pisser'.

I cleaned up the front seat a bit too. Lots of dust in here...

...and the remnants of a few Lark Lights. Hmmmm... I wonder where these came from?....