Progress on the Nomad...

[vwbill]

Wow that is great News!! That's what you find with the 411/412 when you get them back to or better shape they are the nicest ride and when you hear the engine sing you remember what all the work is for.........zzzzzzooooooommmmm! Sweet hearing she's a drivver again! What setup did you go with for the front struts?? Once you get the Ac/Heater and a Paint job you will have the Utimate ride around! Auto too! I agree with the cheapy paint job complaint but you get what you pay in that area,lol! I do think if you do the body work and strip off all the parts for a easy prep you can take it to a econobake place for a reasonable exterior(ten to twenty footer)! I think it's just better to find a good place and pay alittle more and get a nice paint job! Congrates on the great project and letting us know how it was going and the pics! Wahoos, bill

[MGVWfan]

Thanks Bill and Uber...glad to know your Eber is heating Uber. Mine will be soon, too.

[MGVWfan]

If you're interested, here are some "latest" images of the Nomad...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_ ... lodeutsch4

[MGVWfan]

This is the last entry I'll post in this thread. Just an update for everyone. I've been driving the Nomad for the last 2 weeks and enjoying that Type 4 power! Those who've not driven a Type 4 can't understand it. I've driven a Type 2, and a 70's Type 1 (not Super), and there's no comparison. VW got it right with the suspension settings and drivetrain in the 412, I think. Bugs are neat, and Microbuses have a definite place in the grand scheme, but the Type 4 is in a class by itself.

I've been busy at work and with the (hopefully last) project car, a '76 Plymouth Duster /6, if you wondered why I'm not on as much as I have been in the past. I'll be checking in from time to time over the next few weeks, but I've GOT to get that Duster finished up and on the road ASAP. After I get the Duster going, I'll be back more frequently.

[vwbill]

Congrates on getting her on the Road!!! Wow, the engine looks sweet!! Man the underside looks clean too! Great Job!!! How is she driving? Are you having any frontend issues now? Do you have the AC going too?
Hey what is that peice attached to the intake tube on the left coming off the cold start valve? Must be nice having her as a driver! Congrates and great Job again!!! Thanks for all the post and god luck with the duster project! bill

[vwbill]

Congrates on getting her on the Road!!! Wow, the engine looks sweet!! Man the underside looks clean too! Great Job!!! How is she driving? Are you having any frontend issues now? Do you have the AC going too?
Hey what is that peice attached to the intake tube on the left coming off the cold start valve? Must be nice having her as a driver! Congrates and great Job again!!! Thanks for all the post and good luck with the duster project! bill

[MGVWfan]

Well...ARGH! After almost 50K miles of mostly trouble-free driving, the Nomad let one of my boys down today. It started stalling out, then started making a terrible clattering noise. He left it on the shoulder of TX3 not too far from the house, and went with a friend for a college class final exam. 90 minutes later, when he got back, the CAR WAS TOWED by the Harris County Sheriffs. They approved the tow 19 minutes after the car was left.

$250 later (!), it's in my driveway waiting for me to finish up a MoPar 46RH trans for a '90 Ramcharger to get finished up to clear a spot in the garage...ARGH! I'm hoping it's something in the valvetrain, like a dropped valve seat. Oil pressure was OK when running, the light went out almost immediately, so I'm REALLY hoping I've not spun a bearing. Mobil 1 15W50, lots of TLC, and it's down...oh well.

>>>UPDATE 7 DEC 2010<<<
Started pulling the plugs, the first one I pulled, #4, was wet with fuel...and looking down into the combustion chamber, #4 Intake valve seat has come out of the head by about 30-40 thou. Now I know what it is. Looks like I get to pull an engine and check for piston contact...I think I'm OK...I'm also going to check bearing clearances while I'm at it. Looks like some head work in my future anyone got a good recommendation?

[MGVWfan]

UPDATE...Greetings! Been a long time, but that's life nowadays, eh?

Well, after (1) rebuilding a Dodge truck AT in Dec/Jan, (2) buying a 1999 New Beetle 2.0/5 speed for my wife to drive (sweet little ride BTW, just have to remove the flower before backing out...), (3) replacing the exhaust manifold in #2, above, (3) fixing the psychotic door locks in (2), above, (4) removing the awful dullcote from the hard plastic parts in (2), above, (5) rebuilding a wire wheel on the 1967 MGB from bits of 2 others, and (6) trying very hard to keep my job in manned spaceflight with the end of Shuttle, I finally got time to tear down the Nomad's engine. It's got something like 80-90K miles on the bottom end, and the rod bearings are just starting to show some wear-through of the overlay...so, rod bearing time. Crank looks great, though I'll need to mike it to tell for sure. #4 piston did more than just kiss #4 intake when its valve seat popped out, there's a pretty good ding in the crown, so it looks like new 1.8L P&C's...#2 intake lifter started spalling, and damaged the cam lobe , so it looks like a new cam (and lifters)...next, the case will get split, we'll see if any other defects show up. Good news is, the piston/cylinder wear looks very light, just a bit of carbon after 40-50K miles, some light scuffing of the piston crowns, nothing evil going on there, so the D-Jet must be working OK (not too lean/rich).

[MGVWfan]

Well, to all my friends on the STF, greetings. Been occupied with life, including the new NASA spacecraft, Orion...Ray will enjoy hearing all the fun and games we're going through on Orion. Anyway, the Nomad is still in the garage, waiting for $$$ so I can go fix it. In the meantime, I have had to replace a Ramcharger due to wreckage , and that involved bringing an '02 Intrepid back from Austin and replacing it with a '99 Subaru Legacy (love the boxer engine)...so, still waiting for time/$$$ to fix the Nomad. In the meantime, the MGB wnt over 10 years, and started needing stuff (2 new wire wheels, front suspension work, etc.), then it's the Duster needing a complete front end overhaul...I PROMISE I will get back to the Nomad in 2012! I have a '99 Beetle alternator mod for the 412 I have been speccing out...and replacing the ND 10PA15 A/C compressor with something a little bigger...

[MGVWfan]

Update...hopefully getting back to work on the 412 this month...work's been way crazy, lots of trips to Denver and/or KSC since I last posted. Also, lots of fun and games with family cars...

The Subaru got rear-ended by a 17 year old crazy Austin, TX driver, so the 02 Intrepid took its place, then it got totaled by a taxi driver not paying attention (never drive in Austin, TX, it's just too risky)...but fortune smiled on us, and my twins are now driving an 04 Golf TDI. We've also bought a CPO 09 Jetta Sport Wagon 2.5L, since we were running low on driveable cars .

Today, went out and pulled the turn signals, those front lenses are waaay too rare nowadays, I realized one dropped part on that end of the car, I'd be looking for another lens yet again. Also started scoping out the rear fender R&R, need to get in there and paint the inside of the rear fender/air intake area. Going to use self-etching primer and New Ford Gray engine enamel, for heat and fuel/oil spill resistance.

Been thinking about how to upgrade the A/C condenser system, maybe be able to remove the "chin spoiler" condenser entirely, also how to upgrade the alternator to get closer to 80A at idle vice the 55A alternator's puny ~20A at idle, or the "big" 70A alternator's ~30A. With A/C, I really need more like 60A at idle to charge the battery and run headlights, etc. Hopefully, more to come.

Oh yes, and get the engine back together