2.8L Chevy Adventurewagen

[fastmc25]

I guess it's been a while since i posted any info on the evolution of Clyde....

The bus is doing really well............ i've logged about 4000 miles on it so far and no problems to speak of.... On a 8 hour run across Texas this past spring i was able to cruise at 80mph for a good stretch.... the engine was very strong and never even blinked a hint of problems...... This thing runs at a constant 205-210 degrees on hot days and stays 195 on cold days..... (thermostat)... On that trip i logged about 12.5 mpg... i had a high cross/head wind for most of the trip....... Clyde won "Peoples Choice" and was named "King of the Road" .... at the Texas Classic... I have since rejetted the carb and gained my mpg back....i had up jetted it to see how it liked it.... ran great.... ate gas though....

I have since finished most of the interior to include the dual voltage fridge, sink , power converters. bed etc...i still have a few more things to do but i'll get there.... I'm having too much fun camping and driving Clyde...

I recently took him camping in Albert Pike Arkansas and he did awesome..... I got 21.6 mpg driving a steady 55 mph on the mountain roads..... so... slowing down helped a lot....

Anyway.... Clyde had some fun offroading that's for sure..... It didn't even blink on a 25-30 degree hill climb....But i sure did..... ........ or any of the logging trails or river crossings..... It's so much fun to drive...

Here are a few pics to hold yall over.....

[55superbeetle]

That bus is awsome. Im goin camping this weekend and seeing this really has me thinking

Great job!!!

[fastmc25]

Thought i'd pass on some good info..... Clyde just went on a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for a Vw Campout and Show. Around 411 miles each way.
He pulled the camp trailer i built full of gear up the mountain roads, steep grades and windy switchbacks with no problems.....often never downshifting for the hills.

To go with this he got 19.5 mpg on the trip consistantly going each way.....

Judges frowned on him but other folks loved him..... I had the best sleep i've had in a while while camping in Clyde. The A/C worked well so we slept like babies....

[metropoj]

To hell with the judges ! That's awesome .....

Did you get the new grille on yet ?

[fastmc25]

Oh yes, I got the grill last week.

I thought i emailed you... sorry......

Were you able to sell your parts? Hope all is well.

Peace,

[metropoj]

You did email me, I just forgot if you said you actually installed it on Clyde yet or not ....

[fastmc25]

I haven't i'm kind of saving it for when i damage the one i have.....

[superwrench73]

What kind of A/C are you running? It cracks me up when people frown upon our type of conversion. Why don't they frown on the fact that the bus was turned into a camper to begin with by a conversion company? If everyone left their rides stock, it would be a boring world. Awesome trailer!

[fastmc25]

It's actually a 5000 btu unit from Lowes.... I made a shelf support that hangs from the rain gutters and the unit seals off with dense foam..... works very well and can be installed in less than 3 minutes... The cables have been adjusted so they are a little tighter than in the pics.... This unit is super quiet and will chill your tookies off....

[fastmc25]

Since my Bay is converted to a watercooled V6 and with winter approaching i needed to come up with a viable heat solution..... I got a rear auxilary heater from a Vanagon. It is a fully self contained heat unit with Heater core, 3 speed fan and a water valve....

I built a console / box that fits between the front seats in the walk through area of my bus. When installed i'll run 2- 3/4" braided hoses from the engine through the heat tube in the center of the bus. .....

This will supply good low-high heat to the front floor area..... The fan blows strong on Med and stronger on high.....

Now for down here in the south this will be sufficient heating for a driver and front passennger..... I'm still working on a defrost adapter for the unit that will utilize the original defrost vents in the dash....

If nothing else it's an idea you can work from..... I notice we never address the heating after we convert our cars.... at least not much....

[WestyPop]

Clyde's lookin' good, Paul.

Are you going to utilize 'the tree' in your defroster plumbing, or did that disappear with the mods for the radiator up front?

Personally, I'm trying to figure out how to keep & use 'the tree', possibly even utilizing it for heat distribution rearward while on the road. My Westy's 'tree' can stay intact since its radiator will be all mounted out front, not the slick integrated Mexi-Brasilian style as on Clyde.

The overall size of that rear Vanagon heater module is pretty nice; hadn't noticed those before. And it looks like your cabinetry is top notch. Thanks for the info & pics.


J.R.
68 Westy
(+ others)

[fastmc25]

Hey J.R., Thanks,

I actually didn't loose the top of the tree...... I also retained almost all of my airbox up front...... as well as all defrost ductwork..

I didn't want to loose the fresh air available up front...... I am actually going to make a defrost adapter that will attach the heater to the tree when i need it..... It will be functional to say the least....

More to come.... Now i need about 20' of braided steel water lines to run to the motor.....

[fastmc25]

Here is a extra heater for sale right now on Samba...

http://www.thesamba.com:80/vw/classifie ... ?id=624143

The original plan was to mount this in the rear under the bed and duct it through the original center tube to the front like original..... The original dash cables to the rear can be modified to operate the temp... Then the system will reheat interior air and be controlled from the front like original......

But i got lazy.....

[WestyPop]

Thanks for the tip on the rear V'gon heater, Paul. As to the 20' of heater hose, what about running the major lengths in schedule 80 PVC, protected by the foam insulating outer covers. When my '68 Westy gets to that more-or-less finished stage, it's gonna get re-undercoated anyway, maybe even get sprayed with bedliner first. Seems like that would be fairly protected. The ends could easily be s.s. braid-covered flex lines.

As far as the A/C goes, I've got an under-dash unit(VPC?) and the Sanden compressor/bracketry/pulleys for the 2.8L V6. OTOH it doesn't seem like that will do much of a job at cooling down the rear/camper section of the Westy while on the road, so a clever & compact rear evaporator/fan/distribution box needs to get designed & fabbed.

Kinda thinking about something that might output toward the middle of the bus, but have its pre-evaporator intake near the rear; y'know recirculated A/C. Since the '68 Westy has the full height closet/cabinet on the right hand side, it might even be possible to put most of such a rear distribution system along the otherwise largely-wasted space on top of that, even running the refrigerant plumbing up inside, alongside the closet door.

Just some ideas at this point, but necessary to get the entire family camping from Spring to Fall. I really appreciate seeing your excellent work. Don't say "lazy"; it's "prioritized expediency"!


J.R.
68 Westy
(+ others)

[fastmc25]

Thanks,


I sometimes tend to over engineer my projects as i usually try and foresee any possible failure.. ... that's why all the S.S. braided hose..... I don't like walking......

I actually have a underdash unit and i plan on install it sometime.... . I have all the bracketry for my engine and a evaporator. I just need to get the lines made and buy the compressor......