1971 Campmobile

[volks71folk]

I am in the process of doing some winter projects on my bus, so i have some questions for you all. I have been having problems with what i believe to be my ground wiring. My radio,cigarette lighter,my hazards all work when they feel like it. No problems with my outside lights, they all work. Also my windshield wipers work when they want, and when they do i have to take the fuse out for them to stop. My wiper switch does work sometimes. Does all this sound like a ground problem?
Here are some pictures of my fuse box, in the picture there is a silver square box connected to the fuse box on the bottom right. My fuse box is a little loose and when i was changing a fuse that box touched the body of the bus and it sparked, anybody no why? If it is a ground problem does anybody have a detailed description on how to fix this? I am not really good with electrical/wiring Where is the ground that goes into the fuse box?


Here is my bus




Here is my fuse box








I am also looking to replace my right rear corner, anybody here parting a 68-71 bus that has a good corner?




Thanks
Joe

[toolbox]

Sounds like an overall wiring issue. Is the windshield leaking onto the fuse block? You need to get intimate with the harness and a wiring diagram. The headlight dimmer should not have power on the case. The wipers sound like a bad park curcit. The hazard issue sounds like the switch falling apart, the fix is a zip tie holding the terminal plate on. Search The Samba for a detailed picture of the fix.

[volks71folk]

No water is getting in, i also have been going threw clutch cables for some reason. They are breaking at the front of the bus, i read that this could be because of a bad ground. Is that possible? What is a park circuit? I will look for the fix on TheSamba. Thanks for your help

Anybody have the body panel i need ? Does somebody reproduce that panel?

[Six Volt]

With respect to sheet metal, the consensus on best replacement seems to be Gerson aka Klassic Fab. http://www.klassicfab.com/marcos.htm

Gerson deals with split buses & some early beetle stuff, not sure if split corner is same on an early bay window. I don't know if he's even producing the rear corners. Call Ted's guy Ronnie at OldVolks/Bustoration. He should be able to give you options. http://www.bustoration.com/

I have no experience or opinion on these, but they are available. http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=9555702

Here's WW http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/Detai ... 11813356AX

An electrical short causing a clutch cable to break? That's a new one on me. I'm sure those with far more knowledge than me can weigh in on that. I would check the bowden tube at the rear near the tranny just to be sure that isn't causing any stretching problems. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... owden+tube Also, the possibility of it binding up front. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... utch+cable

[WideFive]

...

[Howie]

Check to make sure you have the little sleeve on the front where the cable bolts up. If not it won't pivot properly and snap

2X. When Bob helped me replace my cable when I first bought my bus, I experienced the same problem. Make sure it is not binding up.

[Six Volt]

Monkey Nut out of North Carolina is the closest distributor of Klassic-Fab metal. They keep a pretty good inventory too. Shipping is sure to be cheaper from NC as opposed to AZ.

They also stock Wolfsburg West metal.

They do lots of metal work on Buses and know what fits best, sometimes it's KF stuff others WW is best. See what they can do for you...

http://www.monkeynutvw.com/
(704) 373-2745

There you go. Another example of Aaron supporting the locals!

Check to make sure you have the little sleeve on the front where the cable bolts up. If not it won't pivot properly and snap

Great advice. And a likely cause of your problem.

[toolbox]

With respect to sheet metal, the consensus on best replacement seems to be Gerson aka Klassic Fab. http://www.klassicfab.com/marcos.htm

Gerson deals with split buses & some early beetle stuff, not sure if split corner is same on an early bay window. I don't know if he's even producing the rear corners. Call Ted's guy Ronnie at OldVolks/Bustoration. He should be able to give you options. http://www.bustoration.com/

An electrical short causing a clutch cable to break? That's a new one on me. I'm sure those with far more knowledge than me can weigh in on that.

This side of the Mississippi you need to call Monkeynut VW in Charlotte for the green panels. They do have bay panels available now.

If the main chassis ground is bad, the easiest path to ground will be found. On a bus the accelerator cable, clutch cable and drive axle are the easiest paths. This can cause failure of the components in whatever path is easiest.

The quickest way to fix your electrical would be have Kyle do it. He might also be willing to help you sort it for a lower fee. You have a bit of work to get everything working correctly and if you are not used to doing it it can seem overwelming.

[volks71folk]

Thanks for all the advice everybody. When my cable first broke i did not have that sleeve up front, so i thought that was the problem but after moving it up there when i put the new one on i still had a broken cable after another couple hundred miles. Wades Foreign Auto told me about the main ground might be causing this. Could the chassis ground also be my problem with my radio,hazards and lighter? (not sure how that works) What is the best way to check the main chassis ground?

I am going to call Monkeynut VW after the first of the year and see if they have my panel, thanks for the info.


Joe


Edit: I just read on theSamba that if the ground strap to the transmission is bad or dirty the connections to the cable carries the electrical load and that causes it to fail. I am going to have to check that out

[volks71folk]

I finally got my rear corner repaired. Thanks to David Leroux for the welding/bodywork. I would for sure recommend his work. Fair priced. Also thanks to Patrick for letting me know about Dave.

Started with this



Then





I forgot to take a picture of the panel after Dave welded it in. He welded that corner on then had to fab some metal for my fender. Great job.