This site is dedicated to our 1974 VW bus (read the history to learn more about how it all started) and the restoration project that it will undergo for the coming months. I start with no formal training about car mechanics, and I intend to do all what it takes to fix the engine myself, and restore the van completely so that it shines again. Let's do it!

Project Starts!
After two years of having a 1974 Volkswagen van parked in a friend's driveway, waiting for better economic times to bring it to a mechanic and having it fixed for good, I have decided that I will do it myself. And...
Initial Condition
The VW bus has been sitting in the same place for the past two years, getting none of anyone's attention. A lot of dirt has been accumulating everywhere, and the rust has been slowly increasing and eating away the...
Building an engine model
As a starting point for my van project, I decided to build a model of an engine to familiarize myself with the different pieces and how an engine works. My first thought was to build a very small engine, such as...
Starting Engine Overhaul
After many months of inactivity on this project, I am putting back on top of my priority list, and I seem to make the time for it. Last weekend, over Thanksgiving, Gwyn and a bunch of friends moved it out of Amy's...
Engine Removal
A week has passed since I started working on the engine, but I only work one morning per week, on Saturdays. When I got there today, the trailer on which the van was sitting had been moved around. The first thing...
Engine Stand
I decided to buy an engine stand to make it easier to work on the engine. With an engine stand, the engine is secured in place at a comfortable height, and it can be rotated along its axis to different positions.
Splitting the crankcase
Splitting the crankcase is the last step in the engine dissassembly, and probably the most exciting one along with removing the engine from the bus:    
Crankcase Internals
After splitting the crankcase, the work continues disassembling the different components inside:
Crankcase Inspection
After almost a one year hiatus, I've managed to resume the work of rebuilding the engine of our VW bus. After splitting the crankcase, the last thing I did had been to disassemble all of the crankcase...
Preliminary Diagnostic
Today I asked our friend Bernard Kiwia, who's visiting from Tanzania, to give his expert opinion on diagnosing what reconditioning needs to be done on the bus engine. Bernard doubles as prolific inventor, and VW...

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