[T2] 77 bus

[david raistrick]

first:

if the fuel injection worked before, it can work again.  for someone
with experience (ie, the right mechanic..), it's not difficult.  and
in todays world where every car is fuel injected and more and more
vintage cars are being converted to FI, you might be better leaving
it...

next:

where are you located?  as others asked - that goes a long way for
being able to recommend who could help you.   and don't forget the
baywindow forums on thesamba for recommendations.

third:

since we dont know anything about the history of your bus, can we get
some more information?    what's wrong with the engine now? (why do
you think it should be rebuilt?  who suggested swapping to carbs)

For most of us - we started working on busses when they were cheap,
parts were cheap, and our budgets were cheap - spending a few hundred,
or a few thousand, at a shop to have work done was not something we
could afford.   so we learned to do it ourselves (we still spent the
money - between tools, our time, a place to work, and wasted effort
and parts as we learned...).

in todays VW marketplace - where buyers spend tens of thousands on a
VW bus (that may or may not run and drive) (instead of tens of tens,
like most of us), recommending that someone learn it themselves is,
perhaps, not the right solution anymore.       Unless you -wanted- to
learn it, I would not recommend DIY on a vehicle with a
$30,000-$50,000 resale value anymore.

help us understand your budget and your plans for the bus?

A high quality type4 engine (which your '77 uses) rebuild is easily
$5,000-$10,000 in todays market (++ if you want something more than
stock quality), and that could be just longblock (the engine, without
cooling ignition exhaust or fuel systems).   In 2000, a mid quality
but reputable rebuilder would chart $3000-4000 for just a longblock,
and you'd see another $2000-$3000 spent to install it (remove old
engine, transfer systems to new engine, install, tune).      In todays
market, with shop labor closer to $100/hour, figure a lot more.

OTOH, if a motor just needs to be repaired (heads rebuilt, or perhaps
just fuel/exhaust/ignition/cooling repair/tuning), costs can be much
much much less, especially DIY.

A bus you're just going to tool around town in for fun also has very
different minimum requirements than a bus you plan to drive coast to
coast and camp/live in (for example).










On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 5:48 PM Deanah Alexander <deanaha at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I am agonizing over what to do with my bus. I had great plans to rebuild it
> myself, but it seems that is beyond my capability. I can read the books,
> look at youtube and still am confused. So now my plea for advice is: should
> I drop the motor and take it to get rebuilt by a VW mechanic. or
> should i just haul
> the whole thing over and let them drop and rebuild the motor ( plus I need
> to put in new gas tank. And how do I ensure that I am dealing with a good
> mechanic? I want to keep the Fuel injection but have already been told
> that is too hard, to just put in carbs
>
> --
> Deanah
>
> --
> Deanah
>
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