In honour of this job done, I decided to fire her up to get some clean gasoline into the carb, resettle the tires and clean up the garage a bit. The engine turned over OK with the starter, but wouldn't catch. I checked the plugs and found them dry, so the problem was fuel supply. Checking the fuel pump I found no fuel getting through, so I went and got some fresh gasoline and dumped in 10 litres. Still no flow. So I jiggled the flex tubing at the pump, and sure enough, got the prime going. With that, she fired up with just a few turns.
The engine certainly purrs beautifully.
I drove her in and out the driveway for a while. There was a fair bit of white exhaust when she was cold, but that settled down when she warmed up. I will have to watch the coolant levels. While I had her running, I checked some of the electrics for the first time. Was pleasantly surprised to find almost everything working: lights, wipers, gauges, right turn signal... but no left... will have to sort that out, and the radio came on, which I had not expected. It still does not receive any stations, but the light comes on and there is a bit of static. Not sure what that is about... will check further down the line.
The dilemma now is, what to tackle next.
The trunk (boot) needs cleaning up and painting, and then having the liner stuff replaced which will be the next project.
The bumpers need removal and rechroming. That will be a bit of an expense.
The big decision is what to do with the bodywork. There is some rust bubbling here and there on the lower panels... not serious, but still noticeable, and the whole undercarriage needs the surface rust scraped or sandblasted. I would like to do it myself, in keeping with the whole project, but a professional would have the tools and skills to do a better job. I think I will consult with the guy who did my Westfalia and see what he has to say.
It is very satisfying to have the car complete inside, and to find that it is very driveable, and ready for licensing any time. I will wait until the road salt season is over before I do that.
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