First topic message reminder :

Elk too, is no unfamiliar car. The story started here: The Elk - An Aircooled Volkswagen Type 182 [ O \ |_|_| / O ] as a quest to make Elk the Pakistan's Most Complete Aircooled VW and is going to be carried further on here.

Stay tuned while I update this introductory post and later the related updates in the quest.



National TV Footage of Coverage of 1st Multan Auto Meet December 23, 2012 - Featuring ELK

Also picked up this NOS VW 181 Only Ball Joints Set from the same seller as a spare set. Had bought a NOS set already in USA a while ago.

VW Part #s are: VW part no 181 405 361A (upper ball joint) and 181 405 371C (lower ball joint)

I'm nearing completion of sourcing all correct VW181 military accessories. Another less than a dozen items and I'm done.

With start of 2013, I had resolved to celebrate this year as the "VW181 Accessories Year" for Elk, and had initially planned to go slow on things but then it all ended up a roller coaster ride for last two months with hunting each and every single military accessory on the Military VW181 TDv Manual all across the globe.

There were items which take years to be found and there were items which were easily available. The point was not just to hunt them down but to collect all these items from across the globe and then bring them in. Most of you would understand exactly, how huge a task it could be with all the scarcity of parts locally and with the problems we all face in bringing in parts for our beloved VWs from abroad.

But in the end, a like minded Polish VW enthusiast who is settled in France, Filip, a true parts hunter; a true friend and a true human being was all that it took to achieve what has been achieved in such a little time. Whatever parts you have seen over the last two months that have been bought and put up on Elk's threads here and on pakwheels were somehow helped by this gentleman whom I have never met or broken bread with but he did what a very few would have done for anyone.

I will get to details of this roller coaster ride later in the blog, once we're done hunting the last of the few items that still remain to be bought (not hunted; the hunt has eventually ended and now its all about buying/bidding/shipping). For now lets return to the parts additions that has entered in the last phase. Here is a hard to find Military Voltage Regulator that I recently picked up in Germany: Bosch part No. 0 190 313 003, VW Part No. 113 903 803D



And here is where it goes/and is oriented on a military specs VW 181;

Just won these couple of rare items just a minute back at eBay.

OG Hood Cover/Boot (Black). Its original VW not a repro. Goes over the folded down Convertible Top and is secured by two straps over it to tie down the convertible top frame.



OG Front Windscreen Frame Cover/Boot (Olive Green). Another original piece, goes over the folded down Front Windscreen and is secured by the straps which you can see attached to the boot.

Won on eBay!

Jordan's Package just arrived from USA.

reezvaan wrote:

Probably the most difficult part to find in a RHD Thing/Trekker/Safari (VW182) resto is to find the RHD ONLY wiper motor and assembly. And no, its no verbosity, ask those who are looking for this part for YEARS (literally) now and without any gain.

Elk came with all but wiper motor. According to PO it was lost during repaint job long ago and was never recovered. Top of my WANTED list was the RHD "Only" & Thing "Only" wiper motor. After a wreckless search of 06 months I located one in the other corner of the world.

Blessing of being globally connected: Here is the rarest of rare; a working 74-up complete RHD wiper assembly with motor bought for hefty sum equal to price of a BEETLE here in Pakistan!













Its tested and working great. The pivot is in great shape too. All it needs is a little cleaning of the overspray and probably a re-paint job in Olive Drab before it could go on Elk

And now the most important delivery that I have seen in years...this particular rarest of the rare RHD VW182 ONLY SWF wiper motor has made its way to me just a while back too. Other than the fact that it has a couple of male connectors broke on the connectors block and kind of battered cover, it is in pretty good shape and so is the assembly. Thanks to Frank Walling, a replacement connector block would be on its way soon to me from USA too, so that this broke block could be delicately replaced and everything becomes in order. The cover would be changed with one of the covers available from 6v SWF wiper motors available in my stash.

Both Wiper Motor as well as Assembly would need some TLC before they could be presentable with matte black re-spray.





The broken tabs on connector block:

Mark's dad's had it for ages, and yes, it is NOS military voltage regulator for VW181/182. Have bought one already, thought its always good to have a spare of the rare item

Months of sleepless nights went into hunting rarest of correct parts from all over Europe for Elk. Now all these lavishly spent euros are heading home, eventually!

We've debated time and again on the original fabric tape that was used by VW to insulation the wiring on the VWs and until now it was only a wish to find one of these to go on as a part of the military accessory on Elk.

Found some in Germany and bought for Elk;

Elk has served as Commander Vehicle of AUSBATT Contingent with UN in its early days. It was equipped with Radio for the Commander to be in touch with the base. The VW181s equipped with radio were 24V as the radios were operated at 24V.

This was achieved by VW by adding a non-vw specific 12V alternator along with the VW specific alternator/generator. In following is the schematic how the radio was set up on the VW181s:








In 2nd last pic you can clearly see how the 2nd alternator was mounted to provide additional operational 12V for radio on the "Funkwagen" / radio car.

I have been trying and collecting radio parts for long now and had luck with OG antenna, a radio (SEM 35)and main crank pulley with two belts option with crank nut, as seen below;




Since then, I have been hunting for 2nd alternator and its mounting bracketry. My hunt took me to Switzerland to an old friend who himself is a known ARMY VW enthusiast for all times. He told me that he had a Bay window bus Oil filler/Generator Stand with 2nd alternator mounting option from an swiss army bay window. The strange thing is that the Oil filler is twisted (originally) at 90 degrees to the original oil fillers which we are so used to of seeing at our VWs.

Another strange thing about this setup is that unlike the 2nd alternator mounting schematic above, its to the right of the 1st generator stand than to be on left. Here are some pictures that he sent to me this afternoon.





The first thought that came to my mind after looking at these picture was; "there is still long way to go in learning about VW and its diverse ways of achieving high end objectives, which were surely well before their time".

Ever since I have owned Elk, i.e. since October 2012, I haven't folded down the top but yesterday night. Primarily bue to the fact that it was cold and then I have been driving around my 65 Bug for over last 3 months as my daily runner and Elk was stored away in its safe hiding. With spring at hands, it was a perfect time to fold down the top and enjoy some windy ride.

This morning, Elk saw its first daylight with its top down, in my ownership, for the first time. Below, its seen parked at work as I drove it to work today instead of my beloved OG paint Ratlook 65 Bug.

VW181s are known to have been distributed with two kinds of accessory winches based on their markets.

The 181s distributed in the USA are known to have been offered with a VWofA (Volkswagen of America) accessory winch that was original produced by Powerwinch/Leitchfield KY/USA and didn't exactly mount on the vehicle but was instead portbale. This winch is shown in below:





The Mexican 181s came with a different winch as accessory option that can be seen in the following Mexican Accessory Brochure:



My first priority was to find a correct Mexican Winch for my Mexican Safari but then it proved super rare, so had to choose on the different (read first option i.e. VWofA) option.

Found one on eBay and bid for it and eventually won it. Even though its not made by Powerwinch/Leitchfield KY but its exact as they Powerwinch produced for VWofA in past. Its made by Güde/Germany and is almost in brand new condition. Here are a couple of pictures of the exact item that I won on eBay.




It comes with following specifications;

Mode - Battery
Weight - 18.0 kg
Color - Black
Length - 270 mm
Width - 295 mm
Height - 200 mm
Length articles in the package - 350 mm
Width items in the package - 335 mm
Height items in the package - 245 mm
Connection - 12 Volt
Cable Length - 8 mmax.
Drawing force - 1800 kgmax.
Withdrawal force with pulley - 3600 kgmax.
Weight rolling objects - 4300 kgmax.
Weight floating objects - 3600 kg
Cable length - 10 m
Train speed - 1.8 m / min
Length remote control cable - 3 m

reezvaan wrote:

Just won these couple of rare items just a minute back at eBay.

OG Hood Cover/Boot (Black). Its original VW not a repro. Goes over the folded down Convertible Top and is secured by two straps over it to tie down the convertible top frame.



OG Front Windscreen Frame Cover/Boot (Olive Green). Another original piece, goes over the folded down Front Windscreen and is secured by the straps which you can see attached to the boot.

Have finally arrived and Elk is now sporting them both

Here is a shot from the other night when I was working on getting the shift rod bushing replaced.



Needs attention but with POR 15 Rust Prevention kits on their way, it aint gonna be a big problem soon.

Elk; My daily driver this afternoon.

VW 181s came with a total of 04 Skid/Protection Plates. Three went on the underside of the motor and one went on the front under the front beam.

Elk misses the rear most and the front skid/protection plate. Rear most plate has already been bought in UK and is awaiting dispatch.

Picked the front skid plate a while ago for an unbelievably cheap 20GBPs.



Here is where it goes and how its mounted:

Three minutes decision on the purchase of NOS Bosch Internally Regulated Alternator for Elk:

Same decision as above, also included the deal of this "Used" Bosch Externally Regulated Alternator. The Brush holder male connectors are bent and the internal condition is unknown at the moment.

Ordered the last of the NEW bits to be picked up to be sent over for Elk. Here is a small list for personal record. Some even belong to Patina. Mostly these bits relate to suspension and undercarriage.

Patina Parts are highlighted in BOLD.

> 1264 Brake hose front Type1 65-66
> 1266 Brake hose rear 'IRS'
> 1302 Shock absorbor (STANDARD OIL) front Type1 65->
> 1304 Shock absorbor (GAS) front Type1 65->
> 1396-5 Front ax1e bearing upper Type1
> 1396-6 Front axle bearing lower Type1 65->
> 1396-75 Metal bushing front axle Type1 65-> inner / orig.
> 1454-1 Rubber mount 'IRS' arm
> 1685-12 Rebuilt set fuel pump 65->
> 2130 Carburetor rebuilt kit pict 34
> 0930 Cable heater Type1 65-> universal
> 0871 Front hinge pillar complete left 
> 0872 Front hinge pillar complete right 
> 0921 Brakecable Type1 550/1749
> 1082 Mounting kit for heat exchanger #1080 & #1084 
> 1083 Mounting kit for #1081 & #1085
> 1095-5 Hearter hose plastic
> 1331-181 Upper ball joint VW Type181
> 1332-181 Lower ball joint Type181
> 1372 Seals suspension arms Type1 65-> (4) 
> 1450 Square grommet rear axle
> 1452 Round rear grommets 'IRS'
> 2501 pre 65 hubcaps
> 0747-5 tail light housing rubber seal VW Type181
> 2405 windshield wipers 300mm
> 0200-1 (set 10pc) running board clips 10/52-7/66
> 1939 generator brushes cover 
> 0700 body to pan seal
> 0704-1 Shock Pads 10mm (set 4pc)
> 2503 hubcaps rivets set (5 clips set)
> 0275 Acclerator Pedal Repair Kit -7/66

Undercarriage on Elk is one grey area where the PO hasn't been able to register considerable effort as compared to the body. As a result, undercarriage requires a ground up restoration starting from replacement of "patched" floors and treatment of the pan with POR 15.

For the purpose in mind, I have picked up enough POR supplies to do Elk completely (while Patina has its own share and so does my upcoming 3rd VW Project). Here is the POR kit that I am bringing in to do the trick for me.

POR15 Silver Rust Prevention Painting Kit with Prep Ready & Marine Clean - US Quart 946ml



Also picked up the Fuel Tank Sealant to do both cars:

POR-15 Fuel Tank Sealer High Performance Rust Prevention 946ml US Quart

I dont think that I have mentioned these two items that were bought a few days back from the VW181 TDv Military Accessories List;

KACO Emergency Lamp


Bundeswehr Emergency Light

reezvaan wrote:

Three minutes decision on the purchase of NOS Bosch Internally Regulated Alternator for Elk:

reezvaan wrote:

Same decision as above, also included the deal of this "Used" Bosch Externally Regulated Alternator. The Brush holder male connectors are bent and the internal condition is unknown at the moment.

Both of these Alternators which were bought locally in Karachi from Sajid who is a VW Mechanic, have now been shipped and would be arriving on May 2nd, 2013.

Lets revisit the TDv Military Accessories Catalogue and see where do we stand today;



A small round-up on what is bought already in above picture;

Sr. 01 - Jack (Bought)
Sr. 02 - Spare Wheel (Full Set of FIVE 5JKx14 Wheels with Tyres is Bought)
Sr. 03 - Wheel Halter (Bought)
Sr. 04 - Convertible Top Hinge Covers (Bought/Arrived)
Sr. 05 to 10 - Tool Kit (Bought)
Sr. 11 - Hand Crank (Bought)
Sr. 12 - Spare Wheel mounted Spare Gas Can (Bought)
Sr. 13 - Convertible Top Fold Down Cover/BOOT (Bought/Arrived)
Sr. 14 - Windscreen Cover (TWO Bought / One Arrived)
Sr. 14 - Mirror Cover (FIVE Bought)
Sr. 14 - Headlight Covers (THREE Bought)
Sr. 15 - Bundeswehr (German Military) Blanket (Bought)
Sr. 16 & 17 - Hazet Tools (Bought)
Sr. 18 - Fan Belt (Available in the bought tool kit)
Sr. 19 - Messko Tire Pressure Gauge with cover/Bund Number (TWO Bought, One NOS)
Sr. 20 - OSRAM Spare Bulb Kit (Bought)
Sr. 00 - Snow Chains (Bought)

A small round-up on what is bought already in above picture;

Sr. 01 - Axe/Hatchet (Bought)
Sr. 02 - Washing Brush (Bought)
Sr. 03 - Driving Goggles (Bought)
Sr. 04 - Steel Wire (Would be replaced with local version)
Sr. 05 - Flag Kit (Bought)
Sr. 06 - Fabric Based Insulating Tape (Bought)
Sr. 07 - Omitted Accessory (Replaced with Number 16 on the list)
Sr. 08 - Oil/Lubrication Can (Bought)
Sr. 09 - Secondary Washing Brush # 4 (Will not be bought)
Sr. 10 - Key Rings (Will be replaced with an Aftermarket version)
Sr. 11 - Shackle for Tow Wire (Bought)
Sr. 12 - Traffic Signal Covers (Bought)
Sr. 13 - Sponge (Will be replaced with local version)
Sr. 14 - Tow wire (Bought)
Sr. 15 - Long Spade/Shovel (Bought)
Sr. 16 - Cover for Vehicle Documents (Bought)
Sr. 17 - Traffic Signal Lolipop (Bought)
Sr. 18 - Fire Extinguisher (Bought)
Sr. 19 - Pocket Emergency Light (Bought)
Sr. 20 - Decontamination Equipment Kit (Bought)
Sr. 21 - First Aid Kit (Bought)
Sr. 22 - Traffic Signal Vest (Bought)
Sr. 23 - Camouflage Netting (Have one in sight but is to be bought)

P.S.: Most of these Military Accessories can be seen pictured on the previous Elk thread here;

The Elk - An Aircooled Volkswagen Type 182 [ O \ |_|_| / O ]

Something on auction at ebay.de to drool...Pricey but cool!

Correct OG VW181 Snow Chains