TheSamba.com :: View topic - easiest/best way to replace the nose clip?

Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:44 pm

okay i'm in the middle of doing this and i am starting to wonder if there is a best way to replace the nose skin...

taking the nose skin off my old bus was not all that hard, but i didn't think to cut it real straight along the windows and leave myself a seam along the window sills to weld in the donor skin...so that area on mine is somewhat trashed...i think it could be very tricky to cut donor skin and weld in a new nose without a dead give-away that the nose has been replaced...if i were to do it this way, i would have that top weld seam right at the angle where the window sills meet the nose skin...i would need to weld it from underneath the dash so that seam would look correct....

which makes me start to wonder if i should cut the window pillars and weld the new clip in there and at the base of the floor boards (granted i will need to make sure my donor clip has an accurate '67 radio hole dash, which will limit my search for the perfect nose)...

is this extremely tricky?...do i need to shore up the roof when i cut the pillars/floor to remove my old nose...2x4 redneck engineered shoring good enough? (doesn't seem like there is much weight in the roof area)...are there specific things (potential pitfalls) to watchout for?...i would imagine that fitting such a large peice of body work would be pretty damn tricky...also, is simple MIG welding good enough to weld the pillars in..are the pillars simply empty cavities made of 22 gauge body panelling...do i need to reinforce the pillar junctures with some extra sheet metal so i don't have to worry about how my structure is affected in an accident scenario (seems like my welded pillar joint would be the weakest link in the front end, since there is only maybe 2-3inches of weld seam in 3 localized locations)....

at this point i am torn and wondering what others would do in my case...all hints and opinions are very much appreciated

Wed Feb 09, 2005 5:25 pm

Mark,

Peel off the skin from the seam under the windshields down to the bottom. It comes off easily.

The area under the windshields are factory spot welded to the actual nose skin. Peel off the nose sheetmetal first. If your area at the windshield are bad, replace what you need now. You want to keep the seam line that goes from one side to the other (wiper shafts are inline of that seam too) If you want a good looking replacement...you have to follow these detials so people wont know. Too many seal up that seam, and it looks funny.

You can cut the pillars, but your asking for more work that its worth. Especially if you have not done alot of sheetmetal repair. Dont "shore" it up w/ wood, the roof will flex, you may drop or kick the board...then your screwed. Weld 1x1 or similiar box tubing or "L" channel from the top of the "A-Pillar to the lower part of the door opening on body. In an angle (top to bottom). Do this on both sides, then a cross bar from the drivers side "a-pillar" to the door opening on the passenger side. This will support it as it was when you cut it.

the one thing you dont want is for the body to flex after you cut it...its tough to get it back square if its tweaked in any way.

Reproduction skins are good. EIS has a skin they sell and its affortable. Stock skins from other buses are great, but you have to reverse peel them off the donor bus, and then put it back on the bus to be installed. It takes more time..

Hope this helps. :wink:

Wed Feb 09, 2005 6:48 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=87184

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=87182

Wed Feb 09, 2005 8:43 pm

chopped50ford wrote:
Peel off the skin from the seam under the windshields down to the bottom. It comes off easily.

this has not been my experience...this was the original way i thought i'd do the repair but i found myself attempting to drill out the spot welds and missing them...it is double spot welded...along the inside of the window sills and along the face of the window sills...but i am having a hell of a time "finding and hitting" the spot welds with a 3/8" bit...my window sill is starting to look like swiss cheese...but maybe this is too be expected...

my window sills are in fairish shape...i do not plan to replace them, but maybe replacing them could solve some of this problem/anxiety...i know met wiz makes them...

chopped50ford wrote:
Stock skins from other buses are great, but you have to reverse peel them off the donor bus

this is my other question mark/fear...maybe i shouldn't be drilling out the spot welds?...but then wouldn't my hand chisel and/or pneumatic chisel hammer bend the window sills and seam to hell?...not really a concern on the donor, but on my swiss cheese sill, i am not sure i could get them straight if i get them crooked from chiselling undrilled spot welds...

i took a closer look this evening at my pillars and they have an internal frame to them, thus they are double walled...i am not going to go in there!...so at least that elimantes options....thanks for the help...any other tips would be great...

Thu Feb 10, 2005 1:48 am

mark do you have the specal drill bit thats made for drilling out spot welds?
gearhead

Thu Feb 10, 2005 8:36 am

nope...i'm too cheap!...

but it's never been a problem until now...there is no visible evidence of the spot welds on the exterior of my window sill...i can only find them on the underside of the dash...so i crawl in there with a pneumatic 90* angled drill but still have trouble fitting and hitting the spot weld indents...i'm hitting about 1 outta 3 attempts...

Thu Feb 10, 2005 8:44 am

Yea i make the lower sections of the windshield, I use a thick blade putty knife to get the are moving, that shows me the dent where the spot weld is then, i take a reangled 1/4 or 5/16 drill bit to drill them out. In other words i resharpen the bit to a flatter drill area. Noses are a pain in the ass to replace any way you go at it. Yell if i can help Mark. Later

Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:05 am

The two tools I wouldn't be without when doing panel replacement. The depth adjustable spot weld drill and the Klecko fasteners.

The best tool investment money can buy if doing panel replacement, of course my Miller commercial spot welder helps also

Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:27 am

being the cheapo that i am, i don't have any kleckos...but i was thinking i could simply pop rivet the new nose panel in place along my window sills, then plug weld/rossette weld the swiss cheese holes in the remenants of my window sills, then drill out the pop rovets and plug weld those up...could i get away with this method?...hwo far apart would you space rivets?...if i were to get kleckos, how far apart do those space (how many would i need to do the job?)....

Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:41 am

What was so bad on your nose that you needed to replace it? It looks okay here.

Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:50 am

bondo is a wonderful thing...

i want the crease down the middle (my bondo nose was rounded and about 1/2" deep at it's worst and you can't see the bondo cracks in that picture, but they are there....

Thu Feb 10, 2005 12:01 pm

sent you a PM..gimme a call :D

Thu Feb 10, 2005 6:26 pm

marklaken wrote: i don't have any kleckos...
Good place to get clecos & cleco tools is at yardstore.com - aircraft supply.
All of 35 cents each for new ones, 25 cents for used ones, $3 for a used cleco pliers. :wink:

http://www.yardstore.com/index.cfm?Action=ViewCategory&Category=88
http://www.yardstore.com/index.cfm?Action=ViewCategory&Category=90