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Thu May 26, 2005 7:35 am

Hey I've been in lurk mode here on the samba and appreciate all the tips. I have an 88 vanagon and I started to do some rust repair. I thought the rust was minimal when I bought the van but the deeper I look the more I find. IMO the vanagon was built with planned obsolescence in mind because with better design the thing could have lasted much longer. Is it worth the fight to cut out all the seam rust or is it cost prohibitive? Also is there any place to buy body panels for the vanagon?

I'm not sure I can or want to tackle this job myself and all the body shops don't want to give me an estimate because they say they don't know what they'll find and one body guy went so far as to tell me the only guarantee he would make on his work was that the rust would be back :cry: Any ideas on what a good rust repair and paint job would cost? I just want my van to look as good as it runs!
Thanks

Thu May 26, 2005 7:49 am

What part of the Country are you located?
I fought the battle once, and it was the only battle with a car that I totally lost. It was a 76 Datsun (Datsun like VW is not know for it's good rust handling). It had also spent to many winters in the Rust belt (Toledo, Ohio). I learned to mig weld on that car, I put up a good fight but gave up in the end. My first car was a 75 Datsun just like the 76, but it had lived its life in Texas and it had zero rust, was like working on a new car. This told me it wasn't the car but the weather and mostly the salt they used on the road.
I will never buy another car from up north unless it's for parts.
My 81 Vanagon is rust free also, another Texas vehical.
I'd save my money and buy one from a rust free area, then when you get it home rustproof the crap out of it. I've also seen people in Toledo buy a car from the south and drive it in the winter and seen it rust out within a few years.

Thu May 26, 2005 8:03 am

I'm currently living in Oklahoma. I bought the van in colorado last fall but the van was originally from New Jersey. The van looks good on the underside so it doesn't have salt rust like from a northern car. One bad rust spot I've found is the seam under the rear washer fluid container. I'm pretty sure water has been getting in from the sliding door area there. The other seam rust is where the water gets in from the air intake vents and just sits in the seam down low behind the tail lights. I bet most "rust free" vans even have rust in these areas. Does that sound like something that could be fixed for say 10 years if cut out and replaced?

Thu May 26, 2005 8:08 am

I say, its worth it. Seam rust while it can be "bad" can be fixed, or slowed down. The trick is to understanding it, and once that's done, I feel its easy to control.

I did a write-up on my site about my seam rust, and I am a total novice. No cutting or welding for me.

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/vanagon/

Thu May 26, 2005 8:16 am

If your in Oklahoma you have a much better chance of getting it, since your not having to worry about it rusting again quickly. The correct way to do it is to cut the old stuff out weld in new steel and seal the whole thing good. The only rust I have besides a few surface rust spots, is the drivers side step. I also don't have a rear washer, and my rear vents get used so I think any water that gets in there gets sucked into the fan. Is the rear washer in the hatch? If it is just get a new hatch the stufff you really have to worry about is strutural. My 280z had rusted out frame rails (the front tres could have came off) and the floor boards where paper thin. heres another place to look for rust:
http://www.rustbuster.nl/Bus_zijpaneel/index1.htm

Thu May 26, 2005 12:57 pm

That rust under the rear washer bottle is from the rear seam (vertical) next to the rear window and the air vents.

That's where mine was rusting....

:roll:

Thu May 26, 2005 5:05 pm

I just had the body on my van re-done. I live in Michigan where the winters are brutal on cars. However, we also have body shops that are very good at rust repair. Most I talked to only want to do collision so they can soak the insurance companies and turn the cars around fast. I found a guy who loves VW's and was excited about the rehab. Like your van, mine also had no under carriage rust. Most of it was from dents and cracked paint 'cause the old timer I bought it from couldn't see trees very well. The shop I found media blasted the lower half to expose all metal. Once he did this it didn't look too bad. He then cut out all rusted panel sections and made new panels from sheet metal. He also sand blased all the seams and epoxy primered the hell out of everything. Its a lot of work but if the rest of the van is in good shape - go for it. He wouldn't gaurantee it wouldn't start to come back but thought it would be ~ 5 years if I store it in the winter which I plan to do. I say poke around in the gallery area to see what others have done to their VW's. Its amazing. There are alot of negative ^%$holes out there. Be persistent. Good Luck!

Fri May 27, 2005 5:31 am

Our busses are now getting to be atleast 16 years old and the older ones are 26 years old. Not too many cars that old on the road especially asian.

Usually, a good repair and paint willl be $2-$3K. What kind of car can you buy for $2K? Hmmmm, I think i'll take that purple 1990 Chevy Cavalier....pitooie! Put another way, your money is better spent on what you have unless you want to jump ship to a different westy altogether, that may cost $5-$6K and you may wind up with similar problems.

Also, car payments. Even if you dont have to make them, they are usually a minimum of $100 and as much as $500 a month. That is a lot of repair that can be done, when you want to do it on your schedule, not the banks.

Fri May 27, 2005 7:04 am

If you are going to do the work yourself, you are far better off. If you are going to have someone else do it make sure you check them out thoughly! I've seem more repairs like this, then good ones.
http://www.paultaylorimaging.com/VW/VW4.html
I've also seen bad repairs start rusting again in about 2 years.
Time is the best judge of a rust repair. I'm not saying it can't be done, because it can, but you have to be very meticulous and get all the rust.