TheSamba.com :: View topic - anyone see the new rockers from wolfsburg west?

Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:45 am

im doing a low budget remodel on a very special gals vw bus and to save on costs we agreed to use the cheapo thin rockers from ww......well when i came home yesterday i found my box from ww had arrived and inside was quite a surprise,maybe this is old news,but i hadnt seen this new sheetmetal yet,instead of the lackluster shwaggy orange brazilian panels i found these.........proper thickness,excellent definition,i guess the gripes could be that like the schoefeild panels they have the slightly longer lower edge and they are shorter than i prefer (i like the tall ones gerson makes) still night and day from what they used to sell,im very impressed so far,of course i havent fitted them yet,but even the rocker profile looks right now (the orange panels were off quite a bit)

Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:50 am

Nice to see them mass producing better parts. Looks like it's set up for the '62-'67 busses. Wonder if they will put out a '61 & earlier rocker as well?

Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:55 am

i just checked them with my originals and the profile looks correct

Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:56 am

I put one of those on my panel... I thought it was very good... even the paint didn't seem bad (nice on a rocker where you can't strip the inside)... fit was excellent... the inner rocker i got from WW was still the orange stuff (where you can wipe the paint right off)...

Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:02 pm

I would like to know if the sheet metal has been conditioned before the "packing" paint was applied, like Gerson is now doing to his panels. I would doubt it so make sure that the paint is removed so you can condition the sheet metal.
The two ruddy-colored right side outer rockers that I bought from W.W, some years ago were both over one-eighth of an inch too short. Is the new one a proper length?

Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:03 pm

campingbox wrote: Nice to see them mass producing better parts. Looks like it's set up for the '62-'67 busses. Wonder if they will put out a '61 & earlier rocker as well?

sorry I dont know the difference, what distinguishes a 61 and earlier rocker?

Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:06 pm

The curvarture of the right side rocker looks a little flat. One of my W.W. right outer rockers didn't have nearly enough curvarture.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:09 pm

sled wrote: campingbox wrote: Nice to see them mass producing better parts. Looks like it's set up for the '62-'67 busses. Wonder if they will put out a '61 & earlier rocker as well?

sorry I dont know the difference, what distinguishes a 61 and earlier rocker?

The receiver for the cargo door check rods is recessed further into the cargo floor on the later rockers.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:46 pm

Was this a result of changing from High hinge to low hinge doors?

Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:49 pm

so that would mean that the actual locking rods inside the doors exit the door frames in a different location than later doors?

when putting these "late model" repop rockers into an earlier bus, one would have to cut out and move the locking plate in? (towards the center of the bus)

Wed Aug 27, 2008 2:55 pm

Even though I did not like W.W.s ruddy-colored right side outer rockers, I put one in my 1957 bus and one in my 1958 bus, and the holes for the cargo door rods lined up fine. I don't know anything about their latest ones, though.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:00 pm

i checked all the panels to my originals and it looks right,looks like the outer panels have correct curvature

Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:21 pm

"A very special gals vw bus"? You had better do extra good work. :wink:

Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:38 pm

WOW those look good ! do they have decent thick metal in them? One of my complaints about there orange stuff was the very thin gauge metal they used...

Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:41 pm

Come on less talk more action, I have welded over 30 undercargo rockers into buses, you can look at it all you like, but you will find how good it really is when you fit it.

Lets see the report on how it actually fits.

Auto craft here in the uk produce the best rocker I have fitted (schofield also sell it as "superior" quality)
But the dies seems to maybe be getting worn as the edges arnt as crisp as they were when first produced.

Anybody who fits that red crap outer from WW does not really like buses.

Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:17 am

On that under-cargo rocker, is the stiffener pre-spotwelded in place? How is the area where the door rods stick into, thick? I think Gerson's need to be thicker there.

Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:30 am

this is new information, I had no clue there were different cargo door rockers for different years. :( :( :( :( ..........what is the final concensus?????is the rocker the same for all years or not????????if there are differences, this is the first time I hear of this.....if there are confirmed differences then we will make the changes to the dies??????what about singlecab treasure chest door rockers???????

Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:24 am

Gerson wrote: this is new information, I had no clue there were different cargo door rockers for different years. :( :( :( :( ..........what is the final concensus?????is the rocker the same for all years or not????????if there are differences, this is the first time I hear of this.....if there are confirmed differences then we will make the changes to the dies??????what about singlecab treasure chest door rockers???????

Cmon Gerson, you're supposed to be the expert here. =)
You know as well as anyone that there is no one piece fits all.

Late rocker (as well as WW repro) shown here;

Note that the latch catches are recessed further in (towards the center of the cargo floor when installed). Not the best photo, but it was handy.
The early ones ('61 and earlier?) and totally straight here, no recessed area. I'd post a photo, but the only bus I have with a solid right outter rocker is my '56 and it's already got the rubber installed.

I suspect the trucks would be the same, but I don't have enough of them on site to see right now.

Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:31 am

Fuck me man!!!! :x :x :x :x , time to buy a sample, and time to modify my dies..shit.shit.shit.shit..........

Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:51 am