TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:39 pm

This area is rusted out on my new westy.

I am trying to find replacement metal. CIP sells this part:

http://www2.cip1.com/PhotoGallery.asp?ProductCode=TAB%2D402%2D101

But it says 68-72 only. It should work right? I just need a weld in patch. I am still looking for a good parts bus to cut up or someone cutting one up now, but didn't know how feisible it would be to cut that part out vs having it patched.

Thoughts? :?:

Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:01 pm

Nice tires!
That patch is a waste of money, you can cut your own out if all you plan on doing is paving over the issues (but I don't see why it wouldn't cover up later models too). You have more problems there than just what is visible, the front 2" of the cargo floor will be missing and the tophat crossmember, outrigger, jack point and likely part of the inner rocker will have big issues too. I doubt you'll find them on a donor, it's the first place that rusts on any bus, 2 layers of metal with a seam exposed to the road is asking for trouble.

Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:15 pm

I climbed under it before I bought it, and oddly, the cargo floor isn't rusted badly, hardly at all, as is those other areas. They are rusted, but not as horribly as I thought. This is the area I look at most, and it almost made me pass, but I didn't. Heck, Splittie owners fix worse crap than this. I'm dedicated. :)

So what do you suggest then?

Tires? Yeah. Those are some aftermarket wheels it came with.

Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:15 pm

The RH side doesn't look too advanced yet but I can see floor mat or something peeking through the drivers side, you may not see holes from underneath but they will be visible when the interior is out. If you can kill the rust you can get away with welding an L shaped stip across the front of the cargo floor where it meets the bulkhead and slapping a patch on the outside. When they are open like that the rocker and cargo floor under the camper subfloor get wet when it rains and full of sand, etc..
To do it right on the keeper show bus you'll have most of the front lower corner cut out before you start patching.

Fri Nov 06, 2009 7:38 am

Yeah the passenger side isnt bad at all, really. Hasn't breeched the interior at all. The drivers is much worse. I'll have to dig in and see how bad it is.

For my mid post rant, I will just say, I really wish someone made good quality bay metal. :?

Fri Nov 06, 2009 7:48 am

Doing the exact same on mine, although mine wasn't near as bad as your pics and barely noticable until I started prodding. All started out with a quarter size bubble in the paint on the lower rocker.

With water spashing on the wheel well there, I would be really surprised if both inner/outer rocker panels didn't need replacing. I'm hoping B piller, tophat and jack pieces are good. Look OK from what I can see, but I have't started "cutting" yet.

Should you actually want a splash panel cut to fit, I just ordered some from Bus Depot so I know they have them for the later bays. I ordered one and figured I would use it as a pattern for the other side.

Fri Nov 06, 2009 7:58 am

Kirk wrote: For my mid post rant, I will just say, I really wish someone made good quality bay metal. :?

x2 Gerson is eventually going to be getting into Bay reproduction pieces but is a ways off. Of course you could order the "Schofield" pieces from UK, but it will cost you dearly.

http://www.ahschofield.co.uk/main.asp

For what it's worth, mine is a casual camper/weekend driver so I doubt it will ever see salt again and minimal wet roads. So I'm hoping even the cheaper panels with proper treatement will last me my lifetime. My kids can worry about it after that. :lol:

Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:15 am

I agree with you on the panels w/treatment issues. Whats the best out there now? Looks like Wolfsburg/Bus Depot/CIP seem to have about the same quality junk. Since its a rust prone area, I want to replace it with the best I can get (other than that Schofield stuff :shock: ) treat the area with POR15 or something to keep it from rusting again.

Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:32 am

Kirk wrote: I agree with you on the panels w/treatment issues. Whats the best out there now? Looks like Wolfsburg/Bus Depot/CIP seem to have about the same quality junk. Since its a rust prone area, I want to replace it with the best I can get (other than that Schofield stuff :shock: ) treat the area with POR15 or something to keep it from rusting again.

You'd have a better chance winning the Lottery than finding any affordable OG VW panels. Oh, there is one seller on Samba classifieds out of Europe (right now) with some...... starting price of only $150 + shipping for each piece and that is for rocker/sill panels :shock: . There is NO best out there. All repos right now are of the same quality - which is.....POS. We have two options, wait for Gerson to start reproducing us some decent funky green panels or buy the cheap ones available now. If you find an affordable alternative to that, I'm all ears as I'm in the same boat.

EDIT: Oh.....Option C: Find decent donor pieces. But since these are the common rust areas (combined with under windshield, battery tray and rear quarters).....if you find something with decent donor pieces there, mostly likely the entire bus is better that what you/I got and not being cut/scrapped.

Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:55 am

Quote: Whats the best out there now? Looks like Wolfsburg/Bus Depot/CIP seem to have about the same quality junk. Since its a rust prone area, I want to replace it with the best I can get, treat the area with POR15 or something to keep it from rusting again.
Quote: There is NO best out there. All repos right now are of the same quality
Not true - there are differences. I pick and choose what metal I carry, from a variety of suppliers including Klokkerholm, AH Schofield, Just Kampers, Volkswagen, and others. Sometimes the pricier stuff is worth it, sometimes it's no better or even identical (for example Schofield makes some of his own stuff but also rebrands Klokkerholm stuff that he doesn't make), so I take it on a case-by-case basis. Only a tiny percentage is aftermarket Brazilian (literally a couple of items that aren't available any other way), and none is Chinese. Many of my competitors ship the cheaper stuff even when there are better alternatives available that are close in price. A lot more Brazilian aftermarket, and mostly Klokkerholm for the rest, as they are much easier to get and generally more profitable.

You can find a diagram of most of our metal here:
http://busdepot.com/details/busmetal.jsp.

By the way we also sell the POR-15 so you can get it all at one place.

Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:24 pm

pulling the sink is really easy and will give you excelletn access to that area. I ended out doing a micky mouse repair as the bus is a goner, but with the sink out its easy work to do whatever you plan to do.

Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:27 am

Busdepot wrote:
Quote: There is NO best out there. All repos right now are of the same quality
Not true - there are differences. I pick and choose what metal I carry, from a variety of suppliers including Klokkerholm, AH Schofield, Just Kampers, Volkswagen, and others.

You can find a diagram of most of our metal here:
http://busdepot.com/details/busmetal.jsp.

By the way we also sell the POR-15 so you can get it all at one place.

Ron, I agree and for what it's worth, just ordered a lot of replacement panels and POR-15 from you. All of which arrived fine and look decent. I guess the point I was trying to make is, most VW OG panels are fairly rare finds and when available are pretty pricey. Repos are just that, they are reproductions of stock items and in most cases aren't of the same quality/thickness and/or fit. Some better than others, like you mentioned. Who amongst us (if we could turn the clock back 30 years) wouldn't stock up on rust prone OG VW panels? Anyway, rambling now.....

Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:20 am

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=332556&start=40
Look here and scroll down a bit you'll see how I did mine.

Start picking with a screw driver and you'll find that it's a lot more screwed up than just that. Once I started sandblasting mine it just got uglier and uglier. Mine is a patchwork mess but it's all going to be covered by undercoating. I'm also cutting a trailer fender in half (1/4 circles) to put in front of this area as it seems built to collect crap and rust

Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:12 am

Busdepot wrote: Quote: Whats the best out there now? Looks like Wolfsburg/Bus Depot/CIP seem to have about the same quality junk. Since its a rust prone area, I want to replace it with the best I can get, treat the area with POR15 or something to keep it from rusting again.
Quote: There is NO best out there. All repos right now are of the same quality
Not true - there are differences. I pick and choose what metal I carry, from a variety of suppliers including Klokkerholm, AH Schofield, Just Kampers, Volkswagen, and others. Sometimes the pricier stuff is worth it, sometimes it's no better or even identical (for example Schofield makes some of his own stuff but also rebrands Klokkerholm stuff that he doesn't make), so I take it on a case-by-case basis. Only a tiny percentage is aftermarket Brazilian (literally a couple of items that aren't available any other way), and none is Chinese. Many of my competitors ship the cheaper stuff even when there are better alternatives available that are close in price. A lot more Brazilian aftermarket, and mostly Klokkerholm for the rest, as they are much easier to get and generally more profitable.

You can find a diagram of most of our metal here:
http://busdepot.com/details/busmetal.jsp.

By the way we also sell the POR-15 so you can get it all at one place.

I've got a full wish list saved on your site. Glad to hear some of your metal is of better quality than the other junk. What I wouldn't do for a Funky Green Panel. :?

Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:47 am

Quote: Ron, I agree and for what it's worth, just ordered a lot of replacement panels and POR-15 from you. All of which arrived fine and look decent. I guess the point I was trying to make is, most VW OG panels are fairly rare finds and when available are pretty pricey. Repos are just that, they are reproductions of stock items and in most cases aren't of the same quality/thickness and/or fit. Some better than others, like you mentioned. Who amongst us (if we could turn the clock back 30 years) wouldn't stock up on rust prone OG VW panels?
Can't argue with you there. Even the best panels made today aren't as good as the OG panels of 30 years ago, and a time machine would be great. :-) But to keep it in perspective, it could be a lot worse. Even today, some Bay Window metal (e.g. most of the Genuine VW/Brazil metal, when I can get it, and some of the Schofield that he makes himself) comes close to OG quality, and much of the Klokkerholm is at least half decent even if not remarkable. For almost any given piece there is at least one option that isn't total crap (even if not as good as OG). Splitty owners would love to be able to say that. There are a couple of Splitty pieces where even the best available alternative is equivalent to the worst Bay Window metal.