TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Oct 17, 2010 12:34 pm

Looks great-nice to see someone saving that Bus. With the accident damage, many would have shied away.

Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:33 pm

looking good.

Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:27 pm

Man I wish I could find a place that would dip vehicles for me like that. I'd be willing to pay well for results like that. Impressive.

Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:34 am

Thanks for all the positive comments - resto's seem to be a bit of a roller coaster ride and the enthusiasm of others definitely makes the tough times easier...

Sat Nov 20, 2010 4:51 am

All been a bit quiet on the resto front while the bank balance is replenished and also waiting for some panels from Just Kampers which has just set up an Australian franchise.
Probably won't get much done before Christmas as Marcus is finishing off a lowlight at the moment....
in the meantime I've been getting a few more bits ready.
Spent several hours (and many cans of degreaser) stripping the front beam which is now ready for sanding, prep and paint....

Sent the original Ate brake booster and master cylinder off to a place in a country town called Orange for full rebuild/overhaul...very impressed with the end result...

Hopefully more exciting stuff to follow soon

Sat Nov 20, 2010 9:09 am

shurms wrote:
What's the deal with the mismatched switches? do OZ buses have the warning light in the dash?

Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:04 pm

Not too sure, I asked the same thing and was told they were on all late buses?

My bus didn't have a warning light but I have one to install, not looked up the hook up diagrams as yet

Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:11 pm

Ok, so after an extended delay while the bank account was replenished (and plenty of Christmas booze was drunk), Mick (panel beater) started on the bodywork. Mainly been cutting out the smash damage and figuring out a plan for the repairs.

Also cut the rust out from around the side windows ready for the JK repair sections.

I need to place an order for some of those new JK front doors. Anyone got any views on them?

http://www.justkampers.com/search2?location=shop&method=match_all&keywords=j11110

Few pics but more exciting ones to follow over the next week or 2. Knowing Mick and Marcus, progress from here will be swift...

Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:05 am

WOW :shock:

Good job man! =D>

Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:29 am

Got some bits back from rechroming through Brad at BusnBug down in Melbourne

Should have more welding progress later this week

Fri Feb 25, 2011 12:58 pm

Still waiting for the panelbeater to come back and finish the welding. In the meantime I've sourced another couple of bits to go on the finished van from the Samba Classifieds (if it's ever finished)....

Very hard to find original foglight switch

& NOS option brick red rubber cargo floor mat...

and a nice rear Hella foglight (correct year)

Fri Feb 25, 2011 1:02 pm

Also after some info in a couple of other threads on here

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=452661

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=452564

Fri Feb 25, 2011 1:39 pm

77 Deluxe wrote: Very hard to find original foglight switch

NO WAY!!! I was talking to the same guy who was selling that. UGH! He said someone bought it before I could get the money to him. I guess I know who that certain SOMEONE is now. :roll:

It's all good though. I need that money now so I guess it all worked out. The hunt continues....

Fri Feb 25, 2011 1:47 pm

thewalrus wrote: 77 Deluxe wrote: Very hard to find original foglight switch

NO WAY!!! I was talking to the same guy who was selling that. UGH! He said someone bought it before I could get the money to him. I guess I know who that certain SOMEONE is now. :roll:

It's all good though. I need that money now so I guess it all worked out. The hunt continues....

I'm sorry about that. I saw it and made an offer. If it's any consolation, I think it's probably the most expensive VW switch in history.
I have my 'spies' in Poland, Czech, Germany and the Netherlands looking for one over there so if I get lucky you'll be the first to know and I won't be looking to profiteer from it.

Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:00 pm

77 Deluxe wrote: I'm sorry about that. I saw it and made an offer. If it's any consolation, I think it's probably the most expensive VW switch in history.
I have my 'spies' in Poland, Czech, Germany and the Netherlands looking for one over there so if I get lucky you'll be the first to know and I won't be looking to profiteer from it.
Sounds real good man. Let me know if you find anything.

Don't be sorry either. No biggie! Like I said, I need that money now so it's all good. And yes I do believe that WOULD be the most expensive switch in VW history :lol:

Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:30 pm

It took me a year to locate one after missing out on several, I used to obsessively search eBay.de and Hood.de in Germany, but either got outbid or was always too late.

I ended up getting a NOS Type 1 switch, same yellow front, those switches are the same serrated edge shape as knob on bus glove boxes. I'm now saving that for a future imagined Beetle project, and as is always the case, last year I was searching the Samba ads soon after and just idly looked at an ad for a steering wheel on a bus that was being broken up, I must have had eyes like a hawk for part, see the picture here:

Needless to say I emailed the seller immediately, and got the switch (2 position for front and rear fogs), in nice condition for $25 plus shipping. That seems a reasonbale price to me. I would not pay more than $50 for a used one, and only a little bit more for NOS.

Stupidly, it never occured to me to ask him if that was a Trip Speedo in MPH lurking behind that steering wheel, :roll: I doubt it as it was a Westy, not a Microbus, but I should have asked. Those of you still after a switch, keep hunting, it's half the fun!

This 77 is a great project if I may so, your endeavours have my full attention and appreciation, the attention to OG detail is fantastic. I have a 76 Microbus and am something of a OG parts stock junkie, so can't wait to see this bus all together, great work.

Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:01 am

Well, it's been a while....

Saved up for the body work now and Mick has started getting stuck in this week.

Just a reminder of what the accident damage was like on the drivers side...

Well, the centre section was all unpicked and taken out and the donor panel is prepped and ready to slot in.

However, the smash obviously pushed the rear offside in between 5-10mm so Mick had to cut the outriggers (front and rear) out as well as the centre and inner sill before using a 'puller' (for want of a better word) to bring the side out. Without cutting the sills and outriggers the van was just too strong to pull out (reassuring really)

I bought new outriggers, jacking points, top hat, inner and centre sill and they will be welded into place next week. The rear half floor is still on its way from the UK.

I have a full front panel to weld in including A-Pillars and all heater ducting etc inside so the front has now completely gone

It's all been cleaned up and covered in Extrol. It will be primed and painted ready for the front to be welded in.

In terms of bodywork, the van is very straight. I need new steps but apart from that the hard work is done. The panels are all finished (rear hatch, engine lid and sliding door and tucked out of harms way). I am buying the new full doors from JustKampers which need hinge conversion.

Hope to have plenty more progress pictures the next couple of weeks

Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:41 am

Nice work way to go all the way man.

Sun Apr 17, 2011 7:40 pm

Some more exciting parts arrived this morning (I think they're exciting anyway)....

Still need to find a heater to go with the clock - I know it should be a BA6 but all advice that I have received is not to install one due to the welding etc involved so might have to go for a BN4....

NOS RHD ZF steering box:

heater timer clock

Sat Apr 30, 2011 8:14 pm

Ok, back to work. Spent the last couple of Saturdays cleaning up inside the front section before the complete front panel is welded in...

Was all cleaned up, covered in Xtroll rust inhibitor and then masked up for a coat of primer (forgot to take a picture after primer was laid on)

The front panel is one of the full versions from Brazil. A few mods are required to make it the same as the original front including the removal of the raised imprint where the VW badge goes that is on the Brazil version. Also, the wiper holes need to be cut out and moved and patches welded in as RHD vehicles wipers go the opposite way to LHD.
Anyhow, these changes will all be made once the panel is welded on the van which should be this week (I know I keep saying that but I am confident this time).

So yesterday I prepped the panel and now it's ready to go on. Keyed the rear of it with scotch wool and then it was also given another coat of the green primer to give as much protection as possible. The panels come in the black primer so the rust should be kept away for years to come. Obviously, once installed the whole of the inside will be painted white.

Same treatment was given to the deformation panel that goes behind the front bumper

More updates to follow