TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:50 pm

Hello everyone,

I broke this piece recently, and I'd like to 'make it work'... and I'd also like to do this without taking the window out of the bus. Longevity or correctness is of only slight importance to me...

So, with that said.... I am open to any "Hill-Bill-Handymanship, Ghetto-Riggin', Boon-Dock-Band-Aides, JB Weld Wonders, or Bailing-Wire&Duck-Tape" fixes for this:

Thanks guys.

Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:20 pm

Well then bust ot that roll of hillbilly duct tape you have hanging off the rear view mirror and tape that shit!!!

If that don't work then open that tube of redneck JB Weld from your engine compartment and weld it back together!!!

If that don't work stop by my place and we can roll to Oakland. I know a few homies on International Blvd that can help put that back together all Ghetto-Riggin style!!! Of course you may end up with some 24" daytons on the mothership haha

:D :D

other than that sorry no real ideas :)

Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:29 pm

That advice was WELL worth the laughter it produced Turk!!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Thank man! :D

Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:05 pm

go to the bathroom, open your first aide kit, remove bandaide. Install bandaide on broken piece.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 7:06 am

Well, since back woods hack methods are acceptable in this case, how about cutting a strip of aluminum (road sign preferable), laying it on flat over, and pop riveting top and bottom as sort of a "re-bar". Might work, and the aluminum would blend right in. You could even moosh in a little JB weld in between and make a "sandwich" for a little extra strength.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 7:38 am

Clean it real good inside and sand it a tad with 100 grit. Silicone the glass to it and use a piece of cork where the dot goes to push it tight into the lower half. Duct tape the whole schmeer till it's dry but try not to overdo the spillage onto the front where the tape will have to stick. After it's done the glass will carry the support.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:54 am

Locktite instant glass glue!!

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&am...CFgQ8wIwAQ

However I like KarmannBob's idea best!

Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:25 am

Buy a broken window and switch that part over to yours. Or just replace the whole window. I have a feeling JB weld and glue will not hold long term but maybe it would if you glued it to the glass itself too. The idea above of riveting a piece of a sign around it might work.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:53 am

If thats aluminum, couldnt you just reproduce that piece in whole? All I see is some flat aluminum with a bend in it. Im not familiar with those windows as I only have a standard bus but Id bet you could make it out of a sheet of aluminum.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:12 pm

Great suggestions... I KB's best so far, but gluing the glass itself in too seems like it would cut down on rattle.

I'm sure you could fab up a new pivot, or replace it with a good original, but that would defeat the purpose of this thread. I don't want to remove the window at all, I like the screws the way they are.

There is a thread dedicated to the resurrection of Westy windows, but that's not what I am looking at doing.

This is on the list for sure, and I'll be accepting suggestions for a little while before I work on it. Mostly because now... I have bigger problems. :wink: My transmission failed last night... towed it three blocks to my lil' sister's house with and audible grind/growl in the box. :cry:

I'm thinking of documenting the issue, and it's ultimate solution... I have a show to make on the 29th. :evil:

What do you think? We can all bet on what failed. :roll:

Sat Apr 14, 2012 4:55 pm

Don't use a road sign (at least a CA road sign). They are way too thick and you would need to anneal the metal first BEFORE you formed it or it will crack at the bend.

Since the adjustment rod is on the part that is still mounted and the bottom piece just retains the glass glue appears to be a viable option.
But FWIW-I think you could easily bend up a new one and attach it with pop-rivets instead of the crush ones originally used. Then splash some HCl (before you install it, obviously) on it to age the finish and roll.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 5:41 pm

cru62 wrote: Don't use a road sign (at least a CA road sign). They are way too thick and you would need to anneal the metal first BEFORE you formed it or it will crack at the bend.

Since the adjustment rod is on the part that is still mounted and the bottom piece just retains the glass glue appears to be a viable option.
But FWIW-I think you could easily bend up a new one and attach it with pop-rivets instead of the crush ones originally used. Then splash some HCl (before you install it, obviously) on it to age the finish and roll.

I am going to stick with using the broken pivot... I like the suggestions so far, I will use the best method to repair the broken piece after I address the transmission failure.

Thanks everyone! :D