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  View original topic: Turning a lemon into lemonade. Kyle's '84 Westy restoration Page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10  Next
kybishop Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:56 am

Hey all,

I bought what unfortunately turned out to be a 1984 Westy lemon, but now she's my lemon and I want to fix her up right. I've gotten her fixed up mechanically, but she has some MAJOR rust that needs work, we're talking 2-4k$ of work removing bondo, replacing panels, filling holes, and sandblasting.

EDIT: I wanted to mention that I'll be repainting myself, just need the welding/sandblasting.

I'm out in western mass without much clue on where to bring her for a fair and thorough job. There are a few local welders here, as well as some car shops, but I was hoping to get some thoughts from those who've gotten work done around the area. I'd really like the job done right, and heading as far as Boston or even a border state to get a good job done is fine with me.

So where do you guys bring your vans for welding/rustoration?

djkeev Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:56 pm

Post some photos, let us see how bad it really is and suggestions can be made from "that ain't so bad" ...... to.... "Scrap the POS!" Is it worth fixing?

I found on my 86 that what looked absolutely HORRID was mostly surface rust and Rust Stains on the paint!

It really wasn't so bad! :) a little sandblasting cleaned up a mess to a minor surface imperfection.

Dave

insyncro Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:59 pm

Let's see it first.

kybishop Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:06 pm

I hate bondo:





Wheel well. Driver side is about the same




Passenger side rocker:


Driver side rocker (yikes!)

kybishop Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:08 pm

Forgot the seam (which incredibly doesn't look too horrible):


DAV!D Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:14 pm

The rust is not that bad. It's typical of a older car that has been used in the north and honestly, it could be much, much worse.

That's fairly easy repairs for any halfway competent bodyshop.

kybishop Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:16 pm

DAV!D wrote: The rust is not that bad. It's typical of a older car that has been used in the north and honestly, it could be much, much worse.

That's fairly easy repairs for any halfway competent body's hop.

You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear someone say that. The mechanical repairs on this thing have been draining my wallet like nobody's business. I'll wait for a few others to chime in, but it sounds like a local welder with a sandblaster will do just fine.

Destructo Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:22 pm

Where in Mass are you, though we don't get together that often there are a bunch of us around. You may not have to spend so much if you had some help from the locals.
Compared to the first van I bought in Massachusetts, your van is a dream find. Not bad at all.

Eddie in Northampton

desertrefugee Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:30 pm

I agree. I lived in Massachusetts. That could be far worse. If that's as bad as it gets on that van, you're in good shape.

Go to Ben's place if you wanna see how bad it can get:

http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm

Go to the bodywork section. See what a master can do with far, far worse than what you've got!

kybishop Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:39 pm

Destructo wrote: Where in Mass are you, though we don't get together that often there are a bunch of us around. You may not have to spend so much if you had some help from the locals.
Compared to the first van I bought in Massachusetts, your van is a dream find. Not bad at all.

Eddie in Northampton

I'm actually right in Northampton, PM sent!

It might not be as much of a dream if you'd seen the horror the PO did to the mechanics: Used steel bolts for the exhaust . . those got nice and stuck. Brakes like butter (not in a good way). Shifter with 1 foot of wiggle room between gears (parts on the way!) among more. All that said . . she's my lemon, and she's going to make some damn good lemonade after she's done pummeling my wallet :D

djkeev Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:53 pm

Fix It!

That really isn't bad at all. A little cut and paste and all will be well.

It is much more severe than mine is. I'm afraid I haven't any shop recommendations for you.

Welding isn't that difficult...........

Dave

kybishop Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:57 pm

djkeev wrote: Fix It!

That really isn't bad at all. A little cut and paste and all will be well.

It is much more severe than mine is. I'm afraid I haven't any shop recommendations for you.

Welding isn't that difficult...........

Dave

I wish I had the same confidence in my abilities! :lol:

I took a welding class in Boston that scared me away from subjecting my future road-home to such tortures. It's both a fun and useful craft, but I need a lot more practice.

insyncro Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:46 pm

All of that is totally fixable.

I would replace a few panels and cut metal from my parts vans to repair areas not available in panels.

After seeing the van I could give a total estimate for time and materials.

Waxing and undercoating would be a good idea while you are at it.

Pmail me if interested in discussing it.

djkeev Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:54 pm

kybishop.....

If you are going to pay someone to do this task, pay someone with integrity and an excellent track record!

Take insyncro up on his offer! ^^^^
It's probably your best bet!
There are Too many people out there who only want your money and will do a crap job getting it!

It's a drive but really? Not THAT far!

Dave

kybishop Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:21 pm

pm sent!

Did I mention how awesome this community is?

derekdrew Sat Feb 01, 2014 5:53 am

Dylan would really be your best bet, but for the record, if you are in the northeast with rust, the rust repair specialists can often be found at this alternate venue, the Connecticut Volkswagen Association, which is historically more active than you would think at offering support links or referrals to this kind of thing. They are also hot enough, for some odd reason, that their footprint spills over neighborning states. They are at http://www.ctvwa.org/ The Limbo group also has its roots in your area. They are at http://www.limbobus.org (with some lighter fair going on at https://www.facebook.com/groups/limbobus/ ).

sandcough Sat Feb 01, 2014 6:25 am

You could also try Blair at Wagon Werks in Hudson NY. He did amazing things to my van. Do a search on this forum for some examples. Top notch work.

JudoJeff Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:07 am

Rick's Auto Body in Springfield is great but not inexpensive.

Highly recommend!

insyncro Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:15 am

The van is at my shop.
Interior and exterior work has begun and a Bostig conversion with new 4 speed transmission is scheduled and the kit will be here next week.

alaskadan Sat Feb 01, 2014 10:42 am

That all looks familiar. I just did all of those parts back in june plus some other areas too. Turned into more work though. A local contractor friend saw it and now I'm restoring his '56 ford truck! Glad yours is getting fixed.



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