TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:05 pm

Hi,
This thread is about the build of this 68 bus i picked up short while ago looking for a seat for my 69 bus.

The previous owner was super enthusiastic about it getting fixed up so here goes another kw bus going back into use..

Once it was parked in the driveway I started tinkering with it and well thus is the unusual build thread for it
The goal is to drive the bus to kw bug show in the fall.
although rt now i just need brakes to drive it around the lot..
wheel jacked up

omg look at that 20 year sitting at a shopfield old disaster
time for new stuff....hell yeah!!!!!the challenge of this bus is it needs almost every single mechanical part I'll taking pics as i go along to show you how i did it. Afterwards i'll show you how to do the basic body work on it.

first thing started on new brakes

backing plates off

sanded repainted backing plate

took all break lines out and finally the wheel is back on

Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:07 pm

thats it for today
more later this week peace !

Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:44 am

ok so i have the one side together. Then yesterday i put the other side together
here i am taking off the wheels.

you need a 6 mm hex to take loosen this bolt off then just left handed thread so left for off

Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:57 am

before you have this combination nut off. just jack up the beam put some jack stands down, and push the wheel left and right and shimmy off the wheel and drum at the same time. sometimes you need to back off the brakes beforehand. just like it says in the muir book.

after taking a sludge hammer to the back side i removed the wheel cylinders time to sand the backing plate and repaint it with rust paint..

yay apart like this

this part the star adjuster was rusted out and busted so i made a new one and rivetted it on.
me making it

new pieces on sanded and cleaned up nicely

that was it for yesteday

Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:08 am

update
todays work

try the vid again now it works skip to about 1 minute if need be

Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:37 am

Wed Mar 25, 2015 12:01 pm

Sun Mar 29, 2015 1:08 am

Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:53 pm

I was absolutely beautiful today.
The smiths started sanding the bus today and took the top off, took bumpers and lights off, getting it ready for paint.

here are few pics of progress

Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:55 pm

looks like major rust is the lower nose section, and the rear corner dent that i have new metal for..

Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:17 pm

started welding front together and patching the front. a team effort, my bro did the bondo work, gf welded in the lower nose part, i cut out the patches..

Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:46 pm

Lookin good! Keep it up!

Tue Apr 21, 2015 7:04 pm

Umm, how exactly are you treating the rust? If you bondo over rust, you will NOT stop it, just keep it hidden while it rusts thru the metal underneath the bondo. You must treat, or remove, the rust, and primer before filling. And not sure what the person welding is doing, but looks like some welding classes are needed. Watch lots of youtube videos on welding. I do wish you best of luck, just learn proper techniques and it will be much more durable and rewarding.
Also, if you are going to post pics, get closer to the subject, try not to repeat the same picture.

Thu May 14, 2015 8:29 am

Ok last night I welded in some patches in the front floor and sprayed it with antirust paint, Also welded in a new battery tray as shown

Front floor

Battery Tray replacement fit perfectly tray made in Holland like me

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Thu May 14, 2015 8:32 am

I plan to repaint the tray and epoxy prime it when I sand and repaint the engine bay.. in a while.
As far as the progress is going it looks like this may be a 2 year project unsure..
The front floor is just patched for now when I get more funds i'll cut it out and replace it properly I think..

Thu May 14, 2015 2:04 pm

ok so i went ahead and started repairing the nose

before pic

mid way

after

did some serious welding and bodywork to get it like this

Thu May 14, 2015 2:07 pm

just touched up the dogleg

Fri May 29, 2015 12:51 am

dash touched up

interior sanding and repairs started

Fri May 29, 2015 12:54 am

was able to salvage the doors off the blue bus at the beginning or the 69 build thread/..
am fixing and contemplating installing them on this bus as the doors it has look to be the incorrect year.

Wed Jun 03, 2015 7:47 pm

just finished installing new parking brake cables what a great job. found out that a drill and a grinder are the easiest way to cut off a stuck seized emergency brake and then a punch to hammer it out of the backing plate.
the new cable was a slightly longer length in the bottem tube i guess 68 is differnt than 69 in length. I had to cut the positioning tube shorter to make it fit pics to follow.
otherwsie it all went back together well. I was missing a clip in the brakes that salvaged from that rear axle in the bush, That spare rusted out bus frame keeps coming in handy..
anyone need some 69 rear brake drums..