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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 4:44 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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As soon as I had half the roof on (more like 2 5ths) I decided the bus needed to be inside. This was the first time it had been under (some of) a roof in over 44 years.
Anyone from Maine probably has had to shovel out the inside of a building at some point, right? Also, winter is the best time to build. No black flies. |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 4:53 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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I did finish buttoning up the garage last winter including doors. My son and I went to a junk yard 10 miles from my house because we heard there were some VWs there. We found 5 bays, and some late model Beetles, lots of rust, and an 84 van with a roof rack. Another deal was struck.
If anyone has not noticed, the drivers door is incorrect. I found one on Thesamba last year. The guy I bought it from in CA drove/delivered it to my father in laws shop in Oakland. It is now on it's way here. |
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Pinetops Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2007 Posts: 2987
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 4:56 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Nice garage/shop and vw collection. _________________ "A rolling bus gathers no rust." |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 5:03 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Here is the door. I think it will be perfect for my bus.
My son and I went back to get the other 15 window. We had high hopes, but it was not savable. We disassembled it mostly without tools. We did get a bunch of decent parts including a front bench seat, and some great wall art
It seems like as soon as I had a roof, this happened
Not for long. |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 5:06 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Thanks Pinetops. I live in the crust belt, so all of my vehicles have a common theme. We need a funky green panel factory in the northeast. |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 5:23 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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I am almost caught up to now. The bus has been in my garage for almost 1 year. Last summer we switched gears and got our bay Westy going (we drove it about 6000 miles from June to Dec.) We started insulating and boarding up the inside of the garage. It is now insulated, painted and heated, and ready to go. My son and I stripped the bus down and bagged and tagged everything. The only things not removed yet are the rear hatch, and the transaxle. I have ordered metal from Gerson twice now as I save $. I still need a pile of metal. I will post some more photos soon. Thanks |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:30 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Here are current photos of our bus waiting for me to get started.
It is now sitting on the same cart I built to originally drag it out of the woods. I did remove the Harbor Freight scrap metal wheel remains and am now using wheels from my pipe staging. I welded pieces of larger diameter pipe to the inside corners so I can easily remove the wheels when the cart is not being used. (I am thinking the cart being used is a long way off.)
Here are photos of the roof where the top meets the drip rail
If you look out from inside the bus, it looks like the only thing holding the top on is the inside cross members, and the very front
The whole roof moves if you tap it with your hand. Still undecided with the repair to this, but I am leaning towards grafting pieces around the perimeter to connect with the non-rotten drip rail |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:36 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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I am going to start by repairing the damaged/rusted front frame pieces. I have been staring at them for a week. I thought originally I would replace them entirely, but I have not yet decided. The way the frame is built into the seat pans is quite involved. When I thought about replacing the frame sections, I was going to drill out all of the spot welds, and replace them the way they were originally installed (minus the butt splice) but seeing how they go together, I am not sure. Here is what they look like:
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:58 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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If you look at the photos of the drivers side frame rail, you can see where it was tweaked in the accident. The beam seemed straight, but I am not sure if it is the original. It didn't seem like it had ever been out when I removed it, plus the tie rods were bent, and the steering box was damaged, and you could not turn the steering wheel without alot of effort. This bus sat on the ground for over 40 years, so when I started cleaning the underside, I expected it to be completely rotted like some of the other buses I have seen that sat. It did look terrible on first inspection, but then I started picking the undercoating off, and the cargo floor frame and cross members look fine.
I also started picking away at some of the undercoating in the rear wheel well and where it wasn't rusted, the metal looked new.
Anyway, while trying to decide how to repair the front frame, we dug this out
And I started trying to remove what I thought I would be needing. |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 4:27 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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So I separated the walkthru section from the rest of the nose, and it looks pretty good. It does have some rust in the frame in the same places that I am needing to repair.
I thought about swapping the whole clip, but I am not sure that is necessary. I feel pretty confident about my welding abilities. If I end up patching/splicing pieces, I think I could make it sturdy. One concern is the tweaked left rail. I think that may need to be replaced. Any input would be helpful and appriciated.
Thanks |
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glideking Samba Member
Joined: February 02, 2013 Posts: 990 Location: California
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:04 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Glideking,
I built the house (mostly) before starting the garage. I promised my wife I would not start the garage until the house was done. The house is almost done, but I've been building it for so long, that the things I started with now seem to be ready for remodeling. I'll get to that later. I do have a TV, but there never seems to be anything good on. Oh well, early to bed, early to the garage.
Thanks |
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Jung Restoration Samba Member
Joined: May 30, 2004 Posts: 592 Location: Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:25 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Garage looks great Dave, hoping to come visit in the Spring or early Summer.
I'm loving all the pix and descriptions, keep on rockin'.
If you run into a situation where you need a part that you don't have, let me know. _________________ Wanted : January '57 Palm Green Sand Green Bus Parts - Middle and Rear Seat Frames - flat back. I have original seat covers but would consider covered frames.
-------------------------------------------------------
Jung Restoration - Jung is my last name and restoration is what I do for work. I restore antique windows and doors here in the Northeast. Check out my site www.antiquewindowrestoration.com |
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ryans65 Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2016 Posts: 1254 Location: Yulee FL
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 12:10 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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glideking wrote: |
The meaning of life is not lost on you. I bet you don't have a T.V.
Kurt |
HA! I just had someone ask me the other day if I was living "off the grid" when I told them I didn't have cable/ internet. |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 12:41 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Nate, thanks. I am hoping to get some actual work done on my bus, instead of everything else around it. Come up any time. I will definitely get with you when things start moving forward with my bus.
Kurt, I have DirectTV for my family, and feel like every month I am throwing $ away. My kids watch recordings of the same shows over and over. As far as the internet goes, we have satellite internet. It takes your Avatar a full minute to make 1 revolution... No pizza guy either. I still love living in the woods.
Notice I put my mailbox (Son painted) behind the electrical pole. It makes a more challenging target for the plow truck driver. |
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55samba Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2002 Posts: 805 Location: CA Bay Area
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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I admire your ambition. Seeing what work you have done I can tell you will get this project done and do a great job. Thanks for posting updates.
20 years ago nobody would take on these projects, it's neat to see them coming back to life. |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 2:00 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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I really felt fortunate to find this bus, and hope I will do it justice. We are lucky now that there are so many more parts available for these projects. I never would have thought something like Thesamba would exist, now it is part of my every day, and it is such a good resource. There is so much information available. |
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splitlp Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2010 Posts: 18 Location: eastcoast
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:32 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Check out Alan H Schofield Ltd
Alan H Schofield Ltd
They offer frame rail repair sections. Front Chassis Repair Left ->67. 211-703-021F and Front Chassis Section Left ->67. 211-703-205
This may help with the bent and rusted sections. I have used their rear frame rails on a project and the quality was excellent.
Keep up the good work! |
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Burlyhammer Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 1693 Location: Great north woods Maine
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 2:44 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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Splitlip, thanks for the info. I had heard about Alan Schofield before but never checked out their site. It looks like they have some good pieces. I may go with that frame piece. If I were to use my donor piece it would have to be repaired, so we will see.
Thanks |
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peecee69 Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005 Posts: 1572 Location: Annapolis, MD/Bloomfield Hills, MI
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 5:46 am Post subject: Re: 1963 15 Window resurrection |
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I love the shot of the wall art. It reminds me of one of the sheets of the paper bus model I have. |
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