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1976 Westfalia: a question about door/body fit
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eche_bus
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:19 pm    Post subject: 1976 Westfalia: a question about door/body fit Reply with quote

I'm seriously considering the purchase of a '76 Westy and could really use some input about what is considered normal door-to-body fit. The vehicle is not known to have been in any major accidents, or to have had significant body panel rust repair. It has a new, but just cosmetic (no real disassembly) paint job. As I look over the photos (haven't seen in person yet - it's a long way away) I can't help but notice the lower bottom corners of both front doors and even the sliding door seem to stick out more than others I've seen. FYI, the door seals are all old originals.

I've uploaded photos showing the doors to an album here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_author=eche_bus&show_results=summary

I would really appreciate any help understanding if this looks odd to you all or is considered within "normal" range, and if not whether it's indicative of a significant problem. Are these all adjustable?

All comments appreciated.
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SGKent Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

my humble opinion of any just painted bus before you buy it you get before the paint job and body work photos as well, and also ask for copies of the receipts showing what kind of paint was used painting it. Paint can hide a lot of bondo and not all paints are equal.

That said, the doors where probably removed when it was painted. If so they require adjustment. If the seals are new (which you say they are not) they may be the cheaper seals which don't close very well and that is the result.
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Last edited by SGKent on Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:27 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Westfabulous
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are correct about your observations. The front doors will look exactly like that if they are not closed hard enough. The mechanism will catch, but not lock in. Is it possible that he purposely didn't close the doors fully to allow the paint to breath and cure? Green U-bolt and gas cap! That's a little crazy.
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eche_bus
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, so the doors are either out of adjustment or not fully latched. There's no good indication the doors were removed (the inside of the doors weren't re-painted) and the seller (who had it repainted) said he'd noticed the doors didn't fit well at the bottom too, so I don't think it was due to it not being latched.

So it appears for whatever reason the doors all have been removed sometime in the past. Bottom line then (based on what you see)it should be possible to adjust all of this to fit, right???

By the way, I appreciate your spotting things that shouldn't be painted. This is potentially my first Westy and I'm still learning.
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SGKent Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eche_bus wrote:
OK, so the doors are either out of adjustment or not fully latched. There's no good indication the doors were removed (the inside of the doors weren't re-painted) and the seller (who had it repainted) said he'd noticed the doors didn't fit well at the bottom too, so I don't think it was due to it not being latched.

So it appears for whatever reason the doors all have been removed sometime in the past. Bottom line then (based on what you see)it should be possible to adjust all of this to fit, right???

By the way, I appreciate your spotting things that shouldn't be painted. This is potentially my first Westy and I'm still learning.


YOU have to inspect it and make a decsion unless you want to pay to fly all of us there to look at it. Were it me this is the bus I would look at

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1142560
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eche_bus
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, I should have been clearer. You misunderstood my meaning. Please realize I've never adjusted the doors on a VW Bay. As such, I have no idea how many degrees of freedom there are in door adjustment. I'm not expecting someone to do the work for me, just trying to tap into others knowledge as to how adjustable the doors are. If doors aren't adjustable in the direction required for the misalignment shown, this would be a big, big problem indicative of very bad stuff. If they are fully adjustable, this is no big deal at all and I sure as heck won't pass on a car because the panels aren't well aligned.

FYI, I've done a multiple show-winning rotisserie restoration on another type of car - no stranger to car work, just new to VWs.

Thanks for the tip on the '74. Nice! Really targeting the 2.0L motor years though, and prefer the camping equipment layout of the '75-'79 years.
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BusterBrown
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It does look as though the doors just aren't fully closed, as others have said. Hard to know for sure, but that's what my '78's doors look like when I don't close them all the way.

On another note; I didn't like seeing the overspray onto the jalousie seals- not a sign of good craftsmanship, and makes me wonder what else was done sloppy. Also, that crack in the rear corner of the fiberglass top will need attention. Have to wonder if there are more, which you can't see without actually inspecting in person.

Good luck!
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Rubber Duck
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is how my doors look too. The result of the door seal that's probably a little too thick. Change the door seals and your doors would likely close well. As a test, just remove the seals and see how tightly the doors shut. Mine shut great until I put the bloody seals on.

The door is tightly shut, don't worry. Or at least mine, which look just like yours, do. Can't get it to pop open, nor close any tighter.
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