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justcruzin Samba Member
Joined: July 31, 2005 Posts: 1493 Location: United States
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scrivyscriv Samba Electrician
Joined: October 04, 2011 Posts: 2922 Location: Memphis
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Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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I was reading your thread on my phone and kept trying to figure out what those little orange arrows were supposed to be pointing to, lol
Thrasher22 wrote: |
I spent a good hour trying to get the engine lid off and was only able to get ONE screw out. I welded some 1/4 steel into a "T" shaped tool that I could weld to the screws, but they were so stuck that the steel just kept shearing off. Will be back on it tonight and hopefully get some progress on patching the battery tray. |
I see you already got the hatch off, but I had to use an air hammer and a 'nut buster' attachment to turn mine loose. Bentley says you're supposed to set the screws with an impact driver when you install them, so that's probably why they're always hard to get out! You can also use a hand-held impact driver to help get them out.. I know Sears has them (do y'all have Sears up there??)
Nice work! It's so hard not to jump ahead and skip steps. Definitely pays off to do it in order though. How are the doors coming along? Any easier to spray them since they're off the bus? _________________ Robert in Memphis
Dünkelgrügen 1967 Java Green bug thread
Engine rebuild thread
If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help. |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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scrivyscriv wrote: |
I was reading your thread on my phone and kept trying to figure out what those little orange arrows were supposed to be pointing to, lol
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Hahaha! I never noticed that before. I was just trying to keep my welding magnets away from all the metal filings in the air.
No progress on the doors yet, I decided to paint the interior first. I didn't realize until I got into it, but the entire interior is made of curved edges, which has taken a while to sand . In hindsight, I wish I'd sand blasted the inside like you did.
Should be able to finish sanding/scuffing tonight so I can paint this weekend though. After doing the body, sanding and painting doors will probably be a breeze. _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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scrivyscriv Samba Electrician
Joined: October 04, 2011 Posts: 2922 Location: Memphis
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Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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I didn't sandblast enough of it, and if I were to do it over, I would spend the extra time blasting it vs chemicals, sanding and wire wheels. You're right there are a lot of curved surfaces!
What did you use for primer and paint on your exterior? Do you have any more photos of the LH inner rocker panel area? I like the floor repair panel you made for that area - I need to make or get one for mine, but since it's mostly rotted out and gone, you know how hard it is making good templates from rusty metal and guesses. _________________ Robert in Memphis
Dünkelgrügen 1967 Java Green bug thread
Engine rebuild thread
If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help. |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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I was thinking exactly that earlier tonight as I was on my knees trying to sand the inside of the nose. "
Next time" I restore a vehicle I'll spend the money on a decent compressor and blast the whole thing inside and out, then immediately prime with epoxy. I spot primed mine as I went with various cheap spray cans to protect the metal, only to have to spend ages removing it again after and realizing not everything I used was a sealing primer and there was surface rust starting
In the end, I sprayed the outside with Proform epoxy filler primer and Valspar single stage. There isn't a lot of selection here, so I went with what the shop recommended. Just sprayed it with a small HVLP turbine, which worked okay.
I'll dig up any other good shots of the rocker area. Need anything in particular? My floor patch is pretty horrendously ugly, it does the job. Once you start getting the rockers in it'll start to seem pretty obvious how it all fits together (provided you don't use klokkerholm, they're several inches short, and vary in height). _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:28 am Post subject: |
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scrivyscriv wrote: |
Do you have any more photos of the LH inner rocker panel area? I like the floor repair panel you made for that area - I need to make or get one for mine, but since it's mostly rotted out and gone, you know how hard it is making good templates from rusty metal and guesses. |
Sorry, I blanked out and forgot to get those photos! Need to see anything in particular?
Quick update, spent the last week touching up sanding and prepping the interior and got some primer down on Saturday! I was planning on doing the paint later in the day, but the primer I'm using is so toxic I was having issues with the fumes despite wearing a respirator and goggles.
20cm of fresh snow in the mountains didn't help my decision either
Looking at the photos now on a computer I can see a couple hard to reach areas that need a bit more primer... I'll touch them up before paint in the next couple days. If I let the primer sit for more than 7 days I need to resand/scuff before top coating, and there is no way on earth I'm going to sand that interior again... _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Painted the interior last night! I was having problems with my gun (think I need to replace a bushing) and the paint would spray for several seconds after I let off the trigger, so I struggled with over spray on the floors.
I suppose it doesn't matter to anyone buy myself though as it will be hidden with flooring and seats anyways.
_________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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Bala Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2613 Location: Austin, TX
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:14 am Post subject: |
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Looks great so far! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
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eche_bus Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2007 Posts: 1318
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Such a clean look. It's come one heck of a long way! Great looking bus! |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks guys!
Spent the last 3 months working on the doors and bumpers...
First I took everything to a big DIY sandblasting yard and got them cleaned up.
Sliding door was pretty crusty and had some old hidden damage, so it needed the inside and outside replaced. This piece was a little trickier as I really wanted to keep the curve of the door matching the body as exactly as possible, and really couldn't have it accidentally be any shorter/longer than factory
First I carefully cut off the outer skin.
Then tacked on the new skin, flipped it over and cut out the inner rot:
The outer skin was from Schofield and was great quality. Unfortunately I was stuck with klokkerholm for the inner, so it needed some work:
The most obvious was that the bottom lip was thin many places, and completely disappeared for stretches, which would prevent moisture from draining out the bottom. Since I didn't have specific crimping tools, I cut a large right-angle ruler in half, clamped one side underneath, and hammered the other side down beside it to create the lip.
Another important issue that needed to be dealt with, was the drains had large ripples in them which would have pooled water and lead back to... more rust!
To correct the shape I found a chisel which was the same width, clamped the metal down really tightly around it with the thick rulers to make a mold, and hammered it into shape.
Then with the outer skin still clamped firmly in the old/correct position I tacked the inner support back on. Once I was 100% with the shape and position, I cut the outer skin off and finished butt welding the inside.
All patched up and with a couple coats of weld-through primer:
Once all that was done, welding the skin on was relatively straight forward. Before I folded the edges of the skin over, I put some seam sealer between the two parts to keep moisture out of there forever.
Next up was doing some dent repair on the engine door and decided to improve on the license plate mounting system by welding nuts onto the back of the holes. The bottom two were just welded shut since they're not "really" needed.
More to follow... _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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Because my garage is pretty small I figured it would be easier to paint a couple parts at a time. So this round it got to be engine door + hatch, rear and sliding door!
Primered one side, waited 24 hours, then turned them around and flipped upside down to make sure every side had appropriate coverage.
If you're temporarily heating a garage in a cold climate like me, make sure to keep parts off the floor. The heating and cooling will cause a lot of moisture to build up on the floor, which could give you some rust/adhesion problems. I propped them up on wood scraps.
To paint both sides I made some half-hearted wooden stands for the bottom and something heavy to lean them on.
Then paint!
After the garage has aired out for a couple days I'll get started on the front doors, and finish up the bumpers. _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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DONGKG The Araneta Boys
Joined: August 28, 2006 Posts: 5475 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines, "A Certified Type 3 and Karmann Ghia Maniac"
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:42 am Post subject: |
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Thanks! Its all back together now and been doing small trips around town, but my phone died with all the progress photos. I'll do a big retroactive update when I figure out how to download them _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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wcfvw69 Samba Purist
Joined: June 10, 2004 Posts: 13389 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:57 pm Post subject: |
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I just ran across this thread and had to tell you great job. It takes a lot of tenacity to see a restoration thru. Especially when you discovered the amount of rust and previous crappy repairs. Doing that type of work in those cold working conditions is fantastic.
Looking forward to your future updates on how it looks now. _________________ Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc
Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.
**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours** |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 11:54 am Post subject: |
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Thanks wcfvw69, I really appreciate it!
I've given up on trying to get the photos on my old phone, so to jump ahead several months...
I don't have a ton of photos from the last few months as I've been recovering from a pretty serious concussion mid-april and wasn't allowed to use electronic devices for more than short periods.
On the plus side, all I was able to do when I was on medical leave from work was slowly keep working on the bus! Because of this, I was able to finish painting the doors and start assembling everything!
On of the first shots back on the road, I drove to my parents house to store him for a few days while I restored the pop-top.
The roof was in decent shape aside from some scratches which needed some light filler and a bunch of mold on the underside from "someone" storing it in his back yard for a few years
Sanded down for paint:
I painted with Interlux Brightside. Really impressed with the paint, it is fantastic at leveling out, and dries very glossy and hard! I also sandblasted the tie downs, and spray bombed them black. They're just attached with some machine screws with nuts on the inside.
Next up: Flooring!
Before:
I almost hate covering up the new paint...
During:
I just used regular cheap plywood with plastic flooring underlay.
After:
Snap-together laminate flooring from Home Depot, exact same color as the cabinates and was cheap!
I put regular old fiberglass insulation behind all the panels. I'll do a more serious job of sound deadening and insulating this winter.
And started doing trips around town!
_________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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I spent a month or two doing short city drives and tuning up the engine, then painted the bumpers, front logo, and sandblasted/painted the bumper mounts.
By this point my turbine HVLP system was starting to struggle and I'd gotten tired of all the prep and cleaning, so I bought one of the "bring your own paint" style spray cans from napa and was fairly impressed. I'll look up the brand name if anyone is interested, but it comes with a small glass jar which you mix your paint into, which screws into an can or propellant (I believe propane/butane mix), and you use it like a regular spray can.
The downside is the butane makes the paint quiet cold, so you need to spray fairly heavy to get it to flow nicely.
I'd been rushing all summer so that I could have the bus ready for my wedding early Aug, and the photographer took a bunch of pics of us with it
Just one so far, waiting for more:
The weekend after the wedding, I was finally able to get the bus on the highway for its maiden camping trip!
Just drove an hour from town, but it required a fair bit of 65mph driving, gravel roads, and mountain driving. I packed every spare I had and half the tools in the garage, preparing for the worst... which never came. I'm pretty pleased to say not a single thing went wrong! The bus, which is now known as Frank (as in stein, both for the color and the many pieces needed to bring him back to life) drove beautifully! Even managed 23mpg.
And just for fun, our cat came/was dragged out for a visit
_________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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wcfvw69 Samba Purist
Joined: June 10, 2004 Posts: 13389 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:23 pm Post subject: |
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That really turned out fantastic! For someone who hadn't tackled welding nor bodywork before, you should be VERY proud of yourself for what you accomplished. That really turned out great.
Nice job! _________________ Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc
Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.
**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours** |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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Final catch-up post. If you're a stock nazi, or refruse to cut corners, do not read any further. But if you want to fix your turn signal for free, read on
Last night I set my mind to getting my turn signals to auto cancel, as I NEVER remember to turn them off. I'll take a couple more pics tonight and do a full "how to" to fill in the missing steps for those who haven't taken their steering wheel off before.
Step 1: Remove horn cover with your fingernail/razor/whatever.
Step 2: Unplug the horn grounding wire, and unbolt the steering wheel (I believe it is a 24mm bolt). Set steering wheel aside.
You can now see the assembly for the turn signal, wiper blade control, and high beams.
I chose to remove it by removing the 4 flat head machine screws and unplugging the two harnesses from the bottom to clean 40 years of junk out. Old grease and dirt was removed with a can of carb cleaner, and I re-greased thoroughly with Jigalou, a grease-less spray lubricant.
If you know how these work, skip to step 3.
Normally there is a spring-like piece of metal (middle arrow), which attached two sliding pieces of plastic (side arrows) together. When you "activate" the turn signal, there is a piece of plastic which pops out of the middle. When you turn the steering wheel, there is a "nub" on the wheel that catches this plastic pieces and pushes it to one side or the other, popping the signal back into position. I apologize if this part is hard to follow, but pop off your steering wheel and it will be obvious.
I was missing the plastic bit indicated by the left arrow and the metal spring, so when the steering wheel pushed the plastic part that pops out, there was nothing for it to push against on one side, and no spring to hold the other side in place. Given how I would have probably needed to buy a whole new assembly to get these two tiny parts, I decided to improvise.
Step 3: Fix it!
All that is really missing is something for the steering wheel to push against to pop things into place. So I took some #4 3/8" screws and screwed them into the slots indicated by the two side arrows. You could use a smaller screw, but any bigger you risk cracking the plastic, or being too tall and interfering with the steering wheel.
Step 4: Reassemble!
So long story short... if your turn signal does't work, throw some screws in it
I took it for a test drive, and it works beautifully. _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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Thrasher22 Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2010 Posts: 858 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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wcfvw69 wrote: |
That really turned out fantastic! For someone who hadn't tackled welding nor bodywork before, you should be VERY proud of yourself for what you accomplished. That really turned out great.
Nice job! |
Thanks! I'm pretty pleased with the final result. Next project I tackle it should just move a little faster _________________ 1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701 |
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whatdoesthisbuttondo? Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2012 Posts: 259 Location: Victoria
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 11:21 am Post subject: |
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Man, Frank looks awesome, great job! _________________ Orange 1973 Campervan. Rebuilt 1700cc with dual Solex carbs. Pertronix electronic points on stock distributor. Engine rebuild in progress (fall 2023). |
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