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Fri Oct 14, 2005 5:09 am

I am in the process of replacing the doglegs on a 63 split bus. Does anyone have any good hints/tricks/tips that they could share? Heard of any turtorials on this site or others? I have used the search but, to no ado. I am specifically looking for the optimal places to cut and then subsquently weld in the new legs. Thanks for any info..

Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:38 pm

I just did the passenger side. I am sure I have seen a thread about this somewhere. Anyway, make sure the replacement doglegs have the correct dimensions. The one I got from WW had the channel for the rubber seal about 1/4' too wide in places. Had to take out the spot welds and reposition. Some other trimming at the rear was necessary.

Just cut out the old one where it is attached. It's a pretty straightforward process. When welding the new one in, it was tough because my replacement piece seemed slightly warped. Also, make sure the door properly opens and closes and you have the right gap between door and dogleg when closed! Take your time and good luck. I will try and post some pics when I get home tonight.

Arthur

Fri Oct 14, 2005 4:37 pm

Hi oldeskooloval !

I replaced the both doglegs in my bus. Took a few time but nothing impossible. I uploaded a couple of pictures in the gallery you might check out.

First, take the old dogleg out. Drill the upper spot welds first, then welds inside the wheelwell, and the welds in the front.

You need a helper to hold the front section in the right position, firstly using clamps. I the fit is ok, dogleg length with a right fitting in the back section, drill a hole and rivet it by section. You will do it several times the cycle (clamp, check length, alignment, clamp again , drill, rivet, go ahead) until you reach the back end of the dogleg.

you need a good quality rivet, because you will need to push the back section of the dogleg in, and a weak rivet will twist,loose or break. A good rivet is also important because the dogleg needs to stay fixed in the bus, since you will need to open and close the door several times to verify the door gap and the fitting.

You need to check the door gap. This can only be done before welding with the dogleg riveted in place, or if you have cleco's the better.
When decide it's adjusted, WELD IT!!!

BTW this is the first dogleg I replaced ever. Is not that difficult.

Hope this may help you.

Good luck

Julio

Fri Oct 14, 2005 4:41 pm

Dyum, Julio! :shock:

Not only is that a good job but a great tutorial too!!! 8)

Sat Oct 15, 2005 7:00 am

That is awsome, thanks Julio and arthurnugen! Thaks for comming through. I am hopefully going to be doing this in the next week. I really appreciate the responses.

Sat Oct 15, 2005 9:58 am

Happy to help! I don't have any pics showing the process, but here is a pic when the piece was in. (More welding is still necessary, though):

Sat Oct 15, 2005 6:50 pm

You're welcome buddy!

Happy to help too.

Sat Oct 15, 2005 8:45 pm

I was reading this thread and started seeing the part about pop rivets, and thought "OH NO!". But then there was the explanation about using the rivets to align and adjust before welding. That is really clever. I've seen this done with myriad clamps, but this pop-rivet technique seems really simple.
Thanks for the tutorial.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 6:43 pm

I just got the lower dogleg only from KF, as the upper part of mine are fine. It cam in two pieces...inner and outer. The legs in the above segments seem to be all in one piece? Should I join the two parts before install or install the inner first...then the outer?

Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:59 pm

If the dogleg is in two halves, I think will be hard for you to weld them together out of the car without a jig to be sure you will be keeping it in the correct shape and curvature and with the correct seal gaps etc.

The inner will have to be welded first, because the outer skin doesn't attach to the body in the seal perimeter (it is the inner that is welded to the car in that section and the outer on the side of it).

I would drill beforehand all the holes to plugweld the inner+outer before, so after the inner is tack welded in you only need to be sure the seal gap is correct with the door alignment. Weld that first and for last the front section lip at the A pillar and the B pillar for last...

Wed Aug 21, 2013 8:07 pm

novetti wrote: If the dogleg is in two halves, I think will be hard for you to weld them together out of the car without a jig to be sure you will be keeping it in the correct shape and curvature and with the correct seal gaps etc.

The inner will have to be welded first, because the outer skin doesn't attach to the body in the seal perimeter (it is the inner that is welded to the car in that section and the outer on the side of it).

I would drill beforehand all the holes to plugweld the inner+outer before, so after the inner is tack welded in you only need to be sure the seal gap is correct with the door alignment. Weld that first and for last the front section lip at the A pillar and the B pillar for last...
Sure wish I understood what you meant! Lol. There will be no welding to the "B" pillar as these are only the lower dog legs...just from the "A" pillar to part of the way up where it rises up alongside the seat pedestal. I do understand about installing the inner part separately though. Thanks.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 8:19 pm

Predrill and clean as Novetti says and install the inner first so it fits the floor, front pillar and existing dogleg, then install the outer so it lines up with the doorskin and existing outer dogleg, those prewelded ones never fit exactly right and usually require drilling apart to do the job properly, Mr.G. saved you the trouble.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 8:27 pm

busdaddy wrote: Predrill and clean as Novetti says and install the inner first so it fits the floor, front pillar and existing dogleg, then install the outer so it lines up with the doorskin and existing outer dogleg, those prewelded ones never fit exactly right and usually require drilling apart to do the job properly, Mr.G. saved you the trouble.

My floor is out. Would you do the dogleg work first, or should I at least screw the new floor in prior to the dogleg work to make sure it lines up with the floor well?

Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:17 pm

I would weld the floor first then the dogleg.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:57 pm

I would weld the doglegs first. The door gap and alignment are critical. the floor can be fudged. VW did the doglegs first.

Thu Aug 22, 2013 4:40 pm

Once it's in, keep it dry. After driving in the rain one day, I noticed water through the holes. It didn't drain until I poked through with a flexible wand. Water poured out at the jack point. AHHH! That's why they rot out.

Tue Aug 27, 2013 1:51 pm

Cut my old dog leg out just now. Have to repair the A-Pillar. Gonna be tedious making sure I trim the new dog leg correctly. I'll certainly cut it too large and work my way down!

Tue Aug 27, 2013 1:55 pm

Tomorrow's work before attempting dog leg patch:

Tue Aug 27, 2013 2:40 pm

Hats off to you Ken. To rip into this thing like you have, without having any welding skills, is ballsy to say the least. You and glideking deserve some kind of "never say die" award. Looking forward to the next installment.

Tue Aug 27, 2013 2:46 pm

I figure anything I eff up can be fixed, and hopefully somebody here will let me know! Going for "conserved" vs. "restored" also takes the pressure off...patina stays, only cancer gets cut out.