TheSamba.com :: View topic - Cutting out the most ot the left side of a 89' Westy.

Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:11 pm

I'm not sure if anybody would be interested in this but I have not seen this covered before on the forum and I thought someone might find it interesting. Back story: I bought this 89' Westy from the original owner in San Francisco after it was T boned by a Chevy and declared a total for a thousand dollars. It has a new Canadian motor and no rust with only 64,000 miles on the clock. The accident caused the side to be pushed in over seven inches and damaged the water cabinet and bench seat. I plan to fix and paint the body and send it to Europe for the upcoming Tuning Treffen held in Germany[/img]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thhHZOaTYbQ&feature=related I have for the past five years restored a Baywindow Westy to send to Europe and travel around for a month or so and then sell the van. Since this one came up cheap and I need something to do this winter, I thought I would send this one over as the German T3 Vanagons are for the most part lower end models and this one is fully loaded and then sell it. The replacement panels came from a dead 86' Syncro and I scored a grey interior out of Pick Your Parts for a hundred dollars. I plan to install a euro 220 volt Westy fridge with electronic ignition that I got from a friends euro westy and add a euro Westy water filler, fridge vent and electric hookup since I plan to sell it once I leave Europe. The replacement panels needed the 300 plus spot welds removed so that it could be put in the van piece by piece.

This is how it was when I got it.

This photo shows the van after coming off a frame rack. I wanted it pulled back to shape to make sure the roof line was not pulled down.

This photo shows the inner panel removed.

This is the start of removing all of the interior.
Damaged water cabinet.

This is after the front bad panel has been rough cut from the van.

[
This is the dead panel that will be reborn into Honda fenders.

These are the small parts left over from the rough cutting that needed the spot welds drilled out.

This is a photo of the way a Euro model has the hookups. I bought these parts at VanFest this last summer for this project.

I will try to post more photos as the project moves along.[/img]

Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:31 pm

shaun0008 wrote: I'm not sure if anybody would be interested in this but I have not seen this covered before on the forum and I thought someone might find it interesting. Back story: I bought this 89' Westy from the original owner in San Francisco after it was T boned by a Chevy and declared a total for a thousand dollars. It has a new Canadian motor and no rust with only 64,000 miles on the clock. The accident caused the side to be pushed in over seven inches and damaged the water cabinet and bench seat. I plan to fix and paint the body and send it to Europe for the upcoming Tuning Treffen held in Germany[/img]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thhHZOaTYbQ&feature=related I have for the past five years restored a Baywindow Westy to send to Europe and travel around for a month or so and then sell the van. Since this one came up cheap and I need somthing to do this winter, I thought I would send this one over as the German T3 Vanagons are for the most part lower end models and this one is fully loaded and then sell it. The replacement panels came from a dead 86' Syncro and I scored a grey interior out of Pick Your Parts for a hundred dollars. I plan to install a euro 220 volt Westy fridge with electronic ignition that I got from a friends euro westy and add a euro Westy water filler, fridge vent and eletric hookup since I plan to sell it once I leave Europe. The replacment panels needed the 300 plus spot welds removed so that it could be put in the van piece by piece.

[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623028.jpg [/img] This is how it was when I got is

[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623032.jpg [img] This photo shows the van after coming off a frame rack. I wanted it pulled back to shape to make sure the roof line was not pulled down.

[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623027.jpg [/img] This photo shows the inner panel removed.
This is the start of removing all of the interior.
[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623035.jpg [/img] Damaged water cabinet.

[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623042.jpg [/img] This is after the front bad panel has been rough cut from the van.

[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623044.jpg [/img] This is the dead panel that will be reborn into Honda fenders.
[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623036.jpg [/img] These are the small parts left over from the rough cutting that needed the spot welds drilled out.
[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/thumbnails/623053.jpg [/img] This is a photo of the way a Euro model has the hookups. I bought these parts at VanFest this last summer for this project.

I will try to post more photos as the project moves along.

Fixed this much :?

Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:31 pm

Big job! Let's build a vanagon from scratch using new panels!

Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:41 pm

^^^ Thats like that funky green single cab over in the split bus forum. Is there any more information on that build?

Neat thread by the way, i look forward to more updates and pics

Tue Dec 01, 2009 7:09 pm

Here are a few more photos as I make progress. These photos show the used panels removed from each other and ready to install. I left the wheel arch attached to the rear panel to make less work. The two side panels needed to be split from the center post. The last photos show the center post installed and I will hang the rear panel tomorrow.

Seperated rear panel

Inside veiw of rear panel with the inside support panel removed.

Center panel

Veiw of inside the center panel

This is the center post that will be installed first. The outer panels both attache to this.

This shows most of the support gone and almost ready for the replacment. You can see that the rocker panel covers some of it, so I am leaving some of the old metal and I will over lap and weld it.

The post is in!! Next the rear panel.

Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:11 pm

what is the advantage of the Euro model hookups?

Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:09 pm

randywebb wrote: what is the advantage of the Euro model hookups?

So that he can use them in europe and then sell a euro van in europe.

At least, thats what I gathered.

Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:55 pm

Here are a few more photos of the rear quarter attached to the bus. The other photos show the innner panel prep and installed. When I drilled out the spot welds I left the "plug" on the panel instead of grinding it flush so that I could line the two panels back up. When the outer panel was mated to the van I used a piece of the scrap as a bridge between the two for strength rather then butt weld it. This van will be sent to Europe for a summer trip and then be sold. This is the reason I will install Euro hook ups rather the US type. The ones on the van were destroyed and there was no reason to spend the money for new ones that would be useless in Europe.

Rear panel with bridge piece for strenth

New panel mated to bus before inner support added

Inner support welded to outer panel. Welds filled in were the spot welds were.

Tommorrow I will igrind down the welds and use brush on seam sealer similar to the factory stuff then I will nstall the outer panel. :)

Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:08 pm

Nice!

Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:39 pm

These are probably not photos I would forward to the new owner.

Stacy

Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:49 pm

At least he's doing it the correct way. Most body shops use filler rather than take the time to reskin a panel like that. Hats off to you for doing it correctly.

The DMV should be notified that you're reconstructing that van... so you can get the proper title tag on your pink slip. :wink:

Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:15 pm

Well the panels are installed and I will be cutting in the Euro hookups next week and reinstall the camper interior and get it ready for the paint shop.

Here is the back down for time

Remove panel from donor van 2 hours
Remove the camper interior 5 hours
Drill out 300 spot welds from donor panel and seperate 8 hours
Weld in replacement panels 12 hours
Reinstall camper interior 7 hours is my guess

Inner rear panel installed and seam sealed

Center panel installed.

Close up of the bottom flange before seam seal.

The van with the panels installed :D Now I just need to install hookups.

This shows the mating of the new panel to the bus just behind the front door.

Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:51 pm

Wow Shaun! That is impressive, watch out or you're gong to have a new job refurbing all or our vans :D

Fri Dec 04, 2009 6:28 pm

very nice! although when i first saw this thread i was hoping you go nuts and make the whole side a slide out like RVs have...that would be cool :)

Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:46 pm

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n88/seattledown...133658.jpg

You have me wanting to try and do that to my van... How tough is it really to do all that sort of thing? I know my setup would be way less work than your's, but it still seems like a fair amount of time and effort to get it dialed.

What are the possibilities of cutting out the pannel in the sliding door channel and welding a new section in there? I forsee a problem with warping from heat...

Thoughts?

Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:54 pm

Here are a few update photos as I ready the van for a fresh coat of Titan Red metalic. The paint should go on this Tuesday and I will post photos soon afternoon.

A little bondo makes everything look better

Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:32 am

Pretty amazing. :shock:

Will the inside of the panels be resprayed also.

That's a great rare color! Hopefully things will go well at the DMV like the other Tristar guy said.

Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:35 am

Shaun

thanks for saving this van!

the dmv will be a piece of cake with this kind of work.

Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:09 pm

Well the came back from the paint shop last week and I have been putting it back together since it's return. The following photos show the side of the van done, with the Euro hook-ups installed. I only had a white plastic electric box at this time, but I will replace it with a matching black one later. I will paint the bumpers and the side cladding next week and install the alloys at the same time.

[img]

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Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:50 pm

=D> \:D/ =D>