TheSamba.com :: View topic - my first bus

Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:01 pm

Alright after 8 months of searching for a westy bus that is within my budget, good condition, and with all the gadgets, i found a 1977 campmobile delux from samba member FIREMEN9027 who was located about 20 minute drive from my house WOOWOO! The PO cut out all the rust and replaced it with new metal, did all the body work and painted the inside and out. The bus interior is completely stripped out except for the dash and seats. PO Installed all new seals, new wheel bearings, axles, cv, front and rear brakes, rebuilt brake servo motor sent off and a spare motor was included. The PO told me that when he tightened down the rear wheels the brakes would lock up so the only way to move the bus is to loosen the rear wheel lugs. The motor that in it, has a cracked case and is leaking oil. I am going to keep track of all my expenses for every little item and will post an expense report when finished. (not including my own time of course) 8)
Unfortunately, from the sounds of everyone else on the samba i might have overpaid but i thought it was a good deal, especially in Florida where just about everything is rusty and it was hard finding a nice bus under $3500.

ssoo i have a long journey until this baby is done but here are some photos of what has been done so far

installed my sound deadener

started on my insulation

i am open to any suggestions on things to do ,,,,[/youtube]

Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:55 pm

It's up to you, but I think you should remove the silver reflectex from the rear hatch area. If you look inside the engine compartment you will see that it is not necessary as their is lots of padding and sound deadening there already. If you leave it, it will look crappy whenever you move your pillow, and it will want to lift at the corners and stick to your pillow fabric. I'd get rid of it.

Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:52 pm

On the subject of soundproofing:

Here is my experience with the same project. I couldn't be happier.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=373683

I also agree that the Reflectix is not necessary above the hatch especially if you have soundproofing there (and it looks like you do).

You can easily cover either material with carpeting so that there is a barrier for your rear cushion.

Beware that the more layers you add (flooring etc) will make it difficult to fit any original equipment that you may be installing (seats, cabinets, seatbelts, vent covers, etc...).

What's with all the black stuff? Looks like spraypaint?

Wed Apr 20, 2011 2:41 pm

thanks guys! i took the insulation off the back area and have put it somewhere else in the bus. Its not spray paint, it is black rubber spray coating from lowes.

Can i keep the insulation that is on the inclined area that is located under the fold out seat?

Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:46 pm

Yes, you can leave it, but it will look crappy everytime you lift the seat to grab your barbecue. I'd get rid of it.

Wed Apr 20, 2011 7:02 pm

Good thinking, will do!

Tue May 17, 2011 12:42 pm

alright since my last post - i have dropped the motor and its getting rebuilt,

stripped the laminate off the cabinets,
http://youtu.be/Wu87TTVWXDU

removed the extra insulation i had in the back and finished the insulation throughout the bus.

ORdered new formica

and almost finished with the cabinets,

removed the original fridge

and retrofit the cabinet to perfectly hold the dometic cf-25 fridge/freezer.

this weekend i will finish the bare interior and get ready to install the cabinetry.

i will be using busboss's idea with the grey utility carpet in the back of the bus along the lower walls and over the engine area. I ordered the interior panel kit and the ABS kick panels from busdepot, when the interior panels came in they were destroyed from shipping and somehow they got wet and turned into what looked similar to (dry toilet paper that was once wet) in some spots. i have found a good set that i can use as a template and will just make my own out of wood. i will post some more photos as progress continues.

Tue May 17, 2011 1:09 pm

Very nice. One suggestion I have is to detail the engine compartment and paint it to match the rest of the bus.

Tue May 17, 2011 1:17 pm

very good suggestion! i was trying to decide whether or not i wanted to paint my engine tin or keep it black but i havent thought about painting the entire compartment. sounds like this might be difficult, does anyone know how much paint it would take to do the engine compartment?

Tue May 17, 2011 1:45 pm

It's not how much paint it takes to coat it that is the killer, it's the prep. My engine bay had some sort of asphalt based undercoating/protectant that came off somehwat easily, but was very greasy. I had to first get the mud dirt and old oil off, then the coating, then wipe everything down with thinner, just to cut the grease. After all this, I still had to sand and prep it. Painting was the easy part, just one afternoon for the primer, top and clear coat.

BTW, it probably only took a half quart each of primer top and clear.

Tue May 17, 2011 1:52 pm

you should be able to do the engine compartment with a quart, and have leftovers... the worst part will be hand scuffin' it all... I would scuff it with 220, hit it with a self-etching primer, then shoot a single stage paint... if yours has some kinda undercoating, a needle scaler will beast that mess out in no time... where you can reach, of course... and like dude said, cleanin' and degreasin' is a MAJOR must...

Tue May 17, 2011 2:06 pm

I've done a couple, well at least three.

You'll need to get the good three part automotive paint and have it mixed to match. The cost is kinda high, about $150+ for paint, reducer, hardener, tape, paper, etc. You'll be glad you did it though.

Be sure to clean it good and then clean it good again. Spend the time masking and prepping and it will really pay off when you're done.

Tue May 17, 2011 2:19 pm

When I saw your doors my first thought was "Dammit!" Put a vapour seal on yesterday. Wish I'd insulated.

Great work by the way.

Tue May 17, 2011 2:50 pm

ratcamper - take the vapor seal off and insulate it!

aeromech - thanks for the photos, i am going home to inspect the work i will have to do.

Tue May 17, 2011 3:06 pm

hmmm have you done any engine compartments in "undercoat?" is there any pros and cons to doing this? just a thought

Tue May 17, 2011 3:34 pm

kruton wrote: hmmm have you done any engine compartments in "undercoat?" is there any pros and cons to doing this? just a thought

Don't do it. It looks terrible. You want a light color otherwise when you open the lid it's like looking into a black hole.

Tue May 17, 2011 3:39 pm

you can get the professional undercoat tinted... it's still not particularly bright, but they start with an off-white/light grey base and add color... I'm considerin' doin' it to mine, we do spray-in bedliners here at work and our product looks great in about 18 different colors... and you can apply it up to 1/4" thick and not have to worry about sound deadening after that... it's not cheap though... the store-bought budget stuff would NOT be the way to go...

Wed May 18, 2011 9:18 am

i have just received a PM asking who i am getting to rebuild the motor.. Well i live in Titusville, FL and there is the Clough family that runs Clough's Foriegn Cars, they specialize in european vehicles. The owner Loyd has a VW bus himself that he is owned for over 30 years. Right down the street is NAPA who has a machine shop - so if you combine both their resources - well you cant get any better. Clough's has a great reputation and his wife Joann is even very knowledgeable and has answered every question i've had so far - thats a keeper 8) I cant forget to mention their two beautiful german shepards that roam the property all day. They have a great warranty, they stand behind on all their work, and they are not rough on the wallet. The warranty on the rebuilt motor will be 1 year/12,000 mile.

So all in all, if you need any work done on your VW bus - CLough's Foriegh Cars is the way to go! They are fast, precise, and best of all - a fellow bus owner! 108 Fisher Avenue Titusville, FL 32796-3498 (321) 267-0656

Wed May 18, 2011 8:36 pm

cabinets are done... here they are -

Thu May 19, 2011 9:47 am

You sure get stuff done fast. Looks great.