What am I getting into? 66 13 window

[Another Kombi]

Admittedly a noob but learning on a steep curve. I’ve found a German 13 window for sale at a very attractive price that looks good up top but the underside is rusted.

Is this a showstopper amount of rust, or something I can blast lightly and coat?
Be gentle. Serious question.

[Don66bus]

Doesn't look too serious although there is the floor "repair". It would not scare me to crawl under a bus and see that level of rust.

If you buy it, or post more pictures, learn how to use the "Gallery" function here: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6

Your pictures are easier to look at when they are in The Samba photo format.

[Clara]

ALL split buses have some rust. They are old.
That bus doesn't look that bad. some funky repairs done at some point

My daily driver velvet green kombi has more rust. I bought my kombi when I lived in Oly, and it has typical rust for a non-garaged W Wa bus.
I see nothing structurally wrong with that bus. Can't tell you if it is a good deal or overpriced, though.
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[Kb65single]

Spend a few hours in some of the other build threads. Especially in the barndoor section. You have rust and all structural rust is bad but it's really not that bad. A really good build thread is sgellis's Nova Scotian 54 standard restoration. It will make you appreciate rust.

[earlywesty]

I'd be stoked to find a project bus that solid at a fair price. That underside is mostly surface rust from the pics. Some old repairs but nothing over-the-top. I'd be more interested in whats not shown in the pics. The shiny blue paint could be hiding some things. At least the underside is honest.

[ddutch]

As far as I can judge from just the pictures, it looks pretty good, with mainly surface rust on the chassis. The main rails of the chassis looks pretty nice. Jacking point on the 4th photo looks a bit crusty and probably needs replacement. Maybe you're able to poke around a bit on the rust on structural parts to get a better idea?

[NUTSFORBUSES]

Hell man ! When I was in Highschool I dated 20 year olds with more chassis rot than that !

$20K later and you're good

Blast that crap right off. Dirty work, but ya gotta do it, or buy a Tyoda.
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[Eric&Barb]

Agreed that bus has some rust areas that need cutting out and replacing soonest, but for the most part it needs lots of surface rust removed then primed and painted to keep it away for as long as possible.

Do beware of sand or water (glass) blasting to get rid of that rust. While either will result in all visible rust removed, the sand/glass will get into all sorts of framework and lower rockers where it will act as a sponge holding water inside those spaces to rust the sheet metal from inside outward all too soon. Soda blasting would be preferred due to it will wash out easily from inner spaces, BUT it is not as aggressive as the before mentioned blasting practices. So some finish work with the traditional sand & grind & wire & wheel & acid & repeat probably would be required. Personally would then apply a high zinc content primer which will keep the rust away and when, not if, the rust begins again it will be slowed to a crawl. Downside to using a zinc primer is it should not be heated up in cutting or welding later without who ever is doing this wearing proper lung protection filter mask.

A rotisserie would be best to allow one to flip the bus on its side to do all the dirty work in your shop/garage/barn.
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[Blue Baron]

[von_hansel]

Best advice- see it in person. Beautiful Surf is a flipper and doesn't post enough pictures for you to get the full picture of that bus.

Since he is in GA/FL (shop is in GA, lives in FL) his buses are typically crusty.

Looking at the photos of the '66 13 window he is flipping that you are looking at; the paint job is atrocious and looks like a 5 year old went nuts with a spray gun. That paint job is probably hiding a lot of bondo.

It has a cut bulk head, sunroof cut into the roof, and bay window seats. I can go on for a while about what it wrong with it but I would tell you to see it in person so you can make an educated decision.

I would take that money you were thinking of using to buy that bus and put it towards something that wont make you disappointed after it arrives. If you are not educated enough, I would recommend you pay someone who can assist you in finding a better bus that won't need all the work that the one you are posting pics of does.
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[velvetgreen]

Every one of us is still learning about buses. That said I would take the advice being offered of people who have been around the "fixing/repairing/driving" bus track so to speak.

Bus looks like it has potential, but there a lot of things that would need to be "corrected" if you are bothered in the least about originality. Unfortunately one person's improvements can be another's headaches/disasters. Often times "improvements" are not done to the same calibre as they were at the factory and possibly not as well thought out. The seats that are in it are obviously not original. In installing those seats they possible cut out the original front seat rails that original seats would require to mount properly. As others have mentioned shiny paint usually hides many horrors underneath. The magnitude of those are yet to be determined. A magnet might allow you to asses how much body filler aka "bondo" was used to smooth the body out.

A quick look at the more detailed pictures indicates that perhaps the metal above the engine was replaced/reworked in some fashion?

Finally I would echo others advise and educate yourself thoroughly before pulling the trigger on a cross country bus purchase. And if you are considering buying do yourself a favour and inspect the bus in person before doing so. They money you spend up front inspecting it in person will pay you back in the long run.

[NUTSFORBUSES]

Agree with the "Soda blasting". Had a guy drop by with the blaster in a van and do it under 4 hours time ! Cheap really and I had days to get the primer on it. Good advice and no issue clean-up.
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[pbenn]

A year of leased light industrial space with either a rotisserie or a dedicated all year hoist.
With compressor, oxyacet, MIG, and a soda blasting rig.

That's what you're getting into. You will want to work standing up with the bus upside down or sideways on the rotisserie.

[jlrftype7]

[Don66bus]

Depends what you want to do with the bus. This is all good advice if you are going to build it up to something stock(ish) and near perfect. On the other hand, if you just want a bus to drive around for several years, this bus could be the right one for you.

If you don't want to fly down to Florida in person, see if you can get an objective, local bus person to inspect it on site for you (for a fee). It would be best to find out how the mechanicals are if you are hoping to buy a running bus. If it has a nebulous body plus it needs front end, engine, or transmission work, then you should pass on it.

[edgood1]

I would consider that a very solid body and would have zero concern about driving it, assuming the mechanicals are in order.
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