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The Bad and Ugly (Worst Home Repairs to a VW bus)
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Thrasher22
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 2:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As someone who ended up with bus featuring a spray foam/bondo job, you should all be ashamed of yourselves Crying or Very sad

Somewhere along the line, PO filled the rocker panel from the front to rear wheel well with wire mesh and spray foam, about 1 inch of bondo, the painted the whole van with purple house paint.

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babysnakes
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stuartzickefoose wrote:

why not just mount it in the dash???? Rolling Eyes



Copper wire is getting expensive. Couple of feet may equal a beer. Cool
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914guy
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Somone painted our bus before the PO bought it. The body guy used expandable foam to fill the holes in the front wheel wells and the doglegs. He then filled the remaining holes with 1/2" thick bondo.

The nose had been hit many times (or more likely was used to hit other things, like cars). So, 5 lbs of bond was used to smooth the nose. It took us 4 hours to remove the bondo. We have spent hours cutiing and removing all the bad work and welding in new panels.
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MRJEL
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thrasher22 wrote:
As someone who ended up with bus featuring a spray foam/bondo job, you should all be ashamed of yourselves Crying or Very sad

Somewhere along the line, PO filled the rocker panel from the front to rear wheel well with wire mesh and spray foam, about 1 inch of bondo, the painted the whole van with purple house paint.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


At least there was "some" structure there!

While planning my attack on the son's 79, I noticed a 2" crack in the right rocker. I knew it had plastic there, so I assumed the metal hadn't been prepped correctly. Started pulling and a 16" x 6" 3/4" thick chunk of Bondo came off. When I first saw the nice shiny metal under it, I was a bit confused. Then it struck me, that nice shiny metal was duct tape! About a foot long rust out behind the rear wheel!

A few patch panels, and the Miller "hot glue machine" made it all better though.
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Gr8tfulEd
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:32 am    Post subject: Different strokes Reply with quote

Confessions of a "Ghetto Mechanic":
This threads got some good and bad, but I gotta be honest, I've done a few of these repairs myself. I guess it really comes down to attitude and pocket book. I have a very limited pocket book, and my attitude for fixes is:

1. Whatever keeps it safe and on the road
2. Looks okay
3. Get's me home

I've used beer cans and bottle-caps to plug small holes. Road signs to plug bigger ones. I prefer using lab-metal to bondo. Silcone to fix seals. Acrylic sheet to fix a broken side window. Wood to fix door panels. Velcro and surplus mosquito netting to fix the pop-top. Left over hardwood and carpet from home remodel to fix interior. Old leather couch we were going to get rid of for seating. And rustolum to paint the rig and Future Floor Polish to wax it.

The good new is I'll never be a DPO, as I never plan on selling my bus. 18 years now and going strong. Keep 'em Flying.

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Thrasher22
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MRJEL wrote:
Thrasher22 wrote:
As someone who ended up with bus featuring a spray foam/bondo job, you should all be ashamed of yourselves Crying or Very sad

Somewhere along the line, PO filled the rocker panel from the front to rear wheel well with wire mesh and spray foam, about 1 inch of bondo, the painted the whole van with purple house paint.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


At least there was "some" structure there!

While planning my attack on the son's 79, I noticed a 2" crack in the right rocker. I knew it had plastic there, so I assumed the metal hadn't been prepped correctly. Started pulling and a 16" x 6" 3/4" thick chunk of Bondo came off. When I first saw the nice shiny metal under it, I was a bit confused. Then it struck me, that nice shiny metal was duct tape! About a foot long rust out behind the rear wheel!

A few patch panels, and the Miller "hot glue machine" made it all better though.


Just looks like it... I'm sure the structure was there 10 years ago when they did it, but all the metal in the lower 9 or so inches had turned to dust stuck to spray foam. That included both the B and C pillar. I didn't realize inner rockers or the C pillar existed until I stumbled across resto pics on the samba Crying or Very sad

Although on the plus side, it sounds like mine was prepped 1000x better than yours Laughing that sounds tragic!
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jtauxe Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Different strokes Reply with quote

Gr8tfulEd wrote:
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That looks downright comfy!

I love this thread. So many True Confessions. Shocked

My first car was a 1969 Datsun 510 wagon. The floorboards were so rusted out and gone that I called it the Flintstone mobile. My solution, being a poor student, was to slather the floor with roofing cement and mosh a piece of shaped galvanized sheet metal in there. It lasted the life of the car.

I learned a lot about body work on that rusted beast, and sold it for what I had paid for it -- $500. Within a month, the new owner had totaled it -- fell asleep at the wheel and spun it all around on a guard rail, smashing every side. All that body work was smashed to pieces. Sad
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Coal64
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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babysnakes
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Please explain this, contraption to the carb and.....? Confused
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germansupplyscott
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

it's a giant linkage arm to allow the throttle cable to pass to the engine through the stock '72 location, which is pretty far - left to right - from where it needs to be for a progressive. it's actually pretty ingenious, but the execution leaves a little to be desired Very Happy
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like something from Mad Max Very Happy , that'd put a pretty big load on the throttle shaft cantilevered out off the bellcrank like that Shocked
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Hondaslayer
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That linkage is actually really cool. Would look great on a Rat Rod bus Twisted Evil
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Desertbusman
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's a metal sculpture stolen from an art exhibit.
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Coal64
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I must deleted the text for the image.
Scott is right I built this thing to test the new set up I have. It works a lot better then I thought it would.

Desertbusman wrote:
It's a metal sculpture stolen from an art exhibit.

I am taking a metal arts class at a local college and this was someones failed art tower thing.

Cool
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babysnakes
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

germansupplyscott wrote:
it's a giant linkage arm to allow the throttle cable to pass to the engine through the stock '72 location, which is pretty far - left to right - from where it needs to be for a progressive. it's actually pretty ingenious, but the execution leaves a little to be desired Very Happy


I'm still not getting it. Confused My '72 came with a 1700 and progressive and the cable came through the stock hole, or so I thought it was stock. Seemed like the same spot the cable was in my last '72 . Cable worked fine, carb was a POS.
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Coal64
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

babysnakes wrote:
I'm still not getting it. Confused My '72 came with a 1700 and progressive and the cable came through the stock hole, or so I thought it was stock. Seemed like the same spot the cable was in my last '72 . Cable worked fine, carb was a POS.


I ran out and snagged some pictures to show you the stock(I think) setup that was on my 72 bus. I know in 73 they moved where the cable enters the engine bay over to the right a little.

here is where it enters the engine bay.
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Here is where the cable attached to the carbs.
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Coal64 wrote:
[I ran out and snagged some pictures to show you the stock(I think) setup that was on my 72 bus.

I sure hope you mean the lower pic Very Happy

Moving the cable isn't hard for someone who's already decided a single prog is the way to go, who needs the ferrule welded to the tin and good geometry when a drill makes it all better? Stoooopid Germans, what do they know? Wink
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:32 pm    Post subject: Wooden rocker anyone? Reply with quote

Recently got this bus from a local guy. The oblivious PO he got it off of must have bought it looking really nice in 2001. But now the crappy repairs are showing through.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

This was my first clue when I saw the bus for the 2nd time. The door opened and closed just fine.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

And then I noticed this. So I decided to take a look from underneath.
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The white part at the top of the picture that was used for the outer skin of this "rocker" seems like it could be vinyl siding.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Another view. And there is more, just not as shocking as this one. The bumper on the passenger side is screwed into some bondo or something to hold it on that side. I've only had it less than a week so I'm sure I'll find more.
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is that really a piece of wood or am I seeing things? Shocked
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes it is good sir! I put it as my subject but forgot to mention it in the body of my post.
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