What to do with a rusty 1970 Westy shell?

[ccowx]

I have a rusty 1970 Westy shell. It has no damage to the floor boards in back, but otherwise it is toast. The door track, frame rails, rockers, doglegs, front floor, crossmembers(all) and basically everything else in the bottom 12" are gone. The doors are ok, including the sliding one, but that is it.

It will have no interior, pop top, engine/transaxle, or glass. I priced out the patch panels at around $1400 through CP1 and of course a ton of welding!

Is there any value to keeping this thing for someone else, or do I simply have it crushed? I hate to kill an early bay, but not all are savable.

Thanks!

Chris

[danfromsyr]

chicken coop?
green house for home grown herb
wedding photo booth.
custom sand blasting cabinet
back yard BBQ

ice fishing shanty.
_________________

[ccowx]

Given where I live, the ice fishing idea might be worth considering!

[airschooled]

Can you post some pictures of what you have?

If parted out, I would like the metal from above the fuel tank sender.

Robbie
_________________
Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com

[wcfvw69]

[danfromsyr]

new vote,
outhouse..
pull some curtains.. light some incense and install a yellow bucket and some sawdust, moss or kittylitter.

I've seen it on the Tele... Alaska reality shows... so it's true.
_________________

[Tram]

Use it to fix this:

_________________
Немає виправдання для війни! Я з Україною.

[Hoody]

Welcome to the majority of VW Bus owners! I would venture to guess in the next 2-5 years pretty much every Bus in this country will become flower pots. To answer your question intelligently....strip it if of everything that is original. Nuts and bolts that have no corrosion, brackets, etc. In terms of the body you should sell the shell to someone who knows how to cut it up. There is guy out there that needs a corner or a piece of your rig and will just offer you a price to make it go away. When he messages you take it. You have a little original German steel which is worth something to the right person. I would advise you against having it towed away and scrapped.

[Abscate]

Park it in the desert, shoot a t it weekly, and in ten years start a build thread.
_________________
.ssS!

[Lil Lulu]

I tried to give away a 70 shell with lots of good metal. No takers. The only really bad areas were front floors,windshield area and passenger corners. Even ran CL ad. I had to have it hauled off.
_________________
'65 Beetle "Lil' Lulu"- Ruby Red
1600 stock from '71 bus

'72 Deluxe - Niagara Blue w/pastelwiess Camper Special 2L dual 40 Webers 002

'74 Hightop Weekender "Dixie" 1800 34 Del singles

[ccowx]

Thanks guys, lots of ideas! I hate the idea of killing it, but I could take a bit of sheet metal off and maybe part out the rest. I was hoping that someone might want it, but I live a bit of the beaten track and if there is no one local, I might just have to scrap it. Funny thing is, even scrapping is a tough option. The price of metal does not justify shipping it to a smelter, so the scrap yards have lots of things that would be long gone elsewhere. There are several beetles, 40's Pontiacs, old jeeps, etc, etc.

Well, it will be final decision time in the spring!

Chris

[jtauxe]

I definitely like the idea of the ice fishing house. Put skis on it, and install a nice little wood stove -- it would be quite cozy.

I've got eh same issues with a wrecked '74 Westy, here. I'll probably end up cutting it up for scrap, but it is now serving as a automobile parts shed, since it actually does still run.
_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[busdaddy]

Wait 6-7 months until weed is legalized, the local "dispensary" will want it for a sign out front, maybe you can even get a selfie with Justin while everyone hotboxes inside of it?

Aside from that a sawzall is likely your best option, every now and then a bus has to die so others may live on. Most buses that are rotten on the lower 1/2 still have great drip rails, the rear corners are very popular in the UK for some reason. As Robbie mentioned the hat shelf can yield many patch panels as well as the middle section of the cargo floor. The upper window hole lips are nearly the same shape as the lowers and many buses need those. And even flat sheets from the side panels are good sources for real German metal of the same alloy and thickness, skilled welders can appreciate that. Bone it out into mailable sized bits if all else fails.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!

[ccowx]

Again, good ideas! Fabio will bring the weed himself, I am sure. Hotboxing it will be a bit tough with all the rust holes though!

I guess really, location and probably lack of real interest will kill it. I can actually save myself a few bucks if I do kill it. It will have some floor pieces that I can use, for example, and MAYBE even the windshield channel. The upper areas are all perfect and some of that may be able to be sold or used. If someone wants a roof, it is absolutely perfect.

Thanks!

Chris

[mike77777]

Yep, I lived in Alaska for 30 years, always loved Whitehorse when headin down or up the Alcan. If I had room, I would save any usable sheet metal. It has value. May have to sit on it for a while. I stopped by a junkyard in the Yukon one time, looked like a town dump area. There were 40's, 50's 60's vehicles un- crushed stacked on top of one another. Spent a day there, picked a beautiful 60's Buick wheel cover with great chrome, a Yukon license plate, and some chrome script , "Deluxe", "Super", from various vehicles parked there. Fun for Me anyhow. The Tahini Hot Spring was always a day long stop too. Put up an ad here and wait. Things tend to stay pretty well preserved in your climate, and they will not be visible until springtime anyway. Your post brought up some good memories, thank you.
_________________
patience and putty

[ccowx]

You must be talking about Sale Salvage. Lots of fun stuff there, probably the same stuff you saw, since it does not change! I will actually be getting a few smaller bits from them for this upcoming project. Maybe it will be the last resting place for my bus too!

Thanks!

Chris

[williamM]

I sold piece by piece till it looked like this and now we are about out of customers, so any one want one or all come get it- even include air cleaner- stand-[img][img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1601886.jpg[/img

]

SO- if you can cut it down to smaller bits and trans port to a closer VW show- you might save some one a bunch. [/img]
_________________
some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.

opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.

Don't step in any!