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Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy
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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 6:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

Jim Hunter wrote:
Awesome progress Smile

Oven cleaner is your best friend if you like to clean even the last square inch of crud from the transaxle : spray , let it soak for around 10 minutes (no more!) rinse (very well) and repeat if needed , no scrub is required Smile
Also try to avoid breathing this stuff is not good (working outside it would be best)...

Keep up the good work !

Jim


Thanks Jim. When I’m scrubbing my elbow raw its natural to wonder if there is a better way. What products are better than others or what will harm and what will not. I appreciate it!
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Clatter
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 7:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

Owning a Shovelhead has trained you well, grasshopper!

No sludge on a Shovel tranny, ever, right? Laughing



I'll stick my neck out and question if you want to be spreading on Poor 15.

Are you _Sure_ you won't hate yourself one day when you go to do this job right - right?

It will be in the way, and NO fun to remove.
Someone else might hate you one day, too.

Get a spot-blaster up under there,
You don't have to remove it all, just get it clean, and give it some 'tooth',
And shoot some of that old Centauri?
Maybe even brush it on?

Follow up with some seam seal..

Stuff doesn't stick well to Poor 15, and it's a right bitch to ever remove, and your seams are still exposed to capillary action, and seam seal won't stick to Poor 15.

JMHO.. I right hate that stuff, if you couldn't tell! Laughing

Love your build here.
Your fresh enthusiasm is contagious!
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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 10:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

Clatter wrote:
Owning a Shovelhead has trained you well, grasshopper!

No sludge on a Shovel tranny, ever, right? Laughing



I'll stick my neck out and question if you want to be spreading on Poor 15.

Are you _Sure_ you won't hate yourself one day when you go to do this job right - right?

It will be in the way, and NO fun to remove.
Someone else might hate you one day, too.

Get a spot-blaster up under there,
You don't have to remove it all, just get it clean, and give it some 'tooth',
And shoot some of that old Centauri?
Maybe even brush it on?

Follow up with some seam seal..

Stuff doesn't stick well to Poor 15, and it's a right bitch to ever remove, and your seams are still exposed to capillary action, and seam seal won't stick to Poor 15.

JMHO.. I right hate that stuff, if you couldn't tell! Laughing

Love your build here.
Your fresh enthusiasm is contagious!


Thanks for the input Clatter, I appreciate it. You know, this whole thread is about sticking my neck out too, so its cool with me.

POR 15 Bad. I'll chill out on it. I want to be the best PO the bus ever saw, for sure. My thinking was that I wouldn't be able to blast the rust off completely and painting primer and paint over that would be fruitless. I was thinking the POR 15 would get the paint something solid to live on, but you have me wondering about the seams. Thanks for the breakdown on what you think is best. I'll implement it.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:41 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

I had surface rust on the battery trays on both sides on my bus as well as under the battery trays where the rear tires shoot water up under there. I removed all the factory seam sealer around the battery trays. I didn't want to blast it as it was too tight an area. I used Naval Jelly and patience. I let the acid in it eat the rust. Apply it, let it soak and work for 30 minutes and then scrub it with a wire brush. I applied it several times and it removed and killed most of the rust. I know it neutralized it for sure. I then used some good rust converter primer on the raw metal. I followed that with some good epoxy primer and seam sealer above and below the battery trays.

I'm also not a fan of Por 15. I've seen it come off in sheets despite being applied correctly.

If it rusts again in the area, it deserves too! Wink
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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 10:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

It's late, the kids are in bed and theres a fire on. A decent time to outline some more of the progress.

In regards to the Transaxle clean up, I thought it fitting to get the starter and solenoid cleaned up and inspected. It looks solid and usable, albeit a little crusty, but I decide it really doesn't need paint or anything and get it put back onto the trans so I can keep track of it and its hardware better.

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I'm thinking a change up from the rear of the bus projects to the interior, which I seem to find more enjoyable. I've said it before, I will pay some dues doing a tougher service then break it up with an easier one. I had some success with some of my Westy Berlin interior refresh in the bed, wardrobe and headbanger. I'm glad I was able to make some ground there and what I learned will surly help me in the two pieces to come. The refrigerator and kitchen block are looming and they look complicated. They need a lot of attention and I could take a stab at them by simply working the drawers and doors of the kitchen block and take it on in little bites.

This helped a lot, as I got an understanding of what the plywood is made of. Looks like layers of wood with a very thin veneer of a more attractive wood. The laminate was reattached in the usual manner, either getting the edges glued back down or removing and re-gluing the entire sheet.

Some of the edges of the wood are chipped off and I take the time to get them stabilized and filled in. I use my paint trick here again but with the proper colors. I think this will pass a quick inspection.

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Its not often I can get my kids involved at this point and I was overjoyed that my daughter wanted to help seal them. We opened the doors and left that room it stunk up the place for an hour or so.

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Encouraged by that little jump forward, I decided to get some pictures and a grip on whats holding down the equipment on the bus. I would think the refrigerator and stove are a Deluxe thing but I don't know what to call it. There is nothing else on the bus that indicates a Deluxe status, so maybe just a package upgrade over an ice box and sink. Looking at it all, I'm thinking the ice box and sink might be preferable as all my gear looks like it will need the thorough workover.

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Check it out! More dirt, but I can't really accept this area being so bad and decide its early enough in the night to get some tools out. I get in there and unscrew the hinges to the refrigerator lids and unplug the control module. I gotta say, I always get nervous unscrewing anything on this bus worried I'll wreck it. Lots of pictures are taken and help a lot when things go back on. The kitchen block is really hooked to the bus and I realize I can unbolt the refrigerator and pull it straight up and out. From my lap I gently set it down off me on the cargo floor. This is when it happened........

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I take a look into the cavity and stuck to the side of the kitchen block I see some papers. I think that looks like... Jerry...????

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I'm FLOORED!! You see, I saw a thread on here once about the coolest thing you ever found cleaning a bus. Lots of neat stuff was shown found in a bus. This it the first solid evidence I have that this bus was owned by at least one previous Deadhead. I run in the house and show Cat and it all starts to settle in. This bus was just meant to be I guess. You see I get this feeling that this bus knows I'm here to do it more good than harm and almost smiles at me when I come around. It knows it's gonna live and ride again. Maybe its weird to project feelings on an inanimate object, I know, but I want to believe it.

This flyer outlines how to get Tixs before the internet! You had to call the number and mail in. You know I called them all right,,, just,,, ring,,,tones.

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It's also noteworthy to mention there were no Dead stickers on this bus. There is a conversation I've had once about weather or not simply having a Dead sticker on your car was probable cause for the police to pull you over. Crossing that with a bus and your asking for it, so maybe running without stickers was wise at the time. Some of the receipts in the bus show it was living between Northern CA and Nevada, so I guess maybe she's been in a few lots in her day. This fan made sticker was stuck in there too.

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Pretty cool that its from the period of when I first got involved.
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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:01 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

I just can't wait to get this piece cleaned up and familiar with its construction and it's operation. Its been a mouse hotel and I vacuum it out and wash with light bleach water first. Disassembly real helps get into the crevices.

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Its cleaning up pretty well.


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I send a few pictures to my close friend Troy who is a master Heating and Cooling/Plumber if he can tell me anything about the unit. His response was that it's run on heat and ammonia. There should be a heater that will vaporize the ammonia into a gas that is cold and when it warms up it will return as a liquid to be circulated again. I mentioned that I read on here that the tubes can crystalize and need to be recharged or flipped over to get it to start working. His thoughts were that unless there was a leak someplace there no way the ammonia would crystalize. He also mentioned that anytime ammonia is used the plumbing is usually overbuilt so a leak won't likely happen and if it sounds liquid when I flip it, its likely to work unless my heater is faulty. He said to make a lead that goes to the plug and hook it to my car battery and test it.

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Heater welded to lowest part of tubing.

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Moving along, it looks like there is going to be some reattaching of the laminate. The piece on the face is large and mostly attached so the plan is to focus on just the sprung edges.

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Not too bad. Just takes some time and patience waiting for the glue to dry. I jump on one of the lids. The one to the fridge box. Some crusty glue from a former attempt to reattach but that gets chipped and sanded. I like to use real original laminate whenever possible, even if it has a small blemish or crack. Thankfully, by now I've learned the iron trick for removal. This one just made since to reattach the entire piece to get all the old glue out from underneath.

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The insulated lid isn't looking very appetizing. There is mold all over the seal, but not knowing where to get a new one, I carefully remove it's staples and clean it in the sink with some light Comit and its looking decent. The aged out plastic lid has really yellowed and I'm not sure what to do there, but I leave that for now.

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This control module gets set aside and and saved for later, it's going to need fresh uninterrupted attention at some point down the line.

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This original heater insulation looks savable and it wipes down. I trim off the burnt part.

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By now I have my lead ready to test the unit. I get my starting battery in the house next to it and plug in the wire lead. The heater gets hot instantly and the dial seems to adjust the load. After about 20 min the metal and fins inside the icebox are markedly coolr. I can't believe my luck and Troy is stoked too, because he would have been the one servicing or adding a new heater if it needed it.

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More to go on the refrigerator lids and whatnot, but its looking like a refreshed unit is within my sights so I keep poking around on my kitchen block. Some of the things attaching it to the bus don't want to budge. I take some time reading up but its a lot easier to get around now that its sitting there all by itself.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:41 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

WildIdea wrote:
I would think the refrigerator and stove are a Deluxe thing but I don't know what to call it. There is nothing else on the bus that indicates a Deluxe status, so maybe just a package upgrade over an ice box and sink. Looking at it all, I'm thinking the ice box and sink might be preferable as all my gear looks like it will need the thorough workover.

Hi!
From my understanding the difference between standard campmobiles and deluxe campmobile just means the camping equipment. There are no other "Deluxe" addons like additional trim, armrests etc.

There is a remark at the bottom of the last page in this .pdf ( approx. 1976, thanks to R.-S.Badura):
http://www.vw-t2-bulli.de/data/books/brochures/1976-xx-vw-camper-usa-ad.pdf

This means deluxe has a fridge, for this an additional battery and the Westipanel to care about this battery and to power the fridge with 12V via the transformator 115V -> 12V. Also it has a stove and therefore the propane tank.

Standard does'nt have the fridge but an ice box (insulated box only, to be used with precooled blocks), no stove, no 2nd battery, no Westipanel. And no upper cover on the kitchen block.


(BTW: this is US-specific. European versions don't have the Westipanels, the fridge can be powered with 12V / AC (220V) /propane directly, and instead of the propane tank there is a propane bottle inside the kitchen block. And many more little detail stuff on water supply, cooker etc...)


Bye,
Michael
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:45 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

you are killing it. I wish I had the time and willingness to dive deep like you do. You are going to have your hands on every part of that bus. I really just wanted to mention that somewhere on the forums I remember a recovery of the yellow fridge plastic that worked very well. I cant find it, but someone will remember.
edit- maybe it was a peroxide treatment? http://www.retrofixes.com/2013/10/how-to-clean-whiten-yellowed-plastics.html
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:02 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

MichaIN wrote:
WildIdea wrote:
I would think the refrigerator and stove are a Deluxe thing but I don't know what to call it. There is nothing else on the bus that indicates a Deluxe status, so maybe just a package upgrade over an ice box and sink. Looking at it all, I'm thinking the ice box and sink might be preferable as all my gear looks like it will need the thorough workover.

Hi!
From my understanding the difference between standard campmobiles and deluxe campmobile just means the camping equipment. There are no other "Deluxe" addons like additional trim, armrests etc.

There is a remark at the bottom of the last page in this .pdf ( approx. 1976, thanks to R.-S.Badura):
http://www.vw-t2-bulli.de/data/books/brochures/1976-xx-vw-camper-usa-ad.pdf

This means deluxe has a fridge, for this an additional battery and the Westipanel to care about this battery and to power the fridge with 12V via the transformator 115V -> 12V. Also it has a stove and therefore the propane tank.

Standard does'nt have the fridge but an ice box (insulated box only, to be used with precooled blocks), no stove, no 2nd battery, no Westipanel. And no upper cover on the kitchen block.


(BTW: this is US-specific. European versions don't have the Westipanels, the fridge can be powered with 12V / AC (220V) /propane directly, and instead of the propane tank there is a propane bottle inside the kitchen block. And many more little detail stuff on water supply, cooker etc...)


Bye,
Michael


Thanks for posting the info! I bet this helps more than just me to know.
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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:08 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

alman72 wrote:
you are killing it. I wish I had the time and willingness to dive deep like you do. You are going to have your hands on every part of that bus. I really just wanted to mention that somewhere on the forums I remember a recovery of the yellow fridge plastic that worked very well. I cant find it, but someone will remember.
edit- maybe it was a peroxide treatment? http://www.retrofixes.com/2013/10/how-to-clean-whiten-yellowed-plastics.html


HaHa, Thanks! I think working on the bus is a needed escape really. After taking care off all the responsibilities and obligations in life, breaking away and geeking out in the bus is good therapy. My Dad says I'll run out of parts to clean soon.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:45 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

Its fun to see you dive down the rabbit hole lots of us have already traveled. Wink Laughing

Reserve yourself in the fact that you will be removing everything from the inside. Just for the sake of cleanliness.

Here is a trick you will like.


Link

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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:54 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

notchboy wrote:
Its fun to see you dive down the rabbit hole lots of us have already traveled. Wink Laughing

Reserve yourself in the fact that you will be removing everything from the inside. Just for the sake of cleanliness.

Here is a trick you will like.


Link


That's Neat! I'm getting some.

I would for sure be lost and breaking more stuff if I wasn't able to access information and experiences others have posted before me. Thanks!!
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

It also works indoors with a black UV light. Keeping plastic over the wet peroxide good keeping it wet, allowing it to work is the trick Wink
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OK, this thread is over. You win.

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1964 T34 S Convertible
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

Hi!

Just a word as you're working on the refridgerator.

You may consider to install a voltage cut-off switch, which will cut the connection to the battery below a certain voltage.
Otherwise if the fridge is powered by the battery only it would probably drain the battery to death, if you forget to switch it off in time.

Bye,
Michael
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2018 8:39 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

About this time I come home to a package I've been anxiously awaiting for. Looks like in wall panel Westy wood panels. I don't touch it until after a meal and story tuck in time with the kids and in the quiet of that last still hour of the night, open it in silence.

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Cooling boot showed, but the squished hosed clamp is getting tossed in the general clamp box and my german one used. The rubber looks decent.

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Pretty neat stuff. I'm pretty excited to see them and they look excellent, at first. As I inspect each piece I realize that two of them are cracked. Sad The rear hatch panel and the passenger side wheel well piece by the bench.

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I'm looking them over with Cat trying to decide if its bad or not and if they are fixable. We decide that they should get replaced. Our thoughts are that in the cozy part of the morning waking up that I would just fixate on the crack and run my nail on it every time I slept in the bus and get bummed all over again. Even if I forget about it someday, the cost is stiff enough that you want to have them right.

A call in the morning to BD and its looking like I have some options. They're bummed too. This being their last set on hand they won't be getting a shipment for months and the pieces that are damaged are exclusive to the set. I'm cool about it, and so are they. I work with this guy Fred. He's just upset with how much shipping damage eats up their efforts. I agree and he and I make a plan after considering several options they offer me. Class act, Thanks Fred. He tried to get me to send back the whole kit and I say NO WAY will I let go of the good pieces, even if I have to eat the damage myself. He said then keep those and send back the broken ones for shipping insurance evidence and they will replace what they owe me, it s just that it could be a while. I said no problem, I don't need them right away.

These are spot on matches to my OG laminate and wherever they are getting them from, They have it dialed in. Also, though my OG panels were silkscreened pattern I think these being laminated will be a solid match and a little more durable. Worth the expense to me, just the shipping damage is a reality of life and nothing to get super down about.


They want to curl, so I get them on the basement floor and get some weights on them so they can train flat until I can get to them.

Looking at my refrigerator storage compartment lid. Its got some notable damage. First, it looks to have a white film apparently sun damage and a vent rib has been cut out where a cigarette lighter was mounted by a PO. At first I thought about keeping the adapter as it would be nice to have, but decided it looked like a hack and decided to repair as best I could.

Funny thing here is I found this chip of laminate underneath a gap of laminate on the fridge side when I removed that piece. Saving it, I realized it went to this sides corner.


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I used some turtle way on the laminate with my finger and it polished out the sun damage on the laminate nicely.

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On the vent, I trim up the cut edges on the vent and poke around the garage. My recycle bin has all kinds of goodies. I find this aluminum piece from a picture frame. I had repurposed a frame for a show poster by cutting it down and I still had this 4-5 in pieces in scrap. I harvested a little piece that will get inserted.

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You know, I bet I could source this vent. Kev prob has one or the classifieds or even just asking here, I try to keep as many parts it was shipped with as possible. I don't think I can hurt this really, and I go with a 3 inch blued finish nail splint and JB weld.

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I don't like that it will show when the lid is opened, but it will look right when its in its standard closed position. I know this is an ‘in the weeds’ repair, but I hold onto the thought that these will all add up.



I get some putty on the joint and get it smoothed out. Sand the whole piece and paint it. This part happened down the road, but I think its good to button this up here.

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The repair is the vent by the snap in this picture.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:00 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

WildIdea wrote:

The repair is the vent by the snap in this picture.

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What repair? Lol seriously that is some fantastic work.

Bummer about the panels, but with your fab skills, I think you could fix them till you get or find a good set.

Can't wait to see more.
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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:44 am    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

Chochobeef wrote:
WildIdea wrote:

The repair is the vent by the snap in this picture.

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What repair? Lol seriously that is some fantastic work.

Bummer about the panels, but with your fab skills, I think you could fix them till you get or find a good set.

Can't wait to see more.


Thanks!

Yeah, so the plan is to just wait for replacement panels. I figure, I didn’t even know I wanted this bus a year ago, so I don’t see the point in feeling bad about having to wait longer.

I have several pieces to work with while I wait, the driver side pieces will be a bit to put on and motivating me to press on with the kitchen block.
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WildIdea
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

With the Refrigerator piece still in my life I had to press on and drag it over the finish line.

I had already painted it before I saw what notchboy shared, but now I would have liked to have tried it here. Oh well. I've got some yellowed plastic ahead to go. It still didn't turn out bad. This guy Al I work with at ABS (Auto Body Supply) said there are all kinds of plastic paints in spray cans ready to go and that the paint dries flexible. He said that if the piece was old all the better as its likely done gassing out. I think 1977 counts as old here. Just that I needed to wash the piece with water and Comet and that would give it the perfect tooth.

I remembered to put down some tape so I would know where it registered when putting it back on so it would close right.


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The insulated plastic cover came off the lid with a little tedious wiggling of needle nose players. The staples penetrate both the lid and the gasket, so with that out I can get it even cleaner.

I have Comet at the shop and a large sink to wash it in so I decided to wash it there as my garage was freezing cold and I didn't want to fire up the heater just to spray this piece. The paint goes on really thin. Its transparent and allows you to build up as slowly as you want. I get it done without getting yelled at by the guys as we have some strong exhaust fans in the clean room.

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The problem is that when I get it back home and put it on its pretty white compared to the inside of the main liner.

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I get that clean and tape it all off and get some paint into that too. Just a little thin dusting here. Just enough for it to match the lid.

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I guess its pretty much done for now. It really only needed to be wiped down, tested, a vent repair, a little laminating and a light paint job, then reassembled. Easier than I thought it would be when I first got started. The shelves that go inside need some attention, but I left that out for now as they will go in last after I bolt the unit into the bus.

With my new wall panels in hand, I'm thinking if those were in I could get my fridge, headbanger and wardrobe off the floor and back in the bus. I'd like to have the wardrobe in to see where I should align the long panel that fits between it and the drivers seat. But first the kitchen bloc has to come out.

There are several threads on here on how to remove this from the bus, so I won't post or outline what I took pictures of getting it un attached. I did take plenty of photos though so would be able to use as a ref when installing. Most noteworthy though was the discovery of my spare tire cover bolt. It was down behind the driver seat bulkhead under the floor of the kitchen block. Safe all those years. I'm pleasantly surprised as I see BD sells one for $15.00 and isn't quite the exact molding. Call me crazy, but I like this kind of thing being right and I'm happy to have the original piece here.

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So out it comes. My folks live sort of close, a few miles from me so my Dad stops over to help maneuver the hulk out of the bus with me. Pretty cool to see the original insulation under it all and not looking that bad.

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That was a bit of doing, so its just gonna sit on a table for a night or two.

Cathy is starting to get scared about how obsessed I'm getting and worried we'll never use the bus when were done working it. Polishing it with a diaper she calls it. Thinks I'll lose it if the kids chip the laminate, HaHa. Nah, I know how to fix it now, I say. But I do mention that with all the salt they lay down around here I won't be driving it in winter until the first spring rains fall. I mention it would be like dissolving salt in water and painting it all over the bus. So bad, I'm not a fan. This is right out front of my house.


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Brian keeps sending me little treats. Says just keep fixing your bus....

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Last edited by WildIdea on Fri Feb 02, 2018 10:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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LazyLightning75
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

I’m really enjoying all your progress and it’s an inspiration to get back on my own project. The nostalgia in these busses runs deep and for different reasons for different folks. It started for me with a friend’s splitty in high school and later on a college roommate’s bay window. We saw many a west coast Dead show in it, including the 1990 New Year’s show on your flier.

I appreciate you sharing your experiences. Keep on truckin’ Very Happy
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yellowCOwesty
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Hell In A Bucket! WildIdea's 1977 Sage Green Westy Reply with quote

Awesome work!

I remember having to call or stand in line to get tickets to shows, along with mail order......
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A few other air cooled VW and Porsches over the years
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