Any diy threads on replacing a rear corner ?

[Dkwautounion]

Well i had the replacement panels all ready so I figured might as well weld them in and see how how bad it turns out and learn something. I'm new at body work as you can tell so if I'm just gonna cut the panel out might as well practie. Now that it's done except for the spot welds, it definitely sank in where the vertical weld is. Other then that it's not too bad. The bus is far from perfect everywhere else. Half the welds were done by my 11 year old boy. We have replaced the brake system, sorted the wiring, installed a motor and tranny. We want to do everything and I want to do it as a father son project . So in the end if there's a Bay window running around with a not perfect 10 corner, oh well. My son and I will be proud. Thanks for the encouragement brass gears and the tips from others. We will keep plugging along. Let me know what you guys think.

[Bulli Klinik]

Grind it, mud it, move on and enjoy your Bus with your son.

The next one will be better.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[brass gears]

Actually, from the photo, it doesn't look too bad. It's in there now. You might be able to pull some of that out with studs welded to the seam, checking progress with a straight edge & minimize the amount of filler needed to smooth it out. You should be able to weld the flanges together from inside the engine compartment & the rear rear wheel well. I think it's ok. On my bus, there are repairs that I wish I had done differently, but I just kept going, re- doing some things & leaving others. It's now 18 years later, the bus still looks pretty good and I just enjoy it the way it is. Please keep this thread going. If you need help with any other rust or other repairs, lots of folks here have 'been there & done that' and would be happy to steer you in the right direction.

[Busstom]

[Spike0180]

[Dkwautounion]

Thanks guys. I never thought of the stud idea. I'm gonna spot weld the two panels from the inside . The corner panel has the holes in the lip from drilling the spot welds. The black panel lip is sold. Just gonna fill the holes.

[Dkwautounion]

Bought a stud welder. Definitely helped pull the weld even with the panels.

Not to bad

[AircooledHome]

Curious, I'm following
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'71 Deluxe Bus - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=659421&highlight=

[Dkwautounion]

Well the corner is pretty much done . I will sand down some imperfections and fill accordingly. For the 85 dollar corner and the 50 dollar wheel well panel and learning a lot about sheet metal work im pretty happy with the outcome. Would I be happy if a body shop did this ? Hell no. I'm gonna move on now to some other parts of the bus. Feel free to ask questions if you come across this thread in the future, i would be glad to share what I would do differently in the future. Thanks for all the encouragement and help.

[Yarkle]

Ive gotta do this on my 73, so ill be all ears man. Yeah, for a body shop, id be bummed, but for a first time deal, i think its good. Ill be delighted if mine comes out that good on my first try.

I see you have a thing too! I had to sell mine to pay to get the house reroofed, but a bus makes more sense up here than a thing, having to choose one over the other.
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Tilda the Mustard Tigress 1973 Squareback (o'''^'''o)

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=771024&highlight=

[orwell84]

I thought you did a decent job. The metal finishing required to do that repair correctly isn't a skill you learn overnight and you would have most likely have been using mud somewhere. If your mud isn't deep it will be fine even if it covers a wide area. Cool that you're teaching your kid to weld, he will never forget that.

[Busstom]

Looks a thousand times better than what you started with. Once the rest of the dings and tweaks around it are massaged out and it's all skimmed, it will look really good. You'll be using that stud gun in a lot of other places too, one of the best inventions ever!