Black Fastback Build Thread

[Clatter]

Saturday, July 20 2019, 0800PST; Wences comes by..

He tried to push the low spots out of the rear fenders under the vents.

They weren't having any; the mud was just too thick..

So he grabbed the angle grinder..

Then we drug out a few 2x4s..

Wences cut them to lengths he liked, and laid them on the concrete.
He made a sort of hammering platform, where he could back up some wacks.
With a mini-sledge and this giant wide chisel.
Homey was swinging HARD!

This is like 8:15 in the morning, mind you.. I hadn't expected him so early, and had accidentally slept in.
I'm all standing there barefoot, holding a cup of coffee, in my pajama bottoms..

Had this emotional moment, as anyone might, I guess.

What with the shock of him going great guns on these precious fenders in shiny black paint..!

DOH!
here he is again today.. I'll write more later.
Gotta Run!
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[T3Yoshi]

This car is going to be amazing! Sorry to hear about all the issues with the painter. Glad you are all in on fixing the mistakes. Nice work!

[Bobnotch]

He had to use a medium BFH to get the metal to move, because someone welded too much on them. Nice to see him not think twice about grabbing a grinder and knocking the thick bondo off the freshly painted fenders. At least he's willing to go the extra mile to get stuff right, even if he caught you in your pj's.
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Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120

[Clatter]

Some more details about last Saturday..

After a bit, William came by!

Gave me a chance to do paint removal..
Deja Vu'!

Having a second set of hands on those rear fenders was so key;
On/off/on/off back-and-forth for test fits and hammering.

He kept going after the body seam with the chisel!
Really kinda freaked me out,
But,
Now i get it;
The seam is where you make the curve.
Once you get the curve of the whole body where it needs to be at the seam, the rest can follow..

Different rigs with boards to hit in different ways..

Removing oil-canning and shallow dents with a mapp gas torch.
Here's something i heard about in legend, but never in real life.

Heat a tiny spot, real close-like, until it smokes and turns red-hot.

Back it up with a dolly or spoon, and wack that spot with the slap-file.

Finally, it gets hit with a wet rag, and maybe some more slapping.

William and Wences tag-teamed the torch operations;
Made things go faster, and allowed Wences to zero right in..

Removing 'obstacles', having a second set of hands to support while hammering,
handing tools, helping hang/remove,
All helped this get dialed in.

Woulda been really hard with just one guy no doubt..



Hard to show a pic of it when it's rough like this,
But,
The fenders are where they're supposed to be after a day of (re) work.

The seal area under the fender where the lip of the wheel well fits against the fender is supposed to have a gap of 1/4-1/2" or so.
In some places, the gap had closed completely from the fender being so bent inwards.
My car having big wheels back there needed a bit of extra room, not less..!

So, there is a bit of 'Jaranson curve' put in these..

The gap is biggest now at the top of the wheel opening,
making a bit more room for some meat back there..

All that also brought the gap in line at the door as well.

After all of my vandalization with a welder was erased from the rear fender,
We decided to erase the vandalization up front that i added with my foot..!

And at the end of Saturday,
Fenders metal-worked, ready for welding a few cracks, and some mud..

All in all, a great, great day..
_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

Sunday, we started in a bit later, at 9...

Because the neighbors already hate me enough,
we decided to do some quiet work,
and weld when the wind was down.

Unfortunately, my welder died, and the feed rollers quit turning.

Who could ever imagine a free welder not working!?!
Impossible!

So,
Wences spread some mud.
It was really cool to see how a REAL bodyman spreads mud.
I was doing it ssoooo wrong..

Within a couple of hours, it's ready for high-build.

In-between drying coats of mud, Wences did some color-sanding with 1500 wet on the parts that are going to just get more clear.

He coached me on that routine, and i ran with it on doors and that front fender.
Unfortunately, a lot of it was masked wrong, and there was a big tape-line right at the edge of the fender, right where it shows.
That meant taking it down with some 400, and that means not just more clear, but more paint, too.

Here's where dork-troid taped the window openings at the wrong spot;
The trim/seal would never have sat correctly with a big proud tape line right under where the seal sits.

While i hemmed and hawed, trying to get my ass moving on those doors and fender,
Wences went apeshit on the shell, and basically finish-sanded the entire thing.

He's all sanding like an animal,
And i mixed up some epoxy and high-build for the few spots that could use it.

At the end of 8 hours, with not a single break, or even lunch ,
He declares the shell ready for paint.
I paid him, and he headed out.
He had to have been SO beat working at that pace all day.
My job now is to clean everything..

After picking everything up, cleaning primer guns, putting everything away. etc.
I'm all up in that thing, washing it from top-down, getting water everywhere.
Lo and behold, William!
He blew water out of all the cracks/crevices while i went around and dried with a towel.

Pushed the thing out into the rest of the sun as best we could,
To try and chase the water out of everywhere everywhere.

Will hit the holes with some towel strips and more air tomorrow after work.
With a bare shell like this, it's very likely that water can get into places to be trapped forever..
I might even get the hot lamps out and try baking the thing from underneath?

Anyways,
Here at the end of the day, all of the dust goo is gone, the atrium is clean,
And the shell is clean enough for the cover to go back on..

Another BIG day!


Tomorrow is supposed to be my day off.
I'm going to be buying a sandblaster and some sand, and blast those rear fenders clean around the louver area.
And fix my welder.. Or find someone to weld those few cracks...

Next weekend is supposed to be another big Wences Weekend,
And we'll need those rear fenders ready for DONE!
_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Bobnotch]

Nice, you guys really kicked butt on it. Don't think that "clean up" isn't part of the progress, because it IS. Very nice work there, and you're gaining on it. It also helps having someone that knows what they're doing help and show you what needs to happen. Great job, and looking forward to the next update.
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Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120

[Xevin]

I need a beer. Worked up a sweat just reading this
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Keep on Busin'

[Clatter]

Thanks for the props, guys.

Stoked to see anyone sticking with this thread after so long..



I can barely walk today!
Every movement is in slow motion; can't get up out of my chair without a grunt.

How a guy could work like that every day is beyond me..


Just keep thinking over and over how it sucks that Wences wasn't here like three years ago!
I'm just really really glad the guy came into my life.
Things weren't looking so great there for a while..
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[nogoodwithusernames]

Gotta tell you when I checked the forum this morning you sent me on a little mini roller coaster of emotion I got excited seeing that you had finally updated the thread then was disappointed that all you had for our viewing pleasure after these last two(?) weeks was one little post about the rear fender. (I dig the long photo heavy posts showing all the gory details) Thankfully not 10 minutes later it popped back up to the top of the list and you followed through with a bunch more content!

That's some impressive work, super cool that you found this guy. I'd love to have half the skill he has.
I can't wait for more updates as this thing keeps jumping forward.
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71 Squareback, 1.7l T4 w/ crank trigger fuel and spark
(Conversion thread https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=732508&highlight= or https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=151375&sid=f0542d44a322d290c29d6609fac7f215 )
74 914, 2.0L w/ D-Jet

-Derek

[W1K1]

its good to see the work still progressing, ours stalled for a few years when we had our body shop "shit show"on the wifes 73 super, the wife kicked it ito the corner of the garage and wouldn't look at it for a while.
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/jim_martin_engine_build.php

1973 super
1965 squareback 1500E
1971 bay window westy- subi swap

[vwfye]

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64 No'back Speedster "Pearl"
1980s Sand Dragster "The Plunger"
LME "Little Giant Killer 3"

[Clatter]

Well, the push is ON!

Yesterday was my day off, and i flailed away all day, but little progress to show for it.
But,
Here you go anyways.. Progress is progress.

Wences will be here this weekend, and i have a couple of goals to meet for the event.

First and foremost, those rear fenders need blasted, the cracks welded and ground, some epoxy shot, and hung in place, with bolts all around.
If those fenders are all ready to go, things can happen,
And we might push the thing into 'ready to shoot' this weekend!

First thing was the welder; after doing some homework, those welders will have this issue where the voltage knob might not get 'clicked' exactly into place,
And it will make the feed rollers quit responding..
Sure enough, that looks like our issue!
We'll take some luck when we can get it.


Spent all day yesterday going to Watsonville to Harbor Freight, and buying a blaster,
Then over to Tractor Supply for some blasting slag.

Like was said on-line in a couple of reviews,
it is a good idea to take and re-do the teflon-taped tapered pipe connections on those.
There were shreds ready to go clog up a nozzle..

After unpacking, disassembling, and re-assembling, the thing gets loaded with media.

Good thing i have a strainer screen from Eastwood.
Those chunks could very well have clogged a nozzle as well.

Because the shell got rinsed down Sunday,
It got put out into the sun on a nice hot day.
And, yes, some blowing-out with the wand found more water..

What you can't see in this pic, is that the coal slag dust got carried along on the wind as the sifting operation took place nearby.
Welcome to the life of a shiny car owner!
Had the dust been there when the cover went back on,
It would have poisoned the cover, and made it scratchy forevermore!
Luckily, i caught it, shook out the cover, wiped the car down, and put it away without contamination...


People are always reluctant to put up bodyworking pics,
But this right here, it's smooth as a baby's ass.
This just shows how much MORE flat the nose got last weekend, IMHO.

Also,
Since the neighbors were out on their porch,
I just didn't have the stones to fire up the compressor and blaster.
Instead, i tried out this Dremel flex-shaft setup that Tim Cash GAVE me!
Thing is SahwEEt!! What with heavy shaft, -and- a deadman pedal!

Gonna be making a hanger setup for that bad boy soon.
See also a bent-conduit stand i got at HF.
Always wanted one of those..
Kinda feels like cheating just buying one instead of bending/drilling conduit.

Tonight after work, I'm a gonna do that blasting.
Neighbors or no neighbors! :fist:


Looking at the crappy 'hood' they sell with that HF blaster; it's like some kid's costume/toy.
Shown here next to the little hardhat hood thingie from Eastwood that all fell right apart..
Good thing i only have a tiny bit of blasting left to do.
It'll be some kind of struggle no doubt regardless..

With some long hot summer days here,
I'm -hopefully- going to have the ambition to push after work this week and next.
Plus, Wences this weekend,
AND
Wife/kids gone next week!

So,
Hoping against hope that we get this paint thing DONE and SOON!
_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[T3Yoshi]

Man, looks like you had very productive week! Thanks for the detailed posts as always. Ill take note of Wence's 2x4 method for when I get to that stage of my build.

I have that same blasting mask and it sure fell apart quick too. I just use a 3M respirator now and glasses.

[Clatter]

Welp, I really didn't want to..

Made up another little tent with my stands and some horses and a tarp..

*sigh*

I really, really didn't want to be doing this.
Funny how doing something like this after a long day at work tends to push an old man into a very angry headspace..

By the time it got dark, and I'm through the third tank of slag,
I'm 100% going to CHOKE Larry Fernandes at cars n' coffee when i see him next time.
Shoot in, take the knee down low, and follow through high..

Did the vents first, because this was the part that 100% had to be done.
In case something broke..

Finally,
I'd had enough.
Because these have been kept clean,
I just did the parts that you can't sand manually.
The rest will get sanded and mudded; It's all a solid base.

Here it is well after dark, and everything is mostly put away..

Ugh.

The whole time doing this, I'm all thinking
"Why can't i just be like everyone else?"

Everyone else is having dinner with their family,
or sitting on the couch watching TV,
At a restaurant,
Or something else besides kneeling in a little tarp-tent,
Fogged up face-shield, shaking the blaster to get it to feed,
sandblasting AGAIN!!!

:fist: :fist: :fist:
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Bobnotch]

[Clatter]

Yeah, Bob, no doubt..

I'm definitely having Wences do the welding.

Really looking forward to watching/learning how to do properly..
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

Went and ran a couple of errands at lunch yesterday,
Got to be ready for this weekend..

Something from BerT3!

He's still going strong!

Only $416.82 at the paint store for some clear and whatnot;
Got off easy this time.

Progress is progress.
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Bobnotch]

[Clatter]

Those are beam clamp bash guards for lowered cars..

Might not be using them unless they can be modified to work with my sway bar?


Ready for tomorrow...
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Yabbadubbadoo]