Room for one more? WildIdea's 1960 camper bus

[AS350driver]

We will be waiting with baited breath. I like how you said you’re giving the tired, warped panels, visors and such a second chance before replacing with new. I would have never thought to do what you did with the visors.

[vwuberalles]

So you're taking a weight and see approach?
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1973 Superbeetle: 1st car, owned since age 12. Update thread --> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9919140#9919140
1967 Kombi: Owned since age 17, Dad's retirement project.
1966 Beetle: My new project. (SOLD) Build thread--> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=678040

[WildIdea]

After some standard stretching, reading and coffee to shake out the stiffness I feel human enough to get the one headliner panel and visor out of the bus to take into work with me. Both the panel and the visor on this side are in a lot better shape. The visor does have an interesting crackle going on, but nothing as advanced as the passenger side. I couldn't even make out this neat embossing on the other visor. Should be a snap to stabilize.

Supposed to be a hundred today, but after the the sun got past the side of the building I was parking on clouds had moved in and never really left for the day. I got some progress, but nothing like the intense heat direct sunlight produces. I guess it's ok, my lawn is already dying from not being able to water it, so I'll take the break in the heat for that. I'll try again tomorrow, needs more work. I get home and take advantage of the beautiful weather to take on something else.

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1977 Sage Green Westy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=691987
1965 SWR Walk-Through Standard
1960 211 Panel American Camper Conversion

[cdennisg]

[WildIdea]

I'm pretty stoked now and have a head of steam going for the bus. Not just to do stuff for it, but to read and research and lots of day dreaming. I don't have a systematic approach, but I do know I have a few of the best months ahead of me for bus work then it will all go inside while the winter locks it up for a good long time. The fall is def my favorite time as the weather gets cooler, the bugs die and there is usually not a ton of wind. I'm thinking I will be able to arrange for the cabinetry to come inside and get worked in my house in the winter and the rear drive train can get pulled and worked on in the garage. I'm trying to organize my space now the best I can for that plan. I'd like to have the bus up against the garage door so I have every inch possible in the rear. Also, nothing in front in case I need to roll her outside now and then. This means I aught to get the crusty front bench looked after so I can bring it inside of the house. It's a pile of rotting fabric leaving its mess everywhere I set it.

I have recently watched a video BulliBill had posted of a Matt Miller upholstery install they had done a while back. I watched all 1.5 hours of it twice. I'll watch it again too. I'm sick, I think that stuff is entertaining and holds my interest till the end. Thanks everyone, named and unnamed, for posting info on The Samba and doing all the write ups and research and posting it for guys like me to work from. Awesome.

I'm thinking the frames are going to be pretty solid once I get this ratty rodent stained and rotting filth of of them. They smell terrible. I spy a ticket underneath the front seat pad. Looks like the original upholsterers name would be my guess. I will be preserving this and adding it to a note with my name and date and reinserting to keep the list going. This person has left me a blueprint for me to follow, Thanks Zohn! or Zalon....?

I have easy 30 pictures of each piece for reference, but I'll pair it down to some critical details I found. Surely it's been showcased here before, but in case this can help anyone else I'll add what I can. Plz excuse me, I know I get long winded for the split forum.

I take note of how the wire gets tied off and tightened at the corners.

There is a wax on the springs that is somewhat tacky and still pliable. This must be what upbusguy is talking about to prevent squeaks. Mine is attracting dust but I'm thinking I can clean that without stripping the springs overall. Here is a pic where I pushed on some wax and it still moves. I'll have to decide if it smells or where I can source some new if I choose to strip it.

I've recovered both front walk through seats in both my Bay and Standard. I took it upon myself to wire in the seat pads to the frames in a few places. I get some validation for doing that when I find a wire anchor here as well. I've never done a full length bench before, but hoping it is more forgiving on the hands than those Bay back rests were .

The Matt Miller video was a big help in stripping and had me pulling these pointed tabs out at a minimum. I would have bent them way up without knowing better and maybe lost a few that way.

It's good to note that the felt that gets placed on top the seat pad gets a bit of adhesive applied. One last look before I toss this stuff, even I can't see another use for this and trash it. I have some pics of the seat pad to compare the new if it needs any trimming.

The frames overall are in great shape. One corner needs some rust addressed and painted. I have a spot sand blaster I think I can target just the problem areas with walnut shells and go up from there in grit if needed. They need more work before covering.

The backrest material is just as bad. Odorous and contaminated. It clips off to reveal a nearly pristine frame. My son was there to help gang up on the frames and BS that was probably the best part. We see the burlap was glued to the padding on the edge here.

I'll pile some hours into the frames here and there before my wife and I get a clear day to tackle the reupholstery. Then at least they can go inside the house clean. I saved the backrest mounting wire just in case. Green paint on the backrest frame corner looks factory marking of some sort, just a guess.

Thanks for looking and always open to feedback.
_________________
1977 Sage Green Westy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=691987
1965 SWR Walk-Through Standard
1960 211 Panel American Camper Conversion

[WildIdea]

Hello everyone, Hope you are all well. Punching in some progress reports.

In some of my parts searches I had been considering upholstery options. I settled on some seat covers form the Deutsch Polster. The color, texture and stitching seem to be the most accurate for reproduction upholstery and the reviews seem to be they have a really nice fit. I'm impressed so far. Beyond that, they come with the padding for the back rest, felt and burlap I will be needing. That alone will save me a ton of time trying to chase that stuff down! Now the I have that material in hand I'm pretty motivated to get my frames cleaned up so I can get the covers on at some point.

I was itching all week to start tackling the project with a hopeful eye on having them covered by the weekend. That delusion faded fast as I got paws on and assessing what they would be needing. I had scooped up my spot blaster from storage and was shocked to see the rubber feed line had self terminated while waiting to be used. Some kind of cheap HF line that gives up and turns to dust almost as if its designed to. Oh well, I had some Westy pop top seal that sort of worked but ended up having better results with some stiffer oil line remnant. Anyway, I was just glad I didn't have to go to the store today. I started with the worst one first, which was the lower part of the bottom bench.

I was hoping I could get away with targeting the rusty areas at the ends and blending some paint but my blaster just wasn't pulling the rust clean or getting in any of the seams. after some consideration, I decided to pull the bottom pipe frame for some better access. It seems that my tabs are pretty stable and could take a bit of a bend just fine. I used a plastic chisel and only pry the one side and a little bit of the ends and the springs come off. I'm glad I did, there is some pitted rust hiding in there. I set a new target for the day to just prep this piece properly and get ready to paint.

I rotate from wire wheel to sand paper and then sand blaster with walnut chips for a good bit of time before the morning air gave way to oppressive heat and I relocate to some shade at in the front of the house. Little bursts of effort mixed in with other house chores and back again through out the day.

At one point, my daughter joins me and we do a final sanding together. She on one side and me on the other as we methodically hand sand each section flipping and repeating the process until we just can't stand it anymore. It takes even more detailing as we go over each others work and get up to the tabs as close as we can. One last sand blast to remove dust and a final degreasing wipe down.

We end up pressing on to get some paint shot with the piece as the temps are perfect. Primer goes on like a charm and we let it dry some while we pick up tools out back.

My daughter and I take turns shooting the paint and were happy with the results. She's a good listener and applies instruction, but there was no way I was gonna get away with her helping me sand without getting to do the fun parts.

I'll let this cure up a few days as I move onto the dealing with the springs. I'm not thinking I will be getting this aggressive with the those, we'll see. I felt like this area merited the refresh before I covered it up with the new upholstery. If I feel I need to dull down the paint on the ends that show I'll wet sand them with 1500-2000 grit. Thinking I'll be doing that.

_________________
1977 Sage Green Westy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=691987
1965 SWR Walk-Through Standard
1960 211 Panel American Camper Conversion

[WildIdea]

I had today freed up to tackle something on the bus accept for a sprinkler repair that was a casualty of the water main job. I had to unearth about 15 feet of line about a foot deep in rocky soil. I just dug it up while it was cool as a courtesy to my sprinkler guy and not have him get caught in the heat when he was able to show up. In between that I was able to get after the seat springs some more.

I have a set of cleaning brushes on hand that are soft and worked pretty decent to get off the debris that is sticking to the wax on the springs. A lot of this looks rusty, and there is some surface rush for sure, but it's actually mostly an amber wax of sorts that has picked up some dirt. The brush knocks off most of the chunks with out burnishing the springs bright.

I've learned that some of this scale is actually helping preserve the metal and I feel its a condition that I want to keep. I've learned from experience with a lot of VW parts, this coating is working in the parts favor. The few times I ran right home with new parts and wire wheeled or and degreased them only to find them bright orange the next morning. I decide that just a dry brushing is all I will be needing here and leave the wax intact. I targeted a few rusty spots with scotch bright and oiled them up. I'll reassemble this frame in a few days, I can still smell the paint up close.

The back rest was in really nice condition and didn't take long to brush out.

While cleaning I noticed I was missing a mounting clip on one of the two supporting rods. I figured I could make something that would work and spent the better part of an hour nerding out on the clip. I wanted it to look authentic as possible to the one side I had as a model to work from.

I have a decent steel supply on hand as well as a scrap bin of recycled bits from all sorts of appliances I keep before I throw the rest away. Anyway, I know this isn't a huge deal here, so I'll save you the 20 pics I took, but I wanted to make the clip a close match. I cut out a strap from some scrap in a close gauge. I bend it over a nail of the same diameter of the seat rod to get the bump in the clip close.

Nothing makes me happier than using some vintage garage sale pliers and get the clip crimped down without marring it up bad. I freed up the spring channel so I could get underneath better, but some jewelry pliers sneak in and do the finishing crimp.

Not bad. I usually have to make something like this 2-3 times before I get what I'm looking for. I scrape up some wax from around the seat frames and pack it around as a finishing touch. I think this piece is good to go for a shot at covering next time I get some uninterrupted time.

I want to be fresh when I start doing the upholstery. Really, I need to be careful how much I stress my hands. My mind wants me to keep going on cleaning bus parts, literally working them to the bone jamming them into tight places. These seat frames have me all dinged up and scratched. If it wasn't just blunt force smashing, it was a skewer under the fingernail. I had all that mixed with the digging so I need to chill out. If I over stress my hands I can feel it in my crab claw reflex between my thumb and forefinger the next day and that doesn't mix well at work. So I plan on hitting the upholstery in a few days fresh, after some good sleep, strong coffee, chill tunes and hopefully some more help from my daughter. Thanks for looking.
_________________
1977 Sage Green Westy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=691987
1965 SWR Walk-Through Standard
1960 211 Panel American Camper Conversion

[sled]

the wax keeps the springs from rusting, but more specifically it keeps them from squeaking like crazy as you cruise down the road.


yes, make sure your hands are rested when you go to tackle the seat cover installation!...holding that little buzzing machine all day can be tedious, I know from experience! I always used big fat grips, seemed to not fatigue my hand as much.
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drive your split.

[earlywesty]

[WildIdea]

[EverettB]

[obieoberstar]

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/collision-repair-us/featured-products/cavity-wax-plus/

I have used this product for body and suspension work, but it should work fine for your seat springs. Might want to apply it to the springs AFTER you have finished recovering the seats.

[WildIdea]

Thanks for the cavity wax tips people. One of the things I appreciate about hanging out here is learning about what products behave the best on specific applications. It seems every time I turn my head I'm learning or picking up a tip I didn't know before. Really keeps things interesting.

As my work week moves along and I can't get actual paws on the bus, I find myself online at breaks throughout the day as well as bookending my sleep either reading to wake up or trail off. Maybe post on your threads also, if I haver anything decent to add. Somethings this is all the bus activity I get for days, but it can be some of the most productive time as this is where I get to take a step back and just ponder and research the project. I sneak in searches for parts on the classifieds and online then cross reference what I can on thread searches. Keeps my head in the game. It doesn't take much time to reach out to someone about a part and get it coming while I get back to focusing on my day job and family.

One of the items I knew I would be needing was a commercial grey hub cap and I needed one with some rust on it already. Couldn't be too clean and yet not to far gone either. This one was the goldielocks zone for me. I was checking the wheel and expecting to see a retainer clip missing, but they are all there and appear to be intact. I'll have to look closer at some point to verify their condition. Nice to bank that and always pleases me to get hands on just the right part.

The same vendor also had a really nice tail light lens offered and I picked that up as well. My passenger side has one that is cracked but I was able to see the serial number and searched out one that matched that.

Besides the soft bits, and fabrics, I don't need a ton of parts for this bus, so I'm going to press for closest to period correct in the best condition I can find whenever possible. Again, I'm going to reality apply myself to do this bus to original specifications and resist the urge to even upgrade to performance parts on any of the systems. I feel it’s time I learn the rules before I break them so to speak.

I have been searching headlight glass as well as other parts in my free moments. Just to see how scarce original is or what is the bombproof properly fitting replacement brand and vendor. I remember one day 100 years ago I was at a Harley dealer looking for a base nut seal and the clerk rattled off a 10 digit crossover number without even looking it up. I thought he was showing off or something, but now I think he was just obsessed and/or mastered his job. I see folks here doing this with VW year specific numbering as well and I really admire it. I don't have any aspirations to memorize all the numbers, but I do retain some for a time if I'm on a hunting expedition......like my front headlight glass.

Both my fronts are broken. One complete busted out and the other with a rock hit or pellet gun hole.

I had put out a call to see what my buds had on hand and a few came my way. As I looked closer I had two different serial configurations. The remaining one on my bus shows VW logo E1.0671.01 and would think that's pretty good to go off, but that seems kinda lazy to not verify. I also have a piece that shows Hella SB19 SB20 SB21, not sure if its a period replacement or what the story is there. I thought, maybe a later year split part, but my '65 is running VW E1.0671.01s as well, that it came to me with. Both glasses are identical otherwise. Anyway, if anyone here knows the E1's are correct for '59-'60 panel buses, I'll run those and give the Hella piece back to my friend.

Otherwise, things are going good overall, just working for the weekend!
_________________
1977 Sage Green Westy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=691987
1965 SWR Walk-Through Standard
1960 211 Panel American Camper Conversion

[EverettB]

Headlight glass:
E1 is correct up to '63
SB 19 20 21 is later.

So you could steal them off your '65 if you want since they are wrong for a '65.
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[WildIdea]

[jeremy57ride]

Slow to the thread... but just caught up with 6 pages of awesomeness! What a fabulous find- I cannot get over how intact this one is... a real time capsule.
Lots of opinions out there.. here's mine. I for one prefer your method of restoration- this bus is in excellent hands. I lot of stuff is being over restored these days.

I just went through the headlight glass change on my 58 single cab, always something new to learn.

keep on keepin on! (subscribed).
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"If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do." -Warren Miller

[BarryL]

Pretty sure it's ok to link you to the original parts site if you aren't already familiar with it. http://oacdp.org/5867part.html

[WildIdea]

[WildIdea]

[WildIdea]

We had some success with the front bench yesterday. I had set up the project all last week and was poised to jump on it with my wife and hopefully punch out the project together.

I'm not sure why I chose to tackle this in the early stages. It was a combo of the front bench piddling rotted seat pad everywhere and my searches kinda led me down the path so I thought why not, it would be nice to have the clean freshly upholstered frames stowed and out of the way.

There is a saying I like that applies here. "The first person through the wall gets bloody, the rest simply walk through the hole". We feel very fortunate to be able to follow the bread crumbs others have left and just walk through the hole, Thank you! I had been reading some lengthy threads on the topic just to see what was involved and was amazed at the research and dedication that went into recreating a high quality grey front bench cover, as well as modern versions of the seat padding. Color, texture, thread count, etc, simply amazing. Credit to those Vanguards on the site. I felt obligated to follow suit and was simply clicking around to see if this material from 2009 was still avail. I ultimately found Deutsch Polster and ordered. Wow, I had the material in three days staring at a box and now I was just itching to see how it would look installed, so I just floated with the current and followed the good energy to this projects end.

I figured the front seat lower would be the easier of the two pieces being it can spring compress, so we started there. I got the springs and frame reunited using channel locks and a thick hunk of leather to minimize scratches. No problem there. I used some burned out scotch bright pad to dull down some of the paint on the ends which seemed to be just the right touch there. I can't have a glint of shiny popping out anywhere, lol

I had the lower seat pad on hand from WW and various types of felt around, but the DP kit came with everything we would be needing, which was a huge help and time saver. Again, I'm following the lead from people that know what's best here. I use some 3M Super 77 multi purpose adhesive to hold the registration of some of the material layers while we flip the pice around.

Cinch down the pad with the same wire like I saw when removing the OG material and added my upholstery note along with the original upholstery tag.

I couldn't remember the starting point of the skewers from the video I was watching that Matt Miller and BulliBill have on Youtube (Kombi Kovers Flat Back Installation, 2015). Again with the summer heat on the car hood thing while I go inside to find watch the video again before we commit.....

Then my neighbor rings the bell to introduce me to his out of town guest and show him the buses.....I love talking buses and almost have a tour script now but this eats up a thick hour. Only ended by my work buddy hand delivering work stuff and I get some valuable face to face jaw jacking with him in the front yard for another hour or so......All good stuff, then my parents show up to take my kids for the evening and we have another completely new conversation going over all the things. I still don't have the video found, but now Cat and I have the house alone and nothings gonna stop us now.

The heat works wonders on the seat cover. Wasn't crazy heat and actually the day called for wind which was picking up. Over lunch we find the video and are confident that we need to start in the middle and work to the ends. After poking the first hole I'm pretty committed, but its looking awesome and we're pleased with the results. A helper was critical. Having Cat there to get up high and push down evenly on the frame while I could concentrate on the skewer wasn't something I could have done alone with any reasonable success. The fit and finish on the seat cover is A+ and couldn't be happier.

The seat back was a whole other beast. The cotton padding is rather fragile, and with the wind picking up we relocate inside to our living room. This one takes us three tries before we have the corners on and the padding evenly dispersed. I didn't want to do the first skewer until I was satisfied with the registration of the materials. Eventually we have to just commit and get the first set poked and check alignment from there. If only the craftsmen of old could see us now! Cat really had to put all of her weight on this piece as there isn't the same type of springs to compress and I figure out what side of approach gives me the best leverage on the frame and seat cover to stretch against. Hell own my hands and have to shake them out each time and completely concentrate on each one. Working towards the ends draws out the wrinkles as we go.

We get it and are pretty pleased with the result.

I won't be storing these in the bus, but they have to go in for a quick look. I notice a little side wrinkle on the seat back and start obsessing. I try to let to go, but can't, so at it again at 10pm with my heat gun and some massaging and it actually gets worked out. Probably one of the things that will get better with time and using it. That and I'll just simply forget and move on mentally, but it did get better, so I'm learning I can keep working the sides and get them smoother if needed.

Overall, we had a great time working together. I can start organizing the garage a bit now and maximize every inch. I'm eyeballing the engine.....
_________________
1977 Sage Green Westy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=691987
1965 SWR Walk-Through Standard
1960 211 Panel American Camper Conversion