Under Windshield Rust Repair Recommendations and Progress

[wrxnofx]

This winter it's finally time to address the rust I've seen peeking out from under the windshield since I bought this bus.

I removed the windshield and the rust is a bit worse than I'd hoped. As I've ground away the filler there are actually some holes on the passenger side. There are a couple of very small rust areas that have migrated into the forward nose but it's solid metal. Here are some pics BEFORE the grinding:

I guess I don't have any pics AFTER the grinding. Anyway, I'm going to have to do some metal work, and I see that Bus Depot offers replacement metal that is JUST the sill:
https://www.busdepot.com/ahs29

Has anyone purchased this piece(s) and used it? How'd they fit? Seems like it would be way overkill to buy the larger piece that goes below the wipers and squirters...
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1977 VW Type 2 Bay Window Westy FI

[orwell84]

I used the Bus Depot pieces. The repair came out well in the end, but I think I would have been better off using the larger piece instead. With the smaller repair pieces, you end up welding at or near the edge of the ledge that the seal fits into. I ended up getting burn throughs because there were spots that were thin from rusting that I couldn’t see. I also had to spend a lot of time building up the lip with weld material to even it all out.

With the larger piece, you cut and weld around the middle of the bulge section. It’s a way better place to weld as that area will resist shrinking and distortion and you can lose the weld joint in a skim of filler.

At the time, I wasn’t aware that there was a better part available. It’s a really rust prone area that requires a lot of stuff to be removed first. It’s worth doing the best you can on it.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

I've done those panels and you have to be really careful you don't get into the profile of the "bubble" (where the washer nozzles are) beacuse of the radiused 'edge' if you will

I can run it thru photoshop to show you if that doesn't make sense

It's a very time consuming, tedious job. you're basically welding a 6 foot section that has to be perfect. Doable, for sure but time consuming
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[wrxnofx]

Okay, you guys are both kind of confirming what my concern was, which is that edge.

So, here are some pics of the result after grinding and a couple treatments of Evapo-Rust.

I am a total newbie to bodywork (I have a buddy who welds that's planning on helping me). As I see it, there are 3 options here, from least invasive (and cheapest) to most invasive (and most expensive):

1. Cut out the rot where there are actual holes, which is exclusively on the passenger side, and weld in small patch panels. The lip that the seal goes over is solid across the whole bottom. A little bit eaten on the passenger side but I think usable.

2. Purchase the "strips" from Bus Depot and replace the whole sill but most likely really struggle with the edge transition from sill to "bubble".

3. Purchase the full panel that includes the bubble and do the whole smash.

Click on the pics to see full size images

Driver's Side - No holes, solid metal:

Driver's Side wiper - No holes, solid metal:

Passenger's Side wiper - No holes, solid metal:

Passenger's Side - Multiple areas of holes:

You guys are WAY more knowledgeable than me. Regardless of cost, which option would you guys go?
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1977 VW Type 2 Bay Window Westy FI

[orwell84]

Do a search in this forum. This repair has been done a number of times.

I would say that you need the larger part. The rust on your bus extends past the radius bend of the bulge section below, which the patch section wouldn’t include. It would be very difficult to make. You would be miles ahead getting the larger panel. It costs a lot more, but worth it when you run the numbers through the time-money-assache formula. Not to mention that scabbing in little bits to make up the lip would probably look like ass. My bus was in a lot better condition in that area, but there a couple places where I had to make up little sections for the lip and it was a pain.

I’ve never done the bigger section, but it doesn’t look a pic-nic either. The welding shouldn’t be hard, it’s trimming the new section for a good fit. It’s doable, just time consuming. One of those places where it’s worthwhile bringing you A-game. Klassicfab has the panel. At one time it was considered the best, but I remember some members posting about figment issues with it. Hopefully Skillz will be along again to point you in the right direction. He has actually done this repair.

[orwell84]

Here is a link to my own repair:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

The radiused lip on my bus looked mostly ok, but it was pitted on the topside and rusty underneath. I ended up burning through a lot and having to build up and grind down a low of weld material. You have a lot less material to work with.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

I'd be doing the whole bubble repair panel. That bus has 87 coats of shit on it. the deeper you get, the worse it will be

I'd split the bubble in the middle, that way you aren't fucking with the OE character line and you can do your filler work in the center of the bubble away from such profiles
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[wrxnofx]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

well, use your discretion, I'd go a bit below the + where the squirters clip in, I wouldn't want to weld in that area unless I had to

KF was really good way back, then the last 2 or 3 I did it was off in the door/A post area so be mindful there
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[lil-jinx]

when I did mine ,i went down to the vent/signal light opening,to avoid the long weld ,just had visible welds at both sides.i went from the corner of the light opening up across the bubble to the windshield corners,in hindsight,it may have been easier to fit if I had gone straight across to the a pillars from the lights.

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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=668799
1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy sold dec 2024

1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes.

[orwell84]

[Bnanwel]

When in doubt, make your own contoured patch panels from 18 guage steel. My 17 year old made all of these from a flat panel. Build patterns from cereal box cardboard, top piece and side piece. Cut and shape the parts to fit on top of the area being replaced before you cut on the body. Tape the in place perfectly and tack along the seams. Take them off and weld them on a table cooling after each tack weld. Grind back side, place and tweak with a planishing hammer and toe dolly. Mark, cut, weld in part, again cooling after every tack. Move around the panel evenly with your tacks or the metal will shrink and pinch. You CAN do any of these panels. It will take time, but every panel my kid made fit much better than those that you could buy. The trickiest part is planning how to cut some of these old out. Grab your unplugged angle grinder and think the cuts through prior to building your panel. You CAN do it.
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‘72 Karmann Ghia Conv.
‘73 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘74 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘70 Deluxe
‘72 Deluxe

[914guy]

We used the bus depot pieces and it worked well for us.

First step is to drill out welds on old piece to be repaired. We bought a weld drill bit, and it worked well.

Mike

[dstimm]

evaporust is not meant to be applied to rust, rather is meant for you to soak pieces in it (works very well btw), if you want to remove rust off that area you should really cut out the pitted areas and replace it with new metal. KlassicFab and WolfsburgWest sell nice upper nose replacement panels, but only use the bare minimum of the patch panels but be sure to cut out all the rust and go a little past any holes to make sure you are welding onto solid metal.
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1979 Sage Green California Westy.

[wrxnofx]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, everyone.

Thanks for the tip on the spot weld drill bit, 914guy.

Not gonna lie - I'm pretty freaked out to do this repair. I'm a mechanical guy, not a body work guy. Just worried I'm going to make it worse than it already is.

I was wondering about the Wolfsburg West piece, too, as I've had very good luck with all the parts I've purchased from them. Shipping from Klassicfab is more than the piece itself. It would be $50 cheaper from WW but I'm only interested if their piece is decent, too. Sounds like it is, given what dstimm said above.
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1977 VW Type 2 Bay Window Westy FI

[Bnanwel]

There are no better parts than the klassicfab stuff if they are available. The cab floor we replaced dropped in perfectly, every hole was centered, spot-on. It’s unfortunate that they seem to have discontinued a lot of their parts.
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‘72 Karmann Ghia Conv.
‘73 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘74 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘70 Deluxe
‘72 Deluxe

[orwell84]

[wrxnofx]

[Bnanwel]

The biggest impediment to acquiring most new skills is having the “balls” to try; this is no different. You CAN do it. Remember: the most important step you can take is the NEXT one; just keep going!
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‘72 Karmann Ghia Conv.
‘73 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘74 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘70 Deluxe
‘72 Deluxe

[lil-jinx]

i watched this guy using a coat hanger for filler,I may try it on the side window frame where I have a few rust holes.
https://youtu.be/W4B1uWpdF8M?si=9V_6ppl2gF3TMNPe
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=668799
1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy sold dec 2024

1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes.