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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32634 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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leecat Samba Member
Joined: September 13, 2012 Posts: 773 Location: Regina
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Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:19 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Finally welded the rotating seat assembly into the passenger side of my lovely van - all thanks to Igeo sending me his spare swivel assembly. Turned out to be a super easy addition, drilling out the old rail spot-welds was a piece of cake (despite punching one or two drill holes through the floor) and the new base dropped right in. Allowed just enough room for a stock battery (7 & 1/4 inches).
Ground the welds a little, threw some leftover Dove Grey paint along the weld lines, and called it good.
I ground the rear battery mount plate off the seat swivel base and will use the stock Vanagon one - that let me move the whole plate to the rear almost a full inch.
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leecat Samba Member
Joined: September 13, 2012 Posts: 773 Location: Regina
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:19 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Today is body filler day - finishing up the new Westy roof on Bluey, super fun! While I admire those with the grit and determination to drill out ten thousand spot welds on the drip rail seam, I went the route of splicing an inch above the side top seam. I didn't like the look of the pics on here of cutting into that mess of rear brazing, and this way I avoided that whole keg of monkeys.
Couldn't be happier with the install - to weld the rear hinge plates in I cut a small inch-wide 'flap' in the outer skin of the top and folded it up - then bolted the hinge plates to the top, set it in place, tacked the plate to the body through the flap, unbolted the roof-to-hinge-plate and lifted the roof off. Then I was able to have the hinge plate in the right location to finish welding the entire plate down. Then I banged the flap back into place once the roof was back on, and welded the small cut lines. Worked really well.
Anyway, making big progress, would like to get her painted this week while it's crazy hot, Odin willing.
Before welding the roof on I used a wide pair of body pliers and gave the long edges of the roof the tiniest kink inward - when I set it onto the body this gave me a shallow 'valley' to weld into and later body-fill. Worked nicely and kept my welding seams below level.
Is there anything more fun than spending a summer day on your van??? |
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bobbyblack Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015 Posts: 4353 Location: United States, Iowa
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 11:27 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Got LED headlights this AM in the mail. This lunch hour, was in the car park installing them. News at 11. (Square lights on this one, the low/high [outers] look strong. The inner high's only look weak in daylight) _________________ '87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
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GreenMachineVW Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2008 Posts: 645
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 11:25 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Started it after five years sitting. I had to replace Boston Bob's engine, pictured below about ten years ago, with a rebuild from Adrian at Headflowmasters. Didn't take a single picture this time.
Once my kid straightened me out on the static timing, it started right up.
Here we go again!
RIP Bob Donalds
http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/a...ir_expert/ |
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Jake de Villiers Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2007 Posts: 5911 Location: Tsawwassen, BC
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:51 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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leecat wrote: |
Today is body filler day - finishing up the new Westy roof on Bluey, super fun! While I admire those with the grit and determination to drill out ten thousand spot welds on the drip rail seam, I went the route of splicing an inch above the side top seam. I didn't like the look of the pics on here of cutting into that mess of rear brazing, and this way I avoided that whole keg of monkeys.
Couldn't be happier with the install - to weld the rear hinge plates in I cut a small inch-wide 'flap' in the outer skin of the top and folded it up - then bolted the hinge plates to the top, set it in place, tacked the plate to the body through the flap, unbolted the roof-to-hinge-plate and lifted the roof off. Then I was able to have the hinge plate in the right location to finish welding the entire plate down. Then I banged the flap back into place once the roof was back on, and welded the small cut lines. Worked really well.
Anyway, making big progress, would like to get her painted this week while it's crazy hot, Odin willing.
Before welding the roof on I used a wide pair of body pliers and gave the long edges of the roof the tiniest kink inward - when I set it onto the body this gave me a shallow 'valley' to weld into and later body-fill. Worked nicely and kept my welding seams below level.
Is there anything more fun than spending a summer day on your van??? |
Nice work, Lee - that looks very tidy! _________________ '84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com |
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4Gears4Tires Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018 Posts: 3054 Location: MD
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:18 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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leecat wrote: |
Is there anything more fun than spending a summer day on your van??? |
Spending a summer day using your van? _________________ '87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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leecat Samba Member
Joined: September 13, 2012 Posts: 773 Location: Regina
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Ah-haha! 'Use the van', Gears - surely you jest! Do you mean some people actually drive and camp in them? I mean, I've heard rumours, but...
And thanks for the kind comments, Jake! Turned out better than I'd hoped - all the work was in the cutting and fitting, must have had that roof on and off 50 times. But the actual MIG welding was a lark. I added 3/16" steel plates at the inside crossmember-to-body junctions as well, just for extra-extra strength, especially on the upper bunk. Some of these girls on the Craigslist personals are getting heavy.
Just pulled her into the paint booth this afternoon for high fill primer and spot-putty, and I'm installing the Westy kitchen cabinets while I wait for paint supplies. Still have to seam-seal the body seams on the left side as well.
I've got to sort out that rat's nest of wiring for all the cabinetry too - thank goodness for the knowledge base here. I've had to cut up three other Vans to build this one - hopefully not everyone is so degenerate as to do that, or soon there won't be any vans left.
Should add this pic - I used this to support the sides of the van so that it couldn't move with the roof cut off, it's just one piece of steel rod inside of another with a set screw, and a couple brackets screwed to the body - I later welded those holes closed. Worked well and I had zero body movement in or out:
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charleslabri Samba Member
Joined: December 08, 2019 Posts: 615 Location: Nashville/Yosemite
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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I did a full conversion.. the C pillars hold up pretty good on their own unless you really want to warm them. Looks good!
leecat wrote: |
Ah-haha! 'Use the van', Gears - surely you jest! Do you mean some people actually drive and camp in them? I mean, I've heard rumours, but...
And thanks for the kind comments, Jake! Turned out better than I'd hoped - all the work was in the cutting and fitting, must have had that roof on and off 50 times. But the actual MIG welding was a lark. I added 3/16" steel plates at the inside crossmember-to-body junctions as well, just for extra-extra strength, especially on the upper bunk. Some of these girls on the Craigslist personals are getting heavy.
Just pulled her into the paint booth this afternoon for high fill primer and spot-putty, and I'm installing the Westy kitchen cabinets while I wait for paint supplies. Still have to seam-seal the body seams on the left side as well.
I've got to sort out that rat's nest of wiring for all the cabinetry too - thank goodness for the knowledge base here. I've had to cut up three other Vans to build this one - hopefully not everyone is so degenerate as to do that, or soon there won't be any vans left.
Should add this pic - I used this to support the sides of the van so that it couldn't move with the roof cut off, it's just one piece of steel rod inside of another with a set screw, and a couple brackets screwed to the body - I later welded those holes closed. Worked well and I had zero body movement in or out:
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_________________ -------------------------------------------------
An example of my labor in action:
https://www.instagram.com/wileythewesty/
My Build Thread:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=730525&highlight= |
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fishgo Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2018 Posts: 127 Location: Madison, WI
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:26 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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GreenMachineVW wrote: |
Started it after five years sitting. I had to replace Boston Bob's engine, pictured below about ten years ago, with a rebuild from Adrian at Headflowmasters. Didn't take a single picture this time.
Once my kid straightened me out on the static timing, it started right up.
Here we go again!
RIP Bob Donalds
http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/a...ir_expert/ |
My Boston Bob engine looked like that 153,000 miles ago. Still running strong, though. |
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leecat Samba Member
Joined: September 13, 2012 Posts: 773 Location: Regina
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:37 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Cutting and cleaning out old seam sealer to redo the body seams - and deep under the body line sealer I found...rust in the seam for about the bottom six inches.
You always think rust is going to happen to someone else - maybe someone forsaken by God; someone who forgets to say their prayers, eats peanut butter out of the jar with their fingers, and probably sells cheap Pokemon knockoff plushies at state fairs as a sideline. You know, like Zeitgeist, say.
I shook my fist at the sky and railed and ranted at the shop cat - how dare this happen to my previously rust-free van. But in the end I suppose there's nothing to do but grind it out and find the true extent of it. Looks perfect from the outside.
FUN PRO TIP - do NOT install seam sealer at 95 degrees, unless you're so fast that you can work with a 45 second cure time. Good God. On the other hand, now I get to dig it all out and start again - I'm going to be SO good at this, eventually!
Edit - SO much better working in the early morning at 70 degrees instead of 95. Seam sealer went on great and was much more workable. |
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jlrftype7 Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018 Posts: 3582 Location: Chicago
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Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2021 6:56 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Finally finished wiring up the rear LED light I installed a few weeks ago.
_________________ '68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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bobbyblack Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015 Posts: 4353 Location: United States, Iowa
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:33 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Parked it Friday after work, forgot several systems plugged in on the start battery side (I still need to move my dash plug over to the house side)... Thus, this AM, no crank. I usually drive somewhere out of town on the weekends, but this one was full of 'farm stuff' and I used my Tundra exclusively. Anyway, first time I've needed to use my jump pack on my bus to get to work. And, of course my bus needs to be at work, right? Ya, I'm at a stage in my life where I really need an hour to rest in the middle of the day. _________________ '87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
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4Gears4Tires Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018 Posts: 3054 Location: MD
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:48 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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bobbyblack wrote: |
Ya, I'm at a stage in my life where I really need an hour to rest in the middle of the day. |
First grade? _________________ '87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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dobryan Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006 Posts: 16508 Location: Brookeville, MD
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Jake de Villiers Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2007 Posts: 5911 Location: Tsawwassen, BC
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2021 7:10 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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4Gears4Tires wrote: |
bobbyblack wrote: |
Ya, I'm at a stage in my life where I really need an hour to rest in the middle of the day. |
First grade? |
LOL!!! _________________ '84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com |
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TomInAlaska Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2007 Posts: 386 Location: Anchorage, Ak
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:03 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Got the oil in the transaxle changed. After seeing some of the pics of other peoples' drain plugs I was expecting a fuzzy caterpillar but was pleasantly surprised by the lack of swarf on mine:
I'm hoping that the fresh oil and that I was able to add a little extra due the slope of our driveway will contribute to reducing the gear whine I've noticed since I've finally started to be able to drive this thing around. <fingers crossed> _________________ '73 Super Beetle (resto-mod/rally look, 1776)
'84 GL adventure van project (1.9L, 4speed) https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=755844&highlight= |
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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32634 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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brickster Samba Member
Joined: January 05, 2004 Posts: 512 Location: CO, USA
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2021 4:05 pm Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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TomInAlaska wrote: |
I'm hoping that the fresh oil and that I was able to add a little extra due the slope of our driveway will contribute to reducing the gear whine I've noticed since I've finally started to be able to drive this thing around. <fingers crossed> |
I'm just a dude on the Internet, but I would not overfill. It could cause a higher pressure than the seals can take.
It's best to have it on a level surface and wait until it drips occasionally before inserting the plug. |
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fxr Samba Member
Joined: December 07, 2014 Posts: 2325 Location: Bay area CA
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Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2021 11:36 am Post subject: Re: What did YOU do to your van today? |
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Added an elasticated map rack to the rear seat.
_________________ Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300 |
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