73 transporter w/a few problems

[[email protected]]

I just bought a 1973 transporter with very little rust, some interior problems, and a big leakage problem. My sliding door will not shut completely and leaks water. I just took off all the panels and took out the whole back interior. I am still trying to find the root of all my leakage but I am still lost. I am currently taking care of the interior problems (mostly dirt). But if anybody could help me get info on fixing the leak I would be very happy. I also need new interior panels and a mat set for cheap if possible. Just E-mail me at [email protected] if you have any info abouot the leak or prices for the items above just E-mail me.
Doug Popp

[skippytheleglesshobo]

replace all door seals. some are really expensive, like the sliding door. if you can find a good squishy used one, you're set. after you install the seal, adjust the upper and lower roller, the striking plates and latch, to get the perfect fit. just keep adjusting until the door sets perfectly flush with the body. make sure that these adjustments don't foul up the operation of the latches though. if the window seal is totally fried, it will act like a sponge and leak in a substantial amount of water. the quarter window seal is a whole trip, and i have never bothered to try to replace one, i just home remedy the problem with extra material.

check the door handle too, it's small, but may contribute.


hope this helps
chris

[[email protected]]

Thanks Chris I will check up on the door and stripping. I was going to make a big weather striping purchase anyways, but this gives me a new perspective.

[regalasr]

My strong advice is don't bother spending anything on new panels and floormats until you solve the leak problem and clean up the rust first. Otherwise you will be wasting your money and effort. Of course, I had to learn that the hard way myself. Start with a new sliding door seal and some 3M weatherstrip adhesive. I got a new seal for $50. In order to install the seal you will have to take the sliding door off, or (gasp) cut the seal at the middle bottom then glue it back together with 3M weatherstrip adhesive. Guess which way I chose? Take your car to the local self-serve car wash and sit inside while your partner hoses around the door (have the door panels off). Still leaking? If the leak is around the door seal, get a Bently manual and follow the previous posters advice on adjusting the door. Go back to the car wash. Still leaking? Then you have bad rubber around the door window glass. Search the archives here and the Type2 site and you will find plenty of info on replacing the rubber around your window glass. This all sounds intimidating, but it is not difficult. Just take your time and search the archives here and the type2 site for many discussions on your problem.

[[email protected]]

I have some money to put in to it but I am going to take care of the leak and rust first. A guy I know was going to weld a sheet metal piece on the passenger side floor and I was going to put my mat set back in. The other rust is no big deal, I can take care of it. I have some warped panels and a weak mat set, that I will replace in about 3 months, so that is not a top priority. I will take everybodys advice about the leak though. Oh a couple more things, I need to know how to take the drivers side seat out (it has been giving me some trouble). And last thing how to take out the front door panel, the handle and the rolling down window piece also give me some trouble. Thanks everyone.
Doug Popp

[jeremysmithatshawdotca]

Hi Doug, on my 74 the driver seat just slides right off all the way forward, if I hold the lever up. I remember on my 77 though, that there was an extra tab that acted as a last safety catch. I don't remember exactly what the operation was, but you don't need to bend the tab. Just slide the seat as far forward as you can, and examine the tracks, and it should be easy to figure out how the seat is supposed to come off. The Bentley manual isn't any more specific either, it just says to make sure the tracks are clean and slide it off the front. Hope this helps, Jeremy

[[email protected]]

Well Jeremy the seat is stuck or something because I have pulled the lever and tried to slide it. My friend and I pulled and tugged it pretty well, but something could be blocking it, it could be dirty (the whole bus is), or it could be rusted on somehow. But I did see the lever system earlier but cannot get it to work. I will keep trying. Hey if anyone knows anymore ways to solve the problems above that would be GREAT.
Doug

[regalasr]

Oh, something very important when you replace any of your front door and sliding door panels, clean out the weep holes so water will drain and replace the plastic vapor barrier. I replaced the vapor barrier in my front doors and also duct taped another thick sheet of PVC to the back of my nice panels to prevent water warping the door panels. Cheap insurance. You should consider using the warped panels as templates and having replacements made by your local woodshop. You could glue back down the old vinyl like I did for that faded vintage look, or you can have the woodshop make you nice ones from Baltic Birch using the warped ones as templates. See if you can round up some original replacement clips for when you pop back in the panels at the swap meet or junkyard. The cheap aftermarket clips will give you headaches.

[[email protected]]

I just did all of the interior panels on my '79, and it was much cheaper (but a LOT more work) than buying pre-made. I used the old panels as templates and cut out my own new ones from 1/8 inch masonite. The originals were 1/16 inch, so they don't sit as flush, but you'd never notice. I'm not too worried about originality, and I wanted something a bit more durable than the original vinyl, so I used a tight looped carpet from Lowe's (less than $3.00 a linear foot, 6 feet wide -- Stratus Grey, if you care). Some 3M 90 Contact Adhesive works quite well to glue it to the new panels. It even held the curves well on the rear panels by the wheel wells, although I had to use the original panels for those because of the curves. Oh, regalasr is right about the aftermarket retainer clips. They were stronger than my old rusty ones, but are made too wide for the holes! You have to bend and shape each one just right with a couple of sets of needle-nosed pliers; very tedious. Also, with the 1/8 inch masonite, you have to do a little more bending of the clips so they slide on correctly.

The final result was very satisfying though. As soon as I can get a hold of a digital camera, I might post some photos. As long as you like doing things yourself, pay attention to detail and use good creativity, it's a great project. Just remember things like relief cuts in the carpet on the back side for those rounded corners or making sure that the horizontal rows in the carpet line up parallel to the top edge...

Cheers,
Richard

[jeremysmithatshawdotca]

Can you get your hand in under the seat from the back or front at all? Maybe the mechanism is broken, and it isn't lifting the crossbar. If you can get under there, you might be able to lift the crossbar above the slots that hold the seat in place. Jeremy