Beginner restoration- how do I start?

[ski2liv]

OK OK- hello all....

So I bought a 78 Westy... just what i wanted in every way. best part is she needs love!!
The underside is VERY clean with only a spot or two of rust, minor surface rust. Panels---the sides, corners, etc etc have rust though.. only rusted through at the wheel well in the back. All else looks good...
Inside its clean as well.. needs soem work, but nothing major.

Mechanically it's OK I think.. getting checked out by a professional next week.

Now- how do I begin restoration. I want to use it as I restore it.. doing most of the work in the winter when it's off the road, and only do minor things while I run it in the summer. Is there an order to follow (mechanical, body, interior...) or is it whatever you want to focus on first? Is there a good book that walks an idiot (me) through this process and makes recommendations. Also, I want to learn how to weld so I can fix my own rust areas.. is there a book for this too?

I have a lot to learn, where do I start?

And befoer anyone even asks.. yes I'm smart enough to know when I'm out of my leage and need a pro to help... but I want to learn as well.. so any help is appreciated!!



thanks!

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If you plan to keep it on the road, the first thing you need to do is make sure it's in good mechanical shape. Get a Bentley manual.

First things first- Brakes; if it won't go, that won't hurt you, if it won't stop, that can kill you! When was the last time they were serviced? If it's been a while or you can't answer that, then you need to replace the soft lines (they absorb brake fluid over time and become less effective). Inspect and clean the entire brake system, replace anything that is suspect, and flush the system, add new fluid. While you are working on the brakes, inspect the wheel bearings, replace if needed, and repack.

Next, I'd replace all of the fuel lines, hose clamps (use good stainless not those POS Chinese junk), and fuel filter. If it's been sitting, drain the old gas out of it at this time. While you're in the engine compartment, I would check/ replace as needed any of the other hoses. If it's leaking around the heads or pushrod tubes, you might as well replace those seals while you in there. Change the oil, filter, clean the screen; also change the tranny fluid (you didn't say whether it was an auto or manual). Perform a good tune-up.

Replace the shocks if needed. The steering stabilizer almost always seems to be bad too (usually they're original). While you're under the front, inspect and replace as needed all steering linkage. While you're there, you might as well inspect the shifter bushing (if it's still there) and replace it if needed.

After making sure all of your lights work etc. I would give the wiring (all of it- in the engine compartment, under the bus, etc) a quick look over. Mice love to get into buses and chew through the wires and once you get an electrical gremlin, they can be hell to fix. Replace the headlights with halogen ones if they aren't already, you'll see an improvement right away.

As for the body work, you can probably take a class at your local technical school on how to if you want or find a local with some experience. Three words for you though- Bondo is bad. Try to get the metal straight before skimming it. Often you find buses (like my first Westy) where somebody caked the stuff into the dent in the quarter panels. Give it a little bit and it cracks, looks bad, starts to flake, and looks worse. It also holds moisture and makes the problem worse. There are lots of books available, but I'm not qualified to recommend one. From experience, I would plan on things being worse than they look. As an example, the rear vent window on the driver's side. They always seem to leak and they rust beneath the pivot. Suddenly, you're having to do more body work, replace the gaskets (I swapped in a one piece window out of a Transporter and did away with the problem site), fix or replace a rusty window frame (it slides into the window channel), and then take care of any interior damage.

You can learn welding at your local tech school too. It takes a lot of practice to get good at it though and a really good welder is an artist.

In a nutshell, make sure the bus is safe mechanically first. Then I would do the body work, finishing with the interior.