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TSR53
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2007
Posts: 257
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 Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:03 am Post subject: |
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Ben, thank you for joining in, and more importantly, for documenting your immensly crafty handiwork on your website!
I will have to tackle the same lower kitchen issue on my 1991 Westfalia 2WD auto, although not as bad, it has started to rear it's ugly head. Like a silly (when I first bought him last summer) I thought, oh kewl, there is a place to fill the water tank from outside. Opps. Something about our Vermont well water and all the minerals in it... I figured out that filling from INSIDE is way more efficient.
So, this next week is install of Weitec springs and Van-Cafe big brake kit. Next week will be kitchen removal and metal prep for this same exact job. I will have a shop do mine as I don't have a welder or any real body restoration skills or tools for this. Anyone want to trade out labor and parts, paint for four 14" alloys with 185-14 Continental Vanco's with 12k miles on them?
I can tell you this. I WILL use Waxoyl 120-4 exclusively after all the paint has dried BEFORE I reinstall the kitchen. USA distributor of this awesome Swiss product is where I work at Rovers North http://www.waxoyl-usa.com/
ps... Ben it is good to know that I am very close to you and only 26 miles from the CN border! |
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vanagonforever
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 211
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:24 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for all of the great information. I'm just going to take this repair one day at a time. Right now I am researching what would be involved in getting setup to weld. The cost of the equipment is a lot less than I was expecting and I do think it would be a fun skill to learn. I'd like to be able to do the work myself but who knows how my neighbors will take to me welding my van in the street. Then again, there is enough craziness in the streets of Baltimore that I can't imagine anybody getting all that upset about a little welding.
Sadly I doubt this will be the last time that I need to weld something. I do think the crappy paint job was put on in an effort to hide what lies beneath. After careful inspection I do think a few of my seams have some issues in all the common spots. This van isn't as bad as blue 87 on bensplace but it isn't much better either. Still I appreciate the encouragement and I'm willing to give it a go. I may end up with a rusted out worthless van down the road but I expect that I'll learn a ton and have a lot of fun with it in the process. It may not be an ideal van but its the one I've got so I might as well enjoy it.
I've been trying to photograph all of my work so I'll put updates to this thread as they happen. Thanks again! |
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tsombrero1
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2006
Posts: 288
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:16 am Post subject: |
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FYI I bought that panel too and wound up not using it. It feels thin and cheap compared to OEM panels, and it isn't the same design as the original panels so some engineering will be required to fit it in. It actually covers the lower 8 inches (something like that) of the side panel and part of the rocker panel below.
I wound up cutting up a van with a friend to get replacement metal. And rather than spend a couple grand to a body shop I spent about half that on a good MIG and learned how to flashdance. Chicks dig the helmet.
old thread, unfortunately the pictures are missing: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=189321
_________________
Tennessee Sombrero
1988 Westy, Syncro-nated
2003 Aprilia Caponord (now with Jif)
Atari 2600
1970 Earthbound Humanoid |
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photogdave
Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2004
Posts: 3052
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:32 am Post subject: |
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| tsombrero1 wrote: |
FYI I bought that panel too and wound up not using it. It feels thin and cheap compared to OEM panels, and it isn't the same design as the original panels so some engineering will be required to fit it in. It actually covers the lower 8 inches (something like that) of the side panel and part of the rocker panel below.
I wound up cutting up a van with a friend to get replacement metal. And rather than spend a couple grand to a body shop I spent about half that on a good MIG and learned how to flashdance. Chicks dig the helmet.
old thread, unfortunately the pictures are missing: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=189321 |
Thanks for that heads up! Does anyone know if the bus depot panel is the same, better or worse?
_________________
89 Syncro GL Westfalia 2.1 WBX/WBXaustSS
My Westy Movies:
photogdave On Vimeo
photogdave On YouTube
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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Vanagon Nut
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2008
Posts: 10379
Location: Sunshine Coast B.C.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:48 am Post subject: Re: Oh no! Kitchen Rust! |
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Nice pics/comments on that page.
Great to see stuff like that done by a DIY'er.
Bens stuff is awesome, but if one has space and time, and some basic tools, lots can be done it seems. I mean that guy even made a patch to match on the pillar. Pretty cool.
Of course having a welder helps too.... 
Neil.
_________________
1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA
1988 West DIY 50º ABA
VE7TBN |
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fyrgrrl
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2006
Posts: 396
Location: The Evergreen State
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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Wow....thanks for answering up, Ben....I am in complete awe of your work. And now that I am taking some welding classes...I just might try and fix my rusty bucket. Thanks for inspiring us and saying we can do it.
And that red.........is sooooooo red!! Gorgeous!! Lovely!! Enviable!!
Keep up the good works! 
_________________
1987 Vanagon Westfalia (manual) - "Van Hildegaard"
1987 Vanagon Westfalia (auto)
1985 Vanagon GL 7-passenger van (auto) - "Blau Frau"
1985 Vanagon GL 7-passenger van (manual) - "Braunkuh"
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback (auto)
2003 Subaru Legacy L wagon (auto) |
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ftp2leta
Samba Member
Joined: October 11, 2004
Posts: 3271
Location: Montreal
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject: Re: Oh no! Kitchen Rust! |
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| Vanagon Nut wrote: |
Nice pics/comments on that page.
Great to see stuff like that done by a DIY'er.
Bens stuff is awesome, but if one has space and time, and some basic tools, lots can be done it seems. I mean that guy even made a patch to match on the pillar. Pretty cool.
Of course having a welder helps too....
Neil. |
I use don't weld much lately... i glue most parts.
http://www.benplace.com/panel1.htm
That thing is scary strong.
I have other pages on my site... but i'm the first lost when i have to search in it  I also have a bunch of hidden pages. Got to find those.
MY current project is a full Syncro restoration.
http://www.benplace.com/87_syncro1.htm
(more pic later tonight)
But my next van! Oufffffff, HORRIBLE!!!!
I will post somewhere about this one (in between a few Subi conversion)
Ben
_________________
Working with rust, grease, dirt and dust is a sad truth.
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FI part for sale: http://www.benplace.com/parts_sale1.htm
My site: http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
Subi conversion: http://www.benplace.com/vanaru_eng.htm
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/ftp2leta |
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vanagonforever
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 211
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Whoa, you can GLUE new panels in? That's amazing. I think I just found something new to research. I've looked at the finished pictures of that van a million times and yet I've never noticed that you glued the replacement panels in. I take it that you are happy with the results? |
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vanagonforever
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 211
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| Update: I discovered that a good friend of mine who is a furniture maker has a MIG welder plus all the gear sitting in his shop but he's never gotten around to using it and doesn't know how to weld. I've never even seen a welder in person so the two of us were thinking now's the time to break out that welder and see what we can ruin... I mean fix! Our plan was to spend a few weeks reading up on welding and doing a few practice welds and then just try our hardest to follow some of the online photos of the job that you guys have pointed out. We may end up gluing on the replacement body panel and then welding the rest. If anyone has any good MIG welding for dummies links then I'd love to check them out. Should be fun! |
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CF
Samba Member
Joined: February 17, 2005
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:40 am Post subject: |
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eastwood sells a no weld panel kit
i tried it out ,very good and ez to use.i just made sure the i got more flush mounting revits.
the worse was the price on the the tool for the epoxy. |
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tsombrero1
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2006
Posts: 288
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:15 am Post subject: |
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If you haven't found this site yet it's pretty good:
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/
_________________
Tennessee Sombrero
1988 Westy, Syncro-nated
2003 Aprilia Caponord (now with Jif)
Atari 2600
1970 Earthbound Humanoid |
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tikibus
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2006
Posts: 834
Location: Rochester, NY
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| Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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Learn MIG.
Even if it is not a "true" MIG, Flux cored wire. Gas-less.
Start playing. It is a Art.
Really, no joke. Get some scrap or spend a few bucks on metal and grind it then weld.
To learn this skill, even if the level expected is not reached on the first try, that means you've got the vibe to do it. Rock on.
_________________
Happy Trails!
Mark
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Founding member of the Empire State VW Camping Club.
http://www.empirevwcamping.org/
1984 Westy - Tiki
1997 Honda Civic -The Green Hornet
1971 Volvo P-1800E- needs TLC |
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Crughy
Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2004
Posts: 576
Location: Montreal, Qc
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:17 am Post subject: |
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Get a good fire extinguisher too. Hot metal can ignite things around quite abruptly. Be careful where you learn to weld.
That should be your next best friend!
JP |
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