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edgood1
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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 Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:41 am Post subject: |
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More progress. The westy interior is completely gutted, most of the glass and trim removed. I've started drilling out the spot welds. I worked for about 8 hours on Monday. I got every spot weld I could find center punched and drilled almost all the exterior welds in the rain gutters and behind the top of the windshield. In a shop, two guys could have the roof off in a day and a half.
Here are some pics:
Drilling out the welds at the front of the roof
Drilling out the welds in the rain gutters.
Lots more drilling to do...
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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edgood1
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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5.5 more hours and all the spot welds are drilled out.
I found for the inner spot welds it much easier to drill a small pilot hole and then attack it with a larger 3/8" bit. You can only get at them at an angle and a regular drill bit works much better than the spot weld cutter.
Next task is to cut the rear hatch and the brazed pillars.
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1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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Sir Sam
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2009
Posts: 1689
Location: Fort Collins Colorado!
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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Have fun with the brazing, it caused me all sorts of aggrevation in the front and rear. Figuring out exactly where its brazed so you can cut through it is difficult.
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'91 Carat Westy
87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon |
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edgood1
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:11 am Post subject: |
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| Sir Sam wrote: |
| Have fun with the brazing, it caused me all sorts of aggrevation in the front and rear. Figuring out exactly where its brazed so you can cut through it is difficult. |
I was thinking I would cut the donor roof at the pillars below the brazing and then clean it up while its upside-down on the floor.
I think when I attach it on the syncro I'm just going to mig the butt connection instead of re-brazing... I see why vw brazed it, but MIG will be stronger and much cleaner... for me... i have much more confidence in my mig welding than brazing.
Besides, those notches where the brazing was is rather unsightly.
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1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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edgood1
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:29 am Post subject: |
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Just for reference, these are the interior welds I was referring to. they are center punched in this pic... but I found it just as easy to drill small pilot holes, then open up the holes with a larger bit that is just bigger than the spot welds, which is about 3/8". Some of the welds towards the back are really big and the spot weld cutter is the way to go.
Heres the spot weld cutter I'm using:
It was cheap, but works surprisingly well and does not wear out. The only problem is that it gets out of balance and tends to walk after about 300 holes. 
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95343
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1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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edgood1
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:43 am Post subject: |
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Heres an update with some pics.
I've got about another 5 hours into the project and the roof is off.
Here are some pics:
Separation!!! front passenger side rain gutter.
I used a screwdriver and my stiff paint scraper to break the seam sealer on the rest of the gutters... it came off very easily:
Sir Sam - when you said the brazing was a bitch you weren't kidding. Look at all that material in there. This was the first one I attacked and I hacked it up pretty good... Once I knew what I was in for I knew how to approach the others and they were much cleaner.
Heres a tip to any brave sole who attempts this project. Cut the front corners first, cut the whole pillar right under the rain gutter... then separate the rain gutter... then separate it further and further backwards until you get to the rear pillar.... then you will see exactly where you need to cut the brazing in the back... it is really thick hard stuff.
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1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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mightyart
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 6188
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:57 am Post subject: |
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Since this is a tutorial and you're showing people how to do this themselves.
How much more is your insurance going to run you on it, then you had to pay before?
I'm sure if somebodys going to go through all the work they would want to insure it properly. |
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edgood1
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| mightyart wrote: |
Since this is a tutorial and you're showing people how to do this themselves.
How much more is your insurance going to run you on it, then you had to pay before?
I'm sure if somebodys going to go through all the work they would want to insure it properly. |
Good question... I don't know the exact answer yet... but I spoke to my agent and they said it would have to be appraised after the work is done. From there I'll have to provide some documentation on current market value since these are considered unique vehicles. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
oh, and I wouldn't consider this a tutorial. I'm just contributing my experiences and hopefully they, along with pictures will help people who are attempting this in the future. The pics I've seen on the net and Sir Sam's project have been a great reference. It seems like a lot of people on thesamba are undertaking this same task or planning to in the near future.
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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mightyart
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 6188
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:05 am Post subject: |
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| edgood1 wrote: |
| I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. |
You should have done that first before you started the work.
Did you tell the agent you were cutting the roof off one and putting it on another one?
Last edited by mightyart on Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:09 am; edited 2 times in total |
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edgood1
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:08 am Post subject: |
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| mightyart wrote: |
You should have done that first before you started the work.
Did you tell the agent you were cutting the roof off one and putting it on another one? |
I did, and they told me an appraisal done by them was required after the work was completed. I'm just following their instructions.
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
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mightyart
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 6188
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| edgood1 wrote: |
| mightyart wrote: |
You should have done that first before you started the work.
Did you tell the agent you were cutting the roof off one and putting it on another one? |
I did, and they told me an appraisal done by them was required after the work was completed. I'm just following their instructions. |
Are they going to be looking at your work?
She didn't mention anything about your rates going up, or that there is a chance they may not want to insure it? |
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Sir Sam
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2009
Posts: 1689
Location: Fort Collins Colorado!
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| Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:22 am Post subject: |
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That harbor fright spot weld cutter is an excellent value. Napa sells one that is identicle for $10. Napa sells replacement bits for $6 each that have fewer teeth and barely cut at all. The harbor freight cutter costs $5 and cuts just as well as the $10 napa unit. Additionally this old steel is nice and soft. I did a rollover repair on an 2005 jeep liberty crd, the new high strength steel used wore out the cutters bad, I must have used about 10-15 cutters for the roof and 1/4 panel. And that was about a 1/5 the number of welds holding in the van roof.
Definatly keep your speed down when cutting and keep the bit cooled you will get lots of life out of the bit that way. The only bits I lost I lost because teeth actually broke on the bit.
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'91 Carat Westy
87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon |
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vwkelso
Samba Member
Joined: September 09, 2005
Posts: 133
Location: Northern Colorado
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:48 am Post subject: |
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hows this coming along?
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86 Syncro
73 Westy
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blakeck2
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2009
Posts: 939
Location: Los Osos, CA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:33 am Post subject: |
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| mightyart wrote: |
| edgood1 wrote: |
| mightyart wrote: |
You should have done that first before you started the work.
Did you tell the agent you were cutting the roof off one and putting it on another one? |
I did, and they told me an appraisal done by them was required after the work was completed. I'm just following their instructions. |
Are they going to be looking at your work?
She didn't mention anything about your rates going up, or that there is a chance they may not want to insure it? |
anything can be insured, its just boils down to how much money your willing to spend  |
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aquaboxa
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2009
Posts: 96
Location: Upstate NY
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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| I certainly see the benefits to the conversion, but is there a drawback in weight or aerodynamics with the pop top? Also, with full cabinetry the interior space is cut down quite a bit. Anyone have experience with camping in a non-westy vanagon and then moving on up to the full camper? |
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blakeck2
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2009
Posts: 939
Location: Los Osos, CA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:23 pm Post subject: |
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| aquaboxa wrote: |
| I certainly see the benefits to the conversion, but is there a drawback in weight or aerodynamics with the pop top? Also, with full cabinetry the interior space is cut down quite a bit. Anyone have experience with camping in a non-westy vanagon and then moving on up to the full camper? |
been in both but I prefer the hardtop w/o camping interior. You get alot more room and a full size bed.
Plus I added a roof top tent to sleep people upstairs  |
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aquaboxa
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2009
Posts: 96
Location: Upstate NY
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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| blakeck2 wrote: |
been in both but I prefer the hardtop w/o camping interior. You get alot more room and a full size bed.
Plus I added a roof top tent to sleep people upstairs |
That sounds interesting! Did you modify the roof surface at all?
And yes, I love the larger bed in my Weekender. |
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vw7266
Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2004
Posts: 3038
Location: the point, ohio
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| blakeck2 wrote: |
| mightyart wrote: |
| edgood1 wrote: |
| mightyart wrote: |
You should have done that first before you started the work.
Did you tell the agent you were cutting the roof off one and putting it on another one? |
I did, and they told me an appraisal done by them was required after the work was completed. I'm just following their instructions. |
Are they going to be looking at your work?
She didn't mention anything about your rates going up, or that there is a chance they may not want to insure it? |
anything can be insured, its just boils down to how much money your willing to spend |
ive see mightyart start this argument in more than just one thread...ive learned to ignore most of it..insureance seems to be a big hang up for him |
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mblotz
Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004
Posts: 296
Location: D-town, at base of the rocky's
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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i have a converted passenger syncro. i have a custom cabinet along the driver wall, but still have the full width bed, as well as the bed in the poptop. to me its the best combo. i think i actually have just as much storage, if not more than the westy, plus full width bed, plus stand up height and room for "junk" up top--love it
oh yeah, i had 4 previous hard top syncros, and this, prefer this |
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mightyart
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 6188
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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| vw7266 wrote: |
| blakeck2 wrote: |
| mightyart wrote: |
| edgood1 wrote: |
| mightyart wrote: |
You should have done that first before you started the work.
Did you tell the agent you were cutting the roof off one and putting it on another one? |
I did, and they told me an appraisal done by them was required after the work was completed. I'm just following their instructions. |
Are they going to be looking at your work?
She didn't mention anything about your rates going up, or that there is a chance they may not want to insure it? |
anything can be insured, its just boils down to how much money your willing to spend |
ive see mightyart start this argument in more than just one thread...ive learned to ignore most of it..insureance seems to be a big hang up for him |
You don't have insurance on your van?
I guess it's no big deal not to have it, it is kind of trivial.
I guess insurance is something else you ignor when doing a conversion like this.  |
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