SO-34 1962 wounded westie

Eric&Barb · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 8:42 pm Post subject: SO-34 1962 wounded westie

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Found this 1962 Flip-Seat almost 20 years ago after looking for one for several years before.
Went down South to a VW Wrecking yard named Averry's (Now Avery's) in Longview WA for parts with a good friend named Bob. We separated while out in the yard pulling parts Bob hollered out "Found one of those campers you are looking for!". I came a running around the VWs to find the Westie, but Bob warned "It has body damage.". Upon seeing how badly damage from 20' distance, I turned away before getting too close to be sucked in.

A month later needed another VW part and could remember exactly where one was in which VW out in the wrecking yard, but had forgotten all about the Wounded Westie. This time took Barb along. Barb loves to kind of Easter Egg hunt in the yards for light bulbs, fuses, and other small parts to fill a five gallon bucket. Usually back then only costing about $10.00!
Of course I had forgotten to mention the Westie to Barb, and thusly soon after we went different directions in the yard Barb called out "Hey, found one of those campers!". Oh, no, black hole!!

Price was $800.00.

All the cabinets came with, but was missing:

Tent roof brackets for large and small tents. Found.

Large tent. Found.

Small tent. Found.

Sisal mat.

Blaupunkt Derby radio. Found.

Aluminum tumblers. Found.

Water bottles.

LR cabinet roller wheel. Found.

Wash basin.

Hanging lamp. Found.
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purplepeopleeater · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 9:06 pm Post subject:

bad 20 years ago, now days...thats pretty nice

Eric&Barb · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 9:34 pm Post subject:

Yes, those were days!!

Body over the driver door was so bad that rain had no problem leaking in. Top of the "A" pillar was bent (see vertical rust line where bent) and top of the pillar bulged upward pushing open the seam between the pillar top and the underside of the over hang. DPO tried to silicon the gap closed.

So off to Eastern Washington for a donor roof from a 1965 kombi.

Fitted good used door to better check door opening fit. Turned out the belt line just behind the door was bent in about 2"! Door would barely latch on the first notch of the striker plate.

Removed the side windows.

You can really see how much the belt line and rain gutter was pushed in.

Took out the inner panel that was bent up from being pushed inward against the cabinets.

Then cut off the roof and cut down the donor section to be worked in.

Removed upper rear corner off the donor roof, and convert to the earlier small hatch rear.

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volksaddict · Samba Member Joined: August 19, 2003 Posts: 1724

Wow. A half roof replacement. Show us that looong seam when you get it welded in.

SO33 · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:33 am Post subject:

Amazing find Applause

Eric&Barb · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:54 am Post subject:

More like a 1/3 roof replacement. If it did not have the hatch area, would have done a full roof.

Yes, even back then it was amazing to find.

Avverie's brother had a SO-34 and wanted parts off this for his. So off went the large tent and all the tent brackets, because he wanted a tent on each side! Almost certainly all the other small hard to find parts went at the same time.
For over a decade Avverie at each and every swap meet would ask if we wanted to sell it back!!
This had a Westie roof rack when it was rolled over on its side, and still shows some gutter damage from where it sat.

Unfortunately the donor roof had had a leak in the LF of the roof so the roof top had rust and the body frame over and down around the driver door was rusted out. This did not show up till the donor roof was cut down to size.
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campingbox · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 10:10 am Post subject:

Go Eric, Go! Get it done.....

Eric&Barb · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 2:41 pm Post subject:

Building season is coming up soon so am trying to get the roof back on the Westie before putting on a new roof on the mobile home!!
You can see the rust in the LF donor section in the image in last post with the side bus shot with roof cut off.
Had gotten a part roof section to replace the over the driver door. Back then thought maybe we could pound and pull out the rest of the damage behind the driver door. A friend mentioned they were going to get rid (crush) of a solid rust free Westie with no interior, so a small section was cut out. Boy if we only had that donor bus now...
So with this smaller donor section was able to grind off the partial roof section, and cut and grind off the door frame off the larger donor section.

Interesting joint from the door frame section with overlap from the panel behind the door. This was leaded over at the factory.

Fitted the top door frame to the new roof section. Have been applying phosphoric acid to the rusty part of the roof section for two days till it all drys out in the cool weather we are having. Then wire wheel off the coating and down to the newly exposed rust layer, and repeat with the acid and wire wheeling steps till the rust is completely gone.

Meanwhile cut out the upper left corner of the windshield frame.

Was able to drill out the spot welds in the panel the sun visor screws to and the lap joint the over hang has on the left side. The wood piece is keeping the top window opening from sagging down.

This before image shows the bent damage in this are pretty well.

Here is the "B" pillar stripped down at the top, ready for the donor over the driver door body section.

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Eric&Barb · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:56 pm Post subject:

Donor over the door metal welded into place.

In this view you can see a little rectangle window cut into the overhang, this was done to leave access for welding the last part of the window frame below.

Door is fitting pretty well! Little reddish "X" inside the "B" pillar is where the shoulder belt reinforcement will be welded in.

Rear view of the "B" pillar, showing the area just at top of belt line where it was bent inward and wrinkled puckered there. Heated with a torch the metal there and pushed at the top of the pillar. Wood frame screwed together inside the bus (seen behind the seat) with other end of wood frame against the passenger "B" pillar kept the entire driver "B" pillar from just flexing inward. Door now fully closes!!

With the roof cut open, the cupped sheet metal form of the roof is not self supporting causing the weight of the remains of the roof to push the rear hatch outward on the left rear side. Compensated this with a ratchet tie down strap run from the driver outside seat belt mount and out the left side of the rear hatch. With a couple of 4x4s used to anchor the tie down against the rear of the hatch and hatch opening.

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zimblewinder · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 8:09 pm Post subject:

Good timing, Im replacing the whole A pillar and roofline over the left door on my mango at the moment. Thanks for the informative pics.
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58Euro 23 343208 The Ultimate Zimblewinder Machine.
59 mango standard
Wanted- splash pan supports, og pressed bumper coach bolts, ivory blaupunkt knobs (early), armrest alloy strips, NOS door mechanism

Eric&Barb · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 8:57 pm Post subject:

Cool to hear that some of this info is helpful to you!
If you have a chance to post how your project works out, it would be very interesting to see how it goes.
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cru62 · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:42 pm Post subject:

I will also be replacing the same area only on the PS as well as much of the drip rail on that side. Thanks for the picheavy post. It is really informative and helpful.
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"My biggest worry is that when I die, my wife will sell all my parts for what I told her I paid for them"-Jon

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BarryL · Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 7:18 am Post subject:

Triple fine sheesh! I have a bus that needs the upper front fixed and now I see that its harder than I ever imagined. I probably would have just rolled that bus as a rolled bus. I'm confused though; you bought the bus a long time ago and are now fixing it, or you went back and it was still there and you bought it recently? What is weld that the little square accesses?

campingbox · Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 7:44 am Post subject:

Autry21 · Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 8:00 am Post subject:

All I got is a WOW. I would never be able to put it back together if I tried that. Its really neat to see that type off work being done. Good luck, not that you need it. Smile

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1967 SO42 (A42)
1965 SingleCab

Eric&Barb · Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 9:22 am Post subject:

Twenty years ago found the Westie in the wrecking yard with friend. A month later went back with Barb and bought it then.

The access hole is for welding the top of the sheet metal of the windshield frame just below where the donor and original sheet metal pieces are spliced together.

Would be interested if you start a new post about the damage in the front roof of your bus! Then you can get some feed back on how you might best be able to solve the problem.

This has definitely been a learning experience. Being a machinist, and mechanic, body work just has not been something that I have dealt with much. Been many times that has been better to just walk away and mull over the problem for several days before getting back to it. Several Eureka moments have happened that way....
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Eric&Barb · Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 9:38 am Post subject:

Eric&Barb · Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 9:07 pm Post subject:

Here is a couple more images of the front windshield frame:

Unlike the "B" pillar, there is three layers of sheet metal in the "A" pillars up around the windshields.
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Major Woody · Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 8:54 am Post subject:

Monster repair.

Love the ghetto riggin' pictures. Just using what you've got! BTDT!!!

BarryL · Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 9:19 am Post subject:


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