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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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 Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:31 am Post subject: |
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Pete: So once I use the oven cleaner the paint will bond? I thought about getting in there with the grinder and wire wheeling as much as I can, but there are areas I know I will not be able to get to. I still have Randy's number, just been waiting to have a complete laundry list together before I go. I'm also thinking I want a swivel seat like you! Might just see if he has one of those and tackle the job!
Bugger: Thanks for the link, I think I read that at some point. It makes me feel better that mine is not nearly as bad as yours! My frame is all pretty good, it's just right at the end where the bumper bolts on that is a bit crusty.
Devon: So, I guess if I end up without the hole it won't be that big of a deal. Only the true VW nut will notice! If I get a piece with the hole I'll keep it, but otherwise I'm not going to drill a hole just to match OG.
Thanks all.
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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Devon-Dyno-Soar118
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2004
Posts: 849
Location: Devon UK
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:53 am Post subject: |
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Heres a few shots of a very budget repair I did to a similar age bus to yours, showing what probably lurks around the battery tray!
Note piece of daylight where the rear engine mount was!
_________________
71 West coast Kombi
54 Oval, 60k km from new
Daves 68 Bug Project
Rust Collector. |
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:04 pm Post subject: |
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I bought an ElCheapo metal brake from Harbor freight. It's not great, but it's way better than the way I've been bending metal!
So I figured on the door I would bend a piece of metal to fit under the rotted area. To get the profile I used a weird kind of method. I took a favorite friend called Durhams Rock Hard, a flour-like material used mainly for wood putty. I wanted to get the profile under the window so this is what I came up with!
After mixing it with water in a ziplok bag I shoved it under the lip of the window to form the profile I would want to replicate with my metal.
When I was done I got a chunk of the hardened material like this:
So this was the area I was tackling:
With the metal piece in it looked like this:
After a bit of welding:
And some more:
Starting to look better:
So I can do it, just going to take a bit of time. What you have seen is just a short piece about 10-12 inches between 2 of the support up rites.
I haven't tackled the other door yet, but so far it's looking promising.
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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Devon-Dyno-Soar118
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2004
Posts: 849
Location: Devon UK
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| Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 12:38 am Post subject: |
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Neat bit of work!
_________________
71 West coast Kombi
54 Oval, 60k km from new
Daves 68 Bug Project
Rust Collector. |
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 8:48 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Devon, by the way I inspected my frame in the area you had to cut out and I think I'll be okay with the exception of the very end on bath sides where the bumper bracket goes. Maybe just the last 3 inches (75mm) might need to be redone. Your repair looks a lot like bugger101's.
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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Devon-Dyno-Soar118
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2004
Posts: 849
Location: Devon UK
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:44 am Post subject: |
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That's good news, you can just make that section out of 2 90 deg bends. Bumper mounts can be made by drilling holes to match the originals and welding captive nuts on the inside.
_________________
71 West coast Kombi
54 Oval, 60k km from new
Daves 68 Bug Project
Rust Collector. |
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Devon-Dyno-Soar118 wrote: |
| That's good news, you can just make that section out of 2 90 deg bends. Bumper mounts can be made by drilling holes to match the originals and welding captive nuts on the inside. |
Thanks, that's what I'll do. I just got to get in there and clean it up again and get my brackets of the bumper to align them.
In the meantime I've been working on the front doors. The passenger door is 99% now, just some minor imperfections to work out, but rust free and enough to make me happy.
So I got to working on the drivers door. Before I tore it all down I noticed the lower drain area was pretty wasted! So I cut out the rot:
Then I got to fabricating a replacement.
And voila:
I still have to redrill the drain holes. Not to brag or anything, but I impressed myself on this. I'm ready to tackle that nose now for sure!
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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babysnakes
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2008
Posts: 7106
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey MacG, looking great. Hope to see the bus at BugJam this fall. |
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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| babysnakes wrote: |
| Hey MacG, looking great. Hope to see the bus at BugJam this fall. |
Thanks, I'm not sure the bus will make it this year, but I'll be there for sure. I still have more body work, then putting it all back together.
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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grandpa pete
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008
Posts: 6426
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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babysnakes
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2008
Posts: 7106
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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So Pete, your gonna make Sebring? I'm still up in the air.  |
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grandpa pete
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Joined: July 06, 2008
Posts: 6426
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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Sebring huh? What's that all about? Is there a website for this? Pray tell!
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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babysnakes
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Joined: August 19, 2008
Posts: 7106
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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Ahhhh, that explains it. Will have to think about it. About a 1-1/2 hour drive from here I think. How is this compared to BugJam? Better?
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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Well I haven't updated this thread in about a year and a half, so here goes some updates! Had to put the bus on hold for a bit due to life getting in the way, but I have been back at it for a few months now. I am not going to post the boring stuff, but I am getting closer to painting. Today I was able to weld in the lower windshield metal that was rotted.
Here is before and through the process.
I welded a strip to the backside of the new piece, you can see the spot weld.
The grinding is worse than the welding!
Tomorrow I plan to deal with this, it is looking up into the freshair box.
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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Vangabonders
Samba Member
Joined: January 15, 2013
Posts: 174
Location: Chattanooga TN
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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I love following your thread! Great work on a budget
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73 tintop to poptop westfalia (Frankenbus) |
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Mr. Unpopular
Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2005
Posts: 3715
Location: Tampa Florida
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:32 am Post subject: |
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Good seeing you back at it!
If you ever want to sell one of your automatic setups, or trade it for a 4 speed setup, let me know. I'd love to convert our bus to auto so my wife wouldn't be so intimidating driving a motor home with a clutch 
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"In any racing engine, the nearer you are to it disintegrating, the better it's performance will be"
-Keith Duckworth, creator of the Ford/Cosworth DFV |
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TheRealMacGyver
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2011
Posts: 198
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr. Unpopular wrote: |
Good seeing you back at it!
If you ever want to sell one of your automatic setups, or trade it for a 4 speed setup, let me know. I'd love to convert our bus to auto so my wife wouldn't be so intimidating driving a motor home with a clutch |
I thought I read here that converting an auto to manual was next to impossible. I doubt it's that bad, but I don't know. Have you ever done it?
Also, have you found the perfect spot for a radiator yet? I was thinking it would be cool to hide one in an old suitcase on top in the rack, but I don't know how you would get the plumbing up there!
Pandamanda22: thank you very much.
_________________
1977 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1979 Transporter 2.0L Automatic Project
1977 thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484931 |
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Mr. Unpopular
Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2005
Posts: 3715
Location: Tampa Florida
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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I can't see why everything wouldn't be a bolt in between the two, but maybe I'm wrong. If anything, the auto would be a bolt in, and the 4 speed would be tougher if the clutch cable tube were missing?
I recently purchased a front radiator grill setup from a Mexican/Brazillian bus. It won't be hidden, but will look pretty well done and will definitely cool!
I've seen a fake suitcase up front, and a radiator on the roof, but not a mixture of the two. That would be pretty interesting, but more suited to an early bay camper with the luggage rack at the rear.
_________________
"In any racing engine, the nearer you are to it disintegrating, the better it's performance will be"
-Keith Duckworth, creator of the Ford/Cosworth DFV |
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