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vwserphguy
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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 Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 2:53 pm Post subject: Early 58 Walkthru Kombi |
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It's been a long time coming in starting a thread on my 58 kombi bus I bought in March 2009. It's a late March or early April 1958 pressed bumper walkthru kombi.
Here we go. A few images that twistedbug took of the bus as found in a junk yard in Northern California and when he brought it home. It looked like it was last registered in 1987 or 88 and most likely sat there since then.
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"Relax and just enjoy the ride knowing everybody passing is wishing they had one." |
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mandraks
Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2004
Posts: 7047
Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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great fan of the pressed bumper myself 
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regards
Uli
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'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel |
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vwserphguy
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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Overall the condition of the bus was a bit rough in regards to it been sitting so long. Nose was completely crushed in, lots of dents, hacks, etc and stripped of most everything, however it is not very rusty (which is what I like most of all)!
My goal with the bus is to restore it as best I can by getting the drivetrain in safe and sound mechanical order, replacing metal as I go, paint its original dove blue color, and last but not least replicate a campingbox or similar interior. It will primarly be used to camp in with my family (wife and two boys)!
Here's a few pics shortly after the shipper dropped it off at my townhome and before I got working on it...
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KombiMonster
Samba Member
Joined: April 17, 2001
Posts: 2751
Location: Central Cal.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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Post up the rest of them pics in your gallery! 
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vwserphguy
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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First project was to get a look at the front end and figure out what needed repair/replacement. Overall the bus just looked like it had been driven into the ground.
I assumed the beam was from a 58, and Campingbox was kind enough to rent a press to me for an early beam. When the tool wouldn't fit, we determined, since it had a sway bar, that it was a late beam from a 66 or 67. Greg was nice enough to refund my money for the rental minus the shipping costs which I was grateful for.
The pin was so frozen I had to remove the beam and give 7 or 8 sledgehammer blows to it at the car wash.  It finally broke loose! 
Center pin drenched in Liquid Wrench (applying heat at various intervals to no avail)...
Beam out and clean...
New and Old Center Pin...
Old Spindles sent off to Rizzag...
Beam reassembled with new center pin/bushing and Rebuilt Spindles...
New Shocks too...
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vwserphguy
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Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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Some interior pics of the front...
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vwserphguy
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Winter 2010. Then I got around to putting in new brakes, tires and wiring harness! Put in CSP disk brakes up front with a new dual master cylinder. Replaced all hard and soft lines and wheel cylinders.
I may trust myself one day to hone my own master and rebuild the old wheel cylinders but I just wanted to keep things moving.
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Last edited by vwserphguy on Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:54 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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earlywesty
Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2004
Posts: 2357
Location: In the woods, Ontario
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Please post pics of the CSP brakes and comment on how the install went. Something I may consider in the future... |
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vwserphguy
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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Summer 2011, I learned to weld. I bought a second-hand Lincoln Electric 140 Pro Mig Welder.
Then...
Now...
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vwserphguy
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Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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I felt pretty good so I proceeded onto the nose... which I was definately concerned about and knew I would have to take my time to get things right.
This is not your typical way of going about a nose job. My inner frame was crushed and needed to be cut out and replaced by the donor. In the circustances of my donor skin/dash and how crushed my nose was, this is what I did. It required lots of time and patience... measuring, measuring and measuring some more... and more time and patience. But it worked and here's how I did it...
Measuring up the new dash before welding in...
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Atlantic
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2008
Posts: 704
Location: Kalifornien
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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... is it in yet?
If not, why don't you straighten the nose skin at the bottom a bit? Get a cheap body-hammer kit at Harbor Freight ($15 or so) and try it with hammer and dolly - you'll be surprised about the result and much happier applying that green stuff you used around the tail-lights lightly. Also, the piece you'll have to stitch in at the bottom will fit better. Don't think you can do it after you welded the nose in!
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"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." [Voltaire] |
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zuggbug
Samba Member
Joined: June 17, 2008
Posts: 3479
Location: Anderson SC
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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Sweet bus. Thanks for sharing.
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Major Woody
Samba Enigma
Joined: December 04, 2002
Posts: 9010
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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Novel way of attacking the nose.
I can see in that photo that it's just fitted up, not welded in.
I think I would want the patch piece for the bottom in my hands before I did anything more than just tack weld it.
Nice work, and cool bus. Keep at it. |
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earlywesty
Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2004
Posts: 2357
Location: In the woods, Ontario
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| Definitely consider doing the valance if necessary before tacking the nose one... |
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G-wood Todd
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Joined: January 11, 2005
Posts: 1047
Location: Colorado
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Looking good. Nice job in tackling the big weld jobs right away. |
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mightymouse
Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2004
Posts: 4220
Location: las vegas
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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Sick bus man. Glad to see it getting some love.
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vwserphguy
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Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| buseric wrote: |
| Please post pics of the CSP brakes and comment on how the install went. Something I may consider in the future... |
Install was straight forward. I will report back on performance hopefully here in the next few months when I finish up some welding on the nose and battery tray area.
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VWAdam
Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2002
Posts: 3330
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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Nice work! A pressed bumper walk-through window Bus of any kind is something I hope to own one day.
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vwserphguy
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 175
Location: Vail Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| buseric wrote: |
| Definitely consider doing the valance if necessary before tacking the nose one... |
The nose is in btw.
A new shipment of Gerson Green just arrived today! Now I just gotta make the time to weld in the Valence, Lower Nose, and Battery Tray.
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Tyler 5447
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Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 416
Location: Burns, WY
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| nice job on the nose. |
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