71 Westy Tintop renovation (Pic heavy)

[ncstagger]

I've been working on the interior lately. The original flooring came with it and I was able to reuse the very bottom layer of what looks to be about 5/8" plywood. I painted both sides with an oil base wood primer for moisture protection.

Unfortunately, the original vinyl and the thin piece of underlayment its glued to are too far gone to reuse so I bought a piece of 1/4" plywood underlay and cut it to fit using the original as a template. The size is larger than 48" in both directions so you have to make a plan and mine was to add on a 4" strip running side to side so the seam is under the closet and zbed cabinets. Used wood glue and staples to hold it together. After the vinyl was installed you can't even tell there is a seam. I rubbed linseed oil into both sides of the underlay for some moisture protection, cut out all the notches and was ready for vinyl.

I was not able to find an exact match and this isn't a show vehicle but I did want to get as close to original as possible. I found a sample at my local Lowe's that looked pretty close. It was a bit pricey and had to be special ordered. It's IVC brand, planet light grey 693 sheet vinyl and the smallest you can order is 5 feet by just over 13 feet. A little over 200 dollars for that. Its more than enough to do 2 campers. Here's a pic:

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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[ncstagger]

Installed

I think it came out real nice. One odd thing about the vinyl is that there is a small smattering of glitter in the pattern that I did not notice in the store sample. I really like it and hope it holds up well.
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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[ncstagger]

Bought enough baltic birch to make all new panels. Four sheets will do everything. Each sheet is 1/8" x 5' x 5'. These are B/BB finish but its really hard to tell which side is BB and which is B, both sides are very nice.

I decided to handle the long driver side wall panel by using 2 pcs. They are 30" high and I used one 5 foot length which went from right behind the front seat to just past the rear ashtray, enough for a solid ashtray installation. This leaves, iirc, about a 14" piece to add and results in a small seam that is mostly covered by the rear seat. The other option was to use one piece made out of a 4' x 8' piece of birch but the only material I could find was 1/4" thick, which would have been an issue, and it was not baltic birch, but an "industrial" birch which was not really stain grade. I decided on having the quality wood and seam over the inferior grade, too thick wood with no seam.

Using the old ragged panels for templates was dicey. I cut them too big on purpose and trimmed down a couple times to get the fit right, then sanded and applied straight clear shellac. Tested the shellac on the back of one of the old panels first:

Applied one coat on the back (non-exposed) side for protection and 4 coats on the front with sanding/steel wool, plenty of dry time in between. Installation was not as bad as I feared once I got some help. Still have the front piece left to do. I do not have an old panel for a template so I'll use some cardboard to mock one up.

Very happy with the results. All the side panels are in now, the slider panel is ready to go in. Only thing left besides the front roof is the hatch panel and the narrow panel outboard of the sink unit though I can't see how it would attach right now.

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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[moxnix]

Nice work on the engine and interior!
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Ritterlich im Kriege, wachsam für den Frieden

[ncstagger]

Thanks.

Got a set of Hankooks and I painted the wheels before putting them on. Cleaned and sanded, sprayed on a couple coats of L91 Chrome and a couple coats of clear.

Except for restoring the sink unit, I should have most of the interior squared away in a couple of weeks. Next up will be the brakes and front end. I've got a bent tie rod that needs replacing and who knows what else is lurking under there...
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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[Damon23]

We just purchased a 71 westy and plan on doing a very similar restoration. It is going to be driven and used for my wife's business. I like what you did with the floors. Her plan is to ditch the sink/fridge combo and build a shelf for her products and put down a laminate floor. I like yours better. How hard was it to do the panels? I don't have that much rust to deal epecially in the floors. Luckily no holes in the body other than doors and I have a fresh set waiting to go on. Was that stuff you used on the floors cheaper than por-15? Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the updates.

[ncstagger]

Congratulations on your new Westy!

The Masterseries primer was a little cheaper than POR at 35/qt vs about 50. I was able to do two coats on both the front and rear floors with a quart so that's all you need.

It wasn't the price difference that led me to choose that product, although that was nice. I researched both extensively and felt that it was a better choice. I was a house painter by trade for about 15 years so I've had a lot of experience applying various types of coatings. I have used both POR and MS Silver and both give good results but I like the MS for a couple of reasons. It is easier to sand, has a little longer working time and it goes on so easily. A cheap set of foam brushes will do wonders. Also, the product support is excellent, just email Chuck with any questions, he was very helpful to me. Here's the website: http://www.masterseriesct.com/home.html

If you have any experience with basic woodworking the panels are not hard at all. Hardest part for me was finding a source for true baltic birch in the 1/8" thickness. Anything thicker will not fit in the metal channels. Once you get the birch it is just a matter of measuring and cutting. Be sure to orient the grain properly as the wood will only flex/bend one way! I was fortunate to have my old panels for templates. I still have the two small rear wall panels, large wall panel, rear and middle ceiling panels and slider panel. If you think you will ever be up this way, let me know and you can have them. I hate to just throw them away.

I used a quality variable speed jigsaw with fine tooth blade for cutting. Cut with the back side up to minimize splits, if you have trouble then try scoring a line just beyond your cut line and you will have a nice clean cut. I hand sanded with 220 grit and applied shellac with a good brush. Denatured alcohol is a good solvent for cleanup but you can also use ammonia/water solution which is what I prefer and is much cheaper. Sand lightly between coats, making sure panel is fully dry first. I gave each coat 24 hrs to dry which is more than enough. Use progressively finer grit to sand, ending up with steel wool 000. Of course you could choose any number of finishes besides the clear shellac. Search on samba and you'll see a plethora of different ideas. I like the shellac for its simplicity and how it brings out the natural beauty of the wood. Very close to the original finish although the original was more of a whitewash.

Installing the panels is a bit trying at first but if you have a helper it will be much easier. The flexibility of the wood is what allows for the install. Bend it so that it bows down in the middle, insert each side one at a time into the side channels and then pop up the middle. I started with the rear piece, then tapped the rear H channel onto the front edge of the rear panel, then installed the middle panel, then tapped the front H channel onto the front of the middle panel which drove the middle panel snug into the rear H channel.

Good luck, happy to offer any help I can.
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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[ncstagger]

We have the original large front curtain that came with the bus but none of the others were there so I have painstakingly been acquiring OG curtains over the past three years.

One of the items I found was another large front curtain. Mrs Stagger recently cut it up (i couldn't watch) and made a wonderful pair for the driver side rear window.

I was also able to find a nice curtain to go in the pass side rear closet window, installed on a panel.

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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[ncstagger]

With the interior nearing completion...sort of...its time to turn my attention to the brakes.

Starting with the fronts. Everything looks pretty rusty.

A closer inspection reveals that there was obviously some recent work done. The pads are only 1mm thinner than new ones and the hoses are fairly new. The rotors, though rusty, are still 13mm thick and should be good as new with turning or even some sanding. The pistons seem to be sticking a bit in the calipers though.

I decided not to take any chances on the brakes and will go ahead and put new rotors, hoses and pads on. Also will flush out all the fluid and replace it. There were no retaining plates in the calipers so I'm sourcing new ones, not an easy task.

Most of the new parts have now arrived.

Still waiting on one retaining plate to arrive and I still have one more to source. Not sure what to do with the calipers yet. I'll try a clamp on them and see if the pistons free up properly. May have to install a rebuild kit or even buy new ones.
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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[ncstagger]

Well after a couple month delay due to difficulty finding the retaining plates, I finally got the front brakes completed.

Bus Depot eventually got the plates in so I got a full set. Installed the new hoses, rotors, pads and plates. Was able to re-use both calipers. They actually looked pretty good inside. Got lucky on one of them as the piston was in the exact right position. The other one I had to rotate a little. This was a pain since the rotating tool I could not find in stock anywhere. I used a dull chisel and hammer and was able to git r done that way.

Flushed the fluid out, installed new fluid, bled and tested. Didn't seem like the booster was working so I figured I was in for a booster rebuild. Decided to check the check valve in the booster line and sure enough, it was in backwards! Reversed it and the brakes work like a dream now. Just a heads up...THE BENTLEY IS WRONG regarding the check valve. The arrow should point to the engine, not the booster. In other words, you should be able to blow through it going towards the engine but not towards the booster. Man its nice to have good brakes.

Then I noticed the fill reservoir was leaking. The little rubber grommet that goes inside the tube where the tube connects to the upper reservoir had turned to slime. Ordered a new pair (there is one on the lower reservoir also), cleaned out the tube, installed them and all is well. Still need to adjust the rear brakes and the emergency brake.
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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[ncstagger]

Next up was the sink/icebox unit. Had to repair the side shelf and spice rack a bit, re-attach the hinges, clean it up and remove some old stickers. It came out pretty nice.

The tank I filled and disinfected then tested. It didn't pump at all so I took the faucet apart. There was a bunch of crud in there as well as...a marble! Someone had to put that in there on purpose, not sure why. Anyway, with everything cleaned and put back together it is pumping water nicely. Big thanks to grandpa pete for the OG filler neck!

Got a new drain line plumbed in, set the unit in, attached to the bulkhead and its nice and secure. Looks good. I still need to cut the hole in the new birch for the vent but won't do that right now. There is really no need for the vent other than I want it as stock as possible. Need to clean out the icebox and clamp the ice drain hose onto the bottom of the drain pan. We plan to go camping in a couple weeks and use dry ice in there.

Have a few odds and ends on the unit like a handle, the safety strap, and some of the formica is coming up, needs to be reglued. On the small little piece of the side table a PO used staples to "reglue" it so that sux. I'll remove the staples and glue down the formica. I find that vinyl adhesive works pretty well. This unit was pretty rough when I started on it so I am happy with how its turning out.

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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[ncstagger]

Also got a seat belt installed for the rear facing seat. I dont think this was stock but the wife won't let the kids ride without one so in it goes.

There was a seat belt attachment point on the bottom of the wall behind the drivers seat and also a second attachment point on the walkthru side of the drivers seat that I used so it is quite secure. The belt itself is a little short so only non-fat people will be able to use it. Fortunately my oldest son is pretty thin so this will be his seat. I guess I can purchase one of those seat belt extenders if he gains weight.

Next up is to finish the birch. Slider panel is finished, needs to be installed. Have the hatch panel and front headliner panel to fabricate still.
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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[Stuartzickefoose]

or you can feed him less and save the money, instead of spending more...


where did you get the brake line gaskets? or grommets? i have a 71 i need to replace those on as well...
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Stuart Zickefoose

2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDi 6 speed manual

206-841-7324
[email protected]

[ncstagger]

That boy is thin as a rail. Constantly running, playing soccer...eats nothing but pizza and chocolate, never gains weight. When his metabolism slows down in a few years it might get interesting.

I found those grommets at West Coast Metric. Six bucks for the pair.

https://www.westcoastmetric.com/viewProduct.php?productID=211-833C&from_search=1
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71 Westy Tintop - 1600 DP 34PICT3/009 - Pastel White

Resto thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549162

"Take your most realistic time frame and dollar amount.. then add half of that amount. When you get that total... double it. Only then will you be in the ballpark." - sofaking

[dorney]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I've been following the restoration and am doing a similar, slow resto on my '78...now on the front brakes. Is there a source for steel braided lines rather than the stock rubber ones? I saw a VERY expensive set on BusDepot, but that was the only place I could find...

[petko186]

quick question not trying to be rude but how much did you pay for the bus originally

[Peabody]

Just wanted to stop by and take a look at your build. It looks fantastic and I'm impressed with your work. I have a 71 transporter that I've put Westy furniture in and have done many of the same repairs and resto's that you have documented here. Keep up the good work. Looks like you and the family are enjoying the process!

[bruehoyt]

[Bala]

4. Any updates?
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1976 Westy

1966 Beetle