Rusty Wheel Wells (Warning Graphic)

Manfreds78bay

Hi,

So I gutted my 78 Westy to completely clean the inside and lay down some sound proofing, new rug, and insulation when I stumbled upon some nasty rust. Both rust spots are on the same place on opposite sides of the bus. Looking at it from inside out, they are both at the base of the seat pedestals on the backside. Both holes lead out to the wheel wells. Both rust holes are about 6 inches long. The surrounding metal is solid, but I was able to make these wholes with a screw driver.

I've read on here that it's common for rust to form between the seam sealer and metal where welds have been made. I'm guessing that is what happened here.

So my question is how should I proceed? The holes don't seem to have created any structural damage. So I'm thinking about using POR15 and fiberglass to plug the wholes. I don't know how to weld or own a welder nor do I know someone that does. Seems like everyone on this site does one way or another. Also, I don't know of a mom and pop place that will just do patch work on the cheap that also seems prevalent on this site. I live in Chicago so if you know of a place that does in the area, I'm all ears. If you have any other suggestions beside a complete restoration, I'd love to hear about some methods other people have used with success.

Thanks!

Drivers Side from inside the cab

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Passenger Side from inside the cab

Passenger Side from the wheel well

Drivers side from the wheel well

_________________
1978 2.0L FI Campmobile

1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI

Red Fau Veh · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:18 am Post subject:

You can fix that with bondo, or tape it over and use por 15 whatever you want. Welding in new metal is better probly but you can fix it and drive the bus anyway you see fit. It's a hole in the body, it means nothing to the useability of the rig imo, rock on! Cool

_________________
1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey

Westy Steve · Samba Member Joined: February 25, 2006 Posts: 1095

However you fix it, treat the rust completely first.
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Have nice 914, want nice Bug

pioneer1 · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:42 am Post subject:

You can purchase small sheets of metal from hardware stores,auto parts(FLAPS), etc. Cut with snips,bend over the corner of your work bench to fit. Lay down a bead of caulking,seam sealer and pop-rivet the metal to metal. Simple fix until the next owner buys it. Sad

_________________
"Always waiting for tomorrow ruined everything"

'85 Porsche 911 Targa

'76 Westfalia project

MidWesty79 · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:59 am Post subject:

dasdachshund · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:18 pm Post subject:

hagermanfolley · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:08 pm Post subject:

I bought a Lincoln 110, at home depot, worked pretty good, then sol it, when I found a Lincoln 230v someone had returned, it looked unused but it was open box picked it up for 215.00, Shocked

anyway buying a little welder has saved me so much money over the years, you would be surprised at what you can make. Even if this project thats the only spot your going to need to weld, who knows the shape your next one will be in.
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1970 Westy

Manfreds78bay · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:19 pm Post subject:

Manfreds78bay · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:26 pm Post subject:

Hold the phone guys a Lincoln 230v is 800 bucks! Way out of my price range and the Lincoln 110 is 300 bucks. This isn't going to happen anytime soon. But I'll keep an eye out for a used one.
_________________
1978 2.0L FI Campmobile

1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI

MidWesty79 · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:36 pm Post subject:

I was trying to think of a nice cheap option for the guy. Never used one of those harbor freight cheapies, but it does have quite good reviews (4 out of 5 stars, 167 reviews!) on Harborfreight.com... so I figured it couldn't be all bad, maybe you just had a crap unit?

My Hobart 140 was somewhere around $650 with tank, cart, auto-dimming helmet, gloves, jacket, etc. I got a pretty good deal, but you can get them for less if you just buy the unit. Keep an eye out on craigslist for used units. Look for a lincoln, miller or Hobart. All decent brands. Oh, and unless you have 220 in your garage, stick with 110v. A 110 will do pretty much anything you're gonna need it to do and will be much cheaper, and you won't have to muck about with adding a circuit, AND it'll work anywhere so you can take the welder to your buddies house, etc.
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1979 Westfalia, 1975 BMW 2002, 1996 Mazda Miata, 1979 Jeep CJ5, 2006 325 XI Wagon, 2021 M240i (all manual transmission... as god intended.)

Westy Steve · Samba Member Joined: February 25, 2006 Posts: 1095

Look on craigslist and in pawnshops for a good used welder.

In the meantime, the RV crowd (you know...like people who enjoy travel trailers) sometimes temporarily fix things with Aluminum tape. Never tried it on a bus, but it does seal up holes and bonds pretty well.
_________________
Have nice 914, want nice Bug

Red Fau Veh · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:12 pm Post subject:

Welding is awesome, you will be happy with a 110 volt mig, just look for a used one. The better ones are higher amp rated like the 140 Hobart mentioned. Most good units are capable of using flux core wire for use on outdoor projects or fixes that don't need to be beautiful looking. And using a bottle of gas with solid core wire for projects you want cleaner looking. The gas shielding will blow away in the wind outdoors so it is better used indoors. The cheap welders suffer from a low duty cycle rating which means they get hot and need to cool down more often. I have owned many welders and by far my favorite is a Readywelder.com 100 percent duty cycle and with 36 volts DC you can weld up to 1/2" thick steel plate like it was butter. Very Happy

_________________
1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey

Manfreds78bay · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:56 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the info on the welders. I'll keep an eye out for sales and on craigslist.
_________________
1978 2.0L FI Campmobile

1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI

CoastalAirCooledVW · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:10 pm Post subject:

Manfreds78bay · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:23 pm Post subject:

It's a no go. The garage I use is rented and I only have access to 125v plugs.
_________________
1978 2.0L FI Campmobile

1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI

Manfreds78bay · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:32 pm Post subject:

wbrown45 · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:03 pm Post subject:

If you reverse the polarity on the flux core welders you can weld sheet metal fairly well with practice. You really have to play with the wire feed speed to keep enough fill material in the weld. If you plan on doing a lot of welding then you would probably be happier with a brand name MIG welder.
_________________
OK Thang

Red Fau Veh · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:19 pm Post subject:

Using a steel mix gas of 75% Argon and 25% co2 with your welder will help with welding thin sheet metal because it helps prevent burning through the metal. I also like to say that there really is no such thing as MIG welding. MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas welding, but it was discovered that there really are no inert gases so the proper term is MGAW or metal gas arc welding. Likewise TIG is also now called TGAW or tungsten gas arc welding. Wink

_________________
1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey

MidWesty79 · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 10:13 pm Post subject:

I used to use flux core, then switched to 75/25 argon co2 with my 140.... The difference is absolutely insane. One second you look like some bum melting two pieces of metal together, switch over to solid with gas and you become michelangelo workin on his steel chapel. If you've got the cash sittin' 'round MIG is the way to go hands down...
_________________
1979 Westfalia, 1975 BMW 2002, 1996 Mazda Miata, 1979 Jeep CJ5, 2006 325 XI Wagon, 2021 M240i (all manual transmission... as god intended.)

Kabasue · Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 1:57 am Post subject:

Welding in new panel is the correct answer (we should really have a in depth "what to buy" welder sticky).

What I have done to stop rust until I could properly fix it is.......
1. Wire wheel all the loose rust off the surface.
2. coat the area with rust converter, 2 coats
3. several coats of rustolem primer
_________________
Remember to get your VW spayed or neutered
71 SB convertible (Finally Finished!)
73 Transporter (next project)
73 Westy with a 411 engine (Finally Finished)


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