My restoration project, a 1971 Westfalia. Still learning.

ateneo · Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 2:41 pm Post subject:

The left side tip of the wheel well needs to be replaced and so I decided to see if I can make a patch panel for that section using the shrinker tool.

After cutting a paper template, I bended the two edges of the plate and used the shrinker. To my amazement, I was able to form a not-so-perfect-but decent form panel. The problem now I have is how to add the indentation that goes through the whole top length of the wheel well and goes down until 1/3 on the slope of the wheel well. Any suggestions guys?

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TomWesty · Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 4:55 pm Post subject:

Maybe an appropriate sized dowel along the crease, place the piece on a table and then using the appropriately sized wood block and a hammer to form the flare slowly. Send a PM to Skills and or wrstp........
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wcfvw69 · Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 10:07 pm Post subject:

You're doing a great job in rescuing that Rusty bus! Kudo's to you for taking on the project while learning the skills to complete it.

As a person who restored a VERY rusty 69 convertible and went thru exactly what you're doing, let me offer this. Take it one piece, panel at a time. Don't get overwhelmed when looking at the WHOLE project. Do what you're doing now. Today I'll complete this rocker. It took me a year (with breaks from it) to complete all the metal work on my bug.

The other suggestion I'd offer is to look for donor pieces of metal off another bus. NOTHING fits like the original metal. If I had to do my vert over again, I would of looked for a donor bug to cut off what I needed. MOST, if not ALL the replacement metal I used was terrible in fit, thickness and quality. There are tons of buses being chopped up and hopefully you can find some of the metal off one.

Keep posting your progress. I/we love to see someone else's hard work and effort in saving an old VW.
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ateneo · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 7:15 pm Post subject:

ateneo · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 7:19 pm Post subject:

ateneo · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 7:21 pm Post subject:

ateneo · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 7:27 pm Post subject:

Damon23 · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 7:59 pm Post subject:

We have the twin to your bus over here. Ours has lots of dents and dings but thankfully no rot. Keep up the good work.

ateneo · Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 8:33 pm Post subject:

Eharrison · Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 10:44 pm Post subject:

Great work! I have a 68 that has minor rust issues but I'm currently restoring a 1971 911 that had some significant left corner damage and required extensive repairs. Then there's the steel flares and suspension mods, all requiring welding and sheet metal work.

My experience is:
Flapper sanding disks are easier to handle over grinding wheels.
Rust dissolver is key. But sure stinks!
Por-15 any work you did and seam seal everything else.
Burn thru's occur when you tack an area too much (or the metal is too thin).
Move around when you're tacking. 3inch apart or more.
If you buy after market sheet metal, you're always going to rework it, period.

Wish you luck and will be watching....

Oh and look at Small Car Connection in Hesperia. They have tons of parts and I would bet you could find some nice donors there.

ateneo · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:14 am Post subject:

ateneo · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:16 am Post subject:

Eharrison · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:40 pm Post subject:

No problem.

Hey here's a couple photos of the place to give you an idea. I'm sure you'll find something with this type of inventory.... I was amazed at why he had.
I don't know how chopping frames up works, maybe call ahead?

I found the place after I was heading back from the Mojave desert and decided to look for salvage yards up in the high desert area after not being able to find a 68 rear bumper anywhere, this place popped up and after arriving I was amazed at the poor buses retired to parts.... Oh and he had about 8 bumpers that, according to other yards, don't exist....

ateneo · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:19 pm Post subject:

ateneo · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:46 pm Post subject:

I struggled to weld down the battery tray because of the limited space I have to work around it. Removing the surface rust to get to bare metal seems to be a challenge because I am afraid of grinding the metal too much where it becomes too thin. I am even thinking if I should replace the lower rear right cover of the bus around the battery tray so that I can get rid of all the rust spots. That is still on my list of “possibilities” but I set that idea aside to concentrate on finishing the other parts that I am working on.

I spent the whole afternoon last Sunday welding a patch inside the rear right wheel well. After cutting all the rusted areas, I placed a copier paper over the hole and pressed the edges of the hole to the paper to trace the form and size of the whole. I then placed the cut off form over a 20 gauge sheet metal and cut about 2 inches larger all around the template. I did this because in the middle of the template I need to form a hump (bead).

Since I don’t have a bead roller, I had to figure out what I can use inside the garage to form the bead. I spotted an old mop handle stick and decided to use that to form the bead. I pressed & hammered the sheet metal in the middle of the stick and then also used the edge of our cemented stairs to form the bead. Then I used two wooden planks and used them as a metal brake to bend the metal. After forming the bead, I placed the template on the arch inside the wheel well and pushed it against its wall. After a few minutes of pushing, I was able to get the desired arch form for the template.

I slowly trimmed the edges of the template to make sure I get the desired gap equal to that of the thickness of an 18 to 20 gauge metal sheets. I seemed to get better results on butt welding when I use those gaps when I am welding together 18 & 20 gauge sheet metals. To keep the metal sheets in place, I used intergrip panel clips. I had to trim down the “inserts” using my angle grinder because whenever I tighten the screw, sometimes the gap widens.

Setting my MIG welder to Voltage “D” & wire speed 3.5, I started tacking the panel patch. Because the patch is curved, I have to constantly check the alignment every after two tacks. I had to use my body hammer to make adjustments. Sometimes, I just simply push the metal patch with my fingers or used the end of the wooden handle of my body hammer to keep everything leveled.

When I started tacking the patch, I first tacked the four corners of the patch then I checked if the arch in the middle part is level with the body sheet metal. Then I tacked the middle and jumped on the other side each time I do a tack. Every time I do a round of tacks, I would grind the tack beads down so that I could see if there are any air gaps inside the tack welds. Once I get the tacks to about 1 inch apart, then I start bead welding adding a tack to the grinded tack welds. Before I start welding, I would touch the metal to check the heat level before deciding to continue tack welding.

Using an angle grinder to grind the tack welds inside the wheel well was a challenge. I was in pain with my back my arms really hurting.

Eharrison · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:50 am Post subject:

Great job! I always notice better weld bond when I lightly scuff the new metal to remove any oils or coatings that may have been on the metal for storage.
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68 Bus
71 911e Targa
16 Tundra
14 MB C250

ateneo · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 6:08 pm Post subject:

I called the Small Car Connection at Hesperia to inquire about their parts. The guy there said that I have to make an appointment with him and visit their yard during Saturdays. Then I can select the panels & other bus body parts that I need and they will just cut it and figure out how much is the price I need to pay.

When I asked the guy how much would they sell a 68-71 bus dog legs, he said they sell those for $175 each side. Oh boy, that is a little too much for what I want to pay for dog legs. Klassic Fab sells a complete dog legs for $225 plus shipping.

I am convinced that original parts are always the best choice when it comes to restoring vintage VWs. I just need to find parts that are more affordable. Hopefully I can find those this weekend at the OCTO.

Tcash · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 7:23 pm Post subject:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1646901

ateneo · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 8:17 pm Post subject:

Thrasher22 · Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:35 am Post subject:

Man, I wish I'd bought a shrinker when I was doing my body work, those panels look great!

Its a lot of work, but its good to see you doing it right Very Happy

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1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701


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My restoration project, a 1971 Westfalia. Still learning.
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