What To Do Before You Weld In Belly Pans?

Spitty1974

I will be installing belly pans on my bus down the road. I want to make sure I have all of the essential jobs completed before they are welded onto the frame.

I'm starting this thread with the hope that people will comment from their own experiences and pass the knowledge onto me and others.

Thanks for the advice.

Spitty

glideking · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 2:49 pm Post subject:

Off the top of my head, you should move the brake line to outside after the pans and add a conduit for the wire harness before the pans. Tip the bus over like my '65 to do the welding!
Kurt
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CaLiBus · Samba Member Joined: May 27, 2011 Posts: 1097

Passenger side frame.

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iamdonquixote · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:00 pm Post subject:

It looks like you replaced the tube ( conduit ) for the wiring loom. What size tubing did you use?

pyrOman · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 6:26 am Post subject:

Krustybus · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:26 am Post subject:

Belt anchors for a middle seat if not factory installed.
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j.pickens · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:50 am Post subject:

Check the cable tubes for crusty stuff and replace any if you can't get a cable to pass through and slide easily. I ended up running the choke cable loose through the belly cavity afterwards since I couldn't get the cable through the rusted tube.

Also, my accelerator cable doesn't slide easily in its tube, so I have to tap the pedal to get the cable to pull back into idle.

And get everything all de-scaled and POR-15'd before putting in the pans.
Don't forget to treat the inside of the new pans as well.
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keo808 · Samba Member Joined: June 17, 2006 Posts: 48

Just brainstorming...Would there be any issues with temporary bolting the pans in rather than welding? This would be temporary so I could keep the project a driver as I complete the work and just in case I forget something Embarassed

.Then welded once satisfied that all the other items are completed.

pyrOman · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:15 am Post subject:

CaLiBus · Samba Member Joined: May 27, 2011 Posts: 1097

pyrOman · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:28 am Post subject:

Cluster · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 12:13 pm Post subject:

I'll also be putting belly pans eventually.... But the current thinking is to bond them on rather than weld. Any downside to bonding to worry about?

Thx NB

j.pickens · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:11 pm Post subject:

pyrOman · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 6:28 am Post subject:

I also considered bonding when replacing the bed on the Plump Truck. Working in the aerospace field, I inquired about it. Though more likely very "effective", the process is quite critical in the mixing, adhering, applied pressure and curing, specially if you want to use high end quality stuff instead of some crazy glue cheap crap. Confused

Welding is actually much cheaper, easyer and just as effective if not more so. Well, "easyer" maybe just process wise 'cause it does take quite a while to do. Matter'O'factly I did just over 1,000 welds on that bed which also means 1,000 drilled/punched holes! Shocked

BTW, for the belly pans, I jacked up the bus as high as I could and of course, use the proper gear to do "overhead" welding which includes the leather vest. Cool

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BarryL · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 9:23 am Post subject:

Spitty1974 · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:05 pm Post subject:

Thanks guys! It is great to learn all the things to do before final install of the pans.

Does anyone have pictures of the conduit where it comes through the back and front area of the frame? Sorry, I don't know the technical term for that section of frame. Are there any brackets in the center to support the conduit or just at the two ends? Did you put a rubber grommet at each end, or is the tube just open so the harness can pass through it?

I met a guy locally here in the Bay Area who is bolting his bellypans in, but as others have mentioned it seemed like a bad idea to me. I will be welding mine onto the frame.

When I picked up my bus from Grumpy well over a year ago he mentioned that you could use the bonding glue to install his bellypans. He did use a small bit of bonding glue on the back roof bow behind the sunroof opening on my bus. I would have rather had it been welded in like the rest of the work he did, but I do think it is strong and will not be a problem. I have a set of his pans to install on my bus.

Spitty

pyrOman · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 6:44 am Post subject:

BarryL · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:17 am Post subject:

pyrOman · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:21 am Post subject:


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