My First Bus / 1970 / Non Walk Through / Bench Seats

[Tcash]

Added to
Bay Window Projects and Builds
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6390243#6390243

Nice going
Tcash

[WithTheFlow]

I spent so many hours getting everything to fit. I’m going to weld the whole piece as one. (A pillar; dog leg, b pillar)
Tack it in and then fit the door. With this in I’ll have a frame of reference to complete the rest of the passenger side! Sprayed the panels in epoxy now while they are easy to reach. I ended up sand blasting everything to bare metal, even klassic fabs funky green panels. Epoxy adheres best to a sand blasted bare metal surface SPI epoxy and wax and grease remover.

_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[WithTheFlow]

I put the door on to check my gaps before welding in the dog leg.

With the dogleg in place I have a frame of reference for the curve needed to repair the b-pillar which was completely rotten on the drivers side.

_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[Tcash]

Thanks for updating!
Tcash

[WithTheFlow]

rear outer rocker went in after repair was made to the c pillar. I spent so much time fabricating it, only to cover it up!! The bare metal is where I used 3m epoxy panel bond.

fitting the long rocker took some grinding away at the flanges because it didn’t fit so well. It came in two pieces from klassic fab. I stitched the two rather than plug welding them because it was the only way I can get it to fit. The lower one was extremely warped and I’m not sure why. I didn’t get everything to line up like factory. I did my best. It’s my first restoration and a majority of this bus is replaced!!

_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[orwell84]

Super clean panel fitting and welding. Well done.

[WithTheFlow]

[WithTheFlow]

Welded in a patch in the wheel arch on the drivers side.

Next order of business is the font nose!

I highly doubt that wolfsburg west put in the strengthener on the inner valence. I also didn't see threaded holes for attaching the bumper.

[/quote]
_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[busterbow]

I love your work.
Would it be a good idea to take out the windshield. You could have bad rust under the seal and could be easier to change the nose skin

[WithTheFlow]

[WithTheFlow]

the inner valence took quite some time to remove!

Here is a little trick


Make a cut every few spot welds

Then use clamps to pull back the flange

This makes it much easier to break away the spot welds

Im going to need to do some fabricating between the A-pillar and the inner valence.

_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[WithTheFlow]

The Y frame on the passenger side is completely Swiss Cheese. I have a replacement from Just Campers UK

The one on the drivers side is rotted where it meets the valence and has a few pin holes in one spot. The inside has a bunch of surface rust. I am debating if i should patch those spots and then blast the rest and epoxy. Im thinking of later using eastwoods internal frame spray on the whole thing.

_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[THall]

Thanks for sharing your project.

Whereabouts in Wisco are you?
_________________
'78 Westy - 2.0 FI

[WithTheFlow]

[WithTheFlow]

I needed to take a break from the grind and go recharge in the mountains. Absolutely beautiful backpacking trip in Colorado !

_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[WithTheFlow]

The Y-arm Frame piece did not cover the extent of the rust and it not incorporate VW’s strengthener. I had to rebuild the inner piece using 12 gauge metal. I brought out the 220v miller welder with .35 wire to handle the thick metal and ensure proper penetration.



Here is the piece I got after I epoxied and welded it together.

Much better than

_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[WithTheFlow]

I took the opportunity to Sand Blast while I had open access to the internal frameI

The Force is Strong with R2D2
_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[Abscate]

The day your Bus found you was the best day in it’s life, now it’s third and fourth life!

You have a natural incredible attention to detail that mean s you can do anything you need to this Bus. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone spin up welding so fast. I don’t do enough and have to relearn it each time to get a weld of your quality...maybe.

To be honest, the first post looked like “ Death of a Bay”, a short story that is often told here.

It’s refreshing to read “Bay Genesis “ by real people.



I wish we could sticky this thread and label it

"If you aren't willing to go the distance she did, you will be much happier meeting nice people in a Honda....."
_________________
.ssS!

[WithTheFlow]

[Abscate]