Wrecked my bus

[VW Man 53]

hey everybody, i'll keep it short and sweet and ill add better pictures eventually, i was in a bad wreck earlier this afternoon with my 69' bay after finally getting it tip top, and i was wondering if it was worth trying to fix, i worked in a body shop, i'm aware i can get a new nose and straighten things out, but it appears i may be out of luck as far as the dash and supports behind the nose? any insight is appreciated, trust me, i'm fine, just heartbroken and humiliated. I know it's bad, but i've got a welder, some experience, and plenty of time before i die, it feels wrong to condemn it.

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You CAN save them all.

[vwjetboat]

sorry to see this.. bummer man.. glad you are ok .. thats what counts...

[cmonSTART]

Wow really sorry man. No feedback regarding your question, but are YOU OK?
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'78 Bus 2.0FI
de K1IGS

[Pinetops]

Sorry about your bus! It may be easier/cheaper to find a solid shell and transfer all your good parts to it. Did you have insurance? Are you ok?
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"A rolling bus gathers no rust."

[williamM]

SHIT- my biggest concern is a crash-- Check out stu's crash with Maisy -another - blinded by the (headlight) lite. That front has absorbed a lot of impact- Glad your OK

Check the frame rails behind the front seat and long panel for mis-shaped. Then motor / trans mounts for signs they brok n lunged forward. If thats OK- might just be a front cabin clip and better welding skills than I have- would put her back on the road.

Contact "Mojave metals" out of Las Vagas and see if he still owns any bus hulls left.
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some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.

opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.

Don't step in any!

[KentABQ]

Check out this thread...
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

He resurrected his wrecked bus quickly and inexpensively. But then he's in Eastern Europe...
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[busman78]

There is a guy on the Western slope in Colorado that usually has good bodies, take the goodies off yours, would spend more trying to fix and buy metal parts than buy a good body.

[Manfred58sc]

Glad you are ok. That is a serious wreck and you can see ragged rusty stuff on the bottom of the nose, so there is probably plenty of rust on the underside. It would be much less expensive to get a dry western shell and swap parts. Good luck
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Fat chick owner/operator

[timvw7476]

well, typing from personal experience, seeing as I see a little surface rust on
your driver's door exterior:
Take a good long look/inspection under your bus at the aft front wheel wells,
these points like to trap moisture, right there before the front jacking points,
that area usually has a nasty surprise for you if you think the rest of the bus
is solid. That is the usual case with these old girls, one good punch and when
you go to repair/cut out metal you find the tin worms have been quietly
nibbling away for some time. I had a bus originally from Illinois, hard right
front hit, when I cut out the bent sheetmetal I got a rude wake up call.
Inspect inside too, where seat pedestals join cargo floors.
Pick up a body stored out West, if rust is found.
Happy to read of no injuries.

[scubaseas]

Sorry for your loss. Glad not to see any blood or hair in your pictures.

You could fix it but take some pictures and shop a few body shops to pull the frame BEFORE you replace the front panel and or do a L/F clip. Figure 4 to 6 hours time plus transport back and forth of it's not drive-able.

You may have a hard time locating a clean left "A" pillar assembly or front clip for it. IF you do find the parts you will need to pull the roof back to where the left front corner of the windshield belongs. If you do use used parts get a front clip at the B pillars and remove the front assembly by yourself so the yard doesn't butcher it. Replacing the A pillar is a pain but if you do it carefully it is possible with minimal tooling.

I see you have NY stickers on it. If there are clean parts out there be sure to figure the shipping costs. Anything can be fixed. It comes down to how much you want to throw at it. A swap to a good body maybe a wise option. IF you can find one with title. NY can be a pain to register ancient vehicles without proper papers. Depends on what's out there and what it'll cost to get it to you. Probably less time and work to do do a swap to a clean body than fixing what you have. IF you can find one and are willing to eat the shipping costs to get it to you. If you fix yours you need to get the roof pulled and do a Left Front 1/4 clip including the A pillar and L/F door.

Best of luck
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Al

08/1970 T2a Westphalia owned since 1980

ASE Master certification. 50 years pushing a wrench
Retired

[airschooled]

I'm glad you're ok, first and foremost. I'm also glad you posted the pictures; many wrecks we see are later buses. The 68-69 buses have so much less frame support, that I've always been curious how they would fare in a front-ender. Sorry you had to be the guinnea pig on here.

Since we can see the roof is buckled, it's obvious there was a tremendous amount of energy dispersed. The frame rails are going to be your litmus test for rebuild-ability. ANY buckling of the frame rails is a solid no-go in my book. The car might never track straight again, even if the frame is pulled. Let's say even if the frame was pulled to perfect straightness- ever bent a paperclip so much that it broke? You don't want work-strewed frame rails under your feet in traffic ever, so it won't be a matter of "can you." It will be a "don't" in that case, for your safety.

Good luck with your path from here,
Robbie
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[Chochobeef]

I'd save it for parts, and sheet metal but I would not waste my time trying to fix that.

Sorry for your loss.

[D/A/N]

Wow Glad you're okay....looks like you were virtually kneecapped!!

What kind of collision was this and with what other vehicle? What was the cause?

[Angus II]

Hello,
It looks like you have plenty of parts for the next bus you get. That one is a goner, no way around it. It's not worth the time and money to repair. It ain't a 23 window Kombi with a slider, it's a baywindow... You will find another bus.
Sorry for your loss. And like the others have said, at least your not hurt; physically, that is.

[jtauxe]

That bus just gave its all to save you. You will not be able to restore it to that level of safety again, so it will not save you or anyone else a second time.

There will be those who say that it should be fixed, and perhaps a great body guy could even make it look pretty good. But it will never offer the same crash protection that it once did.

It is time to find a nice bus and move into it. This one will offer a lot of good parts, though.

What a bummer.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[ROCKOROD71]

My dude, this is tragic. It looks like you should have been hurt, so glad you're not.
I recently priced out getting a bug body from out west and swapping vs. welding on mine, and it was a wash financially and more time. In this case, no. Sourcing a new bus is the best option. That is a wood shed now.
Shit.
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1971 STD BEETLE- DD-1st car, 1st love. keepin' it stock! 1600DP, Solex 34-3 Mexi Bosch SVDA Dist NOW w/POINTS
1977 WESTY "KrustyKamper" 2L FI

[wcfvw69]

Amazing the impact that bus sustained w/out you being injured! Simply wow. I'll also offer my condolences for the loss of your bus.

I pulled auto/truck frames at a frame and alignment shop back in the 80's. Can that buses frame pulled out and squared up again? Sure, but it would be cost prohibitive especially since the body is also tweaked and weakened. The frame part would be easy compared to pulling on the body to get it straight and in spec.

I strongly agree with finding a dry, SW bus that needs work and hasn't been wrecked. Then move your good parts over to it.

The good news is there still LOTS of early bay buses out there waiting to be put back on the road again.
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[Koeppler]

Bro, this is terrible. Looks like you crashed right into a telephone pole or something. Your bus really gave it all for you. I hope you and yours are okay!!!!!!!!!!

[67ctbug]

So terrible man, I would look into getting another bus... That one saved your life and i doubt will be as safe structurally as it was before the accident. What hit the bus to make it get beat up do bad?
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[Amskeptic]