Helga - Our 71 Westfalia

[Mberglo]

I decided to tackle the bumpers. The front bumper was in pretty decent shape. I had picked up a rear bumper from the VW salvage yard, and it was solid, but had several dents and dings in it. After disassembling both bumpers and stripping the paint, I hammered on the rear bumper for awhile. Then used a skim coat of bondo on it, and applied white Omni Epoxy Primer to both. Turned out pretty good.

[Mberglo]

Ok, looks like we're back to brakes. I noticed the other day that I had a top speed on the highway of 50mph, with the pedal to the metal. Then I noticed my brake pedal was sticking. I lifted it with my toe, and it was like the turbo kicked in. Since I've already rebuilt rear brakes, installed new front calipers, installed all new rubber lines, the only thing left is booster, MC and pedal pivot. I see new boosters being sold, and have read about a few concerns here on the forum about them. I see a rebuilt unit on the classifieds. Any more thoughts on rebuilt vs new aftermarket? I plan to get the TRW Master, as it seems like a quality piece.

[Mberglo]

Removed the clevis pin from the brake pedal to determine if brake pedal sticking is the pivot or the booster. I think it's the pivot. Spring is intact but doesn't have any power. Removed pedal pivot and have it soaking in the parts washer. Ordered new spring.

MC and booster are dry. I think I may reinstall pedal and bleed brakes and try again. I may have boiled some fluid with the sticky pedal on the highway. Brakes aren't as grabby as they were before. If brakes don't firm up, I'll replace booster and MC.

[richparker]

You should be able to find a new ATE MC but you won’t find a new booster. You’re gonna have to buy a rebuilt one and send yours in as a core. I used Bush Power Brake in California, you can find their info on the interweb. I called and sent my core in with a check for the new booster and a return label. They swapped out the boosters, put the return label on the box and I recieved it in just a few days. The quality of the reman booster is really nice.

Good luck!
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
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[Mberglo]

I got my brake pedal rebuilt with new spring, and pedal returns to the top much better. But, I've determined my brake booster is bad. On my test drive, application of the brakes kills the engine, assume a massive vacuum leak.

I ordered a new booster from Wolfsburg West, along with new master cylinder and check valve. Might as well just finish the brake system and quit thinking about it.

[Mberglo]

Wife and I reupholstered the front seats this weekend. Used new coconut fiber pads from WW, along with their recommended cloth under and over the pads. It wasn't trivial to get the material to stretch over the frame and hooks, but I think it turned out nice.

[Mberglo]

Straightened the rear bumper brackets, welded in some reinforcement, and installed the rear bumper with new hardware.

Used new brackets on the front bumper. I reused the rubber step pads. They seem to have shrunk a little in the time they were off the bumper, and didn't quite go on as smooth as it should be. May look at reproduction later.

It sure looks different with bumpers.

[Mberglo]

Bought a new TRW master cylinder from RockAuto, and a brand new booster from Wolfsburg West. The MC matched the one in my bus, down to the markings. The booster is made by WW, and is a perfect match. Install went smooth, and brakes feel great.

[Mberglo]

Well, now that the bus is roadworthy, it's time to tear it down for body and paint.

Removed top fiberglass, bumpers, glass, side door covers...

[Mberglo]

Windshield area has some minor rust. I think I can get by with the BusDepot strips and a small custom patch. The wiring needs to be straightened out. My fuseblock doesn't sit in the metal bracket anymore and is just floating. I bought a better fuseblock, so I'll get the wiring sorted and secured while I'm there.

[Mberglo]

Body on this bus is really pretty nice. The driver door had a large dent at the bottom. Just needed a little acupuncture treatment.

[Mberglo]

Upon straightening some small dents, I noticed the engine lid had some previous bodywork done to it. Someone had drilled holes in it to pull a dent. I'd rather not use that panel, so I took a two hour ride to my favorite VW junkyard, and came home with a bunch of treasures.

Got a rear seat from a late bay Westy. I'm planning a custom interior with rear seat biased to passenger side. I'll have to rebuild it all, but the hardware is there.

Got perfect heat exchangers, and an unmolested fan shroud. My fan shroud was modified for the air conditioner, which I removed.

[Mberglo]

Next I removed any rusty areas, and welded in patches. This included both rockers, windshield sill, and a few random spots. I used the BusDepot windshield strips.

[hoagy86]

Nice getting right after it love it I too have a 71 westy

[Manfred58sc]

Nice Bus, looks like its close to road trippin status.
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Fat chick owner/operator

[Mberglo]

Well, we have a 3500 mile trip planned in June, so I got to keep moving. Driving the bus from North Alabama to Sedona, AZ for our daughter's wedding. Can't wait for the road trip!

[Mberglo]

Had the bus blasted with "Dustless Blasting". Basically high pressure water with glass beads for an abrasive. The water keeps the temps down and prevents warpage. Once the blasting is finished, the bare steel is treated with Ospho (phosphoric acid) to kill flash rust. Good news is he didn't find any hidden bondo or rust. Will be ready for primer very soon.

[bus guy]

Great progress. I’m doing similar to my 69 Westy. Following

[Mberglo]

The Dustless Blasting was quick, but it left a mess. After the blast, the operator turns off the media and rinses the vehicle. He then applies phosphoric acid from a spray bottle to kill any flash rust. That worked fine, but I spent the next day cleaning out glass beads from every crevis. I also decided to wash the vehicle with laundry soap and a red 3M pad to neutralize any remaining acid, as there is much debate about covering phosphoric acid with epoxy primer. Once I was satisfied I had removed 99% of the glass, and had neutralized the acid, I dressed my weld patches and dent repairs with a thin coat of Evercoat Ultra, applied two coats of epoxy primer, and two coats of 2k urethane filler primer.

[orwell84]

Nice progress. Looks like a nice solid bus. You did a nice job on the windshield lip. I used the same strips you did, which I think is harder than using the other parts available. Good luck with your bus. I look forward to your updates.