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jkassab Samba Member
Joined: February 28, 2021 Posts: 1
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:11 pm Post subject: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Considering making it into a garden - or an art work. But would alo love to hear everyone's thoughts in terms of the body being reused / salvaged?
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anthracitedub Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2007 Posts: 3241 Location: Michigan
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:48 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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I’d scrap it. |
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Glenn Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 76760 Location: Sneaking up behind you
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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It didn't have to happen. _________________ Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
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EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69733 Location: Phoenix Metro
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FarmerBill Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2017 Posts: 761 Location: New England
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:14 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Looks like the metal in front of the b-pillar is probably still good. Steering box and beam may be too. Depending on how hot and for how long the fire burned will determine what else is salvageable. Your fan shroud looks melted, so over 1200F in the engine compartment. Was the decklid on before the fire? Looks like the FD put it out with foam? Put a straight edge on roof and other panels to see how bad they warped. If the foam didn't cool the metal down too quickly it may not have warped too bad. I don't think it can be made safe for the road again but some of the body panels can help someone else's bus live on. Where are you located? |
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KTPhil Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 33875 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:37 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Truly sad, hopefully no one (human or otherwise) was injured. |
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Manfred58sc Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009 Posts: 3374
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:47 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Judging by the dogleg rust and the fire damage- body is done, however...Good beam/steering ,good front doors, trans is probably Ok, even the engine might still serve. I'd be looking for a decent shell and start wrenching. Good luck! _________________ Fat chick owner/operator |
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skills@eurocarsplus Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007 Posts: 16801 Location: sticksville, ct.
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 10:44 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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anthracitedub wrote: |
I’d scrap it. |
x2
looks like it was a handicapped bus? what's the deal with the dropped floor/box looking thing under the slider? _________________
gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
Jake Raby wrote: |
Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
Brian wrote: |
Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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vwracerdave Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2004 Posts: 15278 Location: Deep in the 405
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:03 am Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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It would make an awesome business sign/attention getter.
Strip it down to just the body shell, bumpers, and wheels. Fill in all the windows, head lights and tail lights with sheet metal. Weld the bumpers on and weld the doors shut. Then paint whatever art work makes you happy. Put business signs on sides of roof rack. _________________ 2017 Street Comp Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble, OK
2010 Sportsman ET Champion - Mid-America Dragway - Arkansas City, KS
1997 Sportsman ET Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble ,OK
Featured in Dec. 2001 HOT VW's Magazine page 63
Watch my racing video's http://www.youtube.com/user/okvwracer/videos |
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calvinater Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2014 Posts: 3306 Location: 802
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:14 am Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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I vote chicken coop _________________ "Albatross"! |
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HoboBus Samba Member
Joined: December 29, 2016 Posts: 347 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 8:32 am Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Get yourself another bus project, and swap over as many useable parts as you can.
Front doors look ok, bumpers, rear hatch maybe can be blasted and saved, front end parts as was said, etc.
After that, if the body isn't too badly warped in spots you could chop off parts like the rear corners and sell them, etc. Lots of work, but there are options.
Good luck. Bummer about the fire. _________________ Salt air it ain't thin, it'll stick right to your skin,
it'll make you feel fine. Makes you feel fine.
And I wanna be there. -- Jimmy Buffett
Just a beach-oriented camping Hobo with a bus. |
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Zundfolge1432 Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 12452
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:45 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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It’s gone let it go. |
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danfromsyr Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004 Posts: 15129 Location: Syracuse, NY
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:18 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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cut the nose off and make it into a bar
https://www.google.com/search?q=vw+bus+bar
_________________
Abscate wrote: |
These are the reasons we have words like “wanker” |
Last edited by danfromsyr on Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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1971Lou Samba Member
Joined: July 27, 2018 Posts: 8 Location: Los Angeles
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:19 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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If you're in CA, or are willing to ship it out, don't let it go until you talk to this man. Shaun Scott at Slow Ride Garage in Hesperia. My '71 T2 burnt up in August of 2020. He worked with my insurance and specializes in VW restorations. Got mine back in Dec and it looks as if it didn't happen. My burn doesn't look as bad as yours, but Shaun would at least give you some free initial expert advice. I sent him pictures and he got back to me with analysis within a day. https://www.instagram.com/slowridegaragevw/ Private Message me and I'll give you his contact info. Below is before and after... Best of luck!
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oprn Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2016 Posts: 12632 Location: Western Canada
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 8:15 am Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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The fire and resulting heat would have softened the metal some as in - taken the work hardening out of the curved panels that forming them produces. As to making the vehicle unsafe? That is pure BS! It is no more unsafe structurally than the rust made it before the fire and you see lots of badly rusted VWs on the road now! Those are the unsafe ones.
If it had high tensile structural chassis members in the frame and suspension areas like a lot of the newer cars do today then yes it may be compromised but the VW type 2s were not that technically advanced.
Your biggest problem will be warpage on the open flat areas but with a good body man and some time it's reparable. _________________ We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age) |
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FarmerBill Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2017 Posts: 761 Location: New England
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:25 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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The frame may not be a super fancy steel, but the torsion bars, spring plates, torsion housing and any captive hardware that the transaxle/suspension bolts to sure is. That fire burned hot enough to melt aluminum, the melting point of aluminum and the annealing point of spring steel are right in the same neighborhood temp wise. I would bet that the whole of the rear suspension is soft as cheese by now. I mean you can cut out and/or replace all the rear suspension components, but at what point does the cost outweigh the gain? Also the fire has accelerated the oxidation process so unless you can get to every nook and cranny that the fire did, the rust is going to win in no time. |
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TDCTDI Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013 Posts: 12815 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:36 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Yes, it would be good for an art project or yard art & that’s about it. Check with your local zoning ordinances first. _________________ Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22566 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:32 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Ship,it to skills and ask him for a quote. Make sure it’s firm. _________________ .ssS! |
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oprn Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2016 Posts: 12632 Location: Western Canada
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:36 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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FarmerBill wrote: |
The frame may not be a super fancy steel, but the torsion bars, spring plates, torsion housing and any captive hardware that the transaxle/suspension bolts to sure is. That fire burned hot enough to melt aluminum, the melting point of aluminum and the annealing point of spring steel are right in the same neighborhood temp wise. I would bet that the whole of the rear suspension is soft as cheese by now. I mean you can cut out and/or replace all the rear suspension components, but at what point does the cost outweigh the gain? Also the fire has accelerated the oxidation process so unless you can get to every nook and cranny that the fire did, the rust is going to win in no time. |
It did not get that hot down by the frame and suspension and springs. If it had effected them you would see it right now. The Bus is sitting at a normal height. A melted part up in the engine compartment is miles away from having destroyed the frame and suspension.
The hardest part of fixing that one is the wiring and interior. The metal work is very doable. I'm not talking through my hat by the way, I'm talking from a 15 year career in the body trade. This is not the first burnt car I have seen. _________________ We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age) |
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Manfred58sc Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009 Posts: 3374
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:56 pm Post subject: Re: My VW burned down - what should I do with the body? |
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Pull the rear torsion caps and see if the rubber cushion has melted. I bet they haven't. The sheet metal damage is serious, no easy fix there. _________________ Fat chick owner/operator |
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