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Rusty 65 SC restoration
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Kb65single
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Joined: July 24, 2019
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PostPosted: Sat May 27, 2023 8:11 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Having removed all 4 pins successfully they needed replacements. Bought new pins from WW STD .312"
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When I slid in the new pins on the door side of the hinge everything was snug and tight.
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Sliding the new pins in the bus part of the hinge; there was still an unacceptable amount of play. The pin gets locked in via the knurling at the top of the pin. The door side of the pin (top and bottom) never wears. The bus side(middle) section wears both the fixed pin and movable bus side of the hinge. Decided to drill out the middle section and press in bushings so that the standard pins could be used. Oversized pins would have probably worked but I wanted to mount my rear view mirrors on the hinges and that requires a standard pin dimension. I chose this type of mirror.
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Christian (Huetti 1989) attempted to modify his single cab hinges and found his door alignment, changed for the bad, when he did it. I'm not sure how he did it but I thought it was worth a try. Bought a couple of hinges (top and bottom) from samba members that included both sides of the hinge.
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My son works in a machine shop in Durham N.C. which is 4 hours from home. If I was going to rebush the bus side of the hinge it would be nice to not have to bring the whole door with me to verify the fit. Bought some extra bus side hinges to rebush for practice and that would give me a choice of the best one's in case things went bad. Saved the hinges original to the bus doors until I had enough confidence to move forward or bail on the whole project.

My son ordered the bushings; Multipurpose 932 Bronze Sleeve bearing for 8mm shaft diameter, for 10mm Housing ID. Bushings were 25mm long the longest we could get. Could have been a few mm longer but it was acceptable. Cost was 11$ per bushing. My son stayed after work, and we set the machine up.
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Mounted the hinge and found the center the best we could using a selection of metal dowls mounted in the machine.
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Drilled the 10 mm hole. Used a letter W drill (0.386").
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Used the reamer HHS Straight flute 10mm.
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Pressed the sleeve bearing in.
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Then pressed it below the level of the hinge.
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Things seem to fit. There was no play in the hinge halves, and they seemed to align when in the closed position horizontally and vertically.
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I know I'm not building a Lexus, but this looked acceptable for a 1965 vintage commercial vehicle. If the bearing sleeves wear, they can always be changed out. I'm happy with the way they turned out enough to move forward with the hinges original to the bus. I can also use my mirrors and didn't need to put oversized pins in. Just a note: If anybody else attempts this they should strip the paint off the bus side of the hinge to assure that you can mount the metal in the machine properly. Paint thickness varied greatly on the small sample that I worked on, especially on the edges where the paint usually runs down. There were also a lot of nicks and dings that I needed to file smooth before mounting. The pin and bushing holes are drilled 90 Deg. to the edge of the hinge; top and bottom and are parallel to the vertical sides. Mounting is not difficult with the paint removed.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2023 6:46 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Eliminating the movement in the hinges was a great improvement. One more thing that I didn't have to factor in while adjusting and fitting the doors. Now on to the rust issues. Drivers' door was the worst. Peeled back the door skin metal from the lower hinge to 6 inches up the b-pillar side of the door.
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After sandblasting, the damaged metal could be replaced. Blasting helped show some of the cracked metal around the hinges that wasn't noticeable before.
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Replaced the metal in sections to help keep the width of the inner door frame constant. After cutting out the different sections, had to sandblast more of the uncovered rust.
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After these repairs; used the door skinning pneumatic tool to fold the skin back. Then welded it in place.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2023 4:34 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

More door rust holes on the inner frame of the doors.
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Same kind of repair on the passenger door.
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Welded the screw holes shut that held the interior door panels. PO made the panels and went crazy drilling holes.
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Huetti_1989
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:25 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

good work on that doors!

how do you make thge shape of the inner door parts?

-Christian
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My 1957 semaphore Single Cab:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=605363&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
MY 1967 Sparsamba:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=757182
My 1954 Deutsche Bundespost Barndoor:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=621802
My 1961 SO34 Flipseat Westfalia:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=716285
My 1991 Westfalia California:
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:38 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Response to Christian's question. How did I make the shapes of the lower door repair pieces?

Straight sections were gradually bent in the metal brake or vice. The tight corners were made in multiple pieces. Shaped flat stock with a ball peen hammer and pie cuts with welding if shrinking or shape change was needed. Just a lot of trial and error. Didn't want to buy a Gerson piece for such a small area.

More repairs to the doors. Different side mirror location selections needed repair since mine would mount on the hinge. Bondo worms on the back side of the door helped me locate the holes. Driver's door.
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Passenger door had the same issues.
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One door skin rust hole that was covered with fiberglass mesh.
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Welded the cracks on the inner door hinge metal after opening up the cracks.
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Done with the welding on the doors. If there was any distortion that occurred, it would be before I fit them to the bus. Have 4 items checked off my list of 10 that I made on April 29. Moving forward.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2023 10:37 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Trying in the doors.
The hinge pin knurling made getting the pins in all the way difficult. I didn't want to fully engage the knurling until the last stage (paint) of the restoration but not getting the pin in far enough made setting the doors impossible. In order to let the pin engage the bottom of the door side of the hinge some of the knurling had to come off.

Bottom of pin misses engaging hinge.
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Filed off the bottom of the knurling in the drill press with a file. With half the knurling off, the pin got into the bottom half of the hinge.
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Used a variety of sheet metal shims (22,20 and 18 gauge) to reduce the gaps at the b-pillar. Passenger door was easy, the driver's door was fighting me. The sagging on that door was greatly improved but the b-pillar gaps were still too wide. There is a point where the shims are too thick and although it solves the problem it doesn't fix the root cause. I needed to address the a-pillar area.
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Then a package arrived in the mail.

What arrived in the mail wouldn't solve my a-pillar problem but it would make the door close correctly. When I first bought the bus the b-pillar gap was 8.5mm. That gap made the door latch mechanism hit the door striker out of center. Over a period of time that wore a notch in the mechanism. I can also imagine that the previous owner just kept on slamming the door harder and harder. That made the mechanism twist the latch and over time turned the whole mechanism into a pile of junk.

Pictures of old mechanism and the wear facets that the striker wore into it.
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Wolfsburg west sells a reproduction that fixed the problem. It doesn't have the bottom plate like this year original but my passenger door doesn't either. Driver's door was 9/66; Pass door was 6/64. Screw holes line up great, door closes and latches fine. Problem solved and I checked off another thing on my list.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 9:34 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

With the door situation improving thought it was finally time to get into the a-pillar. The rust in the a-pillar extended further up than my original nose skin 5-inch cut.
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Removed the door seal flange at the bottom of the a-pillar. Will save it and repair it or make a new one.
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Peeled off a section of the outer valance to expose the a-pillar and inner valance. Noticed how the top rim of that flange was mashed in. I'm guessing that Hans and Franz needed to massage that area so that the nose skin would fit. No accident evidence on the front that I saw.
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The 14-inch a-pillar that Gerson sells is made in 3 pieces. The door side has the threaded plate which the door hinge screws to. The "front" section (in the middle) that gets welded to the door side. The third piece welds to the inner valance and front section and creates the bottom of the a-pillar.
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The remains of the 3rd piece on my bus were removed to expose the front a-pillar section.
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In order to see the rest of the rust on the front a-pillar section had to open a window on the nose skin.
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Freed up the spot welds and exposed the guts of the a-pillar.
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Tried to save the end of the inner dogleg in case I could use it as a reference point for the reassembly of the new a-pillar pieces.
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Typical rust hole in the headlight support panel where the front floor welds to it.
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At this point the a-pillar was still connected to the dogleg but just barely. I had removed just enough of the front floor to gain access the a-pillar. Removed an 8-inch section of the inner valance to help fix the rust on the headlight support panel. The rest of the inner and outer valance and front floor was still in place. I was worried that I would see a lot of movement when I cut the dogleg loose.
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Marked the location of the cut on the hinge area and cut it free.
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When I cut it I did notice a slight change. More to the point was that the area could change shape by me applying lateral pressure inward or outward. If the area could be easily moved it needed to be braced; didn't think I could fit anything to a moving target. Guess I'll get a lesson in bracing a VW bus, back to the computer and the forums. Smile
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:42 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

After the driver's a-pillar was cut free and before I braced the front cab wanted to fix some rust holes before I limited my access and vision with the bracing.

Marked the area that needed repair.
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Then fixed it.
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Another repair on the headlight support flange that gets welded to the inner valance.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 10:58 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Looked through some of the builds that involved bracing on various types of buses. Some were adjustable some were not. Broke out my stash of bed frame metal that is commonly donated for free on the side of the road. Square or rectangular bar would probably be better, but it wouldn't be free. Study the pictures because my explanations might be confusing. Had to jump over the reinforcement ribs on the horizontal wheel well sections so that I could weld the iron to the a-pillar in front. 1/4" plate cut in small sections helped jump the bumps. Ran a brace from a-pillar to a-pillar the same height. That still left 11" (at the front floor level) of the a-pillar dangling below the height of the bracing. Ran some more bracing below that to stabilize the lower door hinges. Connected the vertical section of the wheel well to that bracing, didn't know if that would help me out when I fit the new doglegs. Put a diagonal brace from the middle of the a-pillar to the top of the b-pillar.
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After a night's sleep I started thinking (usually dangerous), and because it was a Single cab I included the diagonal bracing from the cab to the load bed. Didn't take that long maybe a day and a half and I'm glad I did it. Kept the doors on while I did it. Putting things back to where they were if they moved would probably be twice the work.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 10:15 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

With the bracing in, thought that I could potentially get the inner valance fit in. Bought the inner valance over a year ago and seeing it in place instead of being a dust collector would be great. I was having writers block on how the a-pillar pieces line up. With the inner valance in I could have something to cleco or screw to. Having one thing fixed in place would hopefully give me a place to start.

This front end is reminding me of the treasure chest area. 4 or 5 parts need to act in unison for the whole area to end up correct. Once again, aftermarket parts are involved and there is no guarantee they are the correct size and shape. Getting all the pieces temporarily fit before welding will be good plan (I think).

Started peeling off the rest of the outer valance. Separating the outer valance from the inner valance spot weld by spot weld.
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With the outer removed the inner's condition didn't improve by looking at it from the inside.
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Then removed the passenger and middle of the inner valance to expose the valance metal on the ends of the frames.
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The passenger end of the inner valance at the frame switched to a combination of spot welds and lengthy stitch welds. That made for a lot more grinding to get the ends off. A long weld just above the bumper support added to the grinding pleasure.
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A combination of spot welds and continuous on the bottom mounting plate at the end of the frame.
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Same thing on the top mounting plate. Had to cut a hole in the floor to get a grinder in there. Initial hole wasn't big enough.
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Finally removed; there were a few spot welds that had to be drilled out from under the top plate of the frame. Those were impossible to get to from the top because the bottom flange of the headlight support panel covered them up. The inner valance supports are made of thicker metal than outer skin metal. That made for bigger sized spot welds a lot more grinding and drilling to free them up. Not for the faint of heart.
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Moving on to the driver's side of the inner valance mounting plates/frame ends.

Started to peel off the plates that help support the inner valance. A lot more continuous welds holding everything together. The steering box and brake pedal mounting point added more steel and welds to the area. Had to increase the size of the hole in the front floor to get better access.
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It was at this point that I stopped taking that side apart. I had to fix some metal behind that; around the master cylinder and horn mounting area. Keeping the front frame and steering box metal spacing "factory original" would eliminate bracing it if I continued to take it apart. Then, when that rear area got fixed, I could move forward again. Not 2 steps back, just 1 step back, then move forward. Horn mounting area that needed help.
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Last edited by Kb65single on Tue Jul 04, 2023 1:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
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chrisflstf
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Wow, rust did a number on that. Like trying to put a puzzle back together being blind folded. Take your time and you will get it straightened out. You do awesome work
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 9:48 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

christflstf

Yes rust was at work in this area. Next time I'm buying one from the southwest not the northeast. Live and learn. Thanks for the encouragement.


On to the horn mount area:

Bought a front frame section from a Samba member to help me repair the rectangular tube that crosses from passenger frame side to driver's frame side. I purchased this piece a long time ago knowing that area had issues. It was nice to have an idea of what my area looked like while fixing it. That piece also included the frame ends just in case mine were destroyed from rust.
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Used the middle section of the repair piece and copied the shape of the end where the horn gets mounted to.
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The frame section underneath the rectangular tube was really rusty and was in the same non restorable condition. Cut that area of the frame out to expose what was left of the tube.
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Got to full thickness metal on the frame. Rust can move metal a lot!
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The side of the rectangular box that helps hold the clutch pedal was luckily only rusted 2/3 the way down the length of that tube. Trimmed the rest of the box back to good metal and trimmed the repair piece to fit. Was able to keep the mounting bracket for the master cylinder in place so didn't have to worry about its correct location later.
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Cut a window in the rectangular box so I could butt weld the seam shut in front of the tube that holds the clutch pedal.
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Welded that repair piece in.
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The rest of the tube had rust in between the spot welds along the length of the bottom edge so cut that out and replaced it.
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Fixed the bottom of the frame and after getting some rust inhibiting paint in the tube I closed the window and welded in the end that will hold the horn on.
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Had to drill some holes in the front floor so that the mig gun could get to the plug welds on the closing piece.
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To finish this area, welded some tabs back on that help secure the wiring.
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70bus Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 5:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

"Next time I'm buying one from the southwest not the northeast."

Don't feel bad; mine came from the southwest - and it looked JUST like yours! I am in awe of your skills and perserverance. Will be better than factory when done.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 5:59 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

70bus

Thanks for the encouraging comments. There are a lot of buses now that have rust issues. Seems like location doesn't generally mean you will get a clean car. How they are stored and cared for makes up for some of the environmental insults. Ken


Since I was in the area, curiosity got the better of me. Had to check the condition of my clutch pedal mechanism. Found the box labeled clutch pedal and cleaned up the arm that slides through the tube in the frame. Sandblasted the rust off and this is what I have.
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Remembered someone in the Samba restoring these and found the link. Texted Scott Stuart of Pedal Werks. He was easy to work with and answered any questions I had. He described his process of restoring the shaft as "corncob welding" which was a new one on me. After the welding he turns the shaft on a lathe. The service includes powder coating the arm, new bushings and the arm that connects the cable to the shaft. For an additional fee he will provide the tools to help extract the old bushings. He has them in stock so when the postal money order and old parts come in, he can send a restored one promptly. Have not tried the extraction process but will include that in a future post.
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Now that the wallet is a little lighter, can move back to the removal of the drivers side inner valance frame mounting plates. Removing the rest of that metal was a bitch. Lots of continuous welds and big spot welds and thick metal.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


The hardest part was getting the last few spot welds freed up where the end of the frame goes under the headlight support panel. Wedged the frame down as much as I could then used a 5" separating disk (on its side) and thinned out the plate of the mounting bracket until it was gone.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


With all that stuff out of the way my dust collector (inner valance) could give the bus a cheesy green smile.
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Kb65single
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Joined: July 24, 2019
Posts: 261
Location: Obxnc
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 6:12 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Back at it.

Inner valance try in did not come without issues. The front bumper mounting bracket holes didn't seem to line up. If I lined up one side, the frame head on the other side obstructed the hole halfway across the other hole. If I split the difference, the bumper brackets would not pass through both holes. The bus had no visible evidence of being hit. My initial thoughts were "normal aftermarket stuff" and I would have to adjust these openings to fit.

Opening of the Gerson Inner valance bumper holes 28 11/16"
Measured straight across from the inside of the valance
Frame width at the bumper brackets 29"
Frame width in front of the beam/axle 29 1/16"
Frame width at the b-pillar 29 1/8"

Passenger side
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Driver's side
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Another issue that was concerning was how far the exterior flange of the inner valance was protruding past the front nose skin. I centered the valance so that the frame heads would obstruct the bracket openings equally. The passenger side was better than the driver's side.

Inner valance flange passenger side slightly behind the the nose skin.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Driver's side inner valance flange way to far forward.
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I even made a bracket so I could clamp the valance tight to the frame head. Clamping the driver's side is difficult because of the mounting bracket on the back of the inner valance.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Anybody out there have the same problem? Please chime in or PM me. Kind of frustrating; so I had a few other things to do that would give me time to think. Also, while trying in the inner valance, it became obvious that getting the A-pillars installed needed to happen first. The inner valance would get in the way during the pillar fitment and make welding access easier without it there. Wish I had more experience doing this but I don't. Confused
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Kb65single
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Joined: July 24, 2019
Posts: 261
Location: Obxnc
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2023 8:21 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Moving forward toward A-pillar restoration. Needed to change some things around both doors.

Passenger door window frame was really close to hitting the bus door opening at the top vent window bend. The rubber seal had worn through at that site so I wanted to create some more room for the rubber seal. Was able to get the bus door opening enlarged by moving the metal in that area.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Next thing:

Outside of the driver's side lower hinge needed to be rotated toward the rear of the bus. This would help close the b-pillar gap and prevent the hinge halves from contacting themselves before the door closes all the way. If the hinge halves constantly contact each other before the door closes all the way the inner door sheet metal around the hinges will move and crack again after I had just repaired it. Cut a 3/8" plate and drilled holes to mount it to the bottom of the A-pillar. With the help of a pipe the rotation was successful.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Cheaped out on the top hinge, I only used 1/4" plate. Didn't know if I moved it but I did bend the 1/4" plate.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Remounted the door without shims and the bottom gap was good but the top wasn't. Compared some of the top hinges that I rebushed to the original top driver hinge. One of them looked straighter than the original. Changed that out and remounted the door.

Driver's door without shims. Original gap on the bottom was 8.5mm.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Passenger door with 20 gauge shim behind both hinges.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Thought it was important to get the door gaps as good as I could before welding the A-pillar pieces, doglegs, and the rest of the surrounding metal around both doors.
Still don't know how I will solve the protruding inner valance problem. Lots of work before that. Smile
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Vanell
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Joined: August 10, 2005
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2023 8:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Been following along and very impressed with your problem solving, I’m sure you will work out the valance problem, you know you have to cut it!. I have a few buses here in Australia and the one thing I do first is assemble the door tops as they are quite heavy when assembled and will drop your door upsetting the gaps, also fit all the rubbers, the back of the seals can be sanded if too large.
I’m sure you don’t need much additional advice because you have done an amazing job so far, looking forward to the next update. Ian
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 03, 2023 9:00 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Vanell

Ian, thanks for the advice on putting all the glass in the front doors. Saw your SC post, quite an ambitious project that turned out great. I was looking for the bullet holes on the passenger door in the pictures. Couldn't find them until I saw Australia as the location. I'm a little slow sometimes but eventually figured it out. How long did it take from pieces to driving? That was a lot of work.


Finally, on to the a-pillars, used Gerson KF 14 & 15.

Took off the flange that holds the door seal on the a-pillar. They weren't the same dimensions of the original and it would have complicated the fitting process. Some of the bends needed adjustment and with the flange there it was easier without it. No primer under that flange also.
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Removed the cage that holds the threaded plate that holds the door on. The original cage was in good shape and the doors were already fit to the original surroundings. No primer between the panels.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Cut off what I needed on the black line.
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Screwed on the replacement piece from behind then ground off the rest of the screw so I could hang the door.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Used the gap in between the green a-pillar piece and the bottom section of the door skin below the hinge as an alignment guide in that plane. You also have to stare down the body from the top to get the pillar piece to align from middle of bus to outside.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Didn't want to replicate what I had before. Bottom corner of door skin touching the a-pillar.
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2nd piece of the a-pillar marked and fit.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Shape Of a-pillar looking up from the bottom. View of cage inside the a-pillar. A-pillar pieces need to be welded to the cage flanges. Now I know why the pieces are shaped that way.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Trial fit of the 3rd part of the a-pillar. As bent and shaped it was sticking out way to far forward. Will require some modification, but not now.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2023 11:13 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

A-pillar pieces held in with screws.

Was thinking about welding them in place but curiosity got the better of me. Decided to fit the dogleg. Didn't know if keeping the a-pillar mobile would have any advantages. Would the mobility help me possibly make any adjustments that would make the dogleg fit better or easier.

Rest of the original dogleg was no match for the Sawzall.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Then cleaned up the dogleg flange that is welded to the wheel well.
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18 months ago, bought a set of Gerson doglegs for 1/2 price from someone on the Samba. They said that they had been sitting on the shelf for quite a while. Pictures showed some surface rust but no dents. Back then I was pretty excited that I saved a lot of money. They looked pretty fair when they arrived. 18 months have passed. Started to fit them at the b-pillar. Had to make some adjustments to the shelf area where the drain hole should be.
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After the adjustments.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


With the 3/8" adjustment made at the b-pillar the dogleg needed to be "stretched". The gap at the front (just in front of the front wheel) was to wide.
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Used the shrinker/stretcher to adjust the curve at the b-pillar behind the front wheel. I love that tool,it just makes life easier.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


With no other option left I marked the dogleg and cut it in half.
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Bent up a stretching section and welded it to the dogleg.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


In order to fit the front half of the dogleg and weld it to the back half it became apparent that the 2 a-pillar sections needed to be welded in. The screws would hold things in place, but when clamping the front part of the dogleg it had a tendency to move. Don't like fitting anything to a moving target. The outside dogleg section was hard to stabilize. I had the rear section screwed to the b-pillar all the way from the bottom of the door to the jack point. The front section was clamped to the a-pillar, but it didn't offer much stability because it was only 5" tall. The middle was shaky without the inner dogleg in place. First priority for the outer dogleg was to mimic the door shape and get the correct gap around the door bottom.

With the dogleg cut in half, it fit into my blasting cabinet, so I knocked off the rest of the green paint off.
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Kb65single
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:01 am    Post subject: Re: Rusty 65 SC restoration Reply with quote

Prepped the a-pillar pieces for welding.
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Welded them on.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


With the bottom of the a-pillar welded, the door was put back on and I could fit the dogleg with no a-pillar movement.
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Clamped the front half of the dogleg to the a-pillar. If the lower gap was good, the top gap was bad or vice versa. Made a cut at the little black line location (on the next picture). Then cut across the panel (red line on 2nd picture) about 15/16 of the way through. Then I could fold the piece together without cutting it in half. Used the shrinker on the inside flange to draw the 2 sides of the cut together. Welded that together and was ready to mate the two halves of the dogleg together.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


The two halves were welded together with the help of a square bar clamped from behind. With the outer half of the dogleg matching the profile of the door the inner dogleg section was next.
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