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Bulli Klinik
Samba Member
Joined: January 16, 2005
Posts: 2079
Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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 Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:50 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| The Pilch wrote: |
Spreading.
Inside, because it's cold. So cold.
Yawn.....sanding with a 12" block and 100g...yawn.....
It's definitely getting there. So dull, though. |
Cutting that flat with 36 grit will save a lot of time. Then a light glaze coat to fill the scratches followed by 80 grit. More than one way to town but that is my go to procedure. Always sharp sandpaper.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 9:55 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Thank you guys, for your kind words of encouragement - I sure do appreciate it.
But alas....
The last couple of days saw me make zero progress.
First I shone a shop light on the sliding door at and angle. As with most rank amateurs' attempts at making a long straight panel actually straight.....mine, in the harsh telling light of a sideways angled floodlight, is wavier than a set of spaghetti-covered motorcross whoop-dee-doos.
Then, upon lifting the door from its sanding position on my Workmate/trash can combo, back inside the garage away from the cold, something that felt like lightening struck my middle back, and has left me in immense pain.
I've always had back pain. It comes and visits me at the most inopportune times. I cannot stand, not sit, nor lay without great discomfort, so block sanding a Vanagon sliding door in a low position is simply not possible.
I'm out for maybe a week. There are words for how I feel, but such expletives shouldn't be posted here.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32625
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:10 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| djkeev wrote: |
You have my compassion!
Back pain is horrible!
Yesterday while getting gas I was stepping over the gas hose to walk around the front of the Van and in true old man fashion my toe snagged on the hose and "plop!" face plant!
Dave |
Dang Dave I'm sorry that happened to you - I'll trade you my back pain for your face-plant.... hang in there, it'll happen more and more and we have to accept it hahaha!
Well, back pain has subsided, so I felt that taking it easy should be the order of the day, so I pulled Freddie out into the frigid Utah air...
...and had a major clear-out in the garage. Things reduced, clutter thrown, dust blown, and all that. I also decided I'd put the Dodge outside under the car port, giving me a huge amount of extra room inside.
Now, parked at a jaunty angle inside, I have massive room to walk around the van.
I lifted with my knees, didn't strain at all, and survived todays clean-up without any twinges or replica nerve-trappings. So to celebrate, I began prepping this part of Freddie...
- my thought process is, this area needs to be painted BEFORE I regrease the runners and service the sliding door mech, which in turn has to be done before I can mount the sliding door back on.... budget fix-ups can be frustrating, the silly measures one has to go through, but c'est la vie.
We will be deciding on a color here very soon. Hope all is well with you all. Stay warm. Gary & Christina x
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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Xevin 
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 7632
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 8:00 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Nice work man. Keep it fun. Enjoy the holidays.
_________________
Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!  |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
I respect Xevin and he's a turd  |
| SGKent wrote: |
My God! Xevin and I 100% agree  |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| Xevin wrote: |
| Nice work man. Keep it fun. Enjoy the holidays. |
Thanks man, you too!
Today, I tried to find a fitting that converted my large propane tank to my Buddy Heater. This was a classic waste of time. Then, wifey chimed in a said to get something that's going to work for me. So I picked out one of these...
Lovely!!
I got back to sanding the clearcoat off...as you can see, where my finger is, is where the clear (below) ends and the lovely primer starts (above). It takes a minute with a palm sander and some 120g but it has to come off. It's flakier than sunburn.
Spread a little more filler...
...and had some left over, so slapped it on some of the lower spots on the sliding door...this is haunting me in my dreams now.
Prepped the trim panel that covers the slider mechanism
Doesn't look like I've done much, which makes me feel a little unsuccessful, but I did have a lovely day with wifey, she got homework done, I got this done, I'm beginning to see us driving around in it soon and Judas Priest we need that!!
Have a great week y'all!
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 11:25 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Longboard the sliding door horizontally and it will turn out perfect.
Duncan |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 9:06 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| DuncanS wrote: |
Longboard the sliding door horizontally and it will turn out perfect.
Duncan |
I'm on it brother..... I promise this is the last pic I post of the stupid sliding door until its painted...
To make this thread look more festive, here's wifey making her gingerbread house...she was so happy and it was a great evening.
Please see bottom left for my Ginger Bread Vanagon. I'm sad because it has better bodywork than Freddie And yes, I used a hot glue gun to hold it all together. If you've gotten this far in this thread you already know I'm a hack
Happy Holidays everybody! We hope you all enjoy a peaceful, fun, relaxing, fulfilling time with your family, friends, loved ones, pets, and thoughts.
Gary & Christina x
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 6:23 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Body work is great on both Vanagons. A little worried about the suspension on your second one though. Looks like a serious low rider. Maybe if you went with these:
it might help. And you would probably get better entry and exit angels (It's Christmas time so such a misspelling is OK) as well. The choices? Love the upper right--serious off road tread-- but since it's a gingerbread item, maybe a different wheel for each corner?
This sure gets me to thinking. If there is enough time maybe I need to copy your idea. Sugar glaze on the top for my tarp top, and on the back a:
Can't wait to hear what S. Claus brings Freddy for Christmas. Will he have a personalized stocking?
Duncan |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 3:35 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Hohoho merrrrrrrrrry christmas, or whichever way you send good tidings to others!!
Not much progress except I managed to get the sliding door back on by myself.
Question....what do people use for the beading on this panel?
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32625
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 9:52 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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That's it Dave! Cheers mate!
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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Walty87
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2020
Posts: 172
Location: Central Valley
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:21 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Any updates?
Hope all is well in the new year! |
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DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 5:06 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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We need an up date on what Freddy got for Christmas.
Projektxtwo unit?
or just full width lower grill for the black bumper?
Stocking stuffer scraper?
General progress?
Duncan |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:11 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Hello guys!
So sorry for the no update thing - I suck.
I didn't touch Freddie since some time around Christmas! I know I know he deserves better. I had a particularly bad bout of influenza, which lasted in total around 3 weeks, lost my voice etc etc, and then immediately caught the dreaded C19. Then others in the house had various lurgies. It was a bitter winter, a brutal one for low temps here in Utah, and it dragged on and on. We've had some financial woes, some hard times, and the usual stuff that everyone gets thrown at them by life....... but we made it, and now spring is here! We hope that you are all safe and well?
Two weeks ago, we picked up a '66 bug project, which has taken the lead a little bit. But when I cleared the garage out, I put a battery on Freddie and he lit up like a Las Vegas Road Sign and roared into life first crank - he's eager to get rolling, and I now have to split my time between his bodywork, and the 66 which needs everything. My enthusiasm for old VW's which waned through the long cold winter, is now back with a vengeance.
Wifey is super excited to paint Freddie white, and we have a goal of June 1st for our first proper camp trip to Yuba Lake with her family and their obnoxious RV's, in which I fully expect Freddie to outperform, out-mpg, and outclass all of those road hogs without even trying.
Here he is, still as handsome as ever!
Thanks guys and hope you are all doing great!
Gary & Christina.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2022 6:42 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Welcome back and glad you all are OK. Been wondering about your absence.
How will you paint Freddy white? Home spray? Roll? Pro job, windows in or out?
Look forward to hearing the next episodes.
Duncan |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:44 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| DuncanS wrote: |
Welcome back and glad you all are OK. Been wondering about your absence.
How will you paint Freddy white? Home spray? Roll? Pro job, windows in or out?
Look forward to hearing the next episodes.
Duncan |
Thanks Duncan - life just became so busy, and although there are colder places in the States, Utah was particularly freezing this winter!
I recently bought another compressor. I still have my gun from when I was painting at a sign shop a few years ago. Superior Paint SLC is just down the street from my work and they are so helpful and stocked, so I'll either pull the trim and windows out, or do a very thorough masking job, and paint him, single stage, in the garage. We have no plans to sell Freddie - he's part of the family - so if I do a sloppy job, so be it - I'll sand it back and redo it.
White. I'll actually grab a couple of gallons of L87 Pearl White, as I'm painting the '66 Bug that color also. Buy in bulk.
That's the plan. Wifey wants white, wifey gets white.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 628
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2022 8:21 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Wifey and I are going to tag-team stripping the old vinyl stripe from Freddie this weekend, and get sanding. There's really not that much left to prep before his garage-paint-job, and we are both super excited to get him back on the road. No longer will he cower in the shadow of my '66 bug resto....bring forth Freddie! (pics coming this weekend)
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32625
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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mikemtnbike
Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2015
Posts: 2796
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:35 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| djkeev wrote: |
Focus.
Chose one unit and finish it.
Ignore the other until the decided upon task is completed. |
Or, harness the energy of ADHD by rapidly flipping from one job to another having fun and not having to force yourself to be something you're not.
I mean, it seems to work for me...
_________________
1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled  https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual |
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