1970 DORMOBILE - COMPLETE RESTO - IT PASSED :)

[pinheaduk]

ive heard its snowing up north around lancashire area but nothing down here as of yet, but would be kewl hehe, at least the surf is good

 

[pinheaduk]

Hi pinheaduk just been looking at your resto thread.......all I can say is Wow!!!! and I thought I had a big job... well done dude

 

[pinheaduk]

ok managed a few hours today as it wasnt as cold as past two days, but no snow

i decided to knock a few items off the list rather than keep fiddling with larger panels, so i work on the rear valance. I started by using hammer and dolly to get the lower line as straight as i could

then i beat out a few dents and skimmed one area on top, then i gave it a coat of stonechip ready for the top coat or beige

i also decided to grind back the welds i was going to leave, but thought again as they stood out way to much
looks so much better and im happier about it - thank god for ear defenders

I was also working on the interior rear area and wanted to mak sure that i could do something when i come to fit the interior so i put the rear hatch back on temporarily to get a few measurements

- funny its starting to look like a bus now

 

[pinheaduk]

then i was messing with the engine lid and tried to refit it but it wasnt having it, and then i noticed something wierd so i did a bit of digging --- literally

and found this

about 1/2 inch thick of filler all the way alond the lid about 4inches from bottom and it all made sense - ITS A CUT AND SHUT

half of an early bay lid[top half] and the bottom half of a late engine lid and this explains why it wont shut right at all [PRICKS]

well i was going to replace it anyway but this is the worst repair or attempt ive seen on an engine lid

 

[easy]

Always nice to find a quality repair! :roll: bin it and thank yourself that you found it :wink:

 

[pinheaduk]

ok my paint woes continue :roll:, i would be keen on a shiny paint job, but thr rusty patina look for me is always so much cooler and with some highly polished wheels would look pretty cool, and i saw this a while back on VZi

before

after

i think this is pretty cool and maybe a bit less on the patina and with having a poptop wont look to over bearing on the roof, the super shiny wheels + with a bit of luck my turbo engine [next thread ] would be a wicked bus

what ya think????

 

[andewilson]

it reminds me of a disney theme park or the runaway train ride at alton towers. fake painted on rust looks just like what it is. you're going to the effort on your van and i think a decent spray job would look best. or even a matt or satin paint what look great. matt grey paint with two orange stripes over the top and a 72 ball sticker always a winner for that raw purposeful look. give it an outlaw 356a theme. shiney paint paint never really the focus with those cars

 

[pinheaduk]

well ive got my orders of the missus - nice shiny paint it is

 

[pinheaduk]

well seeing as there naff all on tv i thought i would mess with my dash after weeks of thinking there was something missing and seeing dubman24's dash and thought why not. so i stripped my dash and stuck it in the dishwasher to clean it and the glass

then i masked up the areas i didnt want coating and then sprayed the inner bits in sandalwood beige so it would match the dashboard

then gave the clock replacement thingy a coat of gloss black

after drying i took the masking tape off and used a scalpal to remove little bits off overspray and masking tape glue around the edges to make it look lovely

as cartman would say - sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

its wicked how one little thing that took 20mins, makes all the difference and looks 100 time cooler

now southpark is on so off to watch that , its the one where they sniff cat piss lol

 

[khh48]

You are doing nice work here.

 

[Haveacamper]

hey mate,

are you still in need of an engine lid? i've got my old wone in pretty good nick. got a guy pending on VZi, but havent heard from him in 2 weeks. i'm trying to chase him and i'll let you know.

NaFe

 

[pinheaduk]

i am still looking for one yes all depends on price

 

[pinheaduk]

well managed an afternoon in the garage today and got a few more things knocked off the list - its getting shorter

see

did more tweaking on the n/s rear corner beltline, put some masknig tape in a straight line to see how low the line i had was, and its only in one area that it needs raising

put a tiny amonunt of filler in the area needed then removed the masking tape and rubbed back, then put a bit of stopper on there and now its a lot better, best ill get it anyways. if i have to later down the line i might take it to a bodyshop and get them to get it as near as original but for now its the best i can do, which is good enough for me

then wet flatted back with 240/400 and this is the corner ready for the final coats of primer

also managed to wetflat back the top area of the front panel, still a bit to do on the lower area and down the apost edges as crap pic i sneezed lol, bloody dust

i also got a early earlly early christmas present hehe - my aposts arrived, and theres a lot more metal than i asked for, and in great nick so well happy, can finally remove the crap attempts i made

so my next few days will be more bodywork and getting these aposts replaced

 

[gninnam]

Keep it going my son - that light at the end is definately getting brighter I would say :wink:

 

[pinheaduk]

ok today got down to garage this aft and decided to work on the aposts and they are 95% done, just ran out of gas on the last run of welding

decided to put two bars across to halt any major movement in roof and front panel

hacked away with grinder

then did a few alterations, ground away in a few places and tacked into place the n/s post

all welded nicely with the door on to see how it looks, and its nice )

then to work on the o/s, same as the n/s brace,tack then weld

lovely

then ground back as far as i could without having to use my mini belt sander as ran out of belts hehe,

you'd never notice

didnt take as long as i thought and well happy so far with the result, just have to shape the bottom area where the post meets the front panel with it being a repro panel they leave a gap between the panel and rubber, but it wont tomorrow

 

[T2-Nate]

wow man that's some major overhaulin' you're doing, you have my utmost respect!
Are you keeping it in the end or selling it?

 

[pinheaduk]

going to keep it for a while me thinks, done about 3 restos over the past 2 yrs and not kept any. always went to the shows with the bus but never left with it hehe

going to have a few custom touches like 4" narrow beam, decent engine, interior will be the dormobile interior but im going to use the old one as a template and change it slightly on the main unit as i dont like the way the doors arent flush and im not keen on the crappy trim, so i got to buy a router and give it a nice edge.
I like the cooker behind the passenger seat but found a nice sink/cooker unit cheap so might leave that , not sure on that bit yet

all will be revealed soonish i hope

 

[pinheaduk]

ok might not get much done this week in garage due to other work commitments so prepared the custom bits on the dash at home

i wanted something that would look cool and chilled out in the evenings when sat round the van so i have cut 4 24mm holes in the dash

and in the holes go some weatherproof stainless steel 10 colour changing leds, the rest are going round the base of the rear interior to give the rea a nice low glow.

could say its a bit cheesy but its going to look nice with the interior and they can fade, hold single colours and are also sound activated

just a little custom touch that will not stand out to much during the day as there not massive but will be mellow during the evening

 

[gninnam]

D-I-S-CO - DISCO.......

Like it 8)

 

[pinheaduk]

well after getting back from dubfreeze i spent a few hours in the garage this aft sorting out the bits i bought and checking and measuring a few other bits

i managed to get most of the stuff i wanted to finish the body etc but a few companies that were there last year didnt go this yr so was a bit miffed

rear backing plates got em dirt cheap and needed as the muppet before me fitted the 71-79 versions so the inner lip of the later backing plate keeps binding on the drums

all the engine lids were very expensive and volksheaven will be taking most of there stuff back as they wanted £120 for some of em, avg was around £60, this cost me a massive £10 and needs about 2hrs work, its straight but has a few holes near the bottom

but the big purchase was a set of cab doors, rust free but some ***** art work, just typical the guy selling them lives 5mile away lol

also picked up a 74mm WHITFIELD crank which came out of an engine that blew a piston so stripped the rods and sorted it out this aft

i also put the passenger door on and checked the lines, way better than the rusty door, but the drivers door seems to sit a bit high on the front panel beltline but not overly concerned with it.