FS Alistair's 1970 Westy SO70 Campmobile - San Lorenzo, Cali

[gninnam]

Good job being done and so nice to remove paint and not find rust 8)

 

[aogrady]

Hi,

Update to the work carried out. These are a few pictures i took, but Carl is giving me a DVD of all the work carried out

Both rear corners have been bare metalled, repairs done from previous unknown accidents over the years, and lead loaded, a crack in the metal around the rear light has been addressed. The engine lid has been straightened out, filled of dents, bare metalled again and repainted. The rear valence has also been straightened, beaten and bare metalled. New rear bumper with modified ends, using a new split bumper, but with my OG corner ends fitted on.

The overriders have again been bare mettled, straightened and painted, along with new rubbers, I have now sourced some rubber finishing strips to go around the overrider to bumper area. The bumper irons has been straightened out and powder coated, stainless steel fixings used in place of the old nuts and bolts.

The battery tray has been cut out, and new one welded in place, again fixing any damage in this area. The rear corner in the battery tray was again rust free, and Carl hadn't uncovered any rust during the work.

Carl also bare metalled the lower sills as the paint was flaking off and rusty, along with painting the jacking points, underseal in place (I may remove the underseal and leave with fresh paint)
Also got the side step grit blasted, special alloy primed, and repainted in L87, the sills look like a lighter shade of white, but this is the reflected - though you can see a little line on the arche return lip, all this below the line was redone.

After much deliberation, we settled on a standard colour of L87 Pearle White, rather than a special mix, it was a awkward decision, as the paint has faded in areas, and one of the side panels appears a slightly different colour, but at least the back end is the right shade, albeit a full machine mop is needed on the rest of the body which will no doubt blend the look of the old v new paint a little.

Bumper, irons and wheels have been painted in L90D (well, as close as!)

It's been a sympathetic little mini resto, as i quite like the dents and scabs which are still there in area's close to the new paint, a full on respray was not on the cards, but i ordered enough of the same paint should i decide to get extra work carried out

Carl also spent some time "adjusting" the closing panel between the boot lid and engine lid, as this had been pushed in a little, along with a similar dent on the rear valence, possibly from reversing into a post or suchlike in it's time.

OK, a few more pictures.

Just to tidy up the wiring, and clean the mucky engine. I am looking to finish off the underneath and arches and belly and splash pans in colour matched rustoleum, and look out for some splashguards and find out how the bolts fix on the rear corners, and find out where i can get the bungs that go in the lower corner near the rear valance bolts - anyone?

When it was mot-ed a month or so ago, it was noted that the front off side was noisy, this was replaced, and the nearside drum adjusted as this was sticky and running hot.....

Wheels have been shot blasted and power coated, but unfortunatly on our first trip away this weekend just gone, disaster struck.........

More to follow

Cheers!

Alistair

 

[aogrady]

Hi!

First trip out after having extensive paint etc on the rear of the bus - and then this happens, 20 miles into a 230 mile trip........ :evil: (Well 2nd trip if you included nipping to the shop, but thats only 3-4 miles!)

I suddenly noticed a noise from my front wheel, stopped on the edge of the road, yanked on the wheel, nothing untoward that i could feel, aside from the brake drum running hot (more on this l8r) carried on slowly, no more than 15-20mph, as a knew a layby was only maybe 200-300yds away, but probably after half way to this, bang, the van lurched to one side, and came to a sliding halt - with the wheel coming off and resting a few yards ahead of the van, it seemed like it was sliding for ages, but wasn't, the girlfriend was screaming, the baby was screaming, i was fffing and geoffing pulling at the steering.......luckilly no one was hurt, just shaken up.

There was very little warning, and if i hadn't had slowed down, and just carried on at 50mph it could have ended very differently, especially if it was on the M5 which is where we were heading........

:msn4: Quite like the lowerzzz :msn4: The gouge in the tarmac starts about at the rear of the police car.

Unfortunaly the van took a bit of a beating when the wheel came off, as you can see, it has pushed up the wheel arch, pulled it out and folded it back and ripped it away from the spot welds on the post, taking the paint around the lower sill area. It has also pushed up the double skin in the edge of the seat tub area, near where the door closes, but you can't see this unless you look underneath, the door gap has closed up at the bottom a little too

I haven't looked to see if anymore damage has been done to the beam or drum backing plate since we got it back home, i really am not happy and can't even be bothered to look at the crappy thing :evil: Though i need to get it sorted, we are supposed to go away to Dubs at the Castle in a few weeks. :roll:

I rang Carl @ Beetlebank, as he had done the paintwork etc the week before, he kindly came out with some new bolts, and jacked it up and swapped the wheels over. You can see where the wheel has damage the bolts, and the area where the bolts go, you can also see the gouges on the inner wheel where the drum rubbed, prior to wheel bye bye

I have yet to speak to him properly about all of this, as we have just come back from our trip. We didn't want to risk driving the bus any distance, and to be honest really didn't want to, so we hired a car for a few days, £105 - safe in the knowledge that the wheels are more than likely gonna stay on this one! :lol: Bummer, as just treated the bus to £50 of fuel.

I have a idea that i think i know what caused this to happen, fresh powder coated wheels, with paint around the bolt holes, even where tightened, perhaps if the paint cracks when tightened may work loose - especially if compounded by the heat from the brake drum???
I vaguely remember a thread about this, perhaps on the SSVC, with hindsight, if i knew the blasted wheel was about to drop off i may have checked all this :?: And if it wasn't wide 5 and had a center boss on the wheel like a normal car, change are it wouldn't have happened so suddenly, there is nothing to support to center of the wide 5 wheel, so if it comes loose, it will likely undo the bolts very quickly?

All in all a very bad weekend i dont want to repeat in a hurry, coupled by a poorly baby who started teething Sat night whilst we were away - oh happy days!!

Cheers!

Alistair

 

[gninnam]

:shock:

Major gutted for you

Glad you are all alright (which is the main thing)

Such a simple thing can cause so much damage - very scary.
Hope you can get it sorted and that the wife (and baby) have not been scared to much that they will get back in.

Good luck dude.

 

[Airtime]

Wow! :shock: I'm with Andy, really gutted for you, but good that you're all ok!

Unfortunately it's too late for you now, but after painting/powder coating of the wheels you should scrape or sand the paint off the seating areas/rings of the bolts. The paint can be compressed and can cause the bolts to come loose, so before you go on an other trip please do this on the other wheels! :!:

To end with a positive note: The work that has been done on the rear and sills of the bus looks really great! 8)

 

[creationblue]

Hi Ali

Sorry about your troubles, but rear looks great..............least you have some more paint for the front arch i guess. Hope your done for Glasto.

Just

 

[westy1969]

Holy C... same happend to my rear wheel, which luckily didn't came off.
Good to hear that you are all fine.

I check the drumbreak to if i where you, mine where set to tight, so the drum got hot and pushed the bolts out.

luckily it was the front and not the fresh painted back, it look awesome.


gtz

 

[Dirty Harry]

Hi Allistar,

Whow....that must have been a very scary moment!!, luckilly no one got hurt :shock:
I know the feeling that you have enough of it, but we all have our ups and downs with this old crap, give it some time it will grow back on you again
The rear paint job looks perfect!!

Harry

 

[aogrady]

Wow! :shock: I'm with Andy, really gutted for you, but good that you're all ok!

Unfortunately it's too late for you now, but after painting/powder coating of the wheels you should scrape or sand the paint off the seating areas/rings of the bolts. The paint can be compressed and can cause the bolts to come loose, so before you go on an other trip please do this on the other wheels! :!:

To end with a positive note: The work that has been done on the rear and sills of the bus looks really great! 8)

Hi,

Thanks, the paint is nice now on the back end, will post up some better pictures when i get the dvd, and I'm pleased with the rust free sills, was just surface scabs, but looked untidy. If you go back through the thread a page or so you can see the old dented rusty back end with filler in the corners nearly 6-10mm thick on the dents which hadn't been pulled out well on previous repairs.

Cheers,

Alistair

 

[aogrady]

Hi Ali

Sorry about your troubles, but rear looks great..............least you have some more paint for the front arch i guess. Hope your done for Glasto.

Just

Hi Just,

Cheers, the rear is nice, just need to get the rest done slowly, i have got plenty of paint, good job really, not off to Glasto, Dubs at the Castle is the next trip, if it isn't fixed by then, i'll have to bash that **** straight and spray it!

Cheers,

Alistair

 

[aogrady]

Hi Allistar,

Whow....that must have been a very scary moment!!, luckilly no one got hurt :shock:
I know the feeling that you have enough of it, but we all have our ups and downs with this old crap, give it some time it will grow back on you again
The rear paint job looks perfect!!

Harry

Hi DH,

Yeah was a bit scary, i swear i still have Mexican blanket stuck to my backside I was clenching that tight! :lol:

I only got fed up for a short while, i went out to try and fix a new blind up for the sliding door to act as a curtain, but a bit of work needing to be done still on that,

I even thought about cleaning the engine and taping up the wiring to make it look better, but then i looked at the front arch again and got depressed and went indoors for a beer instead! :lol:

The bodywork is a long way from yours though DH, but you never know, maybe in time it'll be as mint as yours (aside from parts falling off along the way...)

Cheers!

Alistair

 

[user 14192]

Hi there,

I am the Carl that got the wheels powder coated, one of which one fell off. :shock: I have lost count of how many sets of wheels I have had coated, however most were late 5-stud or Beetle 4-stud. I can't believe I have been in the game so long but have never heard of this problem. On my own 1303 I got the wheels powder coated, fitted the tyres, bolted them on and drove it like hell 20 miles each way to work for months without problems.

I would be very interested to know if this is a wide-5 stud related problem. I will certainly clean off the coating from the tapers of future coated wheels to remove this variable in the equation, which seems to be the cause. I felt quite unwell when poor Alistair phoned me with his problem and am so relieved that he and his family were unharmed. We have since cleaned all the powder coating from the tapers and this is sure to be the end of this unfortunate episode.

Cheers, Carl.

 

[Geeze]

Hi there,

I am the Carl that got the wheels powder coated, one of which one fell off. :shock: I have lost count of how many sets of wheels I have had coated, however most were late 5-stud or Beetle 4-stud. I can't believe I have been in the game so long but have never heard of this problem. On my own 1303 I got the wheels powder coated, fitted the tyres, bolted them on and drove it like hell 20 miles each way to work for months without problems.

I would be very interested to know if this is a wide-5 stud related problem. I will certainly clean off the coating from the tapers of future coated wheels to remove this variable in the equation, which seems to be the cause. I felt quite unwell when poor Alistair phoned me with his problem and am so relieved that he and his family were unharmed. We have since cleaned all the powder coating from the tapers and this is sure to be the end of this unfortunate episode.

Cheers, Carl.

Fair play to you for standing up and being open about it

Don't think it's a wide-5 issue though, one of the cars that I know of directly (owned by friends) that it happened to was a four bolt squareback.

For those learning from this, the variant is a cautionary tale. My mate knew about clearing up the bolt seats but forgot to check the spare that the previous owner had also refinished..... :shock: Oh, and yes the bolts were definitely tight when he put the spare on as anyone who knows him and his metric hammer toolset would testify! :lol:

 

[aogrady]

Hi there,

I am the Carl that got the wheels powder coated, one of which one fell off. :shock: I have lost count of how many sets of wheels I have had coated, however most were late 5-stud or Beetle 4-stud. I can't believe I have been in the game so long but have never heard of this problem. On my own 1303 I got the wheels powder coated, fitted the tyres, bolted them on and drove it like hell 20 miles each way to work for months without problems.

I would be very interested to know if this is a wide-5 stud related problem. I will certainly clean off the coating from the tapers of future coated wheels to remove this variable in the equation, which seems to be the cause. I felt quite unwell when poor Alistair phoned me with his problem and am so relieved that he and his family were unharmed. We have since cleaned all the powder coating from the tapers and this is sure to be the end of this unfortunate episode.

Cheers, Carl.

Hi all,

Firstly, will just like to say a public thanks to Carl for helping me on the day of the bother, for coming out to sort it at the side of the road on a Saturday and dropping whatever he was doing and sorting it straight away, and for sorting out the paint issue on the wheels when i went to the workshop yesterday at short notice, and as mentioned, for being open about the issue with the wheels. I certainly don't apportion any blame for this problem, it's just a series of events which led to the failure, and the most important thing is that everyone is fine and lessons have been learnt.

I can't fault Carls workmanship, and the time and effort he has gone to, to get the bodywork from the accident damage and previous damage over the years on the back end of the bus, and for putting up with me spending to long talking to him about it! I certainly have no issue with the work he has done now or any in the future, hopefully he is having the van back in the next week or so to fix the slightly sticky drum and the bodywork, and i am certainly looking forward to being back on the road better than ever, ready for Dubs at the Castle!

Cheers!

Alistair

 

[61 stu]

Glad everyones ok and it wasnt more serious.

Have to say ive heard of quite a few similar episodes of powder coating not being removed on the tapers of the wheels and them working loose, not just on wide 5's either.

 

[marcher]

Hi there,

I am the Carl that got the wheels powder coated, one of which one fell off. :shock: I have lost count of how many sets of wheels I have had coated, however most were late 5-stud or Beetle 4-stud. I can't believe I have been in the game so long but have never heard of this problem. On my own 1303 I got the wheels powder coated, fitted the tyres, bolted them on and drove it like hell 20 miles each way to work for months without problems.

I would be very interested to know if this is a wide-5 stud related problem. I will certainly clean off the coating from the tapers of future coated wheels to remove this variable in the equation, which seems to be the cause. I felt quite unwell when poor Alistair phoned me with his problem and am so relieved that he and his family were unharmed. We have since cleaned all the powder coating from the tapers and this is sure to be the end of this unfortunate episode.

Cheers, Carl.

Sorry to hear your news Alistair , pleased everones ok.

Carl, It happened to mine a few years ago. It was on the rear, lucky the wheel fell off and was caught between the rear arch and drum.
The wheels were fresh out of the coaters, the tapers had not been cleaned.
hope that helps.

 

[who?1]

Jeeeezus!!!

 

[Gadget Boy]

Alistairs Im just glad You and your Missus/little one are Ok thats all that matters . If its steel it can be fixed Ive seen a bus come off far worst when a ball joint snapped on the way back from Spa one year :shock:

PLEASE... PLEASE..... PLEASE...... anyone who's having their wheels etc painted or powder coated CLEAN the wheel lugs before you fit them to your bus. THE powder coaters WONT do it for you, its up to you

Gadget

 

[aogrady]

Hi,

The bus has gone back to Beetlebank to get the damage caused by Lousille, I popped in today for a chat, and was surprised by the progress Carl has made repairing the twisted and bent arch. It has all been straightened out, heat shrunk, and with a small cut to the metal and now re-welded, all straightened and fixed in place correctly, with a small skim of filler, ready for paint over the next few days. Obviously, with Carl being a specialist, he has taken the work in his stride, i would have said a new arch would be on the cards, it was that bent and twisted, so nice to see that it is still the OG metal, along with only the battery tray being the non OG metal on the bus.

He is also addressing the issue with the slight bind of the brake by replace complete front shoes, cylinders, adjusters and brake flexi's along with the oval drum.

This year is gonna be the turning point, i really need to get some fresh paint on the underside, now Carl has bare metalled and painted the sills, the other areas of paint flakage will be sorted soon, hopefully funds allowing, over the next few months, along with a full cavity rust protection, which is seriously lacking, and a poor show on my part for not sorting it, too busy using the bus as a daily part of the problem.

Pictures etc, as i get them.

Cheers!

Alistair

 

[gninnam]

Carl sounds like a god :mrgreen:

When I saw the damage I thought it would be a complete replacement of the wing.
Sounds like you are moving along nicely with the work and extra bits you have planned