Is it possible to fix a "wrecked" front?

[dirt]

Im looking at 69 Bay for sale with a little messed up front....part of the mainlight housing is pushed in and the same goes for the low light on the same side, and there is lots of small dents all over on the same side.
Is it possible to fix this without changing the whole front? Im not looking for a show'n'shine car, just want to make is as good as i can without spending a fortune.

The rest of the car seems straight and nice... both sides and roof are looking good, and there is minimal of rust.

 

[jonboylaw]

Anything is possible, given skill and money
It might be possible to pull the dent out, but to get a proper opinion would require ad few photos to start with. Someone on here would be able to point you to a good body shop for their opinion as well.

 

[dirt]

Thanks for your reply. I will try to get some photos to upload.
It would be a shame to let the car go...

 

[UberCoolToo]

yeah its pretty easy to push out the front of a bay, as you can get to the inside of the whole panel.

 

[dirt]

Well.... i went to see the panel yesterday, in real life, and it was not as bad as on the pictures i had seen before, so...i ended up buying it :mrgreen:

There are work to do, but overall....wow, this car is almost free from rust. It has a hole in the floor on the drivers side, and some in the battery tray, but other than some light rust where the paint is damaged, its supernice. Frame is great, and the roof is perfect. Both sides are great, and on the inside everything is in great shape. Cargofloor is rustfree.
Only thing is the dents in the front (that wasnt that bad at all)...and few in the rear corners.
Dont wanted a mint condition show car anyway..

I think i will re-paint everything on the inside, panels, floors etc (easy job as everything is in such great condition)..fix the little rust that is, change window rubbers, and do what i can to fix all dents on the outside, then an easy paintjob and drop it down some inches. Should be a pretty straight forward fixable car.

 

[gvee]

Pictures!! 8)

 

[Doris]

with a VW..anything is possible to fix.the question is how much/how good repair do you want.

 

[dirt]

Didnt have time to take lots of pics... but here is the front:

Yes, it is damaged, but not as much as i thought. I dont think the lights are pushed in as i wrote earlier. I know it will maybe be hard to get it 100%, but at least it can be fixed to be a little better, and after removing paint and do it all over, it would look better..
Otherwise, i could get a new front and change the whole thing.

Here is one from the inside:

 

[flynster]

leave it as is fella it looks great

 

[dirt]

I like the patina, but i still think i will do something to the rust to prevent it from rusting even more... not sure yet though. So many cool "untouched" panels out there.
Where is the best source for replacement parts? Like front floor..?

 

[Jay71]

Lovely van dude

Try FBIVW in Swansea, I've used him for a few parts, he gets his stuff fom the States so pretty much they are rust free, he's bound to have everything you need

 

[dirt]

Thanks man, i`ll check him out

 

[Slammed]

The smashed up face look is a winner. :msn4:

 

[Grazy]

Check this out fella , It is possible , and yours is nowhere near as bad , !

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14601&hilit=Shit+happened" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looking forward to seeing progress on this Panel van 8)

 

[dirt]

Thanks! ...and wow! That is serious repair! I would not be able to do that i think.
I`ll post more pics in a couple of weeks, ..right now im to busy working on my oval.

 

[Graham L]

Need more pictures, panels rock 8) 8), as a van the inside of the van at the back should be in a light grey colour which was standard from the factory, from the bulkheads forwards it should be body coloured.

Repro floor sections are available from Scofields (A.H Schofields) as well as VW Heritage etc, how much of the floor has gone?. Make sure you use proper pressed panels rather than flat sheet as otherwise the floor bends too much.

One last thing can you change the 'future look of my panel van' picture as you have a picture of a late not an early :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[dirt]

Need more pictures, panels rock 8) 8), as a van the inside of the van at the back should be in a light grey colour which was standard from the factory, from the bulkheads forwards it should be body coloured.

Repro floor sections are available from Scofields (A.H Schofields) as well as VW Heritage etc, how much of the floor has gone?. Make sure you use proper pressed panels rather than flat sheet as otherwise the floor bends too much.

One last thing can you change the 'future look of my panel van' picture as you have a picture of a late not an early :lol: :lol: :lol:

Happy now? :mrgreen:
Used Bus Generator Lite on iphone, and it doesnt have Early Bay in it... maybe if i upgrade to full version

I think i`ll have to change something like 10"x10" on the drivers side of the floor. Plan was to get a floor section close to original (thanks for pointing me in correct direction). Dont have a pic of the floor, but its not that bad. I guess there will be worse surprises hiding somewhere..haha.

Here is another pic: