The Buss-E '71

[Buss69]

Welcome back to busfetish.com, urrr, I mean, earlybay.com

We missed you! arty0047: :shadey: arty0021:

Now upload some more pictures of your hole............. :shock: :lol:

:lol: :lol: My dirty big hole? :lol:

 

[cunning plan]

Welcome back to busfetish.com, urrr, I mean, earlybay.com

We missed you! arty0047: :shadey: arty0021:

Now upload some more pictures of your hole............. :shock: :lol:

:lol: :lol: My dirty big hole? :lol:

Yeaaahh! Ooo, you're nasty! :lol:

 

[Buss69]

Welcome back to busfetish.com, urrr, I mean, earlybay.com

We missed you! arty0047: :shadey: arty0021:

Now upload some more pictures of your hole............. :shock: :lol:

:lol: :lol: My dirty big hole? :lol:

Yeaaahh! Ooo, you're nasty! :lol:

Yup :lol:

 

[Buss69]

As requested, my hole.
It's had 2 coats of etch primer, 1 coat of high build primer and a further 2 coats of normal primer with a rub down in between each.
Here is the first of the top coats.

I'm probably going to do 2 more, just for practise. Anyone got any advice on what grade paper to use to rub down before the next coat, 320?

 

[Buss69]

This is what I've also been up to today, i've cleaned up the arches but wanted to go a bit further.


Spent all day scraping the rest of the old underseal off. Have to say the condition of the metalwork is pretty good, no horror stories.


Phew, what a shitty job. What I'd give for a rotisserie. I've actually had a look at a few over on the Samba.com and have been more than tempted to build one.
The thing is, despite appearances I reckon my bus is going to need a bit of panel work in the next couple of years and I'm tempted to have a go.
But it's been off the road for way too long and I want to enjoy it a bit first so for now it'll have to wait. I really need a garage and until I get one the bus is gonna have to sit it out.

Next job attend to a couple of small welding jobs and then attempt soda blast of this back section. Anyone done this at home? I hear its a bit messy.

 

[cunning plan]

As requested, my hole.

Looks factory!

This will make your bus quite unique....

I'm probably going to do 2 more, just for practise. Anyone got any advice on what grade paper to use to rub down before the next coat, 320?

If you're just keying it for the next layer, have you tried a 900 or 1000 grit (or higher)? 320 seems a bit too coarse for bodywork which has no filler in it and which is in good flat condition to start with?

This is what I've also been up to today, i've cleaned up the arches but wanted to go a bit further.

I think they were my similar words after I had owned my bus for 2 weeks..... 8 years later......... :roll:

This picture is great:

As it confirms my guess at where to logically run the brake pipe which I made a few weeks ago:

Spent all day scraping the rest of the old underseal off. Have to say the condition of the metalwork is pretty good, no horror stories.

Yep, that is in fantastic condition, I would be pleased with that.

What underseal was it and what did you use to scrape it off?

Phew, what a shitty job. What I'd give for a rotisserie. I've actually had a look at a few over on the Samba.com and have been more than tempted to build one.
The thing is, despite appearances I reckon my bus is going to need a bit of panel work in the next couple of years and I'm tempted to have a go.

I used one of these basic chassis rollers for a few sections on mine:

They were massive hassle to use as you had to lift the bus to the tipping point, then it would gently roll, but it was awkward to use. However, once the bus was on its side, it was 1000000% easier to work on.

I think a rotisserie would be a better solution such as this:
http://www.cjautos.eu/NBN_CHASSIS_TILTER_HEAVY_DUTY_p/ct05.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you have some engineering experience, I am sure you could make your own for less.

But it's been off the road for way too long and I want to enjoy it a bit first so for now it'll have to wait. I really need a garage and until I get one the bus is gonna have to sit it out.

This is exactly the point I am at with my bus. I would like to re-work some old repairs and I have noticed some new issue areas, but I realised if I continue adding items to the list, the further away it gets from being on the road! It certainly will not be finished, but I would at least like to drive to the odd show or local shops in it!! :|

So the plan is, get it back on the road, then re-work the issue sections as winter projects - one section a winter.

Next job attend to a couple of small welding jobs and then attempt soda blast of this back section. Anyone done this at home? I hear its a bit messy.

This would be interesting to watch.

 

[Buss69]

Nice one Cunning, I don't have the room for one of those. I was think something like this:





I found this on The Samba.com. This guys bus (The Funky Bus) is awesome. Anyone ever need a tutorial on how to restore anything this is the place to start looking, his thread is amazing. I'm thinking of making my own. Love welding big metal, very satisfying.

 

[Buss69]

So I managed to scrape off all the underseal and set about making some minor repairs.
Forward part of the nearside wheel arch. Cut out all the crap

Cleaned it all up

Tacked in a plate

Ground off the tacks

and stitched it up

Ground it all back

and a bit more

Set about cutting the correct shape for the bottom of the arch

Nicely rounded off

Then went and did something else.

 

[Buss69]

I'm running an external oil cooler and the pipes didn't look great where they ran. I wanted a more secure way of attaching them to the bus and had welded some nuts to a plate. Well my welding at the time was not too good and one of the nuts came free. Start again.

New plate with properly welded nuts held in position with welding magnet...

before tacking in place

more stitching

Tidied up

Onto the next bit

 

[Buss69]

I've been busy!
I think I may have posted this image before. This time I have close-ups on the finish of the inspection hatch.


Not sure what anyone else thinks but I think this is pretty good. Not perfect but competent.

This was done with colour matched spray cans from Halfords (they mix it for you if you have manufacturer code. Not a bad result, I wouldn't do any large areas on the outside but great for small bits especially as most of this is going to get covered up. :?

So pleased I decided to treat myself

Fed up of scrabbling around on the floor and bought two packs of these tiles (also from Halfords on offer). Have to say I wish I had done this years ago. Never gonna compete with the ease of a rotisserie but has made the whole task way more comfortable.

 

[Buss69]

Next up this grotty repair I attempted some time ago. There were 4 holes drilled in the side of the engine bay and I attempted to weld them up.

I didn't really have much of a clue at the time so I decided to try a different approach. chop it out!

New plate in place

welded in

 

[Buss69]

Next up was another dodgy shortcut I made. Since reading a third of Glideking's thread on TheSamba I've decided that any approach I take will have to be better than I'd done before. It's not factory quality but considerably better than my previous attempts.
So next up is the oil filter mounting bracket. Originally this was attached to the engine rear support by a different method but hung too low.
I've made a new bracket and it mounts to the same rear engine support.
But in order to rectify my earlier effort I had to disassemble the bracket to get at everything. You can see the nuts that need to be welded on in position.

I drilled out all the spot welds... and wrecked another (expensive) spot weld drill :x This is the removed section offered up for fit, it slipped as I took the photo.

Welded in the nuts, properly this time.

Offered up the other half again

Cranked up the welder and got on it!

So much easier to weld thick metal

 

[Buss69]

So in my exploring of the underside I accidentally whacked one of the cutoff suspension bump stops away.

On closer inspection I could see why it wasn't really up to the job. This is the good side.

I've been contemplating how to go about this repair and until recently could figure out how to do it. Not sure if this is the best approach but it worked for me.
I cut of the entire mount. This side came off whole.

This side didn't

First thing after that was to sand blast what I could salvage.

Made a couple of plates up

Bent them over to form a thicker section

Had some steel tube kicking about to weld in and form part of the structure

My kit of parts

Salvaged the ends of the original mount and welded to the steel tube

Then cut this to length and welded to the plates I made earlier. The plates have now been roughly rounded.

Then took original mount cup and spotted three welds onto the top surface

I did this so I could get everything level before welding the mount cup to the plates. I filed each weld until everything was level and then welded everything together

Quite happy with the result

Next had to weld these back on the bus. It's not that easy. You can't get all the way round to weld. I had to miss about a quarter off. I made sure I had the welder turned up to deal with the thicker material. I can definitely say these are going nowhere.

 

[Buss69]

This weekends job was to patch up some previous mods which I'm going to do a different way. This is a hole made for the propex heater I have. I've decided to mount it in a different place so need to weld this hole up.

I took the photo after I tacked a new plate in place. This is to show what I cut out.

The new plate was cut from the large section I cutout for the inspection hatch. The gap on the left is really good but the one the right is too big.

Tacked in place

Then stitched up

When this goes well it's really satisfying

Got to be really accurate when cutting the replacement metal. A 1mm gap is all that's needed before welding.

If not it's really easy to blow through the metal as it's so thin. You can see where I've had to build up a couple of sections on the right hand side

It's really tempting to keep going with the welder but you can't, you get blow through :shock: . Got to remember to pulse.
The next shot is a really good example of places it went slightly wrong.

The far side is really good but the nearest section is horrible. This was largely down to having too bigger gap and not pulsing the welder, ugly.
Back on the other side, cleaned up. I drilled a few holes for the places I missed. I missed sections because I couldn't get a good line of sight down the gap and missed it a couple of times.

Looking much happier

I did do more this weekend but some of it didn't go to plan, oh well you live and learn, which is good.

 

[cunning plan]

Wow, lots done! Great work dude!

Spent all day scraping the rest of the old underseal off. Have to say the condition of the metalwork is pretty good, no horror stories.

Yep, that is in fantastic condition, I would be pleased with that.

What underseal was it and what did you use to scrape it off?

Nudge, nudge

Nice one Cunning, I don't have the room for one of those. I was think something like this:

So, does that roll to provide access to the chassis, or is it just a 'lift' ?

If it rolls, it looks like it would take up more space than the versions I used did due to the arc or the circle (estimating), however, that version looks far better than the ones I used, which as I said were hassle to use.

Is this any good? http://www.cjautos.eu/NBN_CHASSIS_TILTER_HEAVY_DUTY_p/ct05.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; :?:

 

[Buss69]

Wow, lots done! Great work dude!

Spent all day scraping the rest of the old underseal off. Have to say the condition of the metalwork is pretty good, no horror stories.

Yep, that is in fantastic condition, I would be pleased with that.

What underseal was it and what did you use to scrape it off?

Nudge, nudge

Nice one Cunning, I don't have the room for one of those. I was think something like this:

So, does that roll to provide access to the chassis, or is it just a 'lift' ?

If it rolls, it looks like it would take up more space than the versions I used did due to the arc or the circle (estimating), however, that version looks far better than the ones I used, which as I said were hassle to use.

Is this any good? http://www.cjautos.eu/NBN_CHASSIS_TILTER_HEAVY_DUTY_p/ct05.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; :?:

Hey dude, i'll try to answer all your questions. but before I do I saw the (porn) shot of your rear underside with the new brake line in place, so neat. Respect. But please don't drill any holes for the 'P' clips you've got there. There's a plastic clips that VW used and doesn't require you drilling your lovely metalwork.

No idea what the underseal was. I scrapped off with a scraper in big chunks and came off quickly.

And you definitely have room for a rotisserie like this. You can't quite see it but the two hoops sit in a couple of 'U' shaped sections. At each end are a set of rollers which allow the hoops to rotate. This should be a link to the YouTube vid:
https://youtu.be/FzPzO6ECh8c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think the NBN Chassis tilter you've linked to is equally good, especially if you do resto for a living as it attaches via the number mounts. Definitely need a bit more space for these as they're generally longer, Im also not sure I could build one like this and keep it cheap.

 

[cunning plan]

Hey dude, i'll try to answer all your questions. but before I do I saw the (porn) shot of your rear underside with the new brake line in place, so neat. Respect. But please don't drill any holes for the 'P' clips you've got there. There's a plastic clips that VW used and doesn't require you drilling your lovely metalwork.

Thanks bud :mrgreen:

Hmm, unless there is a type of clip I do not know about, all clips require a hole for a fixing. I have actually used a bolt, washer and nut, along with protective paint on the hole as I was not keen on a self-tapper in there, rusting nicely.

No idea what the underseal was. I scrapped off with a scraper in big chunks and came off quickly.

Ah ok.

And you definitely have room for a rotisserie like this. You can't quite see it but the two hoops sit in a couple of 'U' shaped sections. At each end are a set of rollers which allow the hoops to rotate. This should be a link to the YouTube vid:
https://youtu.be/FzPzO6ECh8c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is.................. BRILLIANT!!!! :shock: :shock: I didn't notice the caster wheels.

Simply amazing!

You have to make one!

There are some clever people out there! arty0021:

I wonder how he locks it in position though? An idea is for a hole drilled in the tube every 300mm which could line-up with a hole in the 'guide' runner at the bottom, which you can place a small bar through?

 

[Buss69]

That is.................. BRILLIANT!!!! :shock: :shock: I didn't notice the caster wheels.

Simply amazing!

I know, it's so simple as well.

You have to make one!

I'm seriously thinking about it. I need to get my bus rolling first, build a garage or rent one and then take it off the road again :?

There are some clever people out there! arty0021:

I wonder how he locks it in position though? An idea is for a hole drilled in the tube every 300mm which could line-up with a hole in the 'guide' runner at the bottom, which you can place a small bar through?

Clever indeed. I think he just clamps it with a big G-Cramp.

I dare you to start reading/ watching his thread. Properly addictive, inspirational, everything. A grand lord of VW Anorak.

 

[gninnam]

Great work and loads done - well done

It is satisfying when you weld and it makes the right noise and you can see it looks neat as most of your welding does :mrgreen: (thick metal is the best for welding - really enjoyed when I repaired my chassis...)

Hatch looks bang on and the repairs are nicely done - what you going to use to cover the new bits of metal which will be open to the elements??

 

[Buss69]

Great work and loads done - well done

It is satisfying when you weld and it makes the right noise and you can see it looks neat as most of your welding does :mrgreen: (thick metal is the best for welding - really enjoyed when I repaired my chassis...)

Hatch looks bang on and the repairs are nicely done - what you going to use to cover the new bits of metal which will be open to the elements??

Cheers gninnam, I wish the bodywork was as easy to weld, it's tricky but I'm persevering, practise, practise.

Have to say, I'm well chuffed with the hatch and hardly any filler.

As far as covering the underside, I was going to do the following:

Etch primer
High build primer - probably 2 coats depending on how much I end up rubbing through

the next bit is tricky as I'm not sure of the correct order, so open to advise here.

High build stone chip
Top coat - two coats

and then maybe fresh underseal as well

does this sound right?

Cunning what did you do?