Well,
After some misc domestic stuff and a bit of time on
parks'n'gardens spent some time with Leo.
Stripped to bare metal, filled, sanded, hi-fill primed
and sanded. Another coat of hi-fill tomorrow and then logistics moving
busses so I can turn him around and do the dogleg and passengers compartment outer panel on the other side....
Given I started Novemberish and have basically replaced his
bottom 6 inches he's going OK! On schedule to make next years Nationals!
RobK
[ Edited on 23-2-2007 by splitbusaustralia ]
Cripes....you've even put most of the newspaper on straight!!!! Thats it I'm selling both of mine....could not repair them to that standard. Well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!:bounce
tssnq.com.au
He's looking better all the time Rob! 😀😀
Kruizin Kol
Love your work Rob. Can't wait to see Leo finished:bounce
Well,
Its only 3pm and I've got a bit of welder's flash
so I'm going to call it a day.
Turned Leo around so I can fit the new driver's dogleg,
but there was the small matter of repairing the bottom
of the driver's side A pillar....
This is the shape it was in
This is a short under the front floor - you can see the
rear of the front valance is also rusty and swollen in this corner.
Rebuilt the pillar bottom
Finished it up....
Repaired the RHS of the lower front valance
View from the other side....
The front valance and bottom of the nose skin isn't THAT
bad considering what the rest of Leo was like...but I'll replace
the bottom of the valance right across and also the
bottom of the nose skin - its just one of those things that
should be dome while you're at it - nothing worse than having
bubbles appear under your new paint job a couple of years
down the track....
later all
RobK
MAN! what the HELL are you gonna do after u finish Leo? you will be lost with spare time and without a welder in your hand!
Reimagined/Recycled/Upcycled Cool
Keep up the good work mate, yes i like it, so it was an easy task all in an arvos work hey
i think rob could get the panel from vwfool. that would have to keep him busy for a little while more.😀
Simply Cruzin'...
or do his 54 barney!!! (which will be mine :vader muahahahahahahahahahaha)
i wish i had the talent you do rob what trades do u have under your belt?
cheers
rhys
it aint just cool its aircool'd
hi Rob if you are using the mig alot I would recomend the auto welding helmets. they are great and will eliminate that welding flash. waited for them to come on sale at a trade tools outlets. under $100 and worth every cent. Then you can weld for even longer. you do nice construction work from scratch. looking straight and smooth:thumb
i second that suggestion as i borrow the one i use at work and they are magic:thumb
meetings 1st sunday of the month
check wbsite for location
All Welcome
http://www.flatfour.org/
and on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FlatFourThanks guys - I do have one. Sometimes though
I am 'bad' and do the 'weld through the eyelids' thing
which I know is not recommended practice. Did it to position
that front patch - sometimes things are just tooawkward
to position with clamps etc and you just end up holding
it in position and needing a REALLY good view BEFORE
tacking. Position - view- shut eyes-try and mask arc
with end of handgrip-weld-welder's flash...
I'm not recommending the practice....
RobK
so when does dave take delivery of his bus 😉
Brad
Why copy when you can own an original ?
Meyers Manx AustraliaAs soon as he finishes paying for it!
He did send six old crownie
caps, two used bus tickets and and out-of-date tube
of haemarrhoid cream as part payment the
other day......
Although he also sent it collect which probably
detracts from its value a bit......
so he must only own another half dozen caps and a roll of patterened toilet paper :alien
Brad
Why copy when you can own an original ?
Meyers Manx AustraliaHey ROB
can you send the haemarrhoid cream back as i need it right now.
Hey i sent U a cheque as well ... didnt you get it ..
I don't want yer bloody (old age) pension cheques dave!
Put em to good use and buy some pet food and bread or something...
Hummmm pet fooood on Toast F that not to day thank U
I want REAL meat.
dave mate i dont know what runs through your mind for you to want "REAL meat"
nothing suss
cheers
rhys
it aint just cool its aircool'd
Last time we left Birchall's bus I was going to start
on the 'other' side - fixing the passenger's compartment
outer skin and putting the new driver's dogleg in...
The passenger's compartment outer skin has more waves
than Bells this Easter. Leo had been hit in this side, effecting
B and c pillars and the repair was really really average.
I've fixed the pillars and inner stringers up, but the outer skin
had filler up to 15mm thick in places - some class work goes
on out there! (still commercial vehicles often get average
repairs....). Skin had been bashed around and filled.
Here's a shot to try and show how bent and buggered it was. You can see where I've been shrinking it before dollying.
I ran out of acetylene (grrr) today - it will be a hell of a lot better
than this when I finish!
I did get the front upper skin shrunk and straightened a bit before running out of gas(grrr - hate running out of gas!)
Went on to fit the dogleg. As I've said before the brazilian repros
are yards better than starting from scratch but they do take
some fitting.
If we draw a line showing the door bottom...
and then offer up the brazilian repro leg as it comes you can see
you'd end up with a 11-12mm bottom door gap which just won't cut the mustard!
So, if you unpick the top of the dogleg and refold it (might
as well straighten it while you're at it) you can remove about
7mm from that gap..... and end up with a more reasonable
3-5mm door gap
Leo's B p[illar on this side was also wobbly (as was the one on
the other side - looks like he's been hit both sides and front
at some point in his life. More hits than Hendrix!). See how the driver's door aligns at the bottom but the pillar
pokes out at the top...
Cut and shut that pillar (too) and now the drivers doors has
good gaps and alignment.
and how he's looking at the end of Easter...
Nearly there!
regards
RobK
So thats why you didnt come up and see me over Easter
mate, that is some serious work. i dont even think i will have my ute in the same suburb as yours, let alone beside you at a show.
samn thats going to be fine.🙂
Simply Cruzin'...
*Jim gives a rye smile, then shakes his head...*
Unbelieveable. But how would one know if their doglegs are rooted? I thought mine were okay, like 6 or 7 out of ten before this.. Were yours a disaster, or are you a fussy bastard?(reads: perfectionist)
THE LOWEST WITH THE MOSTEST BLING BLING WINS!!
He'll be Ok - presentable and nice to drive/use which will suit
us perfectly.
But the truth is that Leo is coming off a fairly low base and that
he'll probably never look as 'good' as a vehicle that didn't have the rust
and poorly repaired accident damage problems in the first place.
But he'll be on the road being used which is where he belongs!
Jim - your doglegs are cactus if you can poke a screwdriver
through them! Most splitbusses have rust problems in the
doglegs - questions is how rusty...can the originals be patched/repaired
or has it gone so far that replacement is a wiser alternative.
Every bus I've taken rusty doglegs off also has rust problems in the
pillars which the doglegs have covered!
RobK
I have only three letter for you Rob ..... WOW !!!
Brad
Why copy when you can own an original ?
Meyers Manx Australiarust begone spell doesn't seem to work as well as your repairs do!. nice work. thanks for the photos I often wondered why you went on about the panel you had to modify,now i know why.😉
damn good work. I like leo a lot
Spent all Sunday arvo working on Leo’s passenger’s compartment outer skin. This side had previous accident damage and had been hammered about, stretchhhhhed and filled with bog up to 15mm thick in some places.
10 Heated
20 Dollied
30 Go to 10 until many hours have passed.
40 End
Began to wish I’d reskinned it but given I’d welded rockers, floor, posts and stringers into it (stupidly believing in my own publicity as a metal beater) that wasn’t going to be an easy path either.
Anyway, go it straight. Still a few little waves in the outer rear pillar section but I can’t get in behind it and I’m not going to open him up again to do so. Guess I’ll live with 1-3mm of filler as opposed to 15mm.
Bit sore today. Bruised up both my underarms where I’ve been leaning through the popout window with a dolly on one side and a hammer on the other. Need longer arms!
RobK
Maybe you can borrow mine mate, they're pretty long! :P
THE LOWEST WITH THE MOSTEST BLING BLING WINS!!
:sandrine
Rob,
Yes sometimes things get a bit disheartening, but look at all the progress you have made....
Hes coming along great... always eagerly reading your postings & wishing my 58 split will look as good as yours one day.
Keep going with him....there are many of us watching & looking forward to leo's completion.
Judy
59 Microbus Kombi (MERCY)
64 Microbus Kombi (CHANNON)
