Derek and Lee are the proud new owners of this lovely old 79 Kombi camper - it is their first foray into the VW scene. As a friend of a friend, I was lucky to be asked for some help and advice during their search for a bus, and although spending a little more on purchase price, it has been well worth it as this is a real solid old girl.
With the help of Lee's brother, they all did a great job of saving some pennies and stripped her down to bare bones apart from a few final bits and pieces (like the dash which came out tonight) and LPG box etc.
As per usual there will be lots of pics I am sure as it is a great way for the owners to keep track of progress, and also to ensure all my work is transparent (no hidden surprises or "out of sight out of mind" approaches taken).
As it arrived yesterday;
h ·
dump it and get the bugs in ya teeth happening.. cool, lookin fwd to see the result n progress..
BrisDubba ·
Looks better than 90% of kombis you see driving around, I have a 75 camper that am pulling apart so if you need anything give me a yell.
Will be watching with interest, as always.
Peter
Dasdubber ·
Cheers Peter - much appreciated! It certainly makes it easier (and cheaper in the long run for the owner) to have a solid base to start with....... More repairs required = more $ required. It is going to look great once done.
crewcabconnection ·
what happened to the split resto Alan?
kombimatt ·
Woo Hoo. Lookin forward to another Das Dubber resto epic on here to follow.
Dasdubber ·
Dean the splitty is still waiting patiently - it seems a lot of people are waiting for me to start that one!
No money = no progress on my own cars 😉
Never fear though, I've been formulating a plan of attack....
crewcabconnection ·
no money, rubbish you own your own mega-corp, you're rolling in the stuff ... everyone whos self employed is rolling in dosh. At this rate you'll slip in a Baja before the Splitter.
Dasdubber ·
Very funny mate! If I was rolling in the stuff I'd have started the splitty long ago and I'd have the turbo and efi in the oval already........when you see either of the two following happen, you know the splitty resto is not far away;
1) I have a double carport/enclosed garage built out the front, or
2) I have an industrial unit
so basically need more space before I start the old girl (should have an IRS box done sooner or later.....corvair engine is still waiting in the wings [just want to be a little different - ie unless the turbo type IV from the oval ends up in the split when I build a proper engine for the oval].....have some repair panels already but need to collect more) - so the ball is rolling, but just very slowly! 🙄
VWCOOL ·
Alan you are a fkn machine!
Dasdubber ·
Have been doing a bit of disassembly work on the dash and lpg cylinder box etc plus a bit of poking around.
The hole for former vents in the driver side will be filled:
Along with hole for vents on sliding door:
LPG box hole will remain and is solid - obviously will get a good clean up:
A bit of evidence to show why a higher initial purchase price will get you a better base to start with!
Dash has been removed - how sweet are those front floors...
Seat runners were removed by Derek - original paint is pretty shmick and will make prep for the new colour much easier.
Dasdubber ·
Front left corner under pop top a bit crusty:
Front right corner is actually pretty solid (despite appearances):
Right rear corner lots of surface rust but believe it or not, the pitting isn't as bad as the pic suggests:
Rear left corner is a bit worse for wear!
Dasdubber ·
Under front screen found a few surprises:
A bit more vigorous poking around uncovered a few more thin spots:
Rear hatch:
Right rear window:
There are a couple other areas I couldn't get pics of tonight but will update as time permits.
Dasdubber ·
Got started on prepping the pop top today after the notch guards were done. Resined up the holes which the rivets went through previously then gave it a sand with 240 dry to get the major stuff off, then 400 wet in readiness for primer maybe on the weekend.
Will get onto the actual top tomorrow.
Dasdubber ·
Nothing too exciting today apart from prepping the top, buying the paint, primer etc, and patching (via resin and chop mat where required) for lots of old holes used on previous hinge "repairs" in the past).
All these holes on the hatch have been fixed ready for the new stainless steel hinges and aluminium spacers to make it all look as neat as possible.
Pretty boring stuff today.
BrisDubba ·
3 days Alan since our last fix - come on Man you cant get people hooked and cut them off dry - good thing you arent a drug dealer (anymore 😂)
and dont bother with the excuses- just post the damn pics man and get on with the story 🙅
Dasdubber ·
Better not disappoint hey! Been tinkering away but nothing exciting hence no pics until today.
Part of the pop top is in colour - Derek and Lee chose a nice pearl white which turned out to be a three stage paint (three coats of white base, three coats of pearl, then clear). Bit more time and $ but it is a nice colour.
Hole in the hatch is there for a reason (hinge attachment):
Probably no more pics for a few days so hope you can hold out! 😉
rocknrob ·
sorry to butt in😂 what sort of primer did you use on the fibreglass? bout time i did mine👍
Dasdubber ·
It was a brand called Duxone - I think they were formerly Prematek. It is a 2K high build primer/filler which allows a fair bit of material build up to fill small sanding scratches and imperfections. After primer had cured it was hit with 600 then 800 wet paper before the base coat was applied. I use Spies Hecker base/clear - all materials sourced from the same supplier (checked compatibility etc) - unfortunatley have to travel to brissy to get it.
Dasdubber ·
Back into it today - after discussing the options with Derek and Lee regarding the dash it was decided to disassemble, and smooth it to get rid of the textured finish on there originally. I cut it back to etch primer (no real need to get it all to bare metal as the original etch has a very strong bond with the metal).
Plastic parts (glove box door, ashtray, instrument panel surround) were scuffed with abrasive pad, then grease/wax removed, followed by the application of a 1K transparent plastic primer which promotes adhesion of the actual primer. Don't want paint chipping/flaking any time soon!
2K primer was then applied over the adhesion promoter and later sanded with 600 then 800 wet paper in readiness for colour (tomorrow)
Prepped dash parts also received a few coats of high build primer:
Pedals, handbrake, gear lever and steering column tube will be the same colour as the dash (different to the body).
I wasn't happy with the pop top due to the porosity of the original fibreglass (pin holes throughout a lot of the top) thus spent another day with glaze putty, sanding, primer, sanding, spot putty, sanding, primer, and finally when happy wet sanded tonight with 600 then 800 wet paper (funny marks next to hatch opening is water that hadn't dried yet just in case you're wondering!).
Tomorrow will see the pearl white go onto the pop top, and colour onto the rest of the bits!
Dasdubber ·
Dash components were painted today - a few dust nibs will be cleaned up with a clay bar shortly but otherwise gloss is good. Colour is the same as Ben's notch (had a few mL left over paint). Low res pic on old camera makes it look a little dull (trust me!)
My dog is always keeping a close eye on quality control - she is harsh but fair. She was happy with this piece.
Instrument cluster looks good in its dark grey metallic colour (same as rest of dash etc)
Pop top received its pearl white paint and clear today as well:
Top will be colour sanded on Saturday before being picked up by Derek and Lee on Sunday (will give me a bit of space back!)
QA inspector not as happy with a small blemish that will be fixed on saturday (not the hole, that is supposed to be there!):
rocknrob ·
great work😍 thats just how my poptop is going to look...not😬
Dasdubber ·
rocknrob - anything is possible (with time and money!). I'm sure your poptop will put a smile on your dial which is the main thing!
I colour sanded the dash today - the metallic is hard to photograph (as stated in Ben's notch thread) but it will look pretty shmick in place with the pearl white and other colour chosen for the lower half of the body.
You're probably getting sick of pics of this pop top already! But I've colour sanded it (need to finish it tomorrow morning) - looking pretty good.
Dasdubber ·
Dash is starting to come back together - the speedo etc are all looking nice and tidy now:
The top came up really sweet after colour sanding - it was hit with 1500 wet paper, then 2000, then buffed with lambs wool pad and cutting compound, then swirls were removed with softer pad and lighter compound. After about a month it can be waxed (needs time for solvent evaporation before the surface is sealed).
Dasdubber ·
Tackled some rust repair today....rear hatch rust was cleaned up (wire brush wheel and sanding flap wheel in die grinder)...
Cardboard template was used to determine shape and size of repair section:
Template was transferred onto new flat steel which was then cut to suit:
That was then used to mark section that needed to be cut out (using air powered cut off wheel and air hacksaw):
When you take the time to get the repair patch right, gaps should be minimal:
Mig is playing up a little (needs a service I think) but adequate penetration was still obtained even though it is not as nice as I normally like:
Ultimately though it still came up pretty good once the welds were ground down (angle grinder with grinding disc and air cut off tool with grinding (not cutting) disc, plus die grinder with sanding drum and finally angled air grinder with 60grit sanding disc)
kombimatt ·
Bloody hell Das you are good!
Is it as easy as you make it look or have you have so much practice it is just like second nature?
Dasdubber ·
It's easy once you know how and have had practice.....but still takes a lot of time to get it right.
Dasdubber ·
All these sections are starting to look the same on the photos so bear with me if any are repeated!
From this:
To this:
And finally this:
More under the front windscreen seal:
Not any more:
Dasdubber ·
Another section under the front screen:
All patched up - will only need a light skim coat of filler:
Right rear window (a reminder pic from earlier):
Cut out:
Patched up and ground smooth:
Dasdubber ·
More crustiness in right rear window:
All good now though:
Hopefully a little more progress tomorrow after work (and on the weekend).
Alan
BrisDubba ·
Allan,
When you get a chance old son would you mind putting up some more pikkies of the tools that you are using- I am interested in the sanding drum attachment with the die grinder.
As usual you are doing a great job.
Peter
PrettyBlueBug ·
Wow, second to none job done as usual Das! 👍 Well done, can't wait to see the finished Bus. It looked like a sweet base to start with.
You make those fiddly repair jobs look so damn easy. 😁
Dasdubber ·
BrisDubba wrote:Allan,
When you get a chance old son would you mind putting up some more pikkies of the tools that you are using- I am interested in the sanding drum attachment with the die grinder.
Peter
Shall do Peter - with the die grinder I just use sanding flap wheels, but with the dremel use the little drums (wil try and remember the pics next time I'm on the tools (forgot today!).
Dasdubber ·
The rear hatch opening corner was pretty crusty - here it is before the bad area was cut out:
Seeing though I couldn't find a donor piece in time, I cut it from flat steel, bent the 90 degree bend then made some pie cuts which enabled the radius bend to match the area that was cut out - holes are so it could be plug welded in place as it is too hard to weld and grind the top edge due to the recess it sits in:
I still haven't had a chance to get my mig serviced so welds aren't as neat as I like (gets a slight intermittent 'flat spot' 😉 - welds will be ground down this week:
Dasdubber ·
Rear corners had a couple little bubbles which hinted at what lurked beneath:
Underneath was pretty solid after it was ground clean, rust treated, and painted with kill rust:
Same sort of deal on the drivers side:
Lumpy but adequate penetration (trust me I make sure of that) - wouldn't want any problems rearing their head down the track for Derek and Lee!
Once it is all ground smooth it will only need a skim coat of filler and all will be sweet.
063bug ·
Top work Das.... becoming a bit of a master at this aren't we 👍
Dasdubber ·
I would never say master Alan....but am certainly getting better and better. (am still learning lots though and loving it).
Dasdubber ·
After grinding all the welds flat and smoothing the metal out, I shot some etch primer quickly. Will continue with much the same on other parts of the bus now until it is ready for high build primer.
Dasdubber ·
Derek and Lee requested the holes in the sliding door and drivers side that originally housed some vents be filled so I got started on the slider today.
A replacement piece was cut from a donor sliding door that was cactus (thanks to Cam) and cut lines marked:
When you take time and care, you can get a good fit with minimum gaps which helps to reduce the risk of warpage.
I tacked it in place today but forgot the pic - will update when I get the welding done.
Craig Torrens ·
If this is going to be a camper, don't you need to keep the vents to comply with Australian Standards regarding venting for gas leaks and sleeping etc ?
The Bigfella ·
"If this is going to be a camper, don't you need to keep the vents to comply with Australian Standards regarding venting for gas leaks and sleeping etc ?"
A guy died from CO2 poisoning in his van at Bathurst car races when I was there a couple of years back. No vents for his fridge I believe
Dasdubber ·
I know Derek has looked into it and I am unsure how much of the camper stuff they are retaining (in the first instance it will just have back seat until they decide what to do with the fitout next year - ie for now it won't be a true camper).
Regardless though, I've passed the info onto Derek so he can sift through the regulations etc. Cheers for the info.
Alan
Dasdubber ·
Back onto the camper - the front panel is covered in stone chips that have progressed into small surface rust spots. Rather than trying to treat each chip individually I've decided to take the front back to bare metal.
Paint stripper to get it back to the primer as it was proving hard to sand regardless of grit discs used (clogged up even coarse discs/flaps etc). Taped up seams etc to prevent any stripper getting into the cracks 😉
Front is super straight so that is a relief (not a stitch of bog or a hint of a dent!). Happy days.
Dasdubber ·
Nothing too exciting - just a bit more assurance to Derek and Lee that it is slowly progressing!
I spent more time getting the centre of the front panel back to bare metal with the stripper so I don't have to hit it so hard with the d/a sander (tomorrow after work) - the rest will clean up nicely and will hopefully be in etch tomorrow as well.
Dasdubber ·
Back to bare metal:
Nose was hit with etch primer then high build primer (white), after which 3M dry guide coat was applied and then sanded with 240 grit dry paper. This showed up a few small dents (nothing major) that required a bit of a tickle and some fine filler (all occurred after this pic)
Miscellaneous other little bits received primer as well after being sanded down.
Same deal with rear hatch that had a few minor dents as well.
Here is the guide coat (exciting hey?) 😉
Bit more welding happened today - hopefully some more tomorrow to keep things moving along.
bond ·
i feel sore just looking at the pics!
good work alan. didnt get to see the notch on sunday but from what i heard it was spot on.
can no doubt guarentee the same for the camper.
nick
Dasdubber ·
Cheers Nick - yeah the notch came up pretty well indeed. Camper should be super sweet when done!
OZ Towdster ·
Another quality job from the house of Al
Dasdubber ·
Fair bit achieved yesterday - both doors are now done (a lot of sanding, guide coating, sanding, filling, sanding, priming, guide coating, sanding etc).
So now the nose and both doors are ready for colour (after the rest of the body is done) - slowly but surely getting there.
Cleaned up the inside yesterday and finished drilling out the pop rivet remains from the interior, plus scraped off glue residue and just a general tidy up. Both rear panels are primed along with the back of the bus - today I'll guide coat, sand (see above for process!) etc.
The rear quarters aren't too bad - just a few scrapes and bumps here and there. Next is finsihing the roof, and continuing to fill the vent holes and lpg cylinder hole as Derek and Lee are ditching gas altogether and going electric fridge etc (Derek has checked Australian Standards/regulations re. venting and has it under control).
Dasdubber ·
Started doing a little seam sealing tonight - to get a neat seam, I applied tape to give a defined edge as close to the gutters as possible.
Soudal Soudaseal was used to run a bead in the requried areas then forced into the joint with a finger (gloved).
When the tape was removed (immediately after sealer) it leaves a clean edge.
Other areas received similar treatment. More primer will be applied over the sealer before base coat goes on.
rocknrob ·
Gee and i thought all that stuff was top secret🥷 thanks for spreading the word👍
Dasdubber ·
Nothing exciting today but did manage to fix this problem area:
Forgot to take a pic of the repair patch fully welded from the outside before the skim filler was applied so here is a pic from the inside to show it was fully seam welded (not just tacked or stitched and bogged)
Here is the old crap cut out. Surrounding the cut out section was some very minor pitting which didn't warrant total removal, thus it received a thorough grind, then rust converter, followed by a good clean and prime:
Kinda tedious work but the inside of the doors were cleaned up to get the crusty stuff out, then rust converter applied again where necessary.
All this stuff is ideal to retain moisture and promote rust:
Rust preventative paint was brushed in all seams, joints etc to prevent rust for as long as possible. After paint goes on, wax will also be sprayed in for further prevention.
This job sucked, but all the glue remnants had to be cleaned off the inside of the doors and the channels where the seals sit...took ages but a top coat is only ever as good as whats underneath it, hence the effort is worthwhile.
dlwrede ·
Hey Alan,
Thanks for the good pic's and explanation as you go it's been a great learning curb for Lee and me, keep up the good stuff and don't be afraid to get right into all those awkward and hard too reach spots!! Ha Ha
Cheers
Derek & Lee
Dasdubber ·
Hey Derek - good to see you on here keeping track of progress!
Today I had to tackle the patch panels for the vent holes and lpg cylinder cavity. After taking extreme care butt welding in the patch in the sliding door, there was still a little too much warpage for my liking. The panel shrunk in the corners of the patch (despite only spot welding one spot at a time and cooling etc (plus using hammer and dolly to try and stretch it back whilst welds were still hot)). It can be fixed of course and will be, but I decided to use a single lap weld for the patches on the drivers side.
Using a punch/flange tool (air powered), I punched a flange into the patch panel so the ouside skin would be level with the surrounding original panel.
Although I like to butt weld everywhere possible, I had to try the lap in this instance to avoid warping. I post these pics as I like all my work to be transparent. Before lapping the joint, both meeting surfaces were painted with weld through primer, and the inside join will be seam sealed.
Bear in mind there is no less work for me taking this approach as it is still fully seam welded and ground smooth. It is not just tacked and bogged over (not my style).
Dasdubber ·
Another big hole to fill! The gas system is being ditched for electrical appliances so this needed filling as well.
Quality assurance officer ensured the meeting faces of the flanged edge and original metal was primed properly to avoid corrosion long term.
This is before the patch was bent to shape and clamped in place so all meeting surfaces were tight.
After first round of grinding it was starting to look good with slightly more rigidity to prevent as much warping.
Dasdubber ·
Just cause I love welding, the water inlet was to be filled as well to clean up the lines of the bus on the sides.
Patch piece was cut and filed to fit
Magnet held it in place whilst it was tacked
All smooth. The remaining water inlet will be left just behind the drivers door.
Sorry for the plethora of pics - I do it more to show people how stuff is done, so if you know it all already apologies for taking up bandwidth!
More tomorrow maybe if time permits.
Alan
Dasdubber ·
Back onto rust repair today....the gutter section above the sliding door was cactus due to the sail channel sitting in place and corroding:
After having no luck bending up a section myself I resigned to trying to track down a donor bus to cut up....but didn't realise they reproduce sections new! So it was cut to size and welded in place using the clamps to keep it tight.
AFter the welds were ground down, a bead of seam sealer was run in the gutter to seal the joint (couldn't seam weld as I couldn't get to the bottom of the gutter to grind down the welds so this was the best option. All primed up and looking good.
The inside of the doors received a couple coats of primer as well ready for final finishing before paint goes on.
No further progress till next week (away for a conference)....
Volksaddict ·
Great stuff !!!...waiting for next episode
Dasdubber ·
After a weekend away at conference I've been getting back into the bus - lots of time consuming niggly sanding, filling, sanding, priming etc etc.
Both rear 'quarter' panels have the same high spot from the factory as evidenced by sanding guide coat from the long board (thick flat balsa wood (thick enough not to flex) with 240 grit dry paper stuck to it with spray adhesive).
The vertical attachement to the inner bracing is what caused the high spot on the large flat panel.
A thinner and shorter 'long board' is also used in tighter spaces or like in this instance in the vertical plane to show imperfections. The thinner balsa allows some flex to account for curvature in the panels.
After beating the high spot down as well as possible without causing too much further panel work, more guide coat was applied (3M dry coat powder) and more sanding with the long board (I use a variety of boards, not just these two by the way) shows low spots. These will be gently tickled further tomorrow and minimal filler used where required to smooth it out (ie. more sanding and guide coating before more primer goes on!). Yes it takes lots of time to get right!
matberry ·
Yes it takes time and your doin a fine job Das!
Like the balsa long boards. Try Bris Refinish Supplies for deliv to your door. Sam is good rep to get to know. He's been around since VR days and sells the brands your using. I can give you details if you like. Been using same undercoat lately with good results.
Cheers
Dasdubber ·
Funny you mention Bris Refinish Supplies Matt - I 've been buying all my stuff from them for years now! I go to the one at archerfield although now I'm down the coast it is a bit harder to find time to get to them. I've found another supplier on the coast who stocks spies hecker so I'll save some travel time (just hope the service is just as good as BRF). 🙂
Dasdubber ·
Bit more progress today - a few bits received their coats of colour (3 coats of white base, 3 coats of pearl, 3 coats of clear) including the engine access hatch:
The inside of the doors also were painted:
Hard to capture the pearl in the sunlight so forgive the extra pics of the same door!!
Apart from a few dust nibs, the finish is quite good. A clay bar will be used tomorrow to tidy up the nibs and worst case a bit of colour sanding will give it that 'show quality finish'.
Alan
Dasdubber ·
Bit more prep and primer today including the fuel tank cover and engine bay:
Both rear panels are now ready for final sand (just before paint) same with roof. Now just the sliding door and middle panel on drivers side to do, and then inside - hopefully will start to come together pretty quickly over next two weeks.
koolkarmakombi ·
As a rough guestimate, what is the bill looking like?
You realise there is going to have to be a new class @ dubs by the pub? The Done by DasDubber class.
Great work Alan.....
GTMac ·
Allan,
Another sensational job. Do any of your resto's keep any original metal in them ? 😂 you seem to love cutting and welding, no wonder your bloody good at it.
Question please. The areas for example where there were half dozen holes in the area under a side window rubber. You cut out the complete section and replaced it with a new small strip. Could you not tak weld the holes and then grind flat or is this done because there is likely to be rust holes starting in other spots close to where those holes are?
Thanks Andrew
Dasdubber ·
koolkarmakombi wrote:As a rough guestimate, what is the bill looking like?
Derek is lucky as he is a friend of a friend 😉
Last night and this morning the brakes and wheel arches needed a quick clean - they certainly weren't the worst I've seen but still pretty dirty:
Front disc:
Since the bus isn't a show car, and the resto brief did not include body colour 'underbody', everything was cleaned thoroughly then painted in gloss black kill rust paint with brush and small disposable foam roller to avoid brush strokes:
Shocks will be cleaned up later...discs and drums were painted in high temp caliper paint. The rest of the underbody will be pressure cleaned before being painted in the same gloss black. Without sand/media blasting it would take me around 2 full days of work to get the arches etc ready for two pack paint.....since Derek and Lee want to use the bus as it was inended, such an approach was not deemed feasible/cost effective, hence the black paint.
Dasdubber ·
GTMac wrote:Question please. The areas for example where there were half dozen holes in the area under a side window rubber. You cut out the complete section and replaced it with a new small strip. Could you not tak weld the holes and then grind flat or is this done because there is likely to be rust holes starting in other spots close to where those holes are?
G'day Andrew, where possible I always cut out the complete section where requried. Sometimes if the pitting is very minor and only like surface rust, it can be treated then sealed and painted. If rust is present even pitted and you try and 'tack' weld the holes, it just keeps blowing bigger holes until it reaches solid metal - hence why it is better just to replace the whole lot where possible.
Today the inside of the engine hatch was painted in red which will be the lower half of the bus - this was about 5 mins after the clear was shot (had to put a picture of my ugly mug in this thread somewhere eh?) - pretty glossy.
Under engine access hatch also received a lick of red - as I didn't have to use much reducer, the die back of the clear was kept to a minimum (ie. it retains its gloss well) - as you add more reducer it will flow out better (less orange peel), but will result in more die back - there is a fine line between too much and too little (2% vs 5% vs 10% etc).
Fuel tank cover was also painted in red - was going to contrast it but didn't have any darker colours on hand and didn't want to paint it white (too hard to keep clean)
Dasdubber ·
Engine bay was also painted so slowly but surely the old girl is coming together!
The underside will be painted black (ie. all the chassis parts that will be hidden by the engine sealing tin)
Another job out of the way (many more ahead though!). The medium speed hardener was a good choice for todays temperature etc - any slower would have resulted in runs and any faster would result in more orange peel....so happy days!
Dasdubber ·
Been slowly chipping away at the camper but decided tonight to make a new long board for sanding to get the sides straight.
Cut up some 10mm perspex and using a jigsaw, router and sandpaper it has come up nicely. 1m lengths of sandpaper of various grits will be attached via spray adhesive as per the balsa long boards. Screws holding handle on are countersunk underneath so sanding surface remains flat.
[/img]
Obviously no paper attached yet - just for demonstration purposes 😉
[/img]
bond ·
nice work al. you're not wrong, its very red!
nick
rocknrob ·
well you did say earlier you liked your work to be transparent🤓
h ·
lookin good
as per the gas.. if there is none actually 'fitted as a fixture' into the vehicle it will be a lot easier and cheaper to insure as i found this out a while back when i had my last campmobile
no probs having a portable unit to cook outside with and easier on the hip pocket - no certs etc
something to think of for ya mate das..
Dasdubber ·
Cheers guys. And cheers h for the gas details.
Alan
Dasdubber ·
Got stuck into the interior today (got sick of looking at the green!) - sanded all the original paint and scuffed all the pressings with scotchbrite pad to take all the gloss off. (not taken back to bare metal due to it being solid original paint and budget).
The rear was given the same treatment and the patch panels were seam sealed and treated.
Derek and Lee wanted nice clean sides so only the water inlet was retained. Despite welding extremely slow and cooling/hammering and dollying as I went there was still more warpage than expected. I therefore had to spend quite a bit of time stretching and shrinking the metal back into shape then lots of time sanding with the long blocks to get it straight.
Another 2 to 3 applications of guide coat and block sanding will be required to get it right.
Dasdubber ·
Derek and Lee were going to have aftermarket seats installed but have decided to revert back to the originals so I will be welding the seat rails back in place after I get my mig back from servicing. Primer of course will be touched up afterwards.
Nice to see dash all looking smooth (and not green any more).
Interior will just need a light sand to ensure surface is all smooth (quite a few hrs to get it all right even though most of it will be concealed by interior some time next year)
Damn these buses chew up a lot of material - need to get more primer tomorrow (close to 8L already used due to repeated applications during block sanding to get the exterior straight).
Will hopefully get some more done this weekend (surf has been cranking so combined with endless hours of sanding my arms are looking forwards to a rest!).
Alan
LIFE IN THE LOW LANE ·
After seeing this project happen Alan it is certainly getting my brain going on how my van is going to see her resto sooner rather than later.....
By the way i will get you to give me an idea on what it would cost to tidy her up perhaps sometime in the 2nd half of next year if that is possible.
Dasdubber ·
No probs Brendann - second half of next year will suit me just fine! I'm sure I'll talk to you many times before then. 😉
Alan
Dasdubber ·
Well today was pretty productive - got the drivers side middle panel all sorted and reprimed after several applications of primer/filler and sanding with the long boards etc. Also got the roof (above rain gutters sanded with 600 wet paper after guide coat, then) painted in base/clear.
Came out really well off the gun which was great.
This was tonight just to get another pondering reflection shot in as you know I love em.
More tomorrow (although going fishing early (no surf) so not sure how much I'll get done!)
Dasdubber ·
Parts of the interior were painted this arvo - floor (rear and front) plus seat bases will be painted after I get my mig back and reweld the seat rails back on.
I don't often use newspaper for masking but I am running low on proper masking paper so I had to improvise!
Even though most of this will be hidden by the dash, at least we all know it is done right 😉
All white interior will keep things nice and bright! (not white upholstery though, that would be too hard to keep clean!)
As per all other bits that have been painted in the pearl, the interior received 3 coats of white base, 3 coats of the pearl, then 3 coats of clear - all spies hecker products used = great results, but = $$$
I can't wait to start putting some of this back together rather than stripping it down for a change!
Dasdubber ·
Today saw the rest of the interior receive its paint including the doglegs (so doors can be hung and outside can be painted maybe next week)
Front floor is nice and glossy.
The wheel arch mat retaining lip was the best place to divide the two tone - more fiddly bits will be done tonight.
VWCOOL ·
Too good - way too good to cover with seats and crap!
Dasdubber ·
Thanks Glenn!
Today saw a little progress including straightening and priming the sliding door and putting in dash and wiring etc (still a bit to go). Just another couple shots of interior in sunlight. You can see I've just painted the jambs which will be back masked after the doors are hung when the outside is painted.
"Sparkling graphite" coloured dash went back in - it will all be masked off before paint goes on outside.
Dasdubber ·
All the edges of the bolt on panels (apart from slider) have now been shot with colour which was quite labour intensive as not only the insides had to be masked effectively to prevent overspray, the two tone paint means the edges that needed red base coat had to be sprayed first....then allowed adequate curing time before those edges were masked so the upper pearl white edges could be sprayed (remember, 3 coats of white base then 3 coats of pearl)....then all masking removed so the edges could be clear coated.
Although lots of red went onto the outside, a lot of it is sanded off when the doors etc received its final sanding before paint.
This is where the high build primer is useful - it provides an adequate thickness of material so when guide coat is applied it shows up sanding scratches and imperfections from body work - so basically you sand all these scratches out with a finer grit (first with 400 on the dual action sander to speed it up, then 600 wet paper by hand with a block.
After bolting the door back on, you can see the 600 wet paper provides a dull lustre 'semi polished' surface evidenced by the reflection here. At this stage it can be good practice to wet the surface using prep wash (grease/wax remover) which will show if the panels are straight or not - if not......back to sanding, filler, sanding, filler etc etc!
Before the doors went on, the inside edges were remasked along with the jambs to prevent overspray getting inside on previously painted surfaces.
The rear panel can be seen with a flash of water on it - this is not as good as prep wash to show imperfections as water can fool you due to its thicker film (can hide problems).....but anyway you get the picture. Despite several hours of panel beating it was impossible to totally get out the high crown in the rear panel (ie. the high spot in the centre of the panel that runs vertically (you can see it where the brick lines kink)). If this was a show resto I would have cut and shut the inner support structure to straighten it out - but that would add another day just for each rear quarter panel which wasn't feasible in this resto.
Dasdubber ·
Derek has decided to run a few autometer guages (oil temp and pressure which will be mounted under the dash) and a clock to fill the blank plate in the instrument cluster. Derek cut the blank filler piece to fit the clock, I just gave it a quick coat of paint and it was then bolted in place.
Should see some big progress this week!
silver ·
Nice work as always Alan,
After reading about all the shit with neighbours in sunny Qld It might be prudent to get them all a gift hamper or bottle of wine or something to keep them freindly 👍
Dasdubber ·
Yeah I am always considerate and before starting any noisy work I always do a quick door knock to see if it is okay - they are all really good and I think they appreciate being asked first. It also helps the house directly next door to us is a holiday home so for about 11 months in the year no one is home. I'd love an industrial unit though, that would make life easier - pity $ doesn't grow on trees!
silver ·
Dasdubber wrote:- pity $ doesn't grow on trees!
Seen the price of Cherries!
Dasdubber ·
Been having late nights trying to get the camper ready for collection on saturday (hence not too many updates). Had a few midnight finishes and long days - arms looking forward to a rest from sanding! This was from the other night (final sand with 600 then 800 wet - here is a pic after sanding with a flim of grease wax remover (sprayed on).
Finish off the gun - could be left as is and most would be very happy with it, but being a bit of a perfectionist (some say anal), it will be colour sanded to bring out the finish it really deserves!
I had a booth lined up for hire but it fell through at the last minute which left me with no choice but to do it from home. I consulted all my neighbours and explained the situation which they were all understanding of (seeing I need it finished by this weekend).....as bribery I bought my immediate neighbours a family pass to seaworld today so they didnn't get annoyed by any smell. All precautions were made for safety and to minimise spray drift to not annoy anyone - all was good. I don't intend to do any future spraying at home for a number of reasons.
You can see the reflection in the door of the fluoro light with a bit of orange peel (hard not to get it when you can't see the surface due to inadequate lighting (I was using the force most of the time)). This will come out with colour sanding though. All I can say is that two tone painting a kombi takes so bloody long it is not funny - masking alone takes so many more hours that I anticipated - ah well, I know for next time!
More pics tomorrow before it leaves on saturday (the oval will finally get its garage position back!).
Alan
Dasdubber ·
Well, I forgot how long it takes to colour sand properly! Not really, but I always seem to overestimate how much I can do in a day.
Here is a pic of the front corner of the bus - purposely holding up a spreader to demonstrate good gloss, but a bit orange peely....Although it would be good enough for a daily driver, I guess I am destined to build every car as if it was my own - which means pretty much show quality (fortunate for Derek and Lee).
This is after a quick once over with my small orbit (2.5mm) dual action sander using 800 grit (better for finishing - not good for heavy sanding like filler work etc - in that case you use a bigger orbit like 5mm). I purposely stopped early to take the pic to show the shiny low spots - if these are left, even after buffing you would still see tiny ripples/peel in the finish which I don't want. So after this pic, more sanding with 800 to completely flatten it out, then 1500 on the DA.....then 1500 wet by hand, then 2000 wet by hand....
....then using the sander/polisher with firm foam pad and cutting compound, you bring back the shine....then using a softer pad with finer compound you remove the swirls....then a machine glaze (which I will do when the whole bus is done. That is why it can take well over 50 hours to do a bus properly - so if you want that mirror finish that will stand up in a show, either get your arms ready for lots of sanding and polishing, or get your wallet out to pay someone by the hour to do it right! A picture tells a thousand words.
Dasdubber ·
The front of the bus took about 6 hours in total to colour sand today but was well worth the effort. There are many other tips and tricks but I don't want to write a novel - shoot me a question if you want to know anything in particular (like blocking (fixing) runs or dust nibs etc).
Happy days
Last pic for today - I might get around to doing the front doors tomorrow morning before my family gets down for pre-chrissy celebrations, so the bus will go back to its home (Derek and Lee's) for a few weeks before coming back to me to complete the colour sanding - just ran out of time unfortunately.
LUFTMEISTER ·
Nice example Alan. You must have arms like Schwarzenegger now.😁
All that paddling out to the surfs paid off.
BrisDubba ·
Well done Alan - am currently painting my spider so I have a special interest in your threads.
Ques : The sander you are using with the 800 to colour sand. I have only seen 400 in the discs- is it a pneumatic sander ?
again well done, that finish is amazing..
Dasdubber ·
Yeah mate, the sander is pneumatic - I was going to go Rupes but their air powered small orbit sander has a smaller head rather than the 150mm (6in) which I wanted especially for these big panels! I hadn't even heard of the brand before (Ultimate), however the paint shop I use (as I source all my gear from them including the spies hecker products) recommended it. Came with a one year warranty and at $270 it was good value. The rupes has an electric 150mm small orbit sander but I dare say it would $400 plus. The same paint supplier stocks all the sanding discs for said sander inc 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and even a 3000 trizact (used with interface pad) pad. All have holes with dust extraction capability.
Marcus - yep arms are looking forward to a rest - was up and in the surf at 6am yesterday morning and just finished up for the night sanding the doors (wet sanding isn't noisy fortunately). I need to learn how to use my left hand more for sanding otherwise I'll just paddle in circles!
Dasdubber ·
Managed to get both doors done this morning before Derek picked up the kombi - but still need to do the remainder of the bus when it comes back in January some time.
Also ran out of time to give it a proper clean up (sorry derek and lee!)
Bye bye for now - will look superb when the rest of colour sanding is done!
njg02 ·
Alan, just brilliant, and the colour! If only you lived a few hundred kays closer, I'd put my type 3 on your list to weave your magic.
Neil
GTMac ·
Alan, magic as usual. Who massages your back cause mine has gone already and I have only prepared the bonnet and one door of my Fasty?
Alan do I assume you can only try for a near perfect finish on one side? What I mean by this is with my bonnet their were a few high spots and one inside out dent. They have been tapped down but this of course leaves high spots on the underside. Im not worried about it but what do you do if you wanted flat as inside and outside?
Thanks, Andrew
Dasdubber ·
It is difficult to get it perfect both sides - this is when shrinking comes into play. Basically, when a dent occurs it stretches the metal (eg. as you referred to the inside-out dent) - after tapping it back to shape, you can heat the metal via an oxy acetylene torch and using a shrinking hammer (kinda like a fine meat tenderising hammer!) you can push the metal back into the cherry red hot spot thus shrinking the stretched area. This is really hard to explain in words but if you do a google search it should yield some good info.
PS Back is crook tonight after a full day helping Cam (a mate who lives a couple streets away) with his bus - luckily I have a fantastic wife! 😉
GTMac ·
Dasdubber wrote:It is difficult to get it perfect both sides - this is when shrinking comes into play. Basically, when a dent occurs it stretches the metal (eg. as you referred to the inside-out dent) - after tapping it back to shape, you can heat the metal via an oxy acetylene torch and using a shrinking hammer (kinda like a fine meat tenderising hammer!) you can push the metal back into the cherry red hot spot thus shrinking the stretched area. This is really hard to explain in words but if you do a google search it should yield some good info.
Thanks Alan, nope I get what youre saying perfectly but will do a google search for reference. Looks like my bonnet will not be show condition underneath 😂
But I will get an old panel and make my own dents and practice.......................did I just say that, make my own dents🤪
dlwrede ·
Home again and ready for another stage in the extreme make over, starting the job of putting things back onto & into place.
A few days into it and most of the fun easy things are in place! Now as per usual I have left all the hard and awkward things on the “to do list”!
With all the hard work and effort spent to date (thanks to Alan, aka Das Dubber & Glenn, aka brother in-law) I had to finish it right by spraying rust proofing in all the hidden nooks.
More to come in the following days, she has a date with the trimmers very soon. The only problem is so much to do and still having to go to work, a little inconvenient for me I guess.
dlwrede ·
Just a quick update today as another milestone was reached in the restoration. We now have power to the rear wheels!! My heart was in my mouth for a while when turning the key was not producing the results required. Thanks to Glenn and a few years experience working on drag racing cars we found that the Mallory dizzy I bough in from the US which had been spun up to suite the type 4 engine was 180 deg's out. A quick adjustment and a few choice words and this time when we turned the key it was like 50 something killer wasps being released into the wild, just good to here!
More next week before it heads to the trimmers.
Dasdubber ·
Great to see the updates continuing Derek! That engine looks great in the nice shiny engine bay - only downside is you'll have to keep it all clean now 😉
bond ·
killer wasps! 🙂
well done on getting her going! look forward to update pics!
nick
dlwrede ·
Well, after a few hours tidying up and running the future electrical wiring in the roof space she is all ready for her trip to the trimmers bright and early tomorrow morning, another milestone in her makeover reached.
I have run into a slight engine problem since it all went back in, she is running realy rich and flooding herself. There was always a slight problem from day one so I think a new kit through the carbs will be in order before it heads back to the coast to have the colour sanding finished, don't think it would make it other wise! Any suggestions what it could be if you have had this problem would be welcome?
Will post some more picts when it comes out of the shop late in the week,
Cheers
Derek
Dasdubber ·
She's looking fantastic Derek - its great seeing her come back together so nicely! I'll be ready and waiting to finish the colour sanding as soon as the trimmer is done!
LIFE IN THE LOW LANE ·
Noice.Very noice.
kroozzn63 ·
wow that looks great cant wait to see it slammed and white pinstriping on it. huh wat u mean its not getting that treatment!!! shes still sweet great job DAS gotta love a bit of shiny stuff no and then ,when its this damn good
Dasdubber ·
I'll get some more pics once I have the old (new?) girl back to finish my part in its resto - will be nice to see it one last time before it heads south to melbourne to live with Derek and Lee!
dlwrede ·
It's getting close now Alan!!
Lee and I are now at the stage of thinking, why not just give up our jobs and live the good life!! Oh how sweet it would be!! OK now back to reality, bills to pay and mouthes to feed,
Talk soon
Cheers
Derek
Dasdubber ·
To "save time" I thought I'd track down a donor sliding door that wasn't off a camper originally (so no vents) to paint and fit since the original slider warped more than I would have liked when the patch was welded in (despite slowly tacking and allowing heaps of cooling time).
So I got a donor slider, prepped and painted but it wasn't till it was on the bus with all the latches/hardware that I reaslied it was bowed in the middle and therefore did not sit nicely on the bus at all when viewed from the rear.
I wasn't happy with it so I went back to the original slider and spent the last couple of days with hammer and dolly and oxy to beat and shrink/stretch it back to shape as well as I could. Then filler and finally today primer and its looking respectable again. Bus will be back on the weekend for colour sanding finalisation so I'll get the slider into paint again.......so much for "saving time"!!
Another lesson learnt 🙂
66deluxe ·
Alan, you are just too good, love the work you have done so far.
Damo.
dangerous ·
HEY!
Whats that in the back ground!!
Dasdubber ·
dangerous wrote:HEY!
Whats that in the back ground!!
Thought I'd sneak a pic in and wait for someone to notice it 🙂
When I start work on Rod's chop top, I'll update some progress (just have to finish this camper first!).
Dasdubber ·
The slider is now back in paint - again like the rest of the bus, not as straight as it would be on a show bus, but still will look the goods when its back on!
This is before the colour sanding started on the side of the bus....I had to do a few touch ups including behind the bumper as there were too many dust nibs visible.
A view not too many people normally see:
Dasdubber ·
Seats have been retrimmed along with the rest of the interior panels (camper fitout to occur later this year after Derek and Lee's move to Melbourne)
Bizarre ·
Sweet
LOVE the interior
Dasdubber ·
The drivers side of the bus is now colour sanded along with the rear end. The inside of the slider was painted today, so now just the passenger side to finish after the slider is reattached. Also have to paint the underside (just in black 'killrust' paint).
The next 'project' is lurking in the reflection 🙂
bond ·
ha. love the reflection.
well done al.
nick
Dasdubber ·
Derek and Lee came down last night and picked up their pride and joy - it's finally finished after around 350 hours of work on rust repair, panel work, paint, colour sanding and detailing.
Reflection is not bad eh?
Another interior shot:
My trusty old 54 oval reflected in the nose will hopefully get some attention later this year!
So my involvement is finally all over - I am really happy with how the camper turned out, and so to is Derek and Lee. I didn't restore this as a show bus but I'm sure it would hold its own if put to the test....I could get the side panels straighter, however the time and budget and intended use didn't justify the extra hundred or so hours!! Regardless, it is a spectacular bus.....Derek, give me a yell when you find a splitty!
Alan
StenGuns ·
Superb
VWCOOL ·
sensational... Congrats Alan!
koolkarmakombi ·
Das Machine!
That is a real credit to you Alan
GTMac ·
Brilliant Allan, that is one clean Kombi and the interior has been done tastefully to match the rest of the A1 resto.
One problem though as below quote:
"Derek, give me a yell when you find a splitty!"
You just confirmed your madness 🤪
chris smart ·
this is one of my personal best ever seen restos. i love it mate and love the chrome bumper awesome work mate gotta give it to you you deserve it mate well done top stuff 👍👍👍
jjwebb123 ·
well done mate.
I luv threads that show the detail in a restoration
this will really help me out.
Thank You.