Tell me what you think. (56k warning: landmines ahead)

The quintessential people and stuff mover.
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Zane Hall
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Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:57 am

Post by Zane Hall »

More pictures, taken Friday.

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The tow bar is welded on, I plan on using it to get it to my house, and then grinding it off.


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The interior, or lack thereof.


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It looks like the middle seat came out of a Vanagon?


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Fuel filler, needs replacing.


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A very questionable intake extension.

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Small rust holes here, and a couple more in the running boards.

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Stock headrest? Someone tell me.


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I was surprised not to see any serious rust here.


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Sliding door doesn't open, so I climbed through the back to get these pictures.


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Close-up.


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All four of the tires, excluding the spare, hold air.

I was very, very, very surprised.


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No rust holes underneath.

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Under closer inspection, I discovered that there were very few rust holes, with none of that nightmarish structural rust you guys talked about.

The interior was covered in dirt and smelled like storage.
I'm ripping it out, filling any rust holes (after getting rid of the rust) with fiberglass, then putting some insulation in to cut down on road noise.

The exterior? That's another store. (It was originally orange and white.)

There are some minor things I need to fix, like sticky door locks, etc.

The engine that comes with the bus is a 1600cc Type 3 motor (upright), that needs a rebuild and to have the tin refurbished (by me).
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InaneCathode
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Post by InaneCathode »

Structural rust in my experience is seldom obvious. Have you tried sounding out where the rust would be or just glancing at it?
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Zane Hall
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Post by Zane Hall »

InaneCathode wrote:Structural rust in my experience is seldom obvious. Have you tried sounding out where the rust would be or just glancing at it?
I banged around on the inside and outside looking for it.

I also used a magnet to look for any bondo or fiberglass.
Piper
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Post by Piper »

the pic of the floors from underneath shows some rust on the out riggers (the arm that comes off the main frame), they can be a real bear. I've passed on other wise solid buses because of rusty out riggers. They are fixable/replaceable, but you never know what its going to look like underneath. Be careful, but keep us up to date on your adventures!
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MNAirHead
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Post by MNAirHead »

Do you still want honest opinions?
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Zane Hall
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Post by Zane Hall »

MNAirHead wrote:Do you still want honest opinions?
Go ahead.
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InaneCathode
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Post by InaneCathode »

Zane Hall wrote:
MNAirHead wrote:Do you still want honest opinions?
Go ahead.
My two cents: You wanted a project, you've got one! That is such a massive restoration project it boggles my mind. Its a 'remove oil filler cap, replace vehicle' type of things. You've got: Interior (total), exterior (total), engine (total), suspension (probably total), chassis (probably about halfway if the outriggers are rusty).
Its something to work on though :) hope you get the time/money :D
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MNAirHead
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Post by MNAirHead »

Ditto

Welcome to STF
Pillow
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Post by Pillow »

It is a project. I have seen much worse running though.

If you want something custom, go for it. If you want stock then it is a money pit. Remember that you will probably never get the money back out of it.

... If you need to drive it, buy a better one. 1-2K ought to get you something decent in a Bay.

If you are near Atlanta then check out the Peachstate Transporters group. A bunch of great people who are happy to help get you started in busses, most of them now run Vanagons though.
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raygreenwood
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Post by raygreenwood »

Do it! Rusty but relatively complete. Its still simpler than restoring a 411/412 in similar shape. At least you can get parts....if the $ is available... :D Ray
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Zane Hall
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Post by Zane Hall »

Thanks for all the help and advice, and a Merry Christmas and Happy Festivus to you all.

A lot of what needs to be done (correct me if I'm wrong) is mostly damage control for the rust, which would involve grinding or sanding it down to the bare metal, hitting it with some POR-15 or Rust bullet, and then patching any holes with fiberglass for the exterior applications, and metal (street signs) for the floor pans.

Also, a question about the engine: in the 1973 Kombi, was the 1600cc Type 3 used, or was it the bulkier Type 4 powerplant?

Before the rust removal, the carpet, door panels and headliner need to be removed (and trashed or re-sold, because of the overall decrepit condition).

The suspension looks bad, but it works fine for right now. The ride sits high and it has good compression and rebound.
I'm considering switching over to air-ride suspension later.

Replacing the rubber, in my opinion, is a given on a vehicle this old.
I'm thinking about going to cal-look rubber because of the faded trim.

The brake system also need replacing, but I'm sticking to drum brakes.

Another question: Is that what the sliding door is supposed to look like, all bent up?
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MNAirHead
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Post by MNAirHead »

Start with the important stuff..

Structural... weld together any outriggers and other safety stuff....

Brakes - replace EVERYTHING with rubber on it.

Engine - probably a T4.. may be able to save it.
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Zane Hall
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Post by Zane Hall »

MNAirHead wrote:Start with the important stuff..

Structural... weld together any outriggers and other safety stuff....

Brakes - replace EVERYTHING with rubber on it.

Engine - probably a T4.. may be able to save it.
As always, first things first. :)
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InaneCathode
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Post by InaneCathode »

Man i hope you're good at interiors, or have a buddy who is :o
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Zane Hall
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Post by Zane Hall »

InaneCathode wrote:Man i hope you're good at interiors, or have a buddy who is :o
I know some people that know some people. :)
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