Restoration or should that be reconstruction challenge

Discussion in 'Restorations' started by Murtle, Mar 23, 2018.

  1. Normally I'm restoring tractors and vintage agricultural equipment from the 1940's onwards, now for something completely different. I've seen plenty of photos of rust and the like on T2's, but so far nothing as bad as the wreck I've managed to get.

    I collected this just before Christmas 2017 as my other half has always fancied one and seeing as she puts up with the tractors and I like a good project I thought what the heck. It came with loads of history and receipts dating back to the 90's. I've had a couple months of welding and general metal bashing on it, but below is as collected and my initial poking around it. I will update with progress over the next couple weeks until it's up to date with where I am at the moment.


    Oh and I do like a challenge, but what is the point where it's considered too far gone?

    [​IMG]
    On arrival, it does look sorry for itself.


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    The bumper fell off then the battery fell out, sideways,,,,, :eek:


    [​IMG]
    I was able to pull the rear side window out with my hands, complete with rubber, rust and filler. No tools needed.


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    The leaking rear side window resulted in the floor rusting away above the engine.


    [​IMG]
    The sliding doors were rotted away completely at the top, no frame left, just the window.


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    The bottom had been re-skinned at some point but without repairing the inner fame, so the skin was just floating. Then the leaking windows had allowed water into the joint of the new skin and that had rusted away from the original door to leave a hole.


    [​IMG]
    The engine blew a sparkplug out the RH cylinder head.


    [​IMG]
    When I took the cylinder head off it was cracked between the two valves and the spark plug hole, plus the spark plug hole had previously had a thread insert fitted that had failed / stripped.

    I needed this vehicle mobile for the next few months or so, so a temporary fix was required. I mounted the head in the mill and drilled a 16mm hole right through where the sparkplugs had been then made two top hat shaped bungs from aluminium pressed these into the head from outside in, tig welded it into place on the inside, and re-drilled and tapped the 14mm sparkplug holes. No more compression loss and the engine actually sounds sweet for this big botch. Requires deep reach sparkplugs now. New heads and cylinders to be ordered when I'm ready to tackle the engine properly.


    [​IMG]
    The front panel is held on with body filler, the front floor is rusted through everywhere and the panel it joins to is also rusted so the whole thing flexes.



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    Needless to say both front doors are shot, both skin and frames gone at the bottom


    And there we have it, much fun ahead.
     
    Last edited: May 4, 2018
    Saabboy96, paradox, blueeyes and 5 others like this.
  2. Good luck:thumbsup:
     
  3. God that’s rough best of luck with it
     
    Coco likes this.
  4. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    It's in the top 20 of bad uns that have been bought on here. Most have been sorted now!
     
    nicktuft and Coco like this.
  5. Ha that looks just like mine did :thumbsup: and if it makes you feel better i just bought a beetle in that state :) good luck with it will turn out good in the end :)
     
  6. PIE

    PIE

    It looks like a panel, and that dont look like a Westy roof, in fact if it were they didn't fit them to vans, when finished would the time and effort be worth the end result?
     
  7. As long as you don' pay anyone to do it for you :thumbsup:
     
    Pony, nicktuft and mgbman like this.
  8. PIE

    PIE

    I know what you mean but the work would be the same if you picked up say a pre 60 split or better still a 912 and for less work the end result would be a better return for your effort
     
    Faust and womball like this.
  9. Wow good luck mate


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  10. Superb. Great to see one rescued from the brink!
     
  11. Merlin Cat

    Merlin Cat Moderator

    Blimey! Good luck :)
     
  12. Yes I know but he wants a bay.. and like i said if he does his ownn work he can have a bay worth a lot more than you put into it :)
     
  13. Agreed its the same amount of work, but lets practise and learn on this first, and if I like it when its done and want to, it would fund the start of a good early splitty project.
     
  14. :thumbsup:
     
    Bulletooth likes this.
  15. Good luck! Looks like a chalenging project but you'll get the bus you want at the end :thumbsup:
     
    72devon likes this.
  16. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    Sometimes it’s about the adventure Dave!
     
    72devon likes this.
  17. PIE

    PIE

    Tell me about it, Scott of the Antarctic went on an adventure.
     
  18. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    He could have stayed at home and dreamed he was dying in the cold after racing fruitlessly to the pole!
     
  19. PIE

    PIE

    Ive done restos like that, wished I had stayed on the sofa
     
    Poptop2 likes this.
  20. But if you sat on the sofa you wouldn't have a beautiful split;)
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2018

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