Pearl’s Rolling Restoration

Discussion in 'Restorations' started by Cloppper, Jun 12, 2019.

  1. Now we’re up to date. Today I started with the filler

    [​IMG]

    You can see from this pic, my gaps are off around the engine lid. That’s because some bright spark has welded the hinges on! I’ve bought the new panel and intend to restore this whole section. Though that’ll have to wait till the end of the summer. It’s pretty bugging, I just want to crack on, but I’ve got other more prescient bits that still need sorting, like the sliding door mech. So rust treatment, filler and a lick of paint for now.
     
  2. With the filler and paint, I’ve put 2 lots of filler on now and I’m getting happy, but it’s not perfect. Should I keep going filling and sanding till it’s spot on or is it cool to do a coat of primer and fill again if required? As a chippy I fill sand paint fill sand paint to get a perfect finish. But for this should it be fill sand fill sand fill sand paint?
     
  3. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Are you using a guide coat to see where your fillers at? Try and get your filler as best you can before primer, but it can be tricky to see how it looks properly until you get primer on it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  4. Ah right, no not used a guide coat. Glanced at it today in the orange car shop, but was laden with other stuff and what do they put in that stuff? Diamonds? Which made me think of just a light dusting with primer instead. Which brought me to my question... I’ll get some guide coat in the morning!
     
    JamesLey likes this.
  5. Lazy Andy

    Lazy Andy Supporter

    Guide coat can be any contrasting paint... you’re going to rub most of it off anyway!! Don’t be lured into Halfrauds prices and marketing!

    Find yourself a local paint factors for volumes of paint or even a motor factors just for fair pricing on the non VW specific parts.

    Our local one is 200yards from Halfrauds and it’s surprising how busy the big orange one is compared to the local, cheap independent!
     
    Cloppper likes this.
  6. Busy last couple of days. Filling and sanding, sanding and filling. And after a coat of primer, I figure one more filler should do it. [​IMG]

    I’ll be honest, I can’t get my hat on. When I compare it to how it was!

    Before the top coat, I want to finish up the inside; so today I revisited my first weld, on the chassis end, bit more welding and a tidy up of the whole area I’ve worked on. Rust treatment and primer.

    All the rain recently has given me time to clean up the big engine tin, so I put it back in, and fitted a new seal.

    [​IMG]
     
    paradox likes this.
  7. Also replaced the fuel hoses and fitted a new air filter, so started her up and rolled off the driveway for the first time in a while.

    When I rolled back in, Facing the other way I thought I’d have a quick gander at the sliding door. A few bits of wheel fell out of the mechanism at the end of last summer. First get the cover panel off...[​IMG]

    It and a fair few of the seams around the bus have been filled over. A previous owner going for the smooth look? Or an attempt to cover up all manner of carnage...

    [​IMG]

    Carnage it is! Initially my heart sank when I saw this. But after a poke around, it dawned on me, it’s just a series of processes. Cut it, clean it, weld it etc. So I’ve ordered the window repair pieces and a new ‘V’ channel.
     
    CollyP, paradox, rob.e and 3 others like this.
  8. The original reason for taking the cover off, was the sliding door, so I replaced the bearing and the guide, both had broken. Greased it up and it slides like a dream. [​IMG]

    Thought I’d give the rest of the chassis a once over and found these...

    [​IMG]

    So chopped out

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    And fettled one of the repairs before close of play

    [​IMG]
     
    crossy2112, Coco, paradox and 2 others like this.
  9. Weather’s been a tad damp today for welding. So decided to make Pearl some new curtains. (A less then urgent project, heavily driven by my better half!) The old ones were very faded and though my son liked their pirateyness, they weren’t really my bag. [​IMG]

    And nor the boss’s, who chose this instead.
    [​IMG]

    I wasn’t entirely convinced, but it was nice material to work with, and now that they’re installed, I’m really happy with the result.

    [​IMG]
     
    paradox likes this.
  10. Very very frightening for meeeeeeeeeeee
     
    Coco, Cloppper and JamesLey like this.
  11. Awesome curtains & awesome welding
     
    Cloppper likes this.
  12. [​IMG]

    Top coated my repaired back end yesterday! And started welding the other chassis repairs

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  13. There is something extremely satisfying in taking something off the van, cleaning it up and giving it a fresh coat of paint!
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    I cleaned up both bumper brackets, welded a small repair on one and then sprayed them up with primer and stone chip.

    [​IMG]

    Then the same to the inside of the chrome bumper. Which also needed some rust treatment.

    Then put it all back on the van. Happy with that!
    [​IMG]
     
    Coco, Valveandy, paradox and 3 others like this.
  14. Pearl is MOT exempt, but as a way to check the work I’m doing is up to muster and because I’ll be driving my family around, I’m going to keep it MOT’d.

    It failed on a sidelight/brake light issue, initially thought to be the bulb, but turned out to be a shady earth wire. Easily sorted though, so

    [​IMG]

    Woot!

    It’s a little down the ‘to do’ list, as it all works, but I’m keen to redo the electrics, and make a new loom. There’s plenty of wires that go nowhere!
     
    VW-Pete, Iain McAvoy, Zebedee and 3 others like this.
  15. Congratulations on the pass
     
    Cloppper likes this.
  16. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Splendid result mate!
     
    Cloppper likes this.
  17. Not done much since the MOT, restoration wise, been out and about and camping in her.

    But a few week ago I read a thread by @Nils who has been involved in engineering and refining 3D printed parts for the 72/74 indicator switch. Mine works, but it’s prone to switching itself on and doesn’t self cancel.

    Working 2nd hand replacements are so rare I’ve never seen one. And there isn’t a modern reproduction available for the 72-74 model. NOS ones can be found for the best part of £300. Not really justifiable for a flawed part, to replace one that works, but isn’t perfect.

    So thanks to Nils I’ve got the chance to restore, instead of replace. I ordered a set of his 3D printed parts,

    [​IMG]

    And today, set about fixing it.
     
    paradox and Kruger like this.
  18. Kruger

    Kruger Sponsor

    Keep us updated, something I want to do on mine when it’s back on the toad as the self cancelling only works in one direction!
     
    Cloppper likes this.
  19. I’ll probably describe this in too much detail for anyone who hasn’t got this year of switch, but hopefully it’ll be useful to those that do.

    I disconnected the battery and removed the switch from the steering column

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    I thought I’d try and fix it without disconnecting the wiring so, bent the 4 metal tabs up that wrap around the plastic base.

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    It was fiddly, as I was trying to be careful, there’s only so many times you can bend a tiny bit of metal and it showed signs of being done before. Seems a previous owner had attempted a repair. One snapped off which made me even more cautious.
     
    Kruger likes this.
  20. The other 3 were fine though and I eased of the plastic base. I got my thumb in and tried to hold the gubbins in place, as springs contracted and bits moved. I took a load of photos to try and capture the detail and avoid having to guess how it would go back together.

    [​IMG]

    Then gingerly laid it on the table and took some more;

    [​IMG]

    Inside, 2 of the 3 plastic working parts were broken and the other worn down. Of the 6 springs only 1 was misshapen.
     
    Valveandy and Kruger like this.

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