Campervan-ia Rust-oration (78 Camper - Danbury?)

Cheers guys, I will clean up the beam some more and see what I think.

MM

 

Just been out to strip down the beam (or what’s left of it) ???
Pop off the anti-roll bar - 2 nuts and a steel sleeve that slides of the anti-roll bar bush retaining clamp. The clamp was welded on to the sleeve with rust so just chiselled it in half. ;D



Next removed the upper and lower control arms. Undo the nut and then clean out the end of the locating pin/screw. Buried amongst the muck is a hex socket. Once unscrewed the arms can be tapped off.



So beam is now fully stripped and attacked with a wire brush. I have to say I have seen Swiss cheese with less holes in it I admire your optimism para but I think this would need resurrecting not repairing – maybe a trip to Lourdes is called for. :



Apart from the holes it looks like the seams have split as well….




And saving the best for last…..



If I try to plate this I will have more repair than original. :-

MM

 

great thread buddy, that rust looks all too familiar! i repaired my beam, but it wasnt as bad as in your last pic. keep up the good work!

 

OK, long time no update.

Finally got Rusty mounted on my rotisserie and this is what he looks like underneath


Centre section doesn't look toooo bad, front y-frames are OK ish, rear is a bit tired.


Battery tray/lower rear quarters are shot,


Jacking points are vapour ware,


Me thinks there will be a fair bit of work here :

But just when you think all is doom and gloom you get the wire brush out and find there are still some bits that are original and sound


Now to start stripping out all the cables etc. Not much left of the wiring loom channel, think this will get replaced in plastic/PVC for longevity when we rebuild!


So now the resto can start ;D

Cheers,

MM

 

looking like a really good project in the making here. definately looks like you have your work cut out there but im sure you can pull it off. im currently doing the same to mine and the roll-over jig makes it alot easier to work on.

how do you intend to clean the chassis?? blast media?

 

not to bad i have see an awful worse on the roads nice work

 

So the clean up has started ........



Wire brush in the angle grinder was too harsh so using the die grinder. Need to find a source of decent hi-speed wire brushes though, the cheapo ones throw their wires out at hi-speed and wear out in a couple of hours

Suggestions?

MM

 

Bit of a break from cleaning chassis's, thought I would strip out the electrics.

Fusebox all numbered up and wires labelled.


Strange driving position these Late Bay's have


MM

 

OK, back to cleaning duties.

Everything that isn't rotten is liberally coated in waxoyl or the equivalent. Combination of wire brush and Jizer results in something like this...



The front end has cleaned up nicely, looks like the floor is newer, grey primer under the waxoyl rather than the original blue.



Inner parts of the tubs are OK, but the outers are obviously shot.



Plan is to clean the chassis right back and then epoxy primer will be laid on.

Something interesting here.....



The o/s/f chassis leg looks like it has been replaced - proper job, well done probably same time as the new floor has gone in. I reckon at some stage in its life Rusty has had a front end knock and has been pulled out on a jig.

Part of the fun of doing these resto's is figuring out the history of the vehicle in question, kinda TLB CSI C What do you reckon?

Also, why do VW wrap the heater pipe T-piece in material (apart from to keep the moisture in so it rusts more quickly : )


Cheers,

MM

 

Good resto look forward to following


The joins on the chassis legs are standard from the factory

 

Lol, Matty beat me to it. ;D

 

Thanks guys - why on earth did they weld them rather than make them in 1 piece? Weird

Still think the front o/s leg has been replaced, but nice to know it wasn't heavy enough to twist the main frame

So what about that wrap around the heating tube y-piece, anyone know why its there? (and hence, do I need to replace it )

Cheers,

MM

 

Another day cleaning the chassis - keep telling myself you have to do he rubbish bits to have fun later

Added a new tool to my Waxoyl removal kit, namely a blunt chisel! Great for scraping of the Waxoyl and less messy than wire brush.

So now the front end is pretty much cleaned up.


Will need new wheel arch/step panels as well as outer tub repairs on both sides.


I will leave the final clean and prep for paint until I have the new metal in, at which stage I will probably hit it with the media blaster to get in all the awkward nooks and cranny's :

Big debate going on at the moment about wether to remove the floor to repair the top hats and outriggers, getting some good input from brother, Paul and silver on another thread.

So, next question - deformation panel. This is what it looks like


Lots of rust at both corners. i am thinking replace as if it is that rusty on the ends it will have a lot of surface corrosion inside and I will have no way of cleaning it. just means even if I repair the ends, corrosion will come through elsewhere eventually.

What would you guys do, repair or replace, VWH list a genuine (Brazilian) replacement for £100 ......

Thoughts?

Cheers,

MM

 

Quality job on the underside cleaning, i did the same on my old stag and what a crap job it is
When i did my sills i removed the floor but only as it was rotten too, i would try and keep the floor in place first, if you struggle then you can cut out what you need to, I'm still to decide what to do with the rest of my floor yet
My deformation panel is in a similar state and i'm going to replace mine along with the front panel

 

Just replied on your thread VWMad

Thanks for the input on the deformation panel guys, kinda what i thought so good to get confirmation. I am concerned about getting inside as many sections as poss to treat/paint so it makes sense to pop off the deformation panel and then I can see whats going on behind it better.

Cutting and replacing will be fun compared to scraping and cleaning

MM