Chug Chug the 1977 Westfalia Helsinki

Didn't have time to post anything last night as I was nights but I spent a couple of hours on the camper, only done a few small jobs but it all helps. Fitted my ammeter to its pod had to file the inside hole to make it fit. Fitted the chrome joining strip to the screen, I found it when clearing out Chug Chug:-


Had my little helper to clean the bus out & hover all the crap out:-

Next day on the bus, Sunday hopefully I'm going to clean it all & make it look nice inside ready for the painter who is coming up mid week all being well:-



As you can see its filthy inside but a bit of elbow grease & it will be sorted.

 

Didn't go out on the bus untill after 1 PM as my head was a bit sore from last night. I don't remember leaving Swansea but my daughter said I woke her up at about 12.30 scrounging £5.00 cos I didn't have enough for the taxi. She said I was talking funnny swaying & eating a keebab.
Spent all day cleaning, cleaned the floor inside, its now ready for paint:-


I couldn't beleve how dirty it was because of the shot blasters, I think its all off now:-




Had a play with the rear foam I borrowed off Bay Boy:-



His is smaller than mine because he has a Berlin with a 3/4 width bed & mine is a Helsinki with a full width bed.
The RHS fits lovely but the LHS a has slightly different profile. First job tommorow is to make a cardboard template of the LHS & give the whole lot to my mother when she gets back from Dubai she's good with the old upholstery malarki & can make me a new one.

 

These are the bits that need attention & I'll takle tomorrow:-




The rear valance ends need to be bent over neatly, the LHS needs a hole drilling to match the RHS & both fresh air inlets need sanding & priming before the rust again.
While it don't look much its taken me all day & I feel much happyer with the bus now that its all clean & it should be ready for the paint work before I go back to work on Thursday.

 

Went out on the bus this morning, then the wife rang she'd broken down

I had a look all the spark pugs were wet & so was the inside of the dizzy (I gunked it all down & washed it with a hose yesterday)

Anyway a local bloke seen me pull up in it & declared he liked it so I sold it to him for 1/2 a grand. Now I have a VW only household (it was a Vauxhal Chavilier)

Becaus of this the wife would be without a car for work so I cleaned the newly aquired Passat I have bought & fitted a new aerial & CD then it got dark so bugger all done on Chug Chug, I did push it out of the garage & lift the roof though:-

 

Just a few pics to keep your interest up, been slacking the last two weeks, got some overtime in to pay for my engine, sorting the transport for work out & been helping BayBoy finish his camper. Now the next five days is for Chug Chug time. Been out on him all day (nights last night so I got out about 1PM) just got in about an hour ago. My M8 Ian is coming up tomorrow to paint the inside in 2-pack primer so I had to get it ready. I primed the bare metal Scotch bite padded all the original paint down & seam seallered all over the welds.
Also done some more filling & sanding of the sill where it joins the A plar & rear arch, one more rub down now & it'll be right. Also I had a set back last week removing the sliding door, my M8 dropped it bending the end over so I had to straighten that & it needed some filler to make it look right again. Anyway enough talk here are some pics:-

 

My M8 been around today to do some paint work, what do you think?


Only joking a M8 was playing with photoshop here are some things he came up with:-

 

Right my M8 Ian did com around & he painted the inside, we masked all the other bits first & then hovered out the dust, blew it over with an airline, hovered again & then panel wiped it & then tack ragged it all, the result as you can see is awsome. Ian can be rached on 0777 4444691 he's from Ammanford & will travel around Camarthen, Llanelli, Swansea & Neath or you can go to him, he specialises in paint matching & small panels, blowins & bumper repairs:-

 

Couldn't wait untill the morning so I just been out & pulled off the masking it looks purfect & the paint match is spot on L63H. I'm well happy. Tomorrow I'm getting the arse end in the ait on axle stands so he can paint the engine bay, behind the fuel tank & all the underside at the back. He's also going to spray a strip right to the front so I can run the wiring harness front to back ready for the return of my engine:-

 

Been a very busy boy today, started off badly as I had to replace my pearents alarm box as they had a power surge the other day & It blew the control panel. That went ok & so I got on the bus about 1.30 PM My mate came aroud with a few goodies for me a RHD cab floor rubber mat, S/S mech grilles for the lights, a new bumper trim (the one that hides the exhaust & a replacement No. plate light. I'll put up some pics in a bit its uploading as we speak cos I only just got in.

I have run a wire to the back tailgate for the alarm (which I fitted a few months ago) I ran a speaker wire down the RHS (I done the LHS months ago) Re-fitted all of my curtains & covered all inside the panels with cavity wax I used two tins just inside the side panels. Then I filled the cavities with fibre glass matting for insulation. again pics to follow in a bit.

 

I'm probably not going to use the No. plate light its a bit scruffy so I'll buy a new one also the matt is not purfect but should clean up alright & it will do till I find a mint one.

 

Used 2 tins of this thats 1.5L in total.


Ready for panels now, took my new ones over my mothers house tonight as I done her alarm she said she'd stain them up for me tomorrow. Result.


Refitted the plug for the fridge after checking the conections & cleaning up the plastic.


Curtains back on.[

 

All the green carpet is being removed & I'm going to flock the surface in white. I will replace that canvas one day with the proper stuff, no rush though as it is in good condition & doesn't leak at all.


You can see the alarm wire where it comes throgh with the speaker wire, it will come out here though:-

I got a new plastic piece to cover the hinge as that overspray won't come off.

I know it looks bad but this is a new panel its just I didn't know it was supposed to be folded over so needs a clean up & prep then the rear end will be painted again. I will also have to paint my engine lid again because the paint work was spoiled with the shot blasting.

I also roller painted in here with Jenoseal anti rust primer, there was no rust as it has been shot blasted but you can't be too carefull.

 

I wasn't ready for Iam today so he's coming Tuesday now instead, I spent all day preping the bus & now I'm knackered, got in about 10 mins ago & the back end is finished, ready for 2-pak primmer & then paint. Also finished are the sliding door that took about 3 hrs alone to get it spot on, the front arch by the B-pillar is done & I'm really happy with the finish & its in etch primer now ready for the 2-pak & top coat so is the front of the rear arch:-





I got hold of some high tech insulation normally used for under lamminate floor I am going to line the rear arches with this to keep the road noise down & add some extra insullation:-

& I also stripped the white vinyl off the roof panels ready for the flock, I cleaned up the white edging strip & the sliding door top trim, while waiting for the filler to harden:-

This is the state on the inside of my engine cover just needs a quick rub down & painting.

 

Right small update, Mam has nearly finished the staining of my inside panels, I've ordered the white flock & white glue for the roofing panels & the engine bay & underside are all preped up & ready for paint. I sent a cheque off today to Laurie Pettit for my engine so I should get it back next week hopefully.

 

Right about time we had an update, after about 3 whole days of sanding & preping the engine bay was ready for paint, Ian came up this morning & started applying the 2K primer, after doing about half the engine bay he's gone off for a few hours for it to dry.
Even though I hovered it all out & blew everywhere with an airline some dust has appeared & stuck to the fresh paint, so he wants it to dry , flat it down & then paint again so this is the job so far:-

 

Right finished for the night now, Ian has finished the engine bay to a very high standard even behind the fuel tank, behind the lights up inside the vents & every conceivable orafice in those areas. He has also painted around the rear valance & the lights as the preping wasn't purfect on these the first time around but now it is.

I have also preped & painted down the sills both sides as these areas were damaged during the welding of the sills.

I am well pleased with the results a simple rub down with 600 grade paper now & it will be ready for the top coat.

The only area he didn't prime because it got to late was the inside of th fresh air vents for the engine cooling. These will be done on his next visit before the top coat goes on.

 

My plan tomorrow is to tidy the work are of the garage, nag my mother to finish staining the inside wood panels; prep & paint the fuel tank, the fuel filler neck inspection hatch, the engine inspection hatch, prep the engine lid, paint the fan housing unit grey & the engine/ feul tank firewall grey

 

If you'd seen this Bus in August it looked awsome but I wasn't 100% happy with it, been out there all day today preping it & I'm happy to report that its now finished & ready for the top coat.

Come in for my tea now & then I'm back out the garage to prep & paint the petrol tank, fuel filler inspection hatch, exhaust masking panel & the firewall between the engine bay & fuel tank.

Should get them all finished tonight & then I'll update with some pictures