Viking Restoration, Blood, Sweat, Tears, Tragik

great work on the window surrounds

looking really good mate.

are you sure you want to take off the raised badge bit on the front??? ...you'll get distortion

I spent 8 hours removing mine and welding on a new bit, quenching each tack weld with cold water ........still distorted right across the front

I think If I was to do it again I would tack weld a plate behind the bit I cut out then weld the patch over the backing plate - I reccon a backing plate tacked in place might reduce a bit of the distortion. I'd also go to the effort of cutting it out as a circle rather thatn a square if you know what I mean.

 

Im impressed with those window surrounds dude

 

I managed to get a little done on the bus over the weekend despite the surprise 30 degree heatwave,

Replaced the lower edge of one of the window surrounds after realising the metal was a bit thin and I could push holes in some of it,










Running out of gas (again) stopped play for the day,

 

tidy bit of fabrication there dude

 

It doesnt look alot, but it feels like progress, the window surrounds I started months ago are done and primed! I masively under estimated the amount of work these would be, in the way I approached it using panels that were most available,

A few more window surround pics follow for your boredom entertainment.

All fillered up and ready to go,







Thats the top half of a LHD door grafted in there,



Etched 1st, then 2k'd









Still got plenty of other bits to tidy up, and then start on the sliding door which needs some serious tlc, but getting to this point feels like a weight off my shoulders.

 

The window surrounds might have been a lot of work but they look great

nice to see some paint work goin on

 

The windows look top notch mate

 

Been pushing on through the artic conditions and have made some small progress,

1st up was to cut and adjust the mahoosive step/door gap which seems unavoidable when fitting new cheapo arches.







Then decided to hack the perfectly good new front panel to lose the badge plinth, and add plenty of distortion which now needs sorting out. :'( White paint shows the affected area, and I'll be heat shrinking it first before applying filler.





Hoping to get the fillerwork done again over the Christmas break... motivation and weather permitting :

 

Nothing to update aside from the fact, the barn where my bus is stored got broken into lastnight. Luckily nothing was taken, (or dont think anything has) & I'm assuming carrying old panels away wasnt top of their thieving wish list.

We think they were after copper/aluminium or anything else of high value as it looks like some scrap aluminium window frames were taken from another lockup.

Sensibly I keep all my tools in a very secure workshop on the same site., but just a heads up to be vigilant.

 

Wow . first time i've seen this thread. Massive amount of hard graft. Hats off to you. Keep up the good work.
I remember when i was a kid my dad had a 6 bearth viking. That was converted from a van so the side windows were cut in. Lots of rust appeared in these areas.

 

nice work on getting rid of the raised bit on the front, I know how easy it is to get distortion in that area :

 

Some progress this weekend, but most of it in the backwards direction, :'(

Used Oxyacetylene gas to heat shrink the side panel as distortion from welding had caused the panel to become stretched and difficult to work with, Got some filler on the front and side panel, and rubbed most of it out again twice (1 whole 3lt large tin!) still needs a tight finishing skim though.





Then.....taking 3 steps backwards,
I set about the rear valance and engine lid hinge panel. These had been previously replaced/worked on before my ownership and I was not happy with the way it had been done, in that the panels had been fabricated and a lot of joins/edges were swimming in filler, was also wondering what was hiding behind them.












Given myself plenty more work to get on with, and now need to source some panels and probably fabricate a few bits that probably arent available. The completion date of April seems to be slipping away.

 

Looks like my thread title gets to live upto its name,





Look away now if you dont want to see the blood. Angle grinder V's top lip pictures below, hide behind a full face mask if squemish!

























I will finish this charles the terd bus!

 

bl@@dy hell mate!!

glad your ok, that could have been a lot worse

 

Ouch!!!!! Mate hope you are feeling better, these vans should come with a health warning! i've got a scar across the forehead from messing with a pop top coil spring!

 

The first man for a few centuries to be axed in the face by a Viking.

 

nice bit of metal work owennw

 

great thread buddy and some good resto work, to the bus and you