Woody my 72/73 bay window resto project .......an epic tale of rust.......

I had Monday off (rest day after night shift ) decided not to sleep when I got home so started to bend the new repair for the rear wheel arch. Didn't get that far as eldest had his first nativity play - he spent the time pulling faces at us
Picked up a delivery from the courier (delivered Friday whilst out) it was the epoxy mastic I'd ordered ;D Can't wait to get some on but I think there will be snow at the weekend so too cold to be painting

Managed to take some pics of the inside of the top hat repair, I'd used copper behind the gap as it was quite large. You can see the results, very flat requiring no grinding back - just as well as I couldn't get the grinder in, you can also see where I'd accidently ground into the flange of the section at the top of the picture done whilst grinding the outer weld back

 

I went ahead with making a new panel for the rear arch. I made it from an "L" shaped piece of metal and gently bent it into shape, I made it too big for the area I needed so I could cut it down to size.
Took about a days worth of work (that's one of my 3hr days including tea breaks)

I was very please with the result. Had a look at the first one I made and realised I could have used it, but as the new one is cut to size it's getting welded in.

 

As it had been snowing saturday the ground was rock hard - Ideal for getting under the van with out getting too muddy!!!

Here's a couple of photos of the rear arch repair welded in

 

Yoda: meet the wise Jedi in that Bar we will

Princess Diddymen: your not going in there to get loaded are you?

Yoda: Ignores comment ......Follow me

In the bar they meet a strange hooded character in the corner, he has an air of calm and wiseness about him.

Princess Diddymen: Err excuse me, are you Ob wan

the gruff stranger look up and smiles

Yoda: ah good to see you old friend it is, do you have some wise words for Princess Diddymen and his restoration thread??

Ob Wan:

 

Princess Diddymen: I've only got another 40 pages to re post it wont take long .....probably only be 20 pages when Im done as I wont have all the replies to re post (whispers to Yoda) - has he been drinking??

Yoda: Ignores comment

Princess Diddymen: I dont like the way he's looking at me in my bikini that Im still wearing from Jabbas palace.

Yoda: Ob wan, The secret plans to the Empires deadly weapon the princess has, to Ob wan you must show

Princess Diddymen: They are encoded in this droid

R2D2: beep beep whistle

Yoda: I knew he'd say that

Princess Diddymen: knock it off it wasnt funny the first time

 

And I also managed to get the last top hat repair welded in this week end ;D ;D
I've got to go over a few bits I missed on this last one as it was getting dark at the time of welding. It was near impossible to get the welder in to weld up the joins and the grinder was not getting in either. I gave it a little going over with my die grinder but it still looks a mess .

Where possible I like to get my welds ground back so it doesn't look like there is a repair there at all - I'll just have to live with this one

All that is left to do now is a small floor repair near the C post then the inner sill can go on ;D
Although I may do some of the chassis repairs first :

 

Princess Diddymen: how do we get the plans from this R2 unit??

C3po: Allow me sir

R2D2: beep whistle

......message plays - help me ob wan Kenobi your my only hope

Ob Wan: Pah, there not plans, its just you recording a message, how are we supposed to defete the Emporer now

Princess Diddymen: Ooops I must have pressed the wrong button

Mrs Diddymen: Will you turn that bloody computer off and stop typing Im trying to go to sleep

Diddymen: sorry


To be continued.....................

 

Oops - soz mate I see you've been mending your window. :embaressed

I know you didn't use much of that cut, but it made a nice job of what can turn into a bit of a patchwork in the corners and I've had the long repair parts that are so bad you wouldn't get the sliding door back on if you didn't rebend them first.

 

;D

You should know by now that I always do a bit to it every weekend ......unless its raining!

Yea, didnt use that much of the window cut in the end, and some of that I had to weld in a patch but it made a pretty good job of it and I'm pleased with how it went. I think it was better than me trying to make loads of little bits to weld on to get the profiles etc righ.

I even re used the track cover J section that was on it and got that welded on today after going to beach buggin.

Any one fancy some more re posts???? .....silence? I'll take that as a yes then ;D

 

This post is from Febuary 2010 .....obviously didnt get much done in January.....dosent sound like me ???

Started the chassis repairs, has been a bit tricky, there were some spots which I didn't get good penetration so I welded again all the way across the chassis repairs from the other side - it wasn't pretty as I welded a third of it before realising the welder tip was partly blocked causing intermittent feeding, once changed I then welded 3 inches with out turning the gas on and the rest was quite blobby as I'd not turned the wire speed back down (thought I didn't have enough speed untill I realised the tip was blocked)don't think I can get the grinder in to re do it either. At least it's a hell of a lot better than it was!!

I did the chassis repairs in several sections to keep it's strength. I started it over christmas before the snow fell.

 

The rest of the christmas repairs (perhapse I should have read the next post before commenting on how lazy I was : )

 

I then repaired the area inbetween these last 2 repairs. I left it there to make sure I got the other repais lined up properly before cutting it out completly

 

Princess Diddymen: wheres Master Yoda??

C3PO: he's over at the bar drinking Sambuka's

Princess Diddymen to Yoda: I thought you said you wernt going to get wasted

Yoda (slured speech): Lied I did, 4 page into your resto thread re post you are and not much have you welded

Princess Diddymen: I'm getting there any way I think you've had enough to drink

Yoda (slurred speech): Pointless is it to continue the starwars references. Just you it was on the R2 unit. No plot can you now continue

Princess Diddymen: C3Po take another look at R2 will you

C3PO: no theres nothing more

Princess Diddymen: look harder unless you want to visit the scrap man

C3PO: errrr, oh yes there seems to be the secret plans still in R2 so we can still continue the starwars theme yea!!

Princess Diddymen to Yoda: See I told you

Yoda (slurs speech) : poor was that attempt to keep people interested

R2D2: beep beep whistle

Yoda (slurs speech to R2D2): You little piece of tin cr#p Im going to beat the s#*t out of you if you dont shut up

Princess Diddymen to Ob Wan: I think its about time we left

 

Hopefully this post should bring you uptodate with my thread on another site (or it did when I originally posted - theres still another 20 pages at least to post ;D ), then you get the exclusives first!!!! and I copy and past to the other thread.

First off though here is a picture of my rotory file which I've also heard called a burr grinder or die grinder. I've only pictured a few of the rotory file "bits" I also have a ball shaped bit and a straight sided bit.



the last few week ends I've been finishing off the chassis repairs

I started where I left off at the seam between the 2 chassis sections, I welded a small area in up to the point where the chassis bends outwards





Next was a long bit across where the strengthener from the floor is welded to the chassis

 

Then a last small area up to where the hand break cable guide exits the chassis





Some views of it all finished after welding from the other side

 

Not quite sure what to start next, any sugestions? (obviously I did carry on and find something to do)

I could start putting the sills on but when I come to put the outriggers on I need to have replaced the front cross member which I've half chopped out. If I've put the sill on it will make it a bit harder to squeeze myself under the bus to do the cross member!!

Also not sure now whether I should replace the rear cross member or repair it there's a bit of a hole under where the "leg" of the out rigger was welded on (sprayed silver in photo) - I've got a new one but is it more work than I really need to do??? Have a look at the pics and let me know if you think it is saveable or if I should replace it (I repaired it in the end ....sorry gave the plot away a bit there ....pretend I didnt say any thing)

 

Thanks Paradox, even though I have a new rear cross member I'm swinging more and more into the idea of repair rather than taking the whole lot out. (Para sugested in a previous post that as it was only a small bit that I should repair it, Zed had said the same)

Here goes then.......

the last few weeks (in between work, the kids and bad wether) I've been under the bus again I've done quite a bit although it doesn't look much from the pics. Ahh at last decent weather
I've just about removed the remanents of the front cross member which I had to cut away for the top hat repairs.....only to find the other side top hat was virtually non existant.






So off it came



And on went a new bit - welding was rather messy and I can't get in there to grind it down, I could bearly get the welder in.





I then cut up the new front cross member to fit around those remining bits of the old one - I carefully made some templates and trimmed to size.....(I left these bits on as I couldn't get to them with a grinder as the heater tube was in the way and would weld the new bit to them) I then ground off a blob of weld around the bottom of the heater pipe so the new cross member would fit in.....The small heater pipe section (which I thought was welded to the main front section) was then easily removed.....Doh :-[ .

I'd already welded up some of the unused holes in the new bit as well!!!! I thought I might weld it to the remaining tabs but have now changed my mind, I'm going to buy a new front Xmember......and not tell the wife : .



I then set about removing rust from the centre of the bus under the floor, chassis rails and floor supports. It's in not bad condition.

I gave a few areas a coat of my new Epoxy mastic 121 by rust buster as I hoped it would be more durable that the POR15. The epoxy is a 2 part paint (1part hardner to 1 part paint) It has dried to a dull finish - I was hoping it was going to be a nice gloss. It seems to be like a layer of rubber and the first area I did yesterday I can mark using a finger nail ......... ??? now did I use 5 parts hardner to 5 parts paint.....or did I only use 4........question is do I feel lucky....well... do I...PUNK - sorry Clint Eastward moment over.

Hopefully it's not fully cured yet I'll have another look tomorrow. Got a fair area wire brushed and painted today (think it was the cold weather or not enough hardner but it did set well in the end)







I've left a few gaps in the paint where new bits are to be welded - I'll give these a spray of gavo weld through paint. I know most of it will get burnt off but it will be a bit of protection a least.
I might paint over it all with a top coat of POR15 and see how that fairs up once Ive seam sealed everything.

I cleaned up the chassis rail which I repaired ready for paint hopefully tomorrow





Dosen't look too bad at all so tomorrow - get rid of last bits of front crossmember and a bit of painting....and possibly plug weld a few pin holes in heater pipes.

Crikey, that was a long post compared to the others ?!?

 

At this point I'd like to explain what I did and why.

I had to replace the front top hat on the non slider side before I could put the sill on. To get to the top hat I had to cut away part of the front cross member on the drivers side

I then notice the passanger side front top hat was bad so I'd have to replace that before I could weld the new front cross member in.

I had to get the front cross member welded in before I could put the out rigger on for the drivers side to line the sill up

all these things have a knock on effect to the next bit so you end up chasing the rust all the way round the van before you can get a panel on!

Obviously all these bits under the van are bieng done so I can get the sill on

In hindsight it may have been better to cut a strip out of the floor behind the front seats and replace the whole top hat section - and done from above, I might not have had to replace the front cross member if I had. Not sure, but at least its another way of doing it to consider if you've got the same repairs to make as I had.

 

Posted in April .....no posts missed so I guess a few of the previous posts must have been fron March

Well I got the bits done on Monday which I was hoping to do. Had monday off after a night shift Sunday......sleep or work on the bus......hummmm ??? .....welding it is then. Got home to find the Kids watching videos of the RMS Brittanic sinking and they wanted me to build it out of lego. Was a bit over tired and...cuckoo....so I was building it long after they had gone out.....2hrs later



;D They still have that lego model I built and that is about the only thing they have never destroyed ;D

ooh.... better get on with the welding before they come home and wonder what I've been doing
Ground off the remaining tags of the front Xmember at last, plug welded a hole in the heater tube (few more to do still) repaired the rear Xmember and got another bit of painting done. The epoxy mastic paint has hardened up nicely now. (told you it did) ;D



and the rear Xmember repaired



Ahh did you sport the new pipe for the wiring??? pretend you didn't notice I'll get to that soon....
Heres the new front cross member I cut to fit around those last bits I cut off



And heres the new...new from cross member I had to buy after stupidly cutting up the old one - all painted inside and out with epoxy mastic and the spare large hole welded up and seam sealed.



And the painted chassis rail



My auto darkening welding mask then decided it wasn't going to auto darken when I'm welding and when it did go dark it wouldnt go clear when I stopped. I turned the house upside down looking for the recipt as I only bought it in February.....now Im always careful to keep recipts so I will have put it on the mantle piece, on the dresser, on the book case, in the kitchen or in my draw.....I even checked my filing box where I keep all my recipts once I've found them ;D no luck
Luckily the guys at Rapid welding where I bought it from exchanged it without the recipt once they had a look at it ;D

My computer then got a nasty virus (antivirus pro 2010) any one else had it, it was quite a nasty one which posed as an anti virus software, took a while to get rid of too.
Then I had quite a productive weekend on the bus again...will post some more pics soon
so untill next time..........

 

April 20th 2010 - Now at last things really start happening on the bus as bits start to go on......

Ah yes the wiring conduit.....

The old one was completly rotten so I pulled out the wiring loom and cut the old one out.
Now I've welded in the new front cross member ta da!!!



I could now fit in a new pipe for the wiring, I used 25mm galvanised conduit (as I had a bit lying around which cost nothing) I ground off the galvanising where I was welding to. Hopefully this should last a good while....

Next it was the inner sill





At last new bits going on rather than small repairs ;D

Next week end I hope to get this painted up and get the jacking points on and then the middle sill in and I can start putting some of it back together