Aircooled VW South Africa

SO I'VE BEEN QUIET FOR A WHILE BUT NOT IDLE.

I WAS APPROACHED MANY MONTHS BACK BY A PROMOTIONS COMPANY WHO WANTED TO HIRE A KOMBIE TO PROMOTE A SHOPPING CENTRE DOWN THE SOUTH COAST.
DUE TO THE FACT THAT CYNDI AND I USE OUR BUSSES, ME ALMOST DAILY; I WASN'T PREPARED TO HIRE THOSE OUT. I DO HOWEVER HAVE SOME SHELLS WHICH I TEND TO CALL PROJECTS JUST HANGING AROUND. (MOST OTHERS CALL THEM JUNK)
AFTER FINDING OUT WHAT THE BUS WOULD BE USED FOR/AS, I DETERMINED THAT I COULD PROBABLY USE THE MONEY FROM THE HIRE TO FUND THE START OF PUTTING A "PROJECT WRECK" TOGETHER.

NOTHING MATERIALISED AND THEN MANY MONTHS LATER I AGAIN RECEIVED A CALL. SUDDENLY THE CLIENT HAD "OK'D" THE IDEA AND NOW THEY NEEDED A KOMBI TO USE AS A PROP/BACKDROP WITHIN 2 MONTHS.

CONSIDERING THAT I AM NOT A PANEL BEATER OR SPRAY PAINTER , THAT I WORK OUTSIDE AND THAT IT'S THE WORST TIME OF THE YEAR TO TRY AND DO THIS IN DURBAN (DUE TO HIGH WINDS AND RAIN ALMOST EVERY DAY) I UNWISELY ACCEPTED THE ASSIGNMENT. IDIOT!

I WON'T POST ALL THE PICS AT ONCE OR ELSE INTEREST WILL BE LOST BUT WILL ADD BITS AT RANDOM TO HOPEFULLY KEEP YOU COMING BACK.

SORRY THERE ARE NO PICS YET BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY ARE ALL TOO BIG.
I WILL GET CYNDI TO HELP AND PUT SOME UP.

WHERE ARE YOU TONY????
I CAN'T GET THESE DARN PICS UP.

Cyndi Kritzinger wrote: ↑Sat Jan 12, 2019 8:45 pm WHERE ARE YOU TONY????
I CAN'T GET THESE DARN PICS UP.

Save them to your computer folder, then when you do your post click on the "add image to post"at the bottom of the thread window, it will ask you if you want to reduce the photo, say NO and your computer index will open, got to your pictures and select the photo you want then click insert.

Herman

OK, SO I SEEMED TO GET SOME PICS UP. I'M NOT SURE WHY THERE ARE 3 OF THE ONE THOUGH.....
ANYWAY; THIS IS A START AND WILL GIVE AN IDEA OF WHAT I WAS WORKING WITH.
I WILL TRY AND GET SOME MORE ON NOW BUT IF I DON'T SUCCEED, I'LL ASK CYNDI TO HELP ME AGAIN WHEN SHE GETS IN LATER.

BASICALLY I STARTED WITH WHAT WAS ONCE A EXECUTIVE/DELUXE BAY.
THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD FOR SOME REASON DECIDED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO AWAY WITH THE BEADING AROUND THE BUS AND SO TRIED TO WELD UP ALL THE HOLES. YOU CAN IMAGINE THE WARPING THAT CAUSED. YOU CAN'T SEE IT THAT CLEARLY IN THE PICS DUE TO THE MATT PAINT AND DIFFARENT COLOURS.
THERE WAS ALSO SOME DAMAGE CAUSED BY RUST I WOULD GUESS AND WAS REPAIRED VERY BADLY.

2.2 MB 20181012_132441.jpg AS CAN BE SEEN FROM THIS PIC, THERE WAS A BIT OF RUST AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSCREEN Check Error 3.2 MB 20181103_133711.jpg A COUPLE OF DENTS IN UNPLEASANT PLACES Check Error 1.7 MB 20181102_141700.jpg AND MORE AREAS OF RUST THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED Check Error

NOT WINNING. I'LL TRY AGAIN AFTER A TUTORIAL FROM A COMPUTER LITERATE YOUNGSTER.
SORRY.

A WINDOW SILL TAKEN FROM A DONOR BUS. THE ORIGINAL LOOKED LIKE THE WINDSCREEN BASE BELOW. A DONOR DOOR FROM ANOTHER BUS. NOT IN THE GREATEST SHAPE BUT BETTER THAN NO DOOR AT ALL A BIT OF RUST UNDER THE WINDSCREEN. OF COURSE IT HAS TO GO. SOME BUMPS AND SCRAPES IN ODD PLACES. THIS IS ON THE SIDE PILLAR OF THE WINDSCREEN.
DUE TO IT BEING A NARROW BENT SECTION IT'S QUITE DIFFICULT TO JUST BEND OR PULL OUT, HENCE THE CROSS CUT.
THIS ALLOWS YOU TO KNOCK THE DENT OUT FROM THE SIDE AND THEN TO WELD THE CROSS BACK TOGETHER.

A BIG THANKS TO CYNDI FOR HELPING ME ONCE AGAIN.
I'LL TRY AND POST A FEW MORE TOMORROW.

Great stuff Mark,

when you do not have much to work with,

you land up doing much more work..

I can appreciate the effort,

its not as easy as writing a cheque or swiping a card.

Well done

Herman

THE COVERS THAT GO BELOW THE REAR SIDE WINDOWS WERE A BIT WORSE FOR WEAR AND THESE WERE FROM THE DONOR BUS! EVERY STEERING WHEEL I HAVE LOOKS SIMILAR BUT THEY STILL STEER THE BUS. WITH A BIT OF WORK THEY LOOK A BIT BETTER.

A FEW SMALL AREAS THAT NEEDED CRACKS WELDED/BRAISED SOME RUST SPOTS SHOWED THEMSELVES AND I DRILLED THEM OUT A BUNCH OF OTHER BITS AND BOBS IN NEED OF SOME ATTENTION BEFORE BEING PUT ON THE BODY

SO LAST NIGHT CYNDI COMPLETED THE TASK OF REDUCING THE SIZE OF ALL THE PICS I HAVE AND AFTER AN HOUR OF SITTING ATTACHING AND WRITING COMMENTS, THE WEB PAGE EXPIRED AND I LOST EVERYTHING. SO LITTLE BITS IN SHORT BURST NOW AND HOPEFULLY I CAN KEEP THIS GOING FOR A COUPLE MORE DAYS.

THANKS FOR HELPING CYNDI.

The steering wheel is of interest captain, do you have an "after" pic of it ?

THE PICS ARE COMING BIG GUY!
I'M JUST TRYING TO KEEP SOME INTEREST UP BY POSTING SNIPPETS AT A TIME.
SOME OF THE WORK TO FOLLOW SHORTLY.

SO HERE ARE A FEW PICS OF THE STEERING WHEELS I HAVE. NON FOR SALE AS I HAVE A FEW PROJECTS THAT THEY ARE DESTINED FOR.
BASICALLY I HAVE TRIED EPOXY (PRATLEYS) BEFORE AND FOUND THAT IT SPLIT VERY QUICKLY ALTHOUGH IT WAS ROCK HARD.
THIS TIME I USED BODY FILLER. THE REASONING IS THAT BODY FILLER IS EASIER TO WORK WITH AND IN THEORY HAS A BIT OF BUILT-IN FLEX.
I DO SUGGEST HOWEVER THAT YOU LET THE REPAIR CURE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS IN THE HOT SUN SO THAT ANY SHRINKAGE CAN BE REPAIRED BEFORE THE FINAL COATINGS START.
WHAT I DO IS BREAK AWAY ANY LOOSE PLASTIC, WIDEN ANY VERY THIN CRACKS AND WHEN THE PUTTY DRIES I WORK IT JUST LIKE ANY BODY PANEL.
I MS PRIMER IT, SAND, MS OR PRIME AS NECESSARY AND THEN USE 2K SATIN BLACK VERY LIGHTLY. I FIND THAT THE HIGH GLOSS LOOKS TOO FAKE.

HOPE THIS RECIPE INSPIRES SOMEONE ELSE TO TRY AND RESTORE THEIR OWN STEERING WHEEL.