Ok, this will probably be a slow moving post, but bear with us :)

Where shall I start? Ok, this is Joey:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600005.jpg

We bought him from Martin at Bristol Cherished Cars in March 2004. He's a 1966 UK RHD Splitty. According to his m plates he was purchased as a 'Microbus with no seats in passenger area', so we guess he was converted to being a camper from new?

Anyways, on with the story......

At Easter we decided to roll him over and take a look at the underneath. This was the first time we'd ever done this, and were suprised at how easy is was to do!

First of all we had to take the engine out, which was something we'd never done before. After trying to remove the wrong bolts, we finally found the right ones. Although, there were only 2, not 4 like there is supposed to be! On to the rolling....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/0bd82d84.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sleepy1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sleepy2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/down.jpg

We started cutting away the belly pans and where pleased to find he was pretty solid underneath!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/bellyoff.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/up.jpg

Then we didn't have time to do anything to him for months.... it's now September and we've rolled him for the 2nd time... unfortunatly my computer's wiped out all my pics of this time, so I'll try and find them on Steve's computer at some time.

It keep raining when we were trying to cut of stuff, so we've now bought him up to live with me in Bristol :) All our matresses got soaked so we've got to get some new ones. So for the time being we're stripping the top half back to bare metal.

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3184379&t=photoFile

We found loads of filler in the front panel, and we having to remove it with a chisel!

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3183622&t=photoFile

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3183623&t=photoFile

But under all the filler, it wasn't too bad at all!

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3184373&t=photoFile

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3184377&t=photoFile

*Lucy*

looking good .

Coming on slowly but surely :)

*Lucy*

Nice project you got there! looks like its coming along nicely! :)

Thanks :) Hopefully soon we're hiring a body roller to start welding on the underside :)

*Lucy*

Nice project!

Originally posted by volksrod
Nice project!

Thank you :)

A few more pics.

Been bare metaling the bits we don't need to cut out. Gotta get some paint on soon!

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3192009&t=photoFile

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3192010&t=photoFile

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3192011&t=photoFile

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3192015&t=photoFile

http://www.online.ie/photos/getimage.adp?a=3088822&p=3192019&t=photoFile

*Lucy*

looking good-keep up the good work

hleeo .how bad was it around the bulkhead behind the drivers seat in the end ?

Bulkhead: We had to cut out the top hat, outrigger, jacking point and a chunk of the bulkhead cos it was all too far gone. Here's a pic of what's left:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600797_rs.jpg

Here's an update of what we've got up to since my last post.

We've got a Frost roller and rolled Joey over onto his side again. This wasn't without difficulty tho. First of all the frames fitted perfectly on the front wheel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/jblackmore/dubbers/rollover1.jpg
but wouldn't go over the sticking out bit on the hub on the rear.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/jblackmore/dubbers/rollover2.jpg
We borrowed some wheel adapter from Steve in Wurrzel Dubbers (Cleverchap on here) which sorted out this problem.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600075_rs.jpg
Then, when we jacked him up, we ran out of jack, so he was stuck for about a week half tipped over. We couldn't think of any way to jack him up higher than he was. In the end Steve wobbled him too much and the jack fell out, so we had no option but to push him to stop him falling on us. Fortunatly, this worked and he rolled over!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600792_rs.jpg

We've cut out more of the rust on the chassis and were ready to start welding. But then I fell down the stairs and really hurt my arm! And now Steve's poorly, so that shall have to wait a while.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600798_rs.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600799_rs.jpg

*Lucy*

We actually got round to welding this weekend! Please note that this is the first time we've welded on a vehicle (we've done some practice, but not too much), so constructive comments are welcomed :)

First of all we had to patch up a hole in the chassis. The hole was just where the outrigger would near on cover, so we made a large patch so that the outrigger wouldn't be off balance.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600818_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600819_rs.jpg
Then we welded the outrigger on:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600820_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600821_rs.jpg

And the centre rear.... thing I can't remember the name of! This was a real pig to do cos first of all we had to reshape the top so that it would fit, then the panel was about 5mm wider than the panel we were welding it onto!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600822_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600824_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600823_rs.jpg
*Lucy*

The latest update:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/1f5c02aa.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/8509fab5.jpg

*Lucy*

WOW. Looking good.
Gonna keep following this thread. :)

WOW. Looking good.
Gonna keep following this thread. :)
Cheers :D Nice to get some compliments cos this is our first project and neither of us have done anything like this before :) Altho... Steve does pretty much all the cutting cos the angle grinder scares me..... but I do like to weld! :D

*Lucy*

Latest update:

We've rolled him back over to sort out the outer sill, wheel arch and rear corner.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/315e8849.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/7400e140.jpg

As someone's thought it was a good idea to weld a new wheel arch and rear corner over the old ones, it's made our job of fixing it that bit harder!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/a9b35bb0.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/25f58c99.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/b411c73e.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/0754970f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/b6c5c911.jpg

And we've started to repair the bulkhead behind the drivers wheel:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/d7468a48.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/6ad24a68.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/f0d3b7ac.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/af257eaa.jpg

*Lucy*

Today we fitted up the wheel arch and welded it in:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/d38f027d.jpg

Then had to cut the sill panel down to size to get it to fit, and welded it on:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/1a41eb91.jpg

Looking a lot straighter than he used to (trust me!):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/28a62121.jpg

but I do like to weld! :D*Lucy*

Where did Steve find you hun? Got any sisters?:)

Good on ya gurl!

Where did Steve find you hun? Got any sisters?:)

Good on ya gurl!

You'll have to blame 'Kirrel' for that, she set us up! She found me in a maths class.... I do have 2 sisters who are both 18... however they have very little interest in cars - one has a Yaris and the other won't even drive (altho when I gave her a mini driving lesson in my Bug she was quite good!).

:)

*Lucy*

She found me in a maths class....
*Lucy*


*shudder*

(about the maths you understand, not the finding you bit - obviously :p And to be fair, it's really Steve's fault he found you - after all if he hadn't stuck his big feet in Chris' face age 12 they'd never have met .... although admittedly if Chris and I hadn't gotten together then .... blah de blah ....fate ;) )

*shudder*

(about the maths you understand, not the finding you bit - obviously :p And to be fair, it's really Steve's fault he found you - after all if he hadn't stuck his big feet in Chris' face age 12 they'd never have met .... although admittedly if Chris and I hadn't gotten together then .... blah de blah ....fate ;) )
Maths was terrible..... we did have fun making up the 'flower' song tho.... hmmm, Steve's job is flowers - maybe this is fate too!!!? If he didn't have big feet, would they have made friends? Maybe Chrissy has a foot fetish!

*Lucy*

Maybe Chrissy has a foot fetish!



Erm .... no.

Although I shall try sticking my feet in his face tonight and see what response I get. Just for scientific purposes you understand ;)




(and also coz it'll be funny :lol: )

Erm .... no.

Although I shall try sticking my feet in his face tonight and see what response I get. Just for scientific purposes you understand ;)




(and also coz it'll be funny :lol: )
I shall eagerly await the results of your experiment!

*Lucy*

We've turned Joey round:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/peek40600834_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/side40600835_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/ready40600836_rs.jpg

And tacked the floor repair in. We'll weld in in from underneath when we roll him again this weekend.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/floor40600838_rs.jpg

*Lucy*

We've tacked the floor repair in and down supports:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601582_rs.jpg

Then did some more welding to the outer sill and wheel arch repair cos we weren't happy with what we'd done before as it didn't look strong enough. We've changed the welder from gasless to gas which has helped a lot with the quality of the welds:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601584_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601583_rs.jpg

Then we had to shuffle him about a bit more cos where we'd put him back would've meant he'd hit the wall when we rolled him!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601586_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601587_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601585_rs.jpg

Then we rolled him again. We had to do it by hand again cos the rolling device we'd ordered isn't working right :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601588_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601589_rs.jpg

*Lucy*

excellent job
i wish id taken more pix when i did mine
i wish i had them roller devices aswell.
carry on the good work.

Looking great sham :)

excellent job
i wish id taken more pix when i did mine
i wish i had them roller devices aswell.
carry on the good work.
Yeah they are really useful :) Thanks :)

*Lucy*

Looking great sham :)
Cheers :)

Todays work (By Steve as I was stuck in all day doing coursework :( )

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601593_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601594_rs.jpg

Enjoying the view:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40601595_rs.jpg

*Lucy*

Latest Update:

We've made up some patches for the holes in the chassis rails:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/46da4323.jpg

And welded them in:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/57e84603.jpg

Pic of Steve welding the repair to the underneath of the top chassis rail:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/cd8800fb.jpg

Some spooky looking smoke coming up from a drain hole in the chassis:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/85ea44cd.jpg

We then welded in the front centre chassis section:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/2655e539.jpg

And the outrigger on the front (me welding this time):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/87563b56.jpg

And the one on the back:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/5c74d4f2.jpg

Not bad for one days work I don't think! :D

*Lucy*

Not fair, your welding's better than mine!! Looking cool, I'm looking forward to the updates

Just found this today, it's looking good.
Looking forward to more updates!

Not fair, your welding's better than mine!! Looking cool, I'm looking forward to the updates
You think? This is the only welding either of us have ever done - well except for about 2hrs of lessons! So we've efffectively learnt to weld on him.

*Lucy*

Just found this today, it's looking good.
Looking forward to more updates!
Thanks :)

More updates withh come after I've finished my exams :( 1 down :) 5 to go :(

*Lucy*

Hey have you finished your exams now? Hope they went ok. Any updates?

Yeah I've finished them now, and they mostly went ok thanks :)

Our welder's broken at the moment, and we've just ordered a new one, so fingers crossed it'll be here by the end of the week. But before we get back to doing Joey, we've got to weld up this giant hole in Oscar:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/d1af0eb2.jpg

And go camping! Should be back to work on Joey around next wednesday tho :)

Then after he's finished, we've got all these to do, lol:
http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/~wurrzeldubbers/lucysvws.html

Ignore the bit about the red Bug, my plans have changed a bit for him :)

*Lucy*

Ok, we've started back on Joey :)

We've started to cut out the other rear wheel arch and clamped the inner sill ready to weld....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/42506923.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/b47e2f94.jpg

We got the welder out.... turned it on and...... the wire kept kinking up :mad: so that's got to go back... :( Steve's gonna go out to get a new one from Machine Mart tomorrow tho so we'll be able to get back to work on him :D

*Lucy*

New welder works fine, so we've welded on the outer sill, and cut away the rear corner and started to get it ready to weld on:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/4c8e36ce.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/d22859ac.jpg

There was a bit of filler in the rear wheel arch yesterday....:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/d2f24a55.jpg

*Lucy*

Today we've jiggled about with the rear corner - which appears to be a pig of a job!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/d59fc060.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/f7973067.jpg

and welded it in:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/ed5435bd.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/56511aa5.jpg

Then went back to the rear arch on the pass side.

Offered it up to see the fit:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/8f731375.jpg

And after a bit of cutting and adjusting, welded that in too:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/994bab03.jpg

Then fitted our new cargo doors to make sure the gaps were still good before we welded the outer sill for the door side:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/04391b9d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/29effc34.jpg

Which is as far as we've got at the moment. Going to go back out after tea to have another crack at it. It's stupidly hot when you're wearing overalls, helmets, gloves etc. Luckily the garage is cooler than outside, but still very warm!

*Lucy*

Excellent work!

Keep the updates coming.

J :hangloose

yeah, keep up the good work :D
diy is the only way to go :hangloose

Cheers :)

Here's some more updates...

The b(?) pillar was rotten and we've got the replacement, and we're trying to think of the best way to go about it. We've decided to do the sill, pillar and wheel arch at the same kinda time so that they line up together and it will all fit right. So we've just cut a bit away for now, and taken some pics for a reference:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/ce1683f5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/d3d11642.jpg

Then we went on to tackle the other rear corner:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/f0e4e028.jpg

And because I'm a numpty I forgot to take a pic of it when we'd finished, so you'll just have to look at it from these pics of Joey enjoying the sun:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/5de9f175.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/16d9f05e.jpg

This didn't come out too well tho:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/71247d2b.jpg

*Lucy*

Ground down the welds on the wheel arch today, ready for a skim of filler tomorrow. Steve's gone home so I'm flying solo at the mo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/3bca78b7.jpg

*Lucy*

Done a bit of filler work today. The panel above the wheel arch is quite dented from previous hashes and abuse, so I had to use a bit of filler in it. This isn't finished yet tho, I've gotta rub it down some more:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/aa359469.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/30bc37ba.jpg

*Lucy*

Been there, done that... I feel your pain! Keep at it... :)

(Actually, doing it again soon... two full side panels this time... and a roof transplant! Eek!)

A roof transplant?!?! You're braver than I am! Good luck! :D

*Lucy*

Looking good :)

Looking good :)
Cheers :D

*Lucy*

that will be a real nice bus when your done and it looks like a lot of love has gone into it too

Thanks :) Yeah, we love him to bits and having a lot of fun doing this.

*Lucy*

Ok, this weekend's installment :)

We did some filler work on the weld joins to the wheel arches and the outer sill (drivers side). We've not finished rubbing the filler down yet cos we decided our time would be better spent cutting out the rust and welding in some more shiney, shiney new metal! :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/e0eda95c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/24bb65bd.jpg

Then we welded in the inner wheel arch type panel and started to work out where the new B (?) post should go. After a lot of measuring, cutting, grinding, measuring, test fitting the doors, measuring, some more door fitting and then a little more measuring- just to make sure... we welded it on.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/a5d668ac.jpg

And look - it fits! :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/f7900154.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/6646df35.jpg

And look how nicely the doors line up! A lot of hard work has paid off :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/01301a75.jpg

*Lucy*

Todays installment. Been cutting off wheel arches and the lower bits of the pront panel:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600041rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600042rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600043rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600044rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600045rs.jpg

More tomorrow :)

*Lucy*

Did yet more rubbing down of filler..... then put some primer on it, to see how much further I have to go....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600046rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600047rs.jpg

Seems like quite a way to go till it's smooth!

And Steve did some more cutting away of the front valance:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600048rs.jpg

*Lucy*

Clamped the inner valance into place:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600056rs.jpg

And welded it in:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600057rs.jpg

*Lucy*

That is going very well, and quickly too :D

well done :p

I'm not so sure about quickly!

We were hoping to have him on the road in the next couple of weeks, but that is very, very unlikely.... still, we have Oscar and Skippy to play with till he's ready :D

*Lucy*

Looking Good indeed!! keep the progress coming!!

I'm really impressed!

Making me think I could take on a project, you're making good progress with it!

Lol, if we can do it, anyone can! Seriously! :D It's not as daunting as it looks.

*Lucy*

It was my 1st day at my new job today, so Steve's been on his own. This is what he did:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/376a4d92.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/be0be9cf.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/cc10c4be.jpg

Then when I came home I helped him with the upper pannel:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/8d0f0c41.jpg

And we put on the pass side door so he can see how the wheel arch fits tomorrow:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/bdbd749d.jpg

Seems weird to see him with doors on again!!!

*Lucy*

Yesterday and today, Steve did some filler work on his nose:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600067rs.jpg

*Lucy*

Coolio! Following this one with interest :)

Looking good well done!!! Please keep the updates coming! I love these sort of threads!!!!

Got another update but can't load the pic cos camera out of batteries! :(

Going out later tho so hopefully get some batteries then.

*Lucy*

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600068rs.jpg

More later

:D

Looks grand already

Todays installment... we fitted up the wheel arch on the pass side, and after a bit of tweaking and a lot of adjusting, bending etc, it fitted!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600073rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600074rs.jpg

Then fitted the drivers door ready for the wheel arch on that side. This side wasn't so easy! It's being a real pig to fit, so we're gonna wait till he's rolled, so we can get to the back of the arch to drill the spot welds out and fit it properly...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600075rs.jpg

*Lucy*

im loving this thread, im in the middle of restoring a rhd 67 split and it is the exact same places that had rotten. pics are here: http://restowagenuk.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=22

Wow, good luck with your Bus - looks like a lot of work! It's all worth it in the end tho (whenever that may be!) :)

*Lucy*

It's all worth it in the end tho (whenever that may be!) :)

*Lucy*

it wont be soon thats for sure, but it will all be worth it and thats what keeps me going.

Yeah, it's suprising how much time they take! Shame you aren't ahead of us, then we could see what you're doing, and copy it! :D

bought meself a roll over thing now and they make life so much easyer. i got the twin ratchet one. see ya soon.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/squirrelsport/a655e321.jpg

that one looks a lot easier than ours! Yeah, they make a hell of a difference! Gone are the days of welding underneath now! :D

*Lucy*

I forgot to add yesterday that Steve welded the outer sill under the cargo doors on this week too:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600088rs.jpg

And today we took him out in the sunshine and took pics of all his doors fitted:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/f93c9424.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600087rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600089rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/sub%20album/40600090rs.jpg


It's great to see him with doors on, but a little sad cos he doesn't look like 'Joey' any more :(

*Lucy*

Looking good! Keep up the good work!

Thanks :)

nice project, its coming on well.. ;)

Thanks :D

Sorry, not done much to Joey for a while.

We picked up some shiney new alloys (from ebay) for him a couple of weeks ago, at the same time we got this new edition to our VW family:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Robbie/2542c419.jpg

And here they are:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/b02557ce.jpg

Ok, so maybe not 'they' just 1..... we couldn't get a jack high enough to list the back end! We put our trolley jack up to the highest point, and you could just slip it under him, without it catching on anything at all - needs lowering? Methinks so!

*Lucy*

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/67d4b620.jpg

Look at the difference in tyre size! :eek:

Looking good, those old wheels are scary :p

Maybe we should put them on Bella and she'll look even more like an offroader! :eek: :D

Lol is that possible? :p

Probably not! :D

Ok, sorry for the long wait pic pervs... here's some more for you :)

We rolled him over today so we can finish little bits on the underneath and weld on the jacking points:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/b7d98e0f.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/f5a38836.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/895bbffd.jpg

And we can still fit the 58 in there while he's rolled:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/461beda5.jpg

More to come after lunch!

*Lucy*

:D

WOWWWWWWWWWWWW

Thats some project boys great pics keep it up.Much respect


Should be ready for next summer well done :D :D

WOWWWWWWWWWWWW

Thats some project boys great pics keep it up.Much respect


Should be ready for next summer well done :D :D
:eek: I ain't no boy!!!!

*Lucy*

Ok, the camera wasn't behaving last night - it wasn't 'talking' to the computer so I couldn't get the piccys.... but they seem to have kissed and made up today, so here's what we did yesterday afternoon:

Look how solid his chassis looks now:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/3481a240.jpg

Welded the front jacking point on:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/5458bc26.jpg

And the rear:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/3ab5da60.jpg

And the thingyamebob in the back wheel arch:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/eacb2c24.jpg

More to come tonight :)

*Lucy*

Cool!!!

Ok today's installment:

Welded the floor in from the underside:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/3e6e6a7d.jpg

Welded in jacking points for the other side:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/02dbafa3.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/a8bbcb94.jpg

Steve made up a closing panel for the other side of the wheel arch:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/55a164d3.jpg

And I cleaned up all the waxoyl from inside the wheel arches ready to be trated and painted:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/3815ec3a.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/1e944682.jpg

*Lucy*

yo're making real progress with that!
have you got a target in mind to finish it?

Well it was supposed to be finished in August :rolleyes: We'd like to get him up to mot level in the next couple of months really :)

:eek: I ain't no boy!!!!

*Lucy*

Whoops sorry about that.................... :crazy:

Ok, latest update:

We've treated the inner wheel arch and chassis rail with 'fertan' which is a rust treatment - commonly used on boats apparently.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/efcb9606.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/ed58e481.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/41a2495e.jpg

Then welded up the bulhead bit:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/c0b98536.jpg

And made up a panel to go along the middle of the top hat, and treated it with fertan:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/2222f373.jpg

*Lucy*

looks like you're making good progress with it!

Keep going :D

Thanks :) we're getting there - slowly but surely.

I've just found and read this from start to finish. What can I possibly say that everyone else has not?! I really am inspired by this thread. My girlfriend and I have just spent a fortune on getting our '69 Bay all welded up! Here you guys are attacking it together on your own with no prior experience! It really does put me to shame. Do you guys ever have any fall outs about Joey? Definitely going to ask to be put on that welding course for Christmas! Make sure you keep us updated, best of luck!

Ben

Aww thanks Ben :) Glad this gives you inspiration - if we can do it, anyone can - trust me on that!

No, I don't think we've ever fallen out about Joey. I don't think we've ever fallen out full stop! (que Steve saying something sarcastic to this when he comes home, hehe). The only thing we do have differences about is the colour. I want to do him Velvet green and white (as he was when he was born) and Steve seems to want to paint everything dark metallic blue! But as Joey isn't ever going to have a perfect finish, we thought that velvet green would show less imperfections than a dark metallic blue :)


Do a welding course - we really recommend it. We done about 2hrs max welding on a car bodywork course when we started Joey. Learning in a classroom with clean metal isn't really the same as welding shiney metal onto slightly rusty old stuff tho!

Good luck with it :)

*Lucy*

Hiya Lucy! Had a long chat with my old dad on the phone last night about what I'd seen on your thread and how it has inspired me to have a crack myself. After all, I have a steady hand (i think?!) and a good set of eyes on me so what's the worst that could happen?! :yawn:

My old man used to be a mechanic so we're going to pool our funds and get ourselves a MIG welder and see how we get on. I've had a few goes on good clean metal but as you said it is fairly unrealistic! I'll let you know how I get on! :D

As for the paint on Joey I totally agree with your choice. Even if he was straight as an arrow you can't beat the look of an original paint colour on a split! I think generally you'll get a lot more respect from fellow VDubbers too! There's a split near my girlfriend's which has been painted in pearl white which I shake my head at each and every time I drive past! It's just wrong!

Anyway I'm rambling on again! Get that MIG fired up and keep the pictures coming! I'll be looking for this bad boy at VolksFest next year that's for sure!!

Take it easy,

Ben :hangloose

Glad you're going to have a go at it :) To be honest, the welding's the easy bit - the most difficult bit is all the preperation and getting the parts to fit! I'm sure you'd be fine :)

Yeah I love the original colours - you can't really go wrong with them!

We won't be able to get any work done on him for a few weeks yet :( I'm down at Steves house for the next few weekends cos he has to work cos his boss is away, then we have to look after his parents dog while they're away.

This thread will be updated as soon as something changes tho :)

*Lucy*

Well, we've both got the week off, so we're doing some work on Joey. Today we're connecting the heater tube up.

Pics to come later if my pc falls back in love with my camera - they don't seem to want to talk to each other at the moment!

*Lucy*

Ok, after a lot of wiggling about, cutting, and a few repairs to the bend, the heater pipe is finally welded up:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/9b127da0.jpg

And the supporting patch behind the tophat is welded in too:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/6b36f7ee.jpg

Starting to look very solid underneath!
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/0d7cfb2d.jpg

*Lucy*

lol, it appears I took those pics before the pipe was actually welded in.... I'll go out in a bit a take one of the actual welded bit... what a numpty :D

You two are doing really well seeing you've only learnt to weld to do Joey which is your first resto, and your working together to do him.....

Jumping in at the deep end springs to mind......

Fair shout to the pair of you....

Must be greet being in that workshop of yours and not having to dodge the crap weather... :D

Keep up the good work c ya soon


Rich :hangloose :hangloose

lol yeah in at the deep end trying to swin in an ocean of rust! :D

Ah well - there's only one way to learn!

Yeah the garage is great - we were actually thinking about you yesterday with the weather - and wondering if you had Joey - how long ago he would have been finished! hehehe :)

Looking forward to seeing your Oval on the road :)

*Lucy*

Looking good....

Reminds me why I will never tackle a camper again!

(how long before I eat my words?)

I'll give you 6 months :D

Surely a Bus is easier than a Bug?

LOL!
I personally think Bugs are easier than Buses.
Unless you have a workshop large enough (which I don't), you end up outside, which is fine in summer, but winter.... nahh.

Buses are large, which in a way makes them easier to deal with. But at the same time the sheer size, especially on a 6-12 inch job, brings about nightmares. You have the right idea with the rolling frame - again, without one, I would not go there anymore. Did some welding under the 1302 last week, and ended up setting my hair on fire, killing my neck and I have numerous burns from splats. And that was fitting a small repair patch!

With a bug, size is an issue, but you can get them in a garage, you can split the shell from the chassis, hence easier to work on, you can paint the shell separate from the body (again so much easier) and the volume of work is less, even on a 6 inch job.......

It is all down to the way you approach a project.
You have done yours the right way to do a bus. But without the rolling frame and without the dry shelter of a proper workshop, you would very soon get disheartened.
With a Beetle, if you pick at it, and fill it, and patch it, things get hard very quickly. But if you bite the bullet, strip it, split it and do the job right, you will not need to do it again and life is so much easier.

Yeah that's true.... ah, I guess I'll soon find out which I prefer - got the 71 Bug in waiting for a serious resto soon..... we keep putting it off cos it's gonna be a big, big job!

here's the welded in pics:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/03800e6c.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/14449e54.jpg

*Lucy*

Update please Lucy! :D

Not done much to him in a while :( Nor will we this weekend cos it's Steve's bday and we're in Taunton....
.... but we're hoping to get some etch primer on him next weekend! :D

*Lucy*

HI DO YOU LIVE IN PATCHWAY?

THAT LOOKS LIKE MY BACK LANE!

CHEERS

JIM

It probably is your back lane then ;)

HI DO YOU LIVE IN PATCHWAY?

THAT LOOKS LIKE MY BACK LANE!

CHEERS

JIM
Not quite - technically Northville.... just off Filton Avenue :)

4,500 posts Lucy, well done :D

Lol, well done me! :D

Looking good Luce....:D

Cheers Paul :D

One of these days we'll get back to doing something to him :rolleyes:

:D

Yes yes, there will be updates to this next week! :D

looking good . hes going to look stunning when finished . keep up the good work ;) :D

Thanks :) We're hoping to get him on the road for his 40th birthday - the 20th April I think..... no idea if it's possible or not, but we'll soon find out ;) :)

*Lucy*

what a cool thread!!

quite interesting as i was going down to do a deal on this van against my notch with martin!

i called him for details on the van etc, and said id get back to him, after hours of deciding, weighing up pros and cons etc i called him back to say id be happy to go ahead, drive the notch down to bristol and bring the split back (on a trailer) but he then told me it had been sold :(

obviously to yourself!

its good to see its gone to a good home though and has been given the love it needed!

keep up the good work!

richie

n e more updates,im in the middle of doing a 67 rhd splitty,im hoping to get it on the road for the 1st of march,started it begining of november,ive proably got a little more work/rot than youselves but im going to get it done ..keep the pics coming.... :D

Do you have a threa for you 67? We might get round to doing something to him tomorrow - if not, monday :D

what a cool thread!!

quite interesting as i was going down to do a deal on this van against my notch with martin!

i called him for details on the van etc, and said id get back to him, after hours of deciding, weighing up pros and cons etc i called him back to say id be happy to go ahead, drive the notch down to bristol and bring the split back (on a trailer) but he then told me it had been sold :(

obviously to yourself!

its good to see its gone to a good home though and has been given the love it needed!

keep up the good work!

richie
Awww, yeah we looked at him, thought about it, and after looking at the more expensive and worse nick ones at Dubfreeze, we had to have him! Glad we did cos we've had so much fun with him.

hi no thread ive loads of pics but dont know how to put them on..look forward to see more of yours...cheers

Try using www.photobucket.com :)

Righty ho, been out the in garage again! Done a bit more welding to already welded places where we weren't happy with it.

Steve made up a little plate to go in the gap where the repro panel didn't quite meet the chassis rail:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/c21ba502.jpg

And I made up a panel for a repair in the floor:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/7b8e119e.jpg

And we did some painting of 'done' bits to keep the rust at bay!
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/842377ca.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/1ee82f8f.jpg

*Lucy*

:D nice one Lucy

Cheers :) Hopefully today we will finish off the welding needing doing on the drivers side and bring him back down to earth to do little bits to the inside... then he'll need turning round and we'll start again on the pass side! :D

*Lucy*

yeay updates! :D looking good!

Thanks :)

I forgot to add a pic of this repair Steve did yesterday:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/4785ef43.jpg

Today Steve welded up the floor from the underside:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/f05213d1.jpg

Then we made up new bits of floor to cover holes:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/1dfd5d70.jpg

And I welded them in:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/b2b0d61e.jpg

*Lucy*

Hey Lucy - looking really good! Keep up the good work, and you'll have it done by summer - even if you are in sleeping bags in the back :D

Good luck, Dom

lol, I hope so! We've been saying for the past 2 Vanfests "This time next year, we'll have Joey here!" so this time he will make it - even if it's on a trailer!!!! :D

I look forward to seeing it in the Show and Shine! It's a local show, so not too far to trailer it, if the worst comes to the worst! :p

Dom

lol he'll never been good enough for show and shine in a million years! We'll just be happy with on the road and looking presentable!

Yeah, Steve's ordered a new T5 which should be ready in March, and it's having a tow bar fitted, so we can drag Joey kicking a screaming if needed! :D

*Lucy*

Cool - T5s are the newest ones, yes? Is it in van or bus format?

Shiney :D

I love the way in all of the photos the bus is on its side! Even the ones where they're just looking through the barn/garage door and the beetle is sitting beside it.

Dom

Both lol - it's a Kombi so one set of back windows, and twin sliding doors. It'll look like this, except with diff wheels and no spoiler:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/T5/preateam.jpg

hehe yeah he does seem to have spent most of his time on his side! On all 4 wheels at the mo tho - we bought him back down to do the inside floor repairs.

*Lucy*

Latest update peeps!

We've tidied up the bottom of the bulkhead bit and welded it all up:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/2702b932.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/12156d63.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/a57838f6.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/f227a5db.jpg

And the otherside behind the pass seat:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/55605a06.jpg

And applied filler over the welds on the rear corner:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/5e41a8f7.jpg

Hopefully I'll get round to sanding down the filler in the week.

*Lucy*

Wicked keep up the good work you two ;)

Cheers Rich, we will! :D

Hey, good work! I had wondered how you remove welding marks - so, filler is the answer?

:cool:

Hey, good work! I had wondered how you remove welding marks - so, filler is the answer?

:cool:

Filler isn't an answer but its a fact that welding is hard to disguise, best method is to grind down the welds and use as thin a skim as possible, which is I'm sure what has been done here.

Yep as Ross said - grind the welds down then use a thin layer of filler. However, Joey's got some pretty badly distored panels from previous owners botching him :( so needs more than a more straightforward resto on a straight van. The amount of filler in the rear corner at the mo will be much, much less once it's all be sanded down.

*Lucy*

I see! Thanks for the explanation :D

So to sum it up - filler is the enemy?

I see! Thanks for the explanation :D

So to sum it up - filler is the enemy?

Only when its used incorrectly, its sort of a necessary evil :)

Yup it should be used for cosmetic not structural purposes ;)

relly looking good now ... fair play .... be nice to see it out and about ... :)

Lucy,
going to roll my split next week with one of those frames you're using. It's not got the drill attachment but what I was wondering is when the van's on it's side do you need to put anything under it to keep it off the floor or does the frame hold it off the floor for you?
Keep up the good work
cheers
Steve

The frame pretty much keeps it off the floor. It won't roll back onto it's roof, but we always put his wheels where the roof will lie 'just in case'. Best to put a couple of axel stands under the frame when it's rolled too. I very much doubt it would ever roll back onto you, but you don't want to take the chance ;)

How are you planning on lifting it without the lifting device? Before we got the lifting device we used a giant farm jack, but ran out of length, so had to push him for the last little bit. If you've never done it before, you'll be amazed at how far they lean before they roll!

Also, do you have anything to use as a spacer over the rear hub? We've used wheel adapters, which work great. If you don't use anything, you won't be able to get the frame onto the back wheel because the centere of the hub is too wide.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on :) They make the job so much easier!

*Lucy*

Here's a pic of the roof:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600794_rs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600792_rs.jpg

And adapters:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/40600078_rs.jpg

Hope this helps :)

*Lucy*

Also, do you have anything to use as a spacer over the rear hub? We've used wheel adapters, which work great. If you don't use anything, you won't be able to get the frame onto the back wheel because the centere of the hub is too wide.


Thanks, hadn't thought of that what adapters did you use?
Conning a few mates into doing the rolling

lol, good plan - mates are useful. Steve and I managed the last bit on our own, but it was very heavy. Since then he's had a lot more shiney metal put in, so he's a lot heavier lol.

We've borrowed some off Cleverchap. I think they're wide 5 to some American make? It doesn't matter what pattern they are, as long as they bidge the gap between hub and frame.

*Lucy*

Steve's got the week off, so been playing with Joey today. He fixed the cargo door bolt plate back where it was supposed to be, and welded in a new door pillar.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Robbie/de538561.jpg

And put some supports in for the battery tray and the end of wheel arch panel:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Robbie/07d46111.jpg

And the inside of the other wheel arch, and welded the floor in:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Robbie/7f3f2494.jpg

He also welded in the inside of the rear wheel arch, but I don't have any pics of that.

*Lucy*

Hey! Good work there!

You guys are so brave taking on a project like this. If it was me, I wouldn't have the faintest idea where to start, or how to do any of it!

Well done folks, good luck for the rest of the week :)

Dom

I'll let you into a secret Dom....... neither did we ;)

The first cut and weld was very scary, but it all sorta falls into place after that :)

*Lucy*

I've got the ultimate respect for you guys! That is a scary project! You're doing a good job though.

I've got the ultimate respect for you guys! That is a scary project! You're doing a good job though.
Cheers Hun :) Hopefully it won't be too long before he sees the road again! :D

*Lucy*

I'll let you into a secret Dom....... neither did we ;)

The first cut and weld was very scary, but it all sorta falls into place after that :)

*Lucy*
:eek: You're crazy people!!

Well, that makes it even more impressive, what you're doing :)

Did you get anything done today?

Dom

Nope he didn't get anything done today - we sorta had an accident with the lifting device a couple weeks ago when we rolled him back down..... the drill got stuck and bent a rod... the wire wrapped round the drill so that's kippered... and we burnt our other drill out by using it to drop him the last little bit. So now we have a broken lifting device and 2 kippered drills lol. The little plastic cogs inside the device sheered off too... so we ordered some new ones (metal ones this time, not plastic) and Steve's spent most of the afternoon trying to fit it! So he'll (hopefully) finish that tomorrow. And tomorrow the buiders are coming round to put a shiney new drive in at the front of the house, so we can work on Joey without having to worry about where Bella is! :D

I hope all that makes sense.. it's a bit waffly!

*Lucy*

Ah, sounds good. That lifting device sounds complicated - is it not one of those roll it over yourself ones?

Dom

You can roll him yourself - if you have enough people/jack length. We've only rolled him once with the lifting device - before that we just jacked him up really high. But now he has some nice new sills, we don't want to dent them! And it's a bit scary when they're getting really high, but they're no where near falling yet....

Ok folks - bit of an update. We rolled him again on Sunday, so we could finish the under floor welding. Steve had the day off yesterday, so did a bit more work on him. I forgot to take my camera out with me last night, so I'll have to put the pics up this evening.

*Lucy*

keep up the good work... :)

Look forward to the progress pics :D

Ok, as promised!

Rear wheel arch back closing panel:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/86ac36fe.jpg

And the opposite one:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/aec575ad.jpg

Front wheel arch bulkhead bit:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/a30d037b.jpg

And the floor repair - now done from the inside, and outside:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/1d39dbe1.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/a0a896de.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/a9dfea48.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/577cb6ca.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/330a16e4.jpg

*Lucy*

Good work, chaps! :)

Chaps??? Chaps??? :p

Todays work:
Little bit more welding:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/279e385c.jpg

Seam sealer:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/69bb60fa.jpg

And a nice layer of red oxide:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/496baa70.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/d5b161da.jpg

*Lucy*

Chaps??? Chaps??? :p

:o :D Chaps in the unisex meaning of the word!

I love the colour of red oxide.. Is the whole van gonna be like that? :D

I'll let you off then ;)

Lol naa he's gonna be velvet green and white someday lol...

I know what you mean tho - I like red oxide :)

Ooh, what's velvet green like?

this sorta colour:
http://www.oldcars.co.jp/vw/sold/sold1/63vw15.jpg

Ooh, lovely :) Like the Alan Schofield (I think) van and splitty-trailer ?

Yeah I think their's is velvet green.

Well, it looks very nice! Can't wait to see it :D

lol nor me!!!!:D

Looking great, good work :D

getting there....:cool:

Cheers guys :) Still a lot to do before 20th April tho!

what's happening April 20th?

No Volksworld show for Joey? :eek:

20th of April is his 40th Birthday - so we thought it would be nice to have him MOTd by then!

Lol no Volksworld for Joey - this year anyways.... anyways, we've got Robbie on the Newbie stand... speaking of which - look what i did to his ears and wipers today:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Robbie/1ce5e9e0.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Robbie/1bb4aee9.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Robbie/743adc17.jpg


You like him really, Jim ;)

*Lucy*

Cool - goes well with the stripes :)

I'm not a huge fan of Newbies - in fact, there're only two I can think of that I have ever liked - and this is one of them!

what's the other one?

Belongs to a guy from around here called Julian Castaldi. Well, his wife actually.

It's black, and had a fantastic looking roofrack with a black Cola coolbox on it. It's also lowered, with (as far as I can recall) BRMs on them.

V v nice. Don't think I have a pic unfortunately!

Sounds very nice! :D

Wow! Not only have you done something to it, you've done a lot!! :eek: :D

To which one??

Joeeeeeeeeeeeeey (as you'd probably say) :lol:

hehehehe :D

Yesterday Steve painted some nice shiney black hammerite on his chassis:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/d79f573f.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/0088112c.jpg

Clean enough to eat your tea off now! :D

*Lucy*

Nice one Lucy :D

I'll still beat you in the MOT race ;) :p

you better - I wanna see those 2 Buglets on the road!!!

Oooh shiney :D

Were you at Dubfreeze today? :)

Yes we were, you?

Yes we were, you?

Yep! :) TBH, not the best show I've ever been to.. Looking forward to Volksworld!!

Depends what your looking for I think with Dubfreeze. If you've got a list of things you need, then it's great. We did quite well - only bought a tap and dye set and a new locking door handle for Bella.

Yeah I'm looking forward to Volksworld too - you'll have to come and say hi to us on the New Bug stand :)

*Lucy*

Right, back to this thread!!!! We've not done much on Joey..... well, when i say not much, I mean nothing for weeks! Steve's been quite ill, we've been to shows and other things have taken up our time, plus I've been playing with the Bug so Joey's been on his side waiting for us to remember he's there!

Anyways, got a couple of pop out frames for him at Volksworld, so they'll look nice once he's finished.

We're gonna be working on him this weekend - hoping to get the welding finished, and those front arches untacked, repositioned and hopefully looking like they actually belong on him, rather than being able to put your arm though the gap they leave when shut!

*Lucy*

Phew! Just read this thread from start to here. C'mon...pull yer fingers out and get on with it.... ;)

I take my hat off to ya lucy and steve. I'll be jumping in the deep end with my bus (Busta) after the summer. Tis good to see peeps just gettin' stuck in!! Keep up the good work!! :)

Cheers :)

Good luck with Buster. The hardest step is the first cut - after that, it's not so bad! :D

I'm really looking forward to it! Are you gonna tackle the paint too. That garage you've got there is ace. Looks like I'll be commuting to me van.

Yeah the garage is the main reason we bought the house! :D

Yeah we're going to have a go at the paint ourselves. Fingers crossed it'll turn out ok!

You guys reckon you won't get it completely straight, but I'd stick at it if I were you. You won't be doing it again in a hurry. Go for the best finish ya can. Good luck with it! :D

You won't be doing it again in a hurry.
lol, they've got about 10 other Dubs in line atm!

Heh he! True. Still, if a jobs worth doing...

He'll never be completly straight cos he's been so messed about with before :( his side was like one of those bumpy slides when we got him! :eek:

Wooooow, did you keep it? :D 'VW holiday park' :D

lol, some of it's still there - but most we've straightened out. I'll see if I can find some pics....

Before:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/Joeystripped.jpg

After:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Shamrockez/28a62121.jpg

It's hard to tell from the pics - but he is a hell of a lot straighter than he was!

Look what came to join Joey this weekend:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/06382e61.jpg

Yup, his engine! :D It's a bit tatty looking cos it's been sat under a tarp at Steve's for 2 years, but it'll clean up. We had to take the exhaust off to get it to fit under the desk without tripping over it, and amazingly, it came off really easily - we didn't even have to use WD40 :eek: :D

We didn't end up doing any work to him tho :( Promise we will this weekend!

Oh, and after 2 years, it didn't drop one blob of oil!!!!! Nothing!! Wow! :D

Oooh, engine weekend is it? Make sure you don't mix them up! :D

It is indeed!!!

Hmmm.... a 1600 in Bella?! :D :D :D er.. course I wouldn't mix them up ;)

Yeah we seem to ahve done a log of engine lugging this weekend. Steve's T5's gone back to VW to get the paint on it's bumpers redone.... so he had a courtesy white panel..... so we thought we'd use it to our advantage! :D

Make sure you don't accidentally send the white panel back to VW with a 1200 in it, and happen to find the Beetle is performing particularly well on what appears to be a TDI in it? :D

Ooooh, i could steel the 104bhp engine in the van and change it for the 90bhp engine I have in the Newbie......... hmmmm...... or nick Steve's 172bhp one :D

I spent all afternoon with engine gunk trying to get the years of underseal off so that we could paint it:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/ebe62cc3.jpg

And Steve worked on the rear quarters - pics of that tomorrow.

Well we forgot to get ingrediants for cake ::) ...... so we put more engine gunk on the underseal, and Steve got the sander bit on the grinder to see if the roof rack we bought ages ago would clean up - and it will.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/d05b183e.jpg

Get ya sandblaster working!

That would be the easy way, Tom!

No pleasure if there's no pain :eek:

Righty... I did some more scraping and sanding off old waxoyl to get bits ready for a coat of red oxide....

Anyways, I grabbed the tin of red oxide from beside the roller doors and opened it up..... grabbed a stick to stir the paint and..... hmm.... the paint isn't stirring.. it's sold! So i wacked it with the stick a few times and it went through......
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/9f652d13.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/20710baa.jpg

Ooops - that'll teach us to keep it by the metal doors!

Still, the stuff underneath was ok :)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/cad32725.jpg

*Lucy*

great job

nice roof rack! - i picked one up exactly the same while on a trip in portugal in our splitty.

where did you get yours?

We bought it off Jam Man from here. I think he got it when he imported his Split from South Africa.

Hello again :) We've been working on Joey this morning. Steve's been removing the front wheel arches because they never fitted right, and I've been rubbing down filler.

We've also got an IRS set up for him, so hopefully that will go in in the next couple of weeks.

Pics to come later :)

*Lucy*

Wow, Just joined up to the site the other day and have been just floating about having a good nose!! :)
Just read all of this thread and all I can say i WOW!!! I don't own an air-cooled VW at the mo (Bora 1.8T) but REALLY want a splitty. Haven't got the first clue about where to start, but this thread has given me hope!!!
Your doing a great job, keep up the good work!!!

Paul

looking good Lucy....get on with it! :incheek:

:D

Glad we helped you :) This is the first resto we've done, and we're still learning. Before we got Joey we didn't have a clue about old VWs - the most we'd ever done was an oil change, and we were pleased as punch lol.

Onto todays pics - we weren't happy with the fit of the wheel arches, so the outer skin came off and we put it up against the door:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/eaf1e7c1.jpg

And thought that if the arch fitted the door ok, then why didn't it fit when it was on the bus? So with a bit of fiddling we repositioned it and we're happy with the finish:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/acdc3345.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/24793d4a.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/78df0f5f.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/57ba985d.jpg

Not a perfect fit, but 100% better than it was - you could fit you arm (not joking!) up between the bottom of the arch inside the bus! :eek:

And I did some filler work on the rear corner - getting there:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/3b507ea5.jpg

*Lucy*

Hey Luce, looking good!

Got much more to do?

Good work folks :)

Too much :( Suppost to be on the road for Vanfest..... but it's getting rather near! He's looking much more 'bus shaped' now tho....

I'm gonna be doing lots of filler work this week, so we'll be (hopefully) getting some etch primer on next weekend on the top half :)

In an effort to actually get Joey to Vanfest after saying "next year, we'll have Joey here!" for the last couple of years, which has now become a joke between our friends :o so he might look like this at Vanfest (should he get there):
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/Shamrockez7/Joey/806e27bb.jpg

As we don't want to mess up his final coat of paint by rushing it, so he can have a temp paint job until we have time to finish all the prep to give him a decent finish :)

Cool. Yeah, paint on that is going to be a right bitch! Getting those panels straight - oof, rather you than me. Even with the temp paint job you'll need to re-bare metal the whole thing and apply something water resistant over the etch primer.

Personally, I'd consider going for a quick celly spray. It's waterproof and the gloss will highlight any bumps and lumps that need more work. You have the tools. :hangloose

Why bother spraying at all? Just put some windows and an engine in there, get him MOTed, and go 'rat look' :D

Cos he'll all rust away, Dom! :eek: and that's not good!

Tom, yeah that's my task for the week - sand the top half and roof down and do as much filler work as poss so I we can get some etch on at the weekend, and hopefully a couple of layers of high build.

I've spent a few hours sanding down filler today..... my arms feel all fuzzy :crazy:

I'm really tempted to go out and put Bella's battery into him and shove some lights in to see if anything works......

I'm supposed to be looking fora job at the mo tho..... but playing with Joey sounds like more fun :D

The bottom half will be the fun bit (not!). :D

It might be worth doing a bit of panel beating first if possible otherwise I think the fillers gonna be pretty thick in places.

Don't bother partially rewireing him yet! You'll only need to rip it apart again to paint it. Spend your energy in the correct order (and spend it quicker). :D

The wires (should) be all there! But true... good point! I shall try not to paint over the wires like someone did to Bella :lol: "uhh, they're all red!" :lol:

I tried panel beating...... and I don't appear to be very good at it :lol: either that or I'm too scared to hit him too hard.

To people who haven't seen Joey - the problem comes from some numpty not cutting out the old wheel arches when replacing them with new ones... hence 2 sets of wheel arches and a hell of a lot of wacking him into place and filler to make him appear straight.....

Now we gotta try and straighten it out...... ho hum....

Two sets of wheel arches!? That's some craaaaazy Australian! (Is he Australian?)

Nope - he's never left the West Country! As far as we can tell he started off life as a Devon Camper, registered to Exeter. We bought him off Martin at Bristol Cherished Cars, who bought him off someone in Bath..... I don't know where he was before that tho.... Anyway - he's not got far from Exeter!

Most Devon folk have extra features. :p