[moler]

Right where to start, I guess at the beginning!
In the middle of last year I was luck enough to be able to buy an early 1964, built August 1963, UK RHD converted panelvan, the previous owner had owned him for 29 years, the last 13 of which had been spent under a tarp in his back garden. I was moving house so saw no sense in moving him before I'd moved so it was September before he was gracing my driveway...

...a mate lent a hand, Superstar ...

As you would expect from a uk bus he's in a bad way, but he could much worse...

...the money shot...

Here is some of my previous work, not complete unfortunately, but one day he will be.
Too Rusty? Hot Rod Bay

 

[Mr.Dean]

I bought my bay blind off ebay. When i went to get it, it was much much worse than it looked in the pics. I honoured the purchase and got it brought back.

I stripped out the interior which was soaking wet full of mould and spiders.

I thought i had wasted my time and money.

But i stuck it out, spent a friggin fortune. Messed up the side panels because i didn't use a heat sink so now its full of filler.

But now its nearly ready for it's MOT.

Good luck.

(oh and i don't get on with one of my neighbours now too)

 

[moler]

Cheers Mr. Dean

So on Sunday I finally started with the resto, I started by removing the doors and seats...

WARNING...I'll be posting so many pictures it'll almost be like a flipper book

...the doors are absolutely shot, so stripped them I'll be keeping the scrap until the end though, as you never know when you might need a repair patch and what better metal than genuine VW?...

...removed the drivers seat to find a brake servo!...

...so onto the front panel, to make stripping the dash easier, off it came...

 

[superbeetle91]

A splits a split i want it!

Will keep you busy for a few months

 

[john.stone]

welcome back to the land of the livid matey.
It'll be great to see how this goes, you gonna finish this one then?
John.



Oh, and why are you stripping the dash out?

 

[moler]

I will be finishing this one did I mention I want to use it for Vanfest THIS year?

And the dash is coming out because pretty much the whole of the front is rotten, mainly because of this...

...so I got this from Graham at FBi...

...but this is LHD so the dash needs to go in here

 

[raked74]

WARNING...I'll be posting so many pictures it'll almost be like a flipper book

Good stuff - bring em on!
Nice looking van - doesnt look messed around with which can be a help when in that sort of state!

 

[vdubberdan]

welcome back!!!! who ended up buying your bay in the end would have loved to see that finished!!!

 

[misterecks]

Yay, looks like another classic thread has begun

Passed many a happy hour lurking on your previous threads

 

[moler]

raked74 - It has been messed with unfortunately, homemade front arches, sills from questionable sources, the only saving grace is the previous had some skill so not bodged.

vdubberdan - Still got the old '71, thought I'd sold the roof off it but that fell throw thankfully as I've decided to keep it and finish it

misterecks - Thanks

 

[moler]

This shows just how bad the front is, about what you'd expect for a uk bus that's had no previous work around the front, or if it had it's gone now...

...both sides are like this...

...lower valance, inner and outer totally gone...

...this was the previous owners solution to a 12volt fuel gauge, 2 x 6volt ones in parallel.

So off came the front...

...picked the rest of the floor off, and the old repairs around the bottom of the inner arches, anyone know of repair sections for this area?...

...now, where does all this go?

 

[misterecks]

Holy crap

Good luck!

 

[luton 1971]

Bloody hell :hangloose

 

[john.stone]

Calm down, calm down! If you remove any more you'll have nothing left to weld to or use as a reference.
I've also got a spare RHD dash if you need one (cheap, cheap).

 

[dub_crazee]

holy poop dude! thats a lota tin worm

 

[magicfiver]

holy mother of god thats an extreme resto move!

 

[Mr Unhinged]

holy mother of god thats an extreme resto move!

Brave aint the word
Respect for going that deep

 

[Craigs65]

fook
good luck with it man:hangloose

 

[moler]

Thanks peeps

John, gonna PM you re dash

 

[No worries]

Awesome, id ebay the wife, kids and me mum to have a project like this sat in my garage!

Right........Mum for sale, one careful owner etc.....