Robert and Emma's microbus

OberonViking · Robert and Emma's microbus

I want to detail the restoration of our Kombi, mostly for my own pleasure - I hope you enjoy it too. It might even be helpful for people like myself as we start such a project.

We've been looking to buy a new Tarago, but thought better of it. Sure a brand new car would be really nice, but it would only ever be that, 'nice.' A kombi is something both Emma and I have loved since we were kids. Emma has always said that she would never drive a van, unless it were a Kombi, "besides, they're not vans, they're Kombis!" And now that we are talking about having another 2 kids to go with the four we already have...

So we have just put a deposit on a (baby poo) green 1979 bay window microbus: $9,200. It is in Melbourne, so we plan to fly to pick it up in the school holidays, and drive it back to Oberon. It's engine and gearbox were reconditioned only 8,000 km ago, and the odometer reads as 46,000 km.

My cousin is currently living in Melbourne and kindly accepted my request to 'go over it, especially the corners, with a magnet.' He found no evidence of bogged up corners, or anyway on the vehicle. There is a fair bit of surface rust, as the paint is fading away. He emailed me a dozen photos.

I've been getting a few more quotes lately, and everything is fitting into the $25k restoration budget. Very easily actually. A big part of that will be the '$50 paint job' (Go google it). I think I will even get the same paint brought in from the USA with an aunt who is returning to Sydney from New Jersey in May.

Emma and I are talking about interior options. We want a new car feel so we will get the seat reupholstered (to match the new paint job - pale pink with white from the windows up). Might buy door and wall panels stock from suppliers and put more of the money into sound-proofing materials, or we will have them made as we have the seats reupholstered.

We both want retractable lap-sash seats throughout, and headrests and baby-seat bolts. One motor trimmer thought that was easily do-able.

The cost of sandblasting might be borderline. He suggested that $1,200 would probably be the most that it would cost, if the paint was really stubborn. We might do that one ourselves. But then again...

Bought our fist copy of VWMA today, mostly for the ads. Now I can really get the quotes coming in. And we have some more ideas for how we want the finished product to look. Emma even agreed that it would be great to have the car at show quality and maybe win a prize, People's Choice would be great.

I also asked the RTA about the availability and cost of number plates to suit. We plan to get BUS*** as standard yellow plates. I hope to have the bus registered with NSW plates for its 30th birthday.

More info as more happens.

Brookie

Congrats on purchase- look forward to pics of bus, drive back and resto progress.

Would not recommend sand blasting -if you feel you want to go this way go for beadblasting- a lot softer on metal and gets rid of everything without abrasiveness of sand.
A proper inspection when you have windows etc out may show it does not need blasting-just a good rub back and normal prep.

I guess you mean this with your $50 paint job

http://thekombikonnection.myfreeforum.org/about796.html

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66split

also looking forward to progress pics. if you want to go back to bare metal for you resto then consider paint stripper on the flat panels and having the door jams and fiddly bits bead blasted. good luck with it, sounds like you have a good plan in place and are going to enjoy it.
dave.

OberonViking

(Testing the image loading)
Here's the new bay.

[img]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2363324978_5732654395.jpg?v=0[/img]

okay, having troubles, probably related to flickr?

Brookie

OberonViking

Here's the new bus, and the first major concern - the colour!

Here's my only real concern, everything else is very straight and tidy

KustomKombi.Com

Hi Robert and Emma
Welcome aboard and if thats the only thing you have to worry about, You have a very good bus then. Cool

Jamie

Kinga

That looks like a great bus guys, nice and straight.

Already has sliding windows too.

I think that colour was called Martini Green or something like that.

Sounds a bit more exotic than "Baby Poo"

Rust under the seat like that generally means a leaky window rubber.

Brookie

I think the inside colour under seat looks like Martini Olive- the exterior seems to more "green"
Martini Olive
Dulux colour No 158803 VW Code CLR 622

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Piratekombi

Hey there Robert and Emma!

I love Martini Olive! I think it is a great retro 70s colour, and I would definitely keep it if it was my bus.... but, of course, the choice is yours!

That is a great condition bus, pretty original looking and unmolested, well done! You should have no problems restoring it, with plenty of money left over for accessories (or bling!). Have fun, I look forward to seeing the resto develop.

OberonViking

10 sleeps to go
2 plane tickets booked
rego sorted
kids sorted for the two days
borrowing money from rich uncle tomorrow morning
etag readied for the trip through Melbourne
what else...?

Brookie

Photos when you first see bus and the drive back Very Happy

We will all be counting sleeps.

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Piratekombi

Good luck! Just holler if you need any Melbourne tips or advice... I hope you have a fun trip back. Smile

Diddlie

I'm very excited for you, have a blast.

Di

Scotia

welcome to KK. have a safe trip.
ps.....i love the colour, why do you want to change it?

OberonViking

Colour change - my wife really wants her bus to be two tone white over pastel pink with matching interior. Hey, its her bus...

I am getting excited. Four sleeps to go, and I have found that I can get Rustoleum in Australia after two weeks of getting the run-around. The more DIY I can give the bus, the more money we will have for other bits and pieces, like perhaps a beetle for me.

OberonViking

We left to begin the trip on Sunday morning, and were home on Wednesday night. This included driving to Penrith to drop 3 of the kids off to a relo on Sunday. Get up at 4am to fly to Melbourne, taxi to Craigieburn, use a D-shackle to rig up a baby-seat bolt, drive back to Tarcutter (lots of stopping for the 4 month old). Sleep at the pub (constant traffic noise, communal bathroom has never been cleaned). Tuesday drive the rest of the way home at a rate of 1 hour drive, 1 hour stop for 400 odd kilometers at 90-something km/h - a very long day. Sleep over in Penrith. Wednesday: talk to the Chief at Indian Automotive (VW specialist with a passion for Bays) and he checked it out mechanically and gave me a list. Drove an hour to drop in on my Mum as the Chief had the bus. Drove another 2 hours to then get home to Oberon. Home at 6pm to cook dinner. Watched Little Miss Sunshine for the first time, compared The List to the workshop manual and went to bed very happy.

More later today, I need to go cut up fire wood - its rather cold here.

Brookie

Great report and sound like trip went well but tiring Very Happy

Getting report from Kimm was good idea-he is top guy.

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OberonViking

Frankly, the previous owner spoke so much, and so highly of the bus (so obviously inflated in his own delusions of grandeur), that I was keen to get out of there as soon as possible, with the bus in any condition. Fortunately my cousin had already looked over the vehicle for me, taking a magnet to the whole body (well, special attention was paid to the corners, drivers feet area and wheel arches, and anywhere else that looked dodgy). He found signs of rust all over, though nothing large or deep. No signs of an accident. Everything is neat and straight. The engine was clean of grease, though dusty – a good sign that he hadn’t just degreased the engine bay. I had a quick look and was soon keen to move on.

She (he? Haven’t figured it out yet, though it will soon be mostly pink = she) drove like a dream. Sure, it took me till I was out of Craigieburn till I felt that I had any idea about the gearbox, and I panicked when I depressed the brake pedal at the petrol station (though I appeared very calm – I didn’t want to worry Emma), but then I just drove along at 90-something kilometres for hours on end. The hills disappeared beneath us like they didn’t exist. The kilometres seem to be feeding the bus with more and more energy and drive to go on and on and on. The fuel gauge slowly drifted left…

We used a D-shackle on the middle support of the back seat as a baby-bolt. Unfortunately 4 month old Alastair needed more rest stops then we did, and so the overall journey was slow. The pub we stayed in was terrible, but that is just part of the adventure. In Wodonga we stopped for food and parked next to another late model kombi – I had to take a photo of the two of them together.

I love everything about it: the way we all get out the sliding door together, and just all get back in that way too; how everything is backwards (engine, glovebox, heater controls, indicators, wiper controls); all the storage space (2 parents, 4 kids, dog, large old-style pram and two scooters were no problems).

In fact, here’s my
10 reasons why the Microbus is better than a Brand New Tarago (in no particular order):
1 Nobody says to you, “Wow, a Tarago. Now that brings back some memories…”
2 DIY servicing is much cheaper and you know that the oil filter really was changed.
3 The power windows will never break-down.
4 Not the remote central locking either,
5 Nor the dual climate control system.
6 Toyota expect you to pile all your gear vertically in the very back, with an average depth of 35cm.
7 Just how long will those gas struts hold up the heavy rear door of a Tarago?
8 My Microbus has made it 30 years so far – will the Tarago ever get there?
9 Tarago owners don’t wave to each other on the street with a big grin.
10 Who’d want a 12” Toyota badge across the front end?

I don’t have time for the list of why the Microbus is better than our 7 seat Patrol. Good 4WD, not a great people mover.

The Chief gave me a list of things to fix (I can’t quite read all the writing):
Mechanical:
Both front lower shock bushes c/s
Gear change bush missing
Play in all 4 ball joints
Handbrake cable cracked
w/cylinders weeping
rear shocks

Body:
Rust in drivers and passengers wheel arch
Middle seat outer mounts
Crack l/h side middle seat
All window frames <dunno>
Signs of rust
Drivers battery tray

I am very happy with that because I can do most of that myself.

Next step is to have a very good look at all those jobs and decide what I will get the Chief to fix before I hand the rego plates in.

Diddlie

Glad you are happy with your new arrival, hope you get through the owrk quickly.

OberonViking

I've gutted the interior, except for the driver's seat, dash and front door trims. I've removed the windows (other than the driver's and passenger's front two).

The rust is minimal. There are a few holes, and lots of surface rust. Yet, where there are holes is easy, smooth and flat surface. The holes are no bigger than 5mm (other than one), and the window frames are rust free where it is important (on the vertical plate that holds the bead).

I am so happy.

So I spent the weekend grinding and splashing Phosphoric Acid around. I took the sliding door off (accidentally - after I'd taken the track cover off), and I will strip the other two doors and remove them soon too. I'll spend a night or two filling in the rust holes with new metal and smoothing it back.

Then it is rubbing wet-and-dry all over to get the paint off. Some dent removal, then putty to get it all smooth. Then roller-painting and sanding and painting and sanding...

Next will come finding a car-trailer to haul the bus to the upholsterer, and bring it home for the final bits and pieces.

Hopefully done by October - see you all at Old Bar with any luck.

Brookie

Good info there and glad you are still happy- love to see progress photos..---------

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kyznet

That was a great thread to read, and I'm so stoked for you that you're a happy chappy. Love your top 10 reasons list too!

Shame you couldn't have slept in the Kombi instead of a dingy pub on your return trip, but them's the breaks.

OberonViking

We would have slept in the bus if we didn't have 4 month old Alastair with us.
Maybe next time...

OberonViking

Quick update:
I've pulled off nearly everything that will come off. I've revealed nearly all the rust that I can reveal.

and, thank goodness, this is the worst of my rust problems

I plan to have everything off by the end of next weekend.

OberonViking

My two big girls came in looking to help me, so I pulled out the sanding blocks and the wet-and-dry and sent them to work. In about two hours we had done enough that I've decided to get some sand-blasting equipment.

I got the girls to do the 'hard to reach' places as I went round the window:

Brookie

Glad your rust is relatively minor and good to see some great helpers

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66split

looks like progress is going ahead smoothly. are you going to hire out those light weight roof repairers Laughing

look forward to more pics.

BJ

Archeress

i am following this resto very closely...looks like it will get very interesting.

OberonViking

Quick update, photos later.

I've taken everything that I want to off the bus. Well, there's some bits of headliner that need the hairdryer. Since I am going to roller-paint this thing I can leave things like the light assemblies in place. I've taken the covers off, but by taping up the seals, then replacing the lens you won't be able to see a thing.

I've made a series of photos that I will make into a "How to strip the door down" post.

I hammered a few bent pieces back to where they are meant to be (roughly).

Taking the bumpers off should be done whilst wearing protective eye-wear. I suffered a lot of dirt etc in my eyes. And don't forget to disconnect the trailer plug from the tow bar before walking away with it. The kids then helped to wire-brush a lot of the dirt from the parts I had removed from the bus.

I laid the headliner out on the ground once I had it out. We are going to order a premade one from the US (probably cip1.com, and get a drink holder that fits into the ashtray slot). We are toying with the idea of including a strip along the length of the headliner to match the seats. We know someone with an industrial sewing machine Smile

It is surprising how much rust falls out as you remove the rubber seals from the doors and hatches. It looks like a right mess, then you clean it up a little and there is barely any pitting = no problems. It felt really final to be throwing the seals into the bin. I think that they are the first bit that I've thrown out from the bus.

Rear view mirror came out now worries, just twist it left or right. Hopefully it will make sense when you see the photo. Gave a little scrub with the leftover water from washing up and it looks pretty good. Will make more effort later as I clean all the parts before replacing.

So, I've just got some work to go with the grinder, and filling some holes with solder then bog. Then I'll rub her all over and begin painting. I'll do the mechanical bits in there somewhere for a change of pace, and send the seats of for reupholstery.

October long weekend might actually work. And what a great Birthday Present to myself to go to Old Bar.

Then I can start on the DC, and making a camper a cubby, with a slippery-dip from the roof.

Brookie

Great update and helpful for others thinking of similar projects.

Look forward to more photos.

As this is a complete story from purchasing to collection and trip home and then the plans and commencement of project it has now been made a "sticky"

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OberonViking

First up, here's a detailed how-to on stripping the doors.
http://thekombikonnection.myfreef...sutra7882.php&highlight=#7882

Secondly, I had my mechanic have a good look under the bus. He was a bit worried that the job might beyond his skills.

I've taken off everything that I want to. Got lots of dirt in my eyes. Wondering what this bolt is for - it's on the front bumper.

Diddlie

poor little mite, he looks as though he's impailed there Very Happy

, he will grow up with a fear of kombis.

OberonViking

He's just worried about the brakes...

Archeress

usually the bolts on the front bumper hold the bumper on.....

66split

looks like a gas stay ball bolt, we use those at work for gas stays to hold toolbox lids up. maybe thats all they could find to put in there or perhaps someone had a gas stay on it for some reason

OberonViking

probably the only bolt around. Thanks for that.

OberonViking

I've been using the wire brush on the grinder a fair bit, but spending time tidying up the Patrol for sale. I can almost say that the bus is rust free. I am now going round the body hitting any stone chips and exposing/removing the rust behind it.
I cleaned out most of the grease in the track runners with the wire brush. See how clean they are:

I am a bit stumped about how to get rid of the glue and stuff left behind from the rubber around the bottom of the front seat/wheel arches. I will buy some cans of degreaser for the weekend.
Planing to spend much of the weekend underneath the bus with the degreaser, getting it ready for a covering of Underbody sound deadener paint.

My father-in-law has been up with his welders to fill in some holes. Tried some brazing, and some MIG work. It is going okay, but he wants to get a different gauge wire. Wish I knew more about that, I have a lot of work ahead of me when I pick up the DC and the camper that I have left a deposit on.

So work has been very slow. Still, I've taken her out for a spin now and then. With all that weight on the back she doesn't turn as well as I'd like on long icy grass (bang, sorry apple tree = ding in front bumper, dead centre. It will be hidden behind the external bumper, and no one else has noticed it yet Wink

It's not in this photo:

OberonViking

Since it is snowing outside and the garage heater has run out of gas, I thought I might warm up inside and update a little.
I've been using these Strip It discs to attack any stone chips, trying to get rid of every bit of rust that I can. Much faster than using a kitten, but not as fun. Twisted Evil

I did the front here in about 30 mins, so I am pretty happy about that. By the end of today I hope to be able to have a rust-free body.

OberonViking

I took a photo of the offending tree today, and of the bus nicely kept out of the cold

Perhaps an hour or two of grinding and stripping left to get all the rust off. Maybe three hours since I want to go through the rain gutters again.

Then a little putty here and there and a coat of primer before August ends.

Diddlie

You are going really well with this resto Robert,

OberonViking

Thanks, Di.
I'll bring it over to show you one day, or at least I'd love to.

It's 9pm, I really should go back into the garage and spread some Rust Converter around the newly brightened metal.

But its cold out there.

and warm in here.

Okay, I'll do it - 'cos then I can look to the skies to see if I might have another day off tomorrow. Smile

OberonViking

I did go out and paint the rust converter on Smile

Today I finished the roof. Here is an 'in progress' photo where you can see the surface rust before, and where I've hit it with the Strip It disc.

I then ran the wire bush through the rain gutters very carefully and methodically to remove all the rust and most of the paint. I've decided to paint the rain gutters on the inside with White Gloss Rust Kill (or similar) using a brush. I think that they are going to be a difficult section using a spray paint, and you won't see them, and the extra protection of Rust Kill is probably warranted here.

I've set up a practice run of the 'scaffolding' that I'll set up around the bus to paint the roof.

I've gotta get a new hose line for the air compressor so that I can use the sander I bought for it.

OberonViking

So, it wasn't the hose that was the problem = my compressor isn't big enough to cope with a sander.

It did, however, cope with a sand blaster. I went through two buckets of grit ($15 each) cleaning up most of the places that you can't get at with a grinder, such as under the rain gutters, around the door hinges, around the jacking points, inside the air intakes, inside the seat holes.

Boy, what a mess it makes! I was black all over, the inside of the bus was covered in it, the engine bay had plenty, the dash, everything.

I've got to buy another bucket of grit to do the doors. I've removed all the panels and I have the body ready to cover in primer. Now to tidy up the doors, especially blasting the front of the front doors, where the air intakes are. Very dirty, very hard to get at.

BJ

Good work, sounds like one of those jobs you'll only ever do once in a lifetime!

OberonViking

Piratekombi

Excellent thread Robert and Emma - I have been watching it with equal parts enthusiasm and fear... Smile

OberonViking

Fear? There's nothing to fear. Even if the painting all goes horribly wrong I can rub it back and try again, or send it to the professionals. At the very least I am confident I won't have rust trouble for a few years.

BJ

I have question about your decision to sand the roof in patches (I understand that these were probably the areas with rust) but fear that you will have trouble getting this flat for paint.

I think paint stripping the whole lot might make that job easier......or can you enlighten me.

P.S. I have limited paint experience, so it is just an observation/query

Cheers Jamie

OberonViking

Brookie

With Rob's permission we have moved this great story from Members Photos to here as even though it has 1470 views in previous location it will be seen by more Members and viewers in How I Did It.
Robs photos and posts are very descriptive, helpful and will encourage others to "give it a go"

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OberonViking

First I'd like to reiterate that this is the first time I've ever undertaken something like this, and it is having read other people's resto stories that has inspired and often guided me.

I spent the afternoon with two kids rubbing back the paint in readiness for primer. When my arm was too tired to lift properly (the kids didn't last long) I skimmed some body fill through the pitting left by rest in the front windscreen. I also tried some Acetone to remove the remnant of glue. I think I will stick to the Strip It discs instead, the acetone didn't really do much.

Photos tomorrow, maybe.

OberonViking

The body fill went well. I gave a light sanding, then another skim of body fill. Then I went around to the other window sills and the front floors and the ding on the roof, and prepared them for some putty too. I gave each spot a hit with the wire brush on the grinder, then rub with Rust Converter, wipe it off with metho, wipe it off with a rag, wipe some PrepWash degreaser of it, and wipe it off with a clean rag. Then mix up the body fill (about the size of a stack of 3 or 4 twenty cent coins) and smear it around. It seemed to be going well when there was plenty of metal showing and little pink circles filling in the pitting. I am waiting for tomorrow to let it set fully before I sand it and probably give most of it another skim.

I started using the Strip It disc on the track rail covers. I couldn't finish it because I need a new disc. I decided it was time to stop when the grinder with the wire brush caught my pants and tried to dig its way to my femur. Luckily no damage, other than a slight graze.

OberonViking

Emma and I worked together today, sanding the gloss off the paint. I worked on the roof as Emma did the body panels. Unfortunately, at the end of the day I washed the roof down properly and found that there was still a fair bit of gloss on it. Well, get up early tomorrow and finish it off. I hope to be preparing it for etch primer by tomorrow's end.

OberonViking

Still on track, hoping to have it ready for etch primer by the day's end.

I found that using these "Flexible Sanding Pads" made by Uni-Pro worked a lot better than Wet'n'Dry paper. It took the gloss off nice and quick with no extra scratches. It made a much better job of everything we did yesterday, so that all that work feels like it was wasted. That being said, though, as I sit here I realise that I have de-glossed the front bumper.

I vacuumed the bus out as thoroughly as possible, recovering at least 1 kg of blasting sand. Carefully went through the engine bay with the vacuum too, there was a lot more sand there then I'd like to ever think about again.

I also sanded back the putty that I skimmed on yesterday. It has hardened nicely, and filled in the pitting as I wanted it to. I also smoothed over a small ding in the dead centre of the roof at the front. Now that I feel I have a better grasp of how it turns out I am going to tackle some deeper dings with the stuff tonight. I also plan to wipe Rust Converter over the bus tonight, followed by a wipe with metho as directed to remove the Rust Converter. In the morning I plan to remove the dash and mask it for Etch priming. Things are moving along nicely. Smile

This is a big step, first time in the resto that I will begin to put stuff on, rather than taking stuff off. I will actually use some of the products and tools I have spent a lot of money on.

Sorry I've got no photos today (again). I've been too busy working to remember. The bus looks great as a rat. Lots of bare metal and primer showing through, and the paint is so flat (as in not at all glossy).

OberonViking

Well, today I spent at least three hours getting the surface ready, but now I've painted the roof with Etch Primer, Primer (2 coats) and Spray Putty (3 coats).

To prepare I rubbed Wax and Grease Remover, and wiped it off. Then Rust Converter, which I wiped off using Metho. This had to be wiped off using a damp rag. That left streaks, which had to be wiped down with another damp rag, then dry it off with a clean rag. Finally I was able to put on a light mist coat of Etch Primer, then two light coats of primer before three heavier coats of Spray Putty. I am just following the directions on the cans for each product. It is taking ages in the preparation stages...

I was using my new 71 DC as a workbench - it was good to make it useful, first time in 18 years it has done anything other than sitting in the paddock lonely.

Photos tomorrow (maybe)

OberonViking

The Spray Putty for the roof came up great. That should solve any problems caused by the leopard-print job I did of getting rid of rust spots. I wish I had taped the inside of the rain gutters though, because they are gonna be difficult to get smooth again. I also wish I had taped the outside of the rain gutters and a bit below - they hadn't be primered or anything yet.

So today, I started with the patio heater running in the garage. It eventually raised the temperature from 12 to 20 whilst it was 13 outside. Perfect for painting. I had my brother-in-law and his mate (both aged 17) tape up the roof and the lights and dash and whatever else I could find. My mate John came round and we rubbed the PreWash and Rust Converter all over, then I shot the Etch Primer. The bus is now a nice grey all over, with a yellow textured roof.

I'd bought a can of Etch Primer, and used this to patch a few spots I had missed with the spray gun. Very handy to have, I highly rate this.

I let it dry a bit as I had a lunch, and drenched and vaccinated some cattle of ours. Later it occurred to me as to how to paint inside the ears. I taped them up from the outside and sprayed between the vents. Photos tomorrow after I have shot some more paints on it.

Primer, Sound Deadener and Spray Putty tomorrow morning. John is keen to come round tomorrow arvo to help with the sanding. Smile

I can upload photos as I wait for the Spray Putty - 4 hours.

OberonViking

This is how she looked yesterday, I'd primed and Spray Putty-ed it, and covered the roof so I could Primer the rest of it.

I covered it in Etch Primer by the afternoon, but it was getting cold too quickly to give it the next coat. Etch Primer is meant to be a very light mist coat, so you can still the green through it.

You can see the heater in that last one.

I waited till morning, heated the garage and shot the Primer. It went well. I threw a large piece of MDF and one of plywood onto the cargo floor to spray the interior, and once I had a coat on there I sprayed inside the air intakes. By the time I had the ears done it was time for a reload of the spray gun and another coat inside. By the time this was done with the interior and inside the ears I was ready for lunch, and I had used up my 4 litres of Thinners. I was able to reach in and spray over where the boards were.

Some quick notes on spraying. Clear a nice workspace for mixing the paint with the thinners as you reload the gun. I preferred to do this outside for some fresh air as I was painting. I am using a mask, but it is nicer to get some real fresh air. Make sure you have plenty of space around the bus, and try to keep the air lines clear around the wheels as they get stuck. And it is always getting snagged on the exhaust. Also not that the air line doesn't rub against the new paint you've just laid down, I did that three times in the same place but it is now covered in Sound Deadener so there is no chance that you'll ever see it. Cover the engine too, because you'll get overspray and paint dust sown through the intakes.

When I was ready again I prepared the Sound Deadener, boy is that stuff thick. First John and I spent far too long masking the body so that I didn't get this thick oily stuff where I plan to have a nice neat shiny colour on it. I also covered the seat runners and any threaded hole, like those for the seat belts, and the heater vents. I sprayed 2L and it took me over an hour - and I was covered in it, that took me almost half an hour in the shower to clean it off.

66split

wow, you have been busy, cant wait to see some colour going on Wink

Diddlie

great photos Robert, very exciting. can't believe this is the first time you have done this.

Mustard Man

The Sound Deadener, does that do exactly as it says on the tin? (like Ronseal)

Or is it for something else?

OberonViking

Mustard Man, I hope the Sound Deadener lessens the noise, it took ages to put 2L down, and it is EVERYWHERE. It was all through my hair and clothes - and if you want something rather unpleasant to do, try getting a face-cloth all soapy and then shove it as far up your nose as you can and spin. That's something I've never done before too, Diddly, but it was necessary. It was also through my eyebrows and eye lashes - it looked like I was wearing mascarra Shocked

No photos of that one!

I was hoping to be spraying on the Spray Putty, I had the heater going in the garage for 3 hours this morning. But when I went in I saw that I needed to clean instead, so today is lost for spraying, and that was a waste of 3 h of gas Sad

I am now spending the day using PrepWash to get rid of the overspray. I have the Prep Wash in a spray bottle and this is an excellent way to use it. You have to wipe it off before it dries. I have to be careful though because it is dissolving the Sound Deadener Sad

Maybe spraying tomorrow, or the day after. This whole process is taking a lot longer than I thought Sad

OberonViking

This is the overspray I was talking about, the grimey brown above the line.

Then with one spray of Prep Wash, then another two sprays (from a hand spray bottle), and finally wiped clean with one wipe. It's great stuff, thinking of using it in the bathroom. Smile

Tomorrow I am doing those putty jobs I probably should have done whilst they were bare metal. I might grind them back and do it - they've only been etch primed and surface primed so far... I sleep on it. Once that is done, a little shot of primer and then I will shoot some more Spray Putty and have a yellow and black bus Smile

(for the moment).

OberonViking

Next up I fixed some dings with body filler. They were not deep enough to necessitate a hammering, and inaccessible from behind anyway.
The photos don't show the dings very well, but have a look anyway.
I try to post a Before, During and After in each post, but some are only During and After.

I generally built up each hole with 3 layers of putty, giving it a bit of sanding between each layer. I don't want to put any layer on too thick because it runs. And if the dent was deeper than 5 or 6 mm than putty probably isn't the best option - you should the metal out a bit first.

The problem with putty is that it shrinks a bit as it dries, so you end up with a rippled surface. You can counter that by leaving the last layer raised above the level of the surrounding metal, let it dry, then sand it down. Or use some Spray Putty. I've done the whole bus in Spray Putty, but along the way I couldn't help but aim for the perfect finish to the putty.

No Before photo on this one, but check out the damage to the metal that holds the door rubber in for some idea...

Brookie

Keep them coming Rob- I am sure you making people decide to try and do their own where they can. Smile

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OberonViking

Here you're looking at a crease from the slider to the wheel arch, and a dent on the wheel arch.

The crease is still still a bit flat, where the original body panel curved. Oh well, it is no where near as obvious as it used to be.
And the one on the wheel arch doesn't quite follow the line of the arch perfectly, but you've gotta look pretty hard to see it. I decided that it wasn't worth an extra hour of work to make 1mm of difference.

You gotta draw the line somewhere.

OberonViking

OberonViking

These are both on the driver's side - the rear wheel arch again, and the very front of the bus. Both have been repaired previously with putty, and the paint repair was a different kind of paint.

The putty on the wheel arch I discovered the hard way, by grinding about 4mm into it on a 50mm section. When I saw what I thought was signs of putty I used up on the grinder...

This final photo is a little hard to decipher. It is the front windscreen (up close). There was rust pitting all the way along this, with a few holes. The holes we welded closed - they weren't very big, you couldn't have forced a 10c coin through any of them, and most would have only just taken a match head. I forced putty into the pitting, then skimmed off as much as possible with a straight-edge. After a little sanding you could see pink circles (putty filling the pitting) between bits of metal. It is covered with Spray Putty now to make sure it is smooth.

OberonViking

These next few photos show how I masked the inside of the bus with cardboard that we bought from IKEA (it came with a free bunk bed!). And then you see her covered in Spray Putty.

Here you can see that I put these rubbers back in to help with masking. I didn't want the coarse Spray Putty to get in there, and I covered the engine with a blanket, just to be sure.

OberonViking

Then a guide coat. This was just a cheap can of black spray paint applied thinly all over. The idea is to use a sanding block, and on the high spots the black will come off first, the low spots will remain black. Then you can either keep rubbing till the whole area is back to Spray Putty beige, or you can apply some more Spray Putty to fill the low, another guide coat and try again. I'll wait to see how deep the low spots are.

OberonViking

Here you can see that I didn't get much of the beige coloured Spray Putty inside the air intakes. I had cut some stiff cardboard about 2 feet long and the width of the bottom air intake. I shoved the cardboard and it covered most of the intake. I pulled it back out and carefully put some masking tape over the bits that the cardboard missed. Cardboard back in and let's get spraying.

The track cover - I just thought it might look good being all bare metal against the desert-cammo.

OberonViking

The bus will stay like this for a while as I do the same to the doors. There is actually still a little bit of welding required for the floor and rear corners - some holes to fill, though we didn't have the correct welding wire last time we did some welding.

OberonViking

I wanted to add this link. It really inspired me, and gave me the confidence to do and to succeed.
http://forums.kombiclub.com/showthread.php?t=3896%22

Gabbo's Run

Rob, i thought just a coat of clear on your bus now and youre done. Laughing

OberonViking

It's not a bad idea, call it The Tiger and be done with it.

OberonViking

I've spent the last few days sanding, the first work I've done since October. Sanding off the guide coat to find low spots in the paint, plenty to be found because of how I ground off the paint to get at any small rust spot.

It took two days to do just the roof, though it was probably only one days work really. 400 grit is very fine, and it took a lot of time hand sanding the whole roof. I've come away with three spots that need more work, little dings that need some little putty to fill it- and that is what I've been doing today.

I've also smeared putty along the window sills where there was rust pitting. And there was a long thin dent along length of the bottom of the slider (hands up who else has one of these Wink

) that I have smoothed over with putty. I will post some photos soon, though I haven't taken many...

I figure that I need to have the colour on by the end of January because after that (probably Easter) it will just be too cold again.

Mustard Man

Lets have an update then....how's it all going??? Very Happy

OberonViking

errr, sorry.
Really quickly: I replaced the torsion arms with new ball joints on the weekend, and new shockies too. I've been doing some sanding before I put another few coats of spray putty on the sides to get them perfect.

I am working on it as much as I can so that I can paint before it gets too cold here again. By Easter it might well be too late.

Mustard Man

Good to hear its still ticking along nicely. Keep up the good work!

heretic

Like the cardboard idea.

With any luck it may be a long 'Indian summer'. Give you time to do the top coats,
looking good

cheers
col

OberonViking

We're getting morning frosts here now. I've gotta get a move on - I can heat the garage in the morning and paint by 11 am. That usually works okay. I plan to finish painting the floor and under the dash black today, I will probably have the dash out ready to paint red too.

Gabbo's Run

Cant wait to see some pix rob. Smile

OberonViking

It’s been a while… I've really only done significant amounts in this last week or so.
Dash came out very easily. Take your time unscrewing every thing, don’t forget the single bolt holding the steering column up on the very front of the dash. The gauge cluster will fit back through the hole so that you don’t have to unplug anything other than the speedo cable. The whole steering assembly can be taken apart and the wires are long enough for it to lay on the floor. I unhooked the wire for the heater booster fan from the heater controls to make it easier to move them about. I also unhooked three wires from a single connector cluster above and right of where the fuse box was.
Sorry- there’s a lot of dust floating about that the flash has highlighted for us.

I started painting all the other things that sit under the dash in the same Satin Black. It turned out to be a lot closer to gloss than I expected, but that just means it will be easier to clean. I wasn’t very happy with the results painting these things so I will redo them some time soon. I am hoping that there is a sand blasting cabinet at school that I can use. It is all covered in sanding dust in the photo.

The driver’s door had a few dings in it, and needed some work. I got some advice from a panel beater. Basically, Guide Coat and sand to identify high points. Heat and hammer these down, treat for rust and fill with putty. So I bought a little propane gun with canister and did exactly that. It felt like I made a real mess of a not-so-bad door. But with some carefully applied putty it has come up very well. After the third thin layer of putty I gave it a few coats of Spray Putty/Primer, then a Guide Coat and a good sanding. This showed me that I was very close to finished. It also made the application of the final putty much easier on a smoothed surface. I then sprayed Spray Putty again, and it is now waiting for me to sand the Guide Coat off.

Other than the heating & hammering I did the same thing on the sliding door.

Here’s how I hung the doors and did most of that work on them. I’ve sprayed the passenger door with Spray Putty and found two small dings near the front. So a littly putty and another Spry Putty and it looks really straight now.

This is just a cute photo of the bus’s grin.

OberonViking

Yesterday Emma and I spent about two hours masking the bus so that I could spray the inside in white, but only behind the front seats, not the front cabin at all. Masking takes forever…
I gave it 3 or 4 coats for Primer Surfacer around midday. Next day I gave it a quick sand with P600 and just this arvo I painted on the top coat – Pastel White.
Photos later when it is dry and the light is good.

When spraying make sure you have lots of light. I set up two globes inside the bus, and three would have been a lot better.

Brookie

Keep them coming Robert-posts like yours will keep inspiring others to have a go

PDT_Piratz_24

Those small halogen lights from Bunnings are handy as two will give lots of light and also keep temp OK.

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OberonViking

I was using energy savers, I should have used normal globes, a bit of extra warmth wouldn't go astray. It was 13 degrees outside by the time I was finished. I use the patio heater in the garage to warm it up before I spray.

OberonViking

I have made some progress since last post. I have rust converted and primed the two dash pieces and the bumpers. Well, I didn't quite finish the bumpers because the pray gun started spitting badly. I took it to a local paint supplier and he helped me to fix it up. It was getting air into the paint stream from the needle. A bit of vaseline on the gasket has fixed it up.

In the week just gone I have done a lot more work on that front door. After all the putty you can see on the driver's door in the photo above I gave it a good few coats of Spray Putty/Primer all in one. Don't bother buying this stuff. It is actually quite hard, very difficult to sand. I put in a lot of time and effort to get it as flat as possible but there was still some way to go, lots of the guide coat left. Also, the Spray Putty/Primer left plenty of holes right across the door. So I bought some dedicated Spray Putty (the yellow stuff, much easier to sand). With another guide coat I was able to get the door flat and perfect (well close enough to perfect - I gotta draw the line somewhere, I could continue to work towards perfection but that last 1% will take an extra week on each panel.

I have also been working on the rear hatch, there was two small dings which I was able to fill with Spray Putty, applied at the same time as I sprayed the driver’s door. Again, some guide coat and it is now beautifully flat. Just this afternoon I gave them both 4 coats of Primer Surfacer.

But for some reason that driver’s door wants some more TLC. There are some rough patches, about 4 of them around the handle. It is as if the Spray Putty has shrunk away to reveal the rough putty job underneath. Perhaps I didn’t leave it long enough to harden properly – I thought overnight would’ve been enough, but maybe not with the cold weather here. So tomorrow I will mask around that area and give it some more Spray Putty and leave it.

The rear hatch is looking good, so tomorrow it will get a sanding with P400 as per the directions on the can, and maybe even some final coat colour – Tomato Red and Pastel White.

Sorry about the lack of photos, I’ve been working too hard to pause for photos Smile

Brookie

Great to see an update Robert- the weather can really upset painting and prep work.

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OberonViking

Thanks Brookie,

I've also been fixing a significant fuel leak in my dual cab, often being rained on as I go. The carby has been leaking, the fuel has run down the manifold and into the sump. This is a pretty significant problem that everyone should be aware of - I've sat the vehicle for a week since first noticing the problem, and today I drained 7 L of mostly fuel from the sump.

Anyway, up early tomorrow, get the heater going in the garage and begin sanding again.

OberonViking

Over the last two weeks I have finished panel and putty work on the doors, shot some more Spray Putty on to smooth over the putty, and Primed and Painted the doors. All four are done now ready for a fine sand and polish. That means I can store the doors and move the bus into place for her top coat.

Some thoughts:
Don't get too excited about the colour you've chosen - rather be excited with the colour that it turns out to be.
Tomato Red is another example of German humour.
Use only one piece of blue tape for the edge between the two colours. It comes off easily, and getting right isn't so much about skill or a steady hand, it is more about trial and error.
That expensive blue tape is worth the extra money if only because it doesn't go off within two weeks of being opened.
Paint fumes are bad to sleep with, and will seep from the garage into your bedroom.
"If it doesn't run, you're not laying it on thick enough." From the paint supplier. Because the wetter and thicker that you put it on the glossier it will be in the end. And the longer you wait before you colour sand the glossier it will be. Apparently.

Photos to come: Photobucket is playing up.

OberonViking

.
and the rest of the bus is nearly ready for primer then top coat.

Brookie

Colour looks great Rob- will standout on road-especially when it snows up your way Very Happy

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Kombi fanatic

What an "inspiration" Rob. Very Happy

Really love your work. Wink

Well done.

Mick.

OberonViking

I've moved the doors out of the garage and into the house. I think I chipped the corner of the slider, dang!
Began to move the bus into the middle, and found the bumpers, air vent, track rail covers and top of dash need paint before I do the body. There's always something else...

OberonViking

Nice smooth lines between the two colours. I used one piece of tape across the each length. Laying the tape perfectly is not so much skill as it is trial and error. Lay some tape, say 20cm, follow it along by eye and put your finger on it where it is last perfect. Then peel up the tape and lay another 20cm as best you can. Repeat.

I painted the Orange first, then the white, because it was easier to mask that way, and the overlapping paint line is facing down. The tape there went on to the flat of the body rather than the curved bulge.

Brookie

Looks great Rob and love the colour

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Aaron.fabs

love it rob keep the photos comming Very Happy

Aaron

OberonViking

OberonViking