Left Side

 

The left side of the bus was in the same condition, needing floor braces, outriggers, inner and outer rockers and the floor replaced. Here is the rough weld of the outside without any grinding yet. There was a lot of braces and patches that needed to be done on this side too.

Right Side Done

 After a bit more grinding and bodywork, the right side of the bus is rust-free. I am trying to remove the rust and leave as much character to the body as I can... which means dents and paint chips are not being removed. I sprayed the paint for now just to prevent the rust from attacking the bare metal, but I want to blend it in better once I get the other side done.

The bottom of the cargo doors were replaced both inner and outer. I'm not going to go crazy grinding up the welds, it will be all covered up with door panels.

One Floor Done

 

It may not look like much, but it was a lot of work to get that right side floor done. The hardest part was figuring out where it once was before it rusted away and left me very little to work with. New floor braces, new outriggers, new jack points, new quarter panel, new inner rocker, new outer rocker and of course a new floor patch panel. I forgot to mention the dozen small patches that had to be made up to connect them all together. My wife asked if I was having fun yet... I think that I am!

Outriggers

The structure under the sides of the floor (and the floor of the bus itself) needed most of the rust repair. I luckily had the outriggers, frame supports, inner rockers and floor patches to get the job done. I did pick up some extra panels from Wolfsburg West to make it a little quicker too.

Plasma Cutter

 

I always wanted a plasma cutter to speed up the metal work, and was this ever a good investment! I picked up the Eastwood Versa Cut 20 Plasma Cutter, and I love it.

'67 VW Tin Top Camper

 

I have been busy working on the latest project, an 11 window, 1967 Volkswagen walkthru split window tin top camper bus (that's a mouthful). The bus is originally from Nebraska, and a previous owner bought it in Colorado, and traveled the US with it - and even lived out of it in Mexico for over a year!  It came partially disassembled, but included most of the repair panels it needed to put it back together. It has a blue/green '74 Westfalia camper interior and jalousie camper windows. The motor clutch and transmission are new, it is lowered and has a bunch of new parts. My goal is to get all the rust repaired, most of which is underneath the floors and in the outrigger areas, and to keep it original for now. 

About 10 years ago, the following was done:

rebuilt RGB's with new bearings, circlips and steel plugs
new differential bearings in transaxle
new brass starter bushing in bellhousing
new fulcrum plates, daisies in transaxle
new nosecone and hockey stick on transaxle
new reverse switch on nose cone
new hardware, resealed transaxle
new front transaxle mount
new rear transaxle mounts
new spring plate to rgb bolts and washers
new rear Boge shocks
new rear lower shock bolts/washers/nuts
new upper engine compartment rubber seal
drained the gas tank, replaced the brass strainer inside
new bearing retainer seals
powder coated rear backing plates
new brake shoes, wheel cylinders, brake shoes, spring kit
new German teflon coated brake lines
new German rear rubber lines
bead blasted and painted rear drums
wire wheeled and painted rear shift rod, installed new rubber boot on each end
new shift rod coupler
new clutch cable
new throttle cable
new ebrake cables
modified type 1 throttle cable tube/sheath
repaired weak spot on front beam shock tower
degreased, wire wheeled, primed and painted front beam and trailing arms
replaced center pin bushing, reamed to 24mm (Thank you GA)
new left and right German tie rods
new German drag link
spindles rebuilt by Hazetguy, new forged kingpins from Wagenswest
new front wheel bearings and seals
repaired and powder coated front brake backing plates
new front brake hard and soft lines (German)
new steering stabilizer
new front brake shoes and spring kit
bead blasted and painted drums
new front boge shocks and upper mounting bolts
wire wheeled and painted beam mount bolts/washers
new throttle repair kit, replacing throttle cantilever, rod, and pin
wire wheeled and painted master cylinder clevis, pin and rod
new NOS ATE '67 only master cylinder
Master cylinder, wheel cylinders painted with Eastwood brake fluid resistant paint
powder coated wheels and mounted and balanced tires

New Wheels for Camaro

The new Blaque Diamond BD-F25 wheels went on today without a hitch, and even though the weather was cold and roads are covered with snow and ice, I just had to go around the block once to test them out. I decided to go with the square setup, 20x9 all the way around... 5x120, 66.9 hub and a 35mm offset... they fit like factory with the 245s in the front and 275s in the back. Everyone was trying to get me to go bigger, like 20x11 in the rear, but I had new tires already, and there is always that tight clearance to worry about now that I have dropped the car with the new springs. I don't want to make any sacrifices with driving it just to get the biggest wheels on the block.

 

The Baer Decelarotor rotors and new brake pads were also a must have. Now, I do have the black G2 caliper paint and new silver Brembo decals, but the temp is still below freezing, so I'll have to wait until it warms up to finish that part... I can't wait.

Ceramic Coating New Wheels

 

The new Blaque Diamond BD-F25 wheels arrived from Modified Concepts, and they looked great. Now I just needed to test fit them all to make sure the backspacing was perfect, and of course it was. So they took a trip over to ACE so that Peach could mount the tires, and I ordered my ceramic coating.

The Cquartz Dlux Wheel Ceramic Coating was the next step. Since the wheels were brand new, and super clean, it was a quick prep job and the installation of the product. I was mostly concerned with getting good coverage inside the wheel, and really hope that it keeps the brake dust and road grime off, and makes it easier to clean. I wore gloves and used the nice applicator that comes with the kit. It was a bit difficult to see while applying (like clearcoat in a bottle), but it was thick and left very little if any haze to wipe off. Next day they were very smooth and slick, I doubt anything could have stuck to them.


I still haven't figured out what to do with my old wheels yet, so I packed them up in the new wheel boxes for now.

Battery Tender for Camaro

I had a Battery Tender not being used, so I connected it to the Camaro (the battery is in the trunk) and ran the cable through the drain plug in the trunk floor. Now I can connect the trickle charger up on those cold winter nights just by reaching up under the rear diffuser and plugging it in.

Camaro Firewall Repair

Before I owned the Camaro, a squirrel or rat must have climbed in the engine compartment and ate some of the firewall insulation on the passenger side... it always bugged me. Today I received a new piece (part#92195879) from GM Parts Direct, and two minutes later, good as new!

Camaro LS engine cover

My pal Johnny hooked me up with a guy selling a nice new inferno orange engine cover for the Camaro today for a whopping $25.

Camaro Suspension

I upgraded the Camaro with an ACS T4 splitter, side rockers and rock guards. I wanted a subtle performance look, and not like I just drove off the latest Fast & Furious movie. Just after I took this pic I also installed new springs that lowered the car 1.25" all around to eliminate the wheel gap. I have also been preparing to upgrade the Camaro brakes this spring when the weather gets warmer. New rotors, pads, caliper paint and decals already purchased. Made a call for new wheels, stay tuned.

After dropped suspension

Before dropped suspension