Rust is the mind-killer

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mechanicjay
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Rust is the mind-killer

Post by mechanicjay » Sun May 19, 2019 9:23 pm

As I make slow prodding progress on my Bus (I'm now 3 years into this 6 month project!), I'm still in "find more to dig deeper in" mode. Today I pulled the windshield to deal with the rust I knew was lurking beneath.
That's not so pretty.
re_20190519_161514.jpg
re_20190519_161514.jpg (226.34 KiB) Viewed 9976 times
Look a small rust hole!
re_20190519_161521.jpg
re_20190519_161521.jpg (199.86 KiB) Viewed 9976 times
Let's wire wheel this to see what shows up!
re_20190519_164119.jpg
re_20190519_164119.jpg (180.76 KiB) Viewed 9976 times
...oh.

The good news is that I wire wheeled through a significant amount of bondo, so you know someone has been through this dance before on this bus. This is looking like a repair panel from the Bus Depot to me....

TrollFromDownBelow
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Tue May 21, 2019 6:35 pm

Purists will say to cut out and weld in a new panel. I say it may be on the cusp of keeping and fixing...provided that the bus will be stored indoors when not in use. Treat the rust, skim coat with filler, use a good epoxy primer, and it might be okay.
1976 VW Bus aka tripod
FI ...not leaky, and not so noisy...and she runs awesome!
hambone wrote: There are those out there with no other aim but to bunch panties. It's like arguing with a pretzel.
::troll2::

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sped372
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by sped372 » Wed May 22, 2019 5:20 am

Whatever you do, good on you for making improvements.
1971 Karmann Ghia - 1600 DP
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX

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mechanicjay
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by mechanicjay » Thu May 23, 2019 11:50 am

TrollFromDownBelow wrote:
Tue May 21, 2019 6:35 pm
Purists will say to cut out and weld in a new panel. I say it may be on the cusp of keeping and fixing...provided that the bus will be stored indoors when not in use. Treat the rust, skim coat with filler, use a good epoxy primer, and it might be okay.
Im planning on this being a fairly regular use vehicle. Up here in the PNW, stuff gets wet at the end of September and doesn't dry out till the end of May.

The previous repair was a bondo/paint jobby....didnt hold up to the wet here. I might try for a two-part epoxy to fill/level rather than filler...or just start cutting. Still Undecided.

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Amskeptic
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by Amskeptic » Sat May 25, 2019 5:35 am

mechanicjay wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 11:50 am
TrollFromDownBelow wrote:
Tue May 21, 2019 6:35 pm
Purists will say to cut out and weld in a new panel. I say it may be on the cusp of keeping and fixing...provided that the bus will be stored indoors when not in use. Treat the rust, skim coat with filler, use a good epoxy primer, and it might be okay.
Im planning on this being a fairly regular use vehicle. Up here in the PNW, stuff gets wet at the end of September and doesn't dry out till the end of May.

The previous repair was a bondo/paint jobby....didnt hold up to the wet here. I might try for a two-part epoxy to fill/level rather than filler...or just start cutting. Still Undecided.

See:

https://www.itinerant-air-cooled.com/vi ... 30#p217814

I like keeping the dimensions of the original car. There is bondo under the repair, it is at four years and buckets and buckets of cross-country rain at 60 mph. We're still good ... :sunny:
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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mechanicjay
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by mechanicjay » Sun May 26, 2019 8:29 pm

Okay Colin,
That thread inspired me.

While mine was had far more perforations than yours, I decided to give it a shot. I got JB Weld SteelStick. A mixable two part putty. You kneed it together, and have about 5 minutes to form in before it sets. It's SUPER easy to work with.

I was mixing small batches, making a small cone, and sticking the pointy end of the cone into the perforations. I'd then use my finger to smooth the big end down and spread it out.

After it set, I got the dremel out, knocked down the excess material and smoothed it all out. I'm really happy with the progress so far. More work and more pictures coming.
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asiab3
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by asiab3 » Sun May 26, 2019 9:51 pm

Keep it up! Little imperfections can lead to water leaks, so make sure the finished product ends up super smooth before glass installation time.

Now is also the time to get the metal dashboard out for L41 black painting and duct cleaning! (Or L43 if you like the grey-black dash color like me!) :) After that comes wiper motor refreshing, wire tidying, and ventilation lubrication! Right?

Robbie

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1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 27, 2019 4:15 pm

asiab3 wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 9:51 pm
Keep it up! Little imperfections can lead to water leaks, so make sure the finished product ends up super smooth before glass installation time.

Now is also the time to get the metal dashboard out for L41 black painting and duct cleaning! (Or L43 if you like the grey-black dash color like me!) :) After that comes wiper motor refreshing, wire tidying, and ventilation lubrication! Right?

Robbie
Sheesh! Bam! Yes, be very thorough with the height and smooth line for the top edge of the pinchweld. This is where the rubber seal has to make its waterproof barrier. Also, really let the primer dry and really let the paint dry before you install the windshield. If it peels, you won't see it. You'll be too busy admiring how good it looks to grasp that the rope just ripped all the damn paint off underneath. :pale:

Robbie, do you know when L43 was superceded by L41?
Chloe has a horrid L43 milky blue/grey that has got to go.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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asiab3
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by asiab3 » Mon May 27, 2019 10:32 pm

I don't know what year, but I painted mine back before I started caring about such details… I like the L43 grey black because my own gloss black restorative projects always looked like "cheap rattle can" to me, but I had not yet wet sanded any of them……

Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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mechanicjay
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by mechanicjay » Sun Jun 30, 2019 9:08 pm

Well, I think I'm most of the way done with the windshield channel.
re_20190630_164905.jpg
re_20190630_164905.jpg (231.36 KiB) Viewed 9673 times
There still some undulation, which I might try another round of sanding and filling to lessen.
re_20190630_164948.jpg
re_20190630_164948.jpg (132.41 KiB) Viewed 9673 times

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Amskeptic
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jul 06, 2019 8:12 pm

mechanicjay wrote:
Sun Jun 30, 2019 9:08 pm
Well, I think I'm most of the way done with the windshield channel.
re_20190630_164905.jpg
There still some undulation, which I might try another round of sanding and filling to lessen.
re_20190630_164948.jpg

Yes do another round. Did you treat the rusted metal with rust-catalyzing primer before sanding the surfaces in preparation for your JB Filler?

We have a new windshield channel job as of three days ago! Belle Plaine of Belle Plaine MN:

viewtopic.php?f=78&t=13862#p233269

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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mechanicjay
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by mechanicjay » Sun Jul 07, 2019 3:10 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 8:12 pm
mechanicjay wrote:
Sun Jun 30, 2019 9:08 pm
Well, I think I'm most of the way done with the windshield channel.
re_20190630_164905.jpg
There still some undulation, which I might try another round of sanding and filling to lessen.
re_20190630_164948.jpg

Yes do another round. Did you treat the rusted metal with rust-catalyzing primer before sanding the surfaces in preparation for your JB Filler?

We have a new windshield channel job as of three days ago! Belle Plaine of Belle Plaine MN:
I did!

My problem is getting things even over long runs...I are not a body man.

If you and Ronin10 are amenable, I'd love to stop by and lend a hand in the afternoon.

--Jason

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Amskeptic
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Re: Rust is the mind-killer

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:02 pm

mechanicjay wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 3:10 pm
Amskeptic wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 8:12 pm
mechanicjay wrote:
Sun Jun 30, 2019 9:08 pm
Well, I think I'm most of the way done with the windshield channel.
re_20190630_164905.jpg
There still some undulation, which I might try another round of sanding and filling to lessen.
re_20190630_164948.jpg

Yes do another round. Did you treat the rusted metal with rust-catalyzing primer before sanding the surfaces in preparation for your JB Filler?

We have a new windshield channel job as of three days ago! Belle Plaine of Belle Plaine MN:
I did!

My problem is getting things even over long runs...I are not a body man.

If you and Ronin10 are amenable, I'd love to stop by and lend a hand in the afternoon.

--Jason
Ask him. I am. I'll even do a beer at 6:45PM.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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