Mum, I told you not to... The Unplanned Resto

Discussion in 'Restorations' started by jasper, Jul 11, 2017.

  1. Hello Everyone.

    So a brief history: My mum has always loved VW baywindows so when she told me she had just won an auction on ebay for a 1974 VW devon pop-top late bay, I was thrilled until I realised she had not seen said vehicle.
    So I told her, go have a look, and get it if it was in good condition - I sent her away with 2 A4 pages with things to check... Well as it turns out, she didn't check one single thing as she fell in love as soon as she sat in the camper.

    Turns out, the camper looked good if you stood 10 metres away but closer inspection revealed a host of issues, mostly all rust related. Paint bubbling everywhere, bottom 6 inches of the body was infected with rust, chassis was in a horrible state and the interior upholstery was bodged. Electrics were simply dangerous.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    Don't think this would pass an MOT seatbelt assessment
    Some serious welding needed here

    So I said 'look, mum, I'll sort out the chassis, get a new mot and then we're getting rid of it'

    And guess what, it is now a shell in grey primer... how the bloody hell did this escalate.

    A bit about me. I have just graduated from uni (anyone in the oil and gas exploration sector who wants to employ me, a geochemist?) and have been restoring cars as a sort of hobby in my free time for a few years now. I've done an Austin 7 Ruby, Morris Minor, Landrover Defender, a couple mopeds and now the VW. Pretty much all the resto stuff is self-taught, a case of giving it a go and seeing how it turns out.


    I have always intended to start a resto thread when rebuilding the above but seem to never find the time. However, I need some time pressure on my back to get this camper done plus I figured it's a great way to squeeze you guys for advice when I need it!!

    I spent 2 weeks last summer welding the chassis and cutting the rust out and fixing the body work but then the project was on hold until this summer due to having to focus on my last year at uni.
    Currently: all welding has been done, interior stripped right out, electrics ripped out, windows out, body prepped for painting, and currently waiting for a colour change.

    [​IMG]
    Current state

    My main intention is to keep it as original as possible so that it will be easier to sell at the end. Saying that, I have removed the heater system as it kept getting in the way whilst welding and now I have decided it isn't worth replacing.

    At this stage, what I need to do:
    1) Paint it - I have arranged to rent a fully equipped spray booth in a fortnight's time when I will begin with painting the bottom, a sagey greenish colour and then leave that for a week and then paint the top white.
    [​IMG]
    2) Refurbish interior - going to sand the wood down and then paint it a cream colour
    3) Re-do all electrics including a split charge system and might explore the idea of a 240v hook up
    4) Sound proof the whole van - going to use roofing flashing and acoustic foam rather than expensive dynamat
    5) Clean up roof canvas and put the pop-up back including a new seal
    6) Re-fit interior and wooden floor
    7) Re-fit windows and seals where necessary
    8) Tune engine to get it running its best - this is going to be the part I'll require advice for!
    9) Sell it...

    I hope you lot enjoy following this and feel free to throw any advice my way as I am sure it isn't going to be long before I am asking your advice.

    Thanks,

    Jasper
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2017
    Sick Boy, Lardy, Kkkaty and 13 others like this.
  2. [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    A few pics of how it started...
     
    Dicky, Merlin Cat, jivedubbin and 2 others like this.
  3. [​IMG]
    Guess mum didn't poke it with a screwdriver like I said...
     
    Merlin Cat and paradox like this.
  4. [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I am far from an expert welder, but I'll do!
     
    Merlin Cat, Coco and paradox like this.
  5. [​IMG]
    Inner wheel arch has seen better days.
    [​IMG]
     
  6. [​IMG]
    Sill under sliding door had a few issues
    [​IMG]
    The other side wasn't any better
    [​IMG]
    Getting this stuff to weld in was a nightmare.
     
    Dicky and 1973daisey like this.
  7. [​IMG]
    Outrigger probably needed to be replaced
    [​IMG]
    Had a go at fabricating my own on one side
     
    Merlin Cat likes this.
  8. [​IMG]
    Floor rust cut out and patches welded in then seam sealed
     
    Merlin Cat, Coco and Rez like this.
  9. MorkC68

    MorkC68 Administrator

    blimey fella, that's one project you have :D
     
  10. Welcome aboard the rollercoaster..:D

    A lot of that ...looks familiar to most of us.....:)
     
    Coco and 1973daisey like this.
  11. CollyP

    CollyP Moderator

    Howdy! :)
     
  12. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Great job fella!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  13. Welcome, nice work
     
  14. Today's job was to flat back the primer and then give it a second coat. Annoyingly, since I am doing everything but the top coat outside, I end up having to do jobs like this because, as the following photo shows, I have an insect issue... [​IMG]

    By 8 I had all the painting I wanted to do done. Frustratingly, there was a slight breeze which means I'll have to spend more time on the paint prep. Hopefully, I'll get away with 1200 wet n dry sandpaper.

    Despite the downsides to spraying outside, it can be quite pleasant...[​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I have my graduation in Manchester on Friday and then working away in London during the week so camper is going to be put on the back burners. I have asked the chap who owns the paint shop that I intend to rent what he would charge to do the top coats. As I've done all the prep, it would just be a case of him spraying the sealer primer and the colours on. If he comes back with a price near to £500 I'd probably get him to do the spraying...

    If tomorrows wet n dry goes well, I hope to make a start tarting up the cabinets and measuring up for the interior.

    Cheers
     
    Sick Boy, Kkkaty, paradox and 5 others like this.
  15. scrooge95

    scrooge95 Moderator and piggy bank keeper

    Good job! Welcome aboard.
    You're not gonna sell it straight away are you? All that work... surely there's time to go camping?? ;)
     
    jasper and Valveandy like this.
  16. It all depends on when it gets finished. I would love to take it away for a few trips, however, I am off to Australia in October so it needs to be sold before then. So if I can finish it and leave time to advertise it, then I'll pop across to N Devon or down to Cornwall ( I am based in Dorset so not too far).
     
    scrooge95 likes this.
  17. Also, I forgot to mention, I yesterday I forgot to paint the bumpers and have now run out of 2k high build... Nightmare.
     
  18. Baysearcher

    Baysearcher [secret moderator]

    Why isn't your mum keeping it?
     
    Merlin Cat and scrooge95 like this.
  19. Main reason is that she owns a small holding and as a result, for her to go away with it requires planning; people need to feed animals, put them away etc so spontaneous trips are not really possible. So basically it would not get used.

    And then there is the time and money I've put in. If she kept it, she would insist she pays out to me and I don't want to take cash off my mum. So instead I will keep any profit made once we sell it.
     
    Merlin Cat likes this.
  20. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Where abouts in Dorset are you based?
    I'm in Poole.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

Share This Page