1972 Crossover Resto

Discussion in 'Restorations' started by TravellingRed, Jun 27, 2020.

  1. At the risk of sounding stupid....are you winding me up?!
     
    F_Pantos and JamesLey like this.
  2. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Nope tis true!
     
  3. Seems a lot of effort to hold a mat down! I was peering at it wondering what was missing, even roped my neighbour in who is always tinkering with cars and bikes. Mystery solved, I was debating whether to cut it off or pack out underneath it to replace my missing flange, glad I got an answer on that one. You haven't any tips for changing the sliding door side sills as well have you?
     
  4. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Which sill is it you're doing? Preserve what you can of the middle sill.
    From about here onwards in my resto thread is how I did our middle sill as it was in an awful state, if you can leave it attached it's much easier:
    https://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/a-restoration-for-iris.53455/page-20#post-1202962
     
  5. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

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    Best I van do for the tub mat.
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  6. @zedders Sound, cheers. That area of the tub on mine was just a bodged up mess so I had no reference to go off. It just looked like a layer of metal was missing but I couldn't see from what....mystery solved!

    @JamesLey I'm replacing all three sills on the sliding door side, they have been renewed at some point but they've done a rotten job from what I can see and they are starting to go in places. I've ordered all three from Schofield, the middle sill with the door runner on it...I've been impressed with the quality of their stuff so far so I'm hoping it's a good fit. Did you do any of the centre chassis rails? The one on mine on the drivers side has been butchered over the years so I'm looking to replace it but it looks tied in pretty well at the front with seam welds? I've had a look on your thread and it's a great reference...and a good job which is great to see! Edit: I see in your picture you have a Buck knife, I have the same one it's a lovely looking thing I use mine all the time.
     
  7. Started welding in a few fiddly bits whilst I wait for the new sills to arrive in the post and did a bit of sand blasting where there was corrosion on the areas I've exposed under the cab. I also had the bright idea of loosening then nipping back up the bolts that hold on the front axles whilst I have good access...as it happened they weren't that tight but I thought it would be better than having to swing on the bloomin things on my back when it's all zipped back up!

    A small repair on the top of the chassis rail, someone had clipped it with a cutting disc and rot had started to set in round it so I chain drilled and filed out the section and welded in a small patch.
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    New section welded into the front cross member, it isn't the best weld I've ever done but not too bad considering I was lying on my back!
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    Small repair on the heater box
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    New strengthening piece, it was completely missing DSCN6367.JPG
    I am considering taking the floor out of the cargo area for a few reasons; they are fairly sound but a bit scabby underneath, rather than lying on my back cleaning them up there is an acid dipping place near me and if they are off I can get them completely stripped, repair them and paint them up. Also I'd like to get access to the tops of the floor supports to clean them up and paint them to prevent any rot. Finally I need to repair some chassis sections on the right side and I think it would be a lot easier with access from the top. Good idea or not? Am I setting myself up for a world of pain?
     
    Zebedee likes this.
  8. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Both my main chassis rails were in pretty good condition so thankfully didn’t need any work.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  9. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Which picture was that with the knife in? Can’t picture which knife that is.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  10. Dunno, its a wooden handled lock knife with brass ends, I presume it's a Buck Knife, it looked like one anyway. It was on the page you linked me to.
     
  11. Started removing the sills, I'm replacing all three so the first job was to remove the sliding door; this proved a major contract as the sliding door cover wouldn't come off, the last owner clearly hadn't removed it before the paint job. It did eventually come off with some gentle (not gentle) persuasion and it's cracked quite badly, it would appear there was a hole in it that was full of filler.
    Anyway door off and first thing I drilled 5mm holes it the door track so I can relocate it as it's probably going to have to come off then I set to with a grinder, it was as I expected a bodge job although they used some fairly hefty steel to bodge it with! The rear of the sill was shot but the rear panel also had a great hole plugged with filler and the end of the panel/sill wasn't welded to the B-post....it turned out that's because the B-post wasn't there, it had rotted away. The inner sill was seam welded to the cargo floor as well and seeing how the floor isn't great I've ordered that section of flooring so I can demolish it getting the sill out.

    Not as bad as I expected under here but I'll remove the bracket so I can clean up underneath
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    Made a small cut in the sill so I could have a peep at what lay ahead. The top is seam welded to the centre sill where the seal retainer should be.
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    Drilled 5mm holes in the floor through the rail so I can relocate the rail in the correct position once it's welded to the new middle sill.
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    Slowly cutting out the outer and centre sill
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    Nice hole full of filler at the front of the rear arch...I'm starting to think either the PO was telling porkies about the no expenses spared refurb or they've been had.... DSCN6396.JPG


    The tin worms have been very active in the rear arch. The edge of the floor down there is gone and been badly repaired so I've treated myself to a new section of floor from Schofield's. DSCN6398.JPG

    The spot welds on the rail are right so and so to find, I tried scraping the paint and gunk off but they still weren't very obvious. When I did find them I used a pair of dividers to mark them of the top rather try drilling them laid on my back!
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    I've nearly got the rail out now, it's moving but I've missed a few spot welds near the front I think! I would've had it out but my neighbour, who I don't particularly like came round and started moaning because apparently I always make noise at a weekend (I don't, I was chainsawing some wood for 30 minutes the other week on a Saturday and he got a monk on so now he's trying to make out I'm always doing it). This is a chap who plays his radio at full tilt every day the weathers nice and refuses to cut his hedge and trees that are next to my fence no matter how many times I ask. To say I had to bite my tongue was an understatement! Apparently he's fallen out with the past two owners, the last of which was an old lady. Luckily my other neighbour is a great bloke and could't be more helpful or pleasant (he's fallen out with him in the past as well!).
     
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  12. It's finally off! Took me all day today and my cargo floor edge looks like swiss cheese but I got the centre sill and top track out.....the spot welds were impossible to find near the front so I was making educated guesses as to where they were so I'll have a bit of patching up to do. I'm on nights tonight so I plan to trim off the excess metal on the runner at work and see how it matches to the new centre sill, I'm hoping it's fairly close as I've been impressed with the panels I've bought so far.

    Swiss cheese anyone? Even with this lot out it didn't want to come out, I was close to breaking out the grinder and cutting the top away at the end to get it out.

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    The old inner sill, tomorrows job. Shouldn't be too hard as the floor is coming out with it. And yes I do realise I've just given the job the kiss of death! DSCN6404.JPG

    The old sill with the new. It's been repaired at some point in the past, badly, with a lap joint and the steel they used to repair it I think was off a Sherman tank!
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  13. I haven't done much on the van in the last week as I've been on my back to back night shift at work (weds-fri then sun-tues) so I've been a bit of a zombie but I've cracked on the last two days. I've finally gotten the remnants of the sills out and the cargo floor edge, the floor supports look ok but are a bit scabby so I've taken the executive decision to take the rest of the floor out, it was knackered at the ends anyway and as I've started removing it it was in worse nick than I thought so I'm considering making a press tool and remaking the floors sans the edge bit which I've bought.

    I'm not doing the rear arches yet as I want to get the new metal in where I'm working first and it looks like a good area to stop due to it not being tied in too much but I cut out the bottom of the rear wheel tub whilst the side of the floor was out and access was good....and found it had been repaired under the original tub with what looks like a decent panel. Why the flipping heck would you go to the expense of buying a new tub and then do that!?! It has just rotted both away now and I'm not really looking forward to doing it as I think it will be a pain to make, luckily I have access to an English wheel and even though it's been a while I can use on so I think that will be the tack I will follow.

    Also I have found the (C??) pillar at the rear of the sliding door is non existent where it should meet the sill but I can't find a repair section available, is it an opposite hand of the B-pillar by any chance (so I could use a R/H B-pillar for the L/H rear cargo door pillar)?

    In better news the Minister for Works (aka the wife) has decided that the clarke temporary garage in front of my actual garage looks alright and she has given the go ahead to do a permanent extension up to the back of the house which would bring it to 40' in length and give me room for the bus to be inside properly :cool:

    Sill and rear arch in front of rear wheel

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    Rear arch tub with some questionable repairs

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    Lifting the cargo edge floor
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    Armour plated rear arch :rolleyes:

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    Side of cargo floor and sill now out
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    Trial fit of new floor section, I was very impressed by the fit and quality of this part DSCN6416.JPG


    Starting to remove the rest of the cargo floor, the rear end has a terrible repair on it
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  14. Excellent job so far! I'm at the same stage, having cut the outer and inner sills away. As you said, it's a pig of a job but I've decided to leave my middle sill in place so I don't completely wreck the cargo floor, which I'm not cutting back... I'll repair the middle sill as it's not too bad. I'll be watching your progress with interest!

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  15. So I've been cracking on with this; I got the left half of the cargo floor out and, as you may have seen elsewhere, decided to replace the centre sections of the chassis rails as they had been bodged, patched and messed with! I also took the decision to replace the cross members at the same time as the rear one is knackered and the price is nothing on a big ship! Plus it means I don't have to be too careful removing the old ones.

    I fabricated new chassis rails in three parts from 2.5mm steel (originally it was 2mm I think but I had 2.5 lying around and an extra .5mm won't hurt). The first part is the wide end where the jacking point/outrigger welds to it then the 2nd piece is the straight section to the middle. I did this as it was easier to manufacture as I could cut it all up on the guillotine and it was easier to form the stiffening edge before I welded the two parts together. I welded these two parts together clamped to bench to keep it all straight and I'll weld the third piece in on the bus as it kicks out towards the rear chassis rail (I've moved the welded joint rearward so I could make it in two straight sections).

    The top hat sections had been bodged in places so I've fabricated some repair sections as I don't want to replace the whole lot and I have new jacking points and outriggers from Schofields.



    Bodge-a-rama on the floor
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    I supported the chassis rail at three points with jacks to support it as I cut it out. I didn't think it would move left to right as it's still fairly well tied in. I also took some measurements just to be sure
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    The new fabricated chassis rail and cut mark on the bus
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    New chassis rail welded in at the front. I ran out of time so I just braced the rear chassis rail to the new so there is no movement.
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    The old chassis rail. Note the bad repair just after the hole and on the doubler. And no stiffening flange along the bottom.
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    Before I chopped out the chassis rail, floor out.
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    Bodged repair on the top hat. Not very good at all!
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    Messy repair on the rear jacking point and chassis rail, hopefully I'll be on with this tomorrow and the chassis rails will be all in new. DSCN6424.JPG
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2020
  16. Well a quick update, I was making good progress but I've been messing about with the door track for the last few days trying to get it right and making sure the door will shut, I finally got it there and all tacked up and my welder packed up! I'm not amused at all tbh, I only bought it in June from Machine Mart so I took it back today expecting them to replace it.....nope! They are sending it off to be looked at and repaired which I feel is pretty shoddy really, I know they aren't the dearest but I specifically bought the pro branded one and expected it to last longer than it has and I've hardly been hammering it, so they said it will be around three weeks. I argued the toss in the shop saying I'm now without a welding set and can't work but I basically got a shrug of the shoulders :mad:
     
  17. Finally got back to doing a bit, I'd barely done anything since I last posted on here, I was sick of working in a tent so I decided to extend my garage as I have the space, now the bay is inside which makes everything easier!
    Got the middle sill and door rail back in and cut the rest of the floor out to finish underneath, I picked up a good deal on a GYS plasma cutter on Facebook and its great for hacking out rust, so much better than using a cutting disc. Tomorrow I'm hoping to cut out and replace the drivers side chassis rail and start fitting the new cross members an top hats. I'll post pics when I get chance.
     
  18. So pictures, better late than never! I've got all the floor out and the rear bulkhead/floor, replaced both the chassis rails and am nearly finished tying them in at the rear. Next job is to finish tying it in on the passenger side and get the new top hats and x members welded in, then replace the passenger inner and outer sill assembly.

    All the floor out and the old chassis rail ready to be cut out
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    As I left it tonight with the drivers chassis rail all tied in, I've primed it with rustoleum and some weld through primer. The passenger side is better at the rear beside the gearbox, the drivers side has had some bad repairs which I'll replace when the gearbox is out.
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    The rear bulkhead had been badly repaired and the y piece for the heater was welded to it as well for some reason?
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    paradox likes this.
  19. Can you still get them?… the mats I mean :thinking:
     
  20. MorkC68

    MorkC68 Administrator

    Yes, Alan Schofield sell Wolfsberg West sets
     

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