Things seem to be coming together now. We have at least half a cab floor back in place and the arches are looking great! Good work Trev and John I say.





Next up the drivers cab floor and arch and gutters.

So we're getting really close now to the paint stage. She is booked in to Cookies Campers on the 20th for her paint. It'll be great to see her with something on to cover the bare metal! Cookie has promised lots of pics on his website so I'll make sure that lots make it this way too.

Painting starts this weekend but I can't get round there until later on today to see progress
Just bought a set of seals from Monkeydub. Any suggestions for the window seals? I'm thinking of going for Schofields ones, basically the kit they do less the door seals already bought but I don't have any experience of what's out there.
Hopefully pics of progress later on....

top work there bud, cant wait to see this done

Looking good bud

Bonding a panel onto a lip of the old panel is ok but with no welding that just means there will only be body filtering over the bonded joins ....... I'd expect the filler to eventually crack when the bus gets road vibration and goes though hot and cold weather..( expansion / contraction and all that )... But I guess these boys have done this repair method before so they know what they are doing.......

Progress is good and things are looking sweet

Keep the updates coming as we all love the pic'y updates


Mark

I know of people who have fitted panels this way in the past with no issues at all, it saves loads of distortion.

I think modern adhesives are that good nowadays you wont have any issues.

Gill.

I'm told the bonding material is really strong and used quite regularly in the way it was on my bus. The main reason was to keep the original side panels as straight as possible, avoiding the potential distortion of welding heat. We were all so surprised the panels were as straight as they are. Perhaps a the inch of filler over them gave good protection
Piccy update is a little delayed thanks to me forgetting the camera and phone. This week though!

That is me freaky bus man! Never seen one like that is that a factory thing or done in brazil?

The panel adhesive looks cool, never seen that before do you know what ts called?

bit of a thread from the dead! but just wondering how you have got along with the bonded panels? id like to do my resto in this way

So I'm resurrecting this thread from the dead!

Had a few difficulties getting the work finished off, but the van will be heading over the Stef at Manchester Aircooled next week to be finished. Once work begins again I'll start getting some pictures up. Really excited to be under way with this again

mmm, l have to agree with Mark P here, only think he was being too diplomatic. The bonding process of your panels is effectively a death trap!!! l am nearing the end of the weld stage, and everything that should be plugged, spot and seamed is, and l'm talking the whole bottom end including the chassis.
l'm sorry but l wouldn't take my wife out in your bus.
Steve
ps just the roof to do

SEEMS TO BE A VERY GOOD BUILD DUDE, SOME NICE WORK ON SHOW, AS FOR THE BONDED PANELS THEY ARE VERY VERY STRONG IF BONDED PROPERLY WE USE THIS ON £50,000 RANGE ROVERS, NEW JAGS AND NISSAN LEAF AND QASHQAIS AT WORK. KEEP ON PUSHING DUDE

Still slow progress on this - partly because it's me doing the next bit, which is to remove the fibreglass roof so that we can see what is underneath in terms of rust. A few more rivets to drill yet though. Then the scary moment of lifting the roof.
I've seen a few of the comments about the bonded panel. I should point out that there is only one join where this is used, which is where the top edge of the replacement outer sill meets the side panel. Anything that needed welding has been done. This hasn't been done to cut corners but to ensure the heat from welding doesn't distort the long side panels. As for whether Susta's wife will be coming out in the bus....
Once the roof is off it'll be going over to VWWeldingServices for the last bits of metal work.

Hooray! My van was delivered to Jon at VW Welding in Salford yesterday. First job he's tackling is to remove the roof and uncover the metal underneath and enable the gutter repairs. I'll update with a few photos this afternoon.

Pics of the van as she was yesterday being moved to VW Welding.