looking good man
we have the same rot problems it like looking at my build in the future

hope it ends up any were near as good

Nice work!

Moving on to the front arches , again the owner wanted to keep as much of the original metal so lots of parts made rather than buying an expensive panel and cutting it up .

You may remember that the offside front B post was in a bad way and there was not alot left of the arch after getting the rust out - so this is how we did it
a panel was made for the inner section of the box on the top of the arch


this was then help in place


spot welded across the top


before welding across the back


bottom section then added


outer section could then be welded in and dressed



paying attention to door gaps etc


welded in and cleaned up


Top section replaced as well


Giving a factory looking finish


More to follow

Just love to see a skilled man at work............... it's O so easy to flick though the pic's and not take in the amount of skill and time going into this Bus.

Outstanding workman ship

Love this thread

Keep those pic's coming mate

Over and Out

Mark

Good lines there mate, progress is good.

Only got till May 17th!

That will not happen mate - Ive already called shotgun with you mate

Well said that man!

A bit more work

I noticed when I offered the floors up that the sill had a slight curve in it , even though it was spot welded together , so Autocraft very kindly sent a new one , Superb service and much appreciated .
New sill in place and checking the alignment with the doors - done on gaps rather than doors as doors are still way off


Top section spot welded


Once happy sill and edge of door could be welded together


As you can see , fit is good - panel marked to show beams below


Each hole drilled , welded and cooled before moving on to the next - slow process but prevents rapid movement when it suddenly cools after lots of welding

Moving slowly across panel - centre first then outer bits



Welds cleaned and etch primed


Very little distortion and the floor doesnt have the sag between the rails


A quick insight into the next job on the long list
Rust on the seatbelt mounting point on the drivers side



The said rust removed - leaving a nice hole requiring loads of bits to make right

Great quality work going on here love it..

Awesome work!

Why didn't you drill the holes in the cargo floor before you welded it to the sill?

I'm nearly at the same stage and I thought I'd be risking going straight through the I beams by drilling from the top like that?

Thanks
James.

superb skill level !!! makes me wanna go weld something hehehehehe

keep that pics rolling in

Weld done buddy

Hi James ,
As the beams are all protected with rust bullet I drill through from above and that actually takes some of the paint off the beam below - Otherwise there will be a problem with an arc and penetration .

The drill bits I use have a centre section that is a bit narrower than the main bit so you dont take too much out .

Cheers Jon

Thanks , The bus has had all metal work done and has been painted by Midland Paint werks and I guess is now being fitted up .

Have a look on my face book page - 65 deluxe - you will find loads of pictures there under the albums .

I will post up more of the pictures when I get some time .

Thanks Jon

Well done

Just moving along nicely ... Well done and keep updating and pushing ..... Ya be rolling net year at this rate



Mark

I'm just replacing the cargo door side (floor, all 3 sill sections, bottom of posts, ends of outriggers, tops hats and I beams) on my 67 SO42.

Your thread and pictures help me a lot for two reasons:

1) This bus has worse rust than mine, so that makes me feel a bit better. And I've not found any dodgy repairs (yet)

2) Your skills are much better than mine, so that gives me something to aim for. I've worked out most of it for myself but seeing how an expert does it gives me a confidence boost

Cheers

Simon
~~~~~