The Bus Project

[buspilot]

Well, body work has been started on my bus. The roof is going to be the hardest part- taking down all the surface rust to bare metal and smoothing it all out.

I've learned that a skim coat of bondo is just that. The thicker you lay it on the more you have to spend forever sanding back off.   :o

I plan to eventually have all of the dents worked out and have it ready for paint.

Here's some quick phone pictures of some of the work I've done so far:

[buspilot]

Doing some more work today- filled in a few small dings on the side panels, did a lot more roof sanding, filled in the scrape/dent on the rear hatch, and straightened out the driver's side rear corner.

[TotallyVW]

Mmmmm.  I love the smell of Bondo in the morning.   8)

[buspilot]

Can't forget the bondo smell- kinda like when someone throws a piece of plastic into the camp fire.

It was an effin long day, but all of the rust is sanded off of the roof. All that's left to do up there is the drip rail.

Bob (my retired bodyman neighbor) said to let me know when its all sanded and he will come over and acid treat the metal and shoot it with primer for me.

After that I've got a few more dents to work out on the sides and then I will be scuffing the sheen off of the original paint and he will shoot that with primer too.

[slammed67]

I need a neighbor like that;-)  Is the house on the other side of him for sale;-)

[buspilot]

Haven't been able to get into the garage much lately, but got some more done. I pressed out the D.R. fender and rebuilt the edge line with a little bondo, just needs a skim coat and final shape to it. The side panel behind the driver's door has had all the little dings filled, and is ready to be blocked, skim coated, then blocked again.

Neighbor Bob taught me a cool trick for shaping- using a 10" long piece of 2" radiator hose as a block. It's kinda cool to watch him work- He started doing bodywork for a living in 1958, and owned a bodyshop that also did aircraft and custom interiors before becoming an insurance adjuster in the 90s.

[CatBox]

my neighbor just brough home a little rooster for a pet....

[buspilot]

mmmm chicken soup!

[buspilot]

Another update-

The dreaded driprail sanding is done on one side. The mid drivers panel is just about ready. I blocked it out and just had 1 high spot to tap down and a tiny low spot that I filled with spot putty- just need to sand that patch down and the panel is ready for primer.

Got the rear fender almost all the way shaped- I think a small fill with the spot putty and a final fine shaping will do it in. I was able to press it out, but the panel is dual layered and the bottom, so I couldn't inside the panel to push the bodyline back out, so it had to be reshaped with bondo.