window channel repair restricted budget
- metric Cwrench
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: albion, mi
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window channel repair restricted budget
i'm following colin's rtv and aluminum foil method to patch up a rust-holed 78 westy window channel. holes exist from just left of center to about 3" from the right side upright section. holes are all less than quarter-sized, and do not extend to the lip (joint of nose panel and interior panel?) nor do they venture to or beyond the bend (nose panel proper).
i've used angle-grinder with wire brush to scour the flakes, and exposed 98% of the holes visible in the photo. this has been shot with cheap-o rust catalyzing spray paint ($6/can). i put the spray nozzle right up at the holes and used an air compressor to send it in search of the rust which very likely has conspired to eat bus metal. wear a mask and a pair of cheap safety glasses, or be prepared to inhale stuff and toss out perfectly good contact lenses or eyeballs (i had the sense to use a mask, but now have vision speckled with grey dots!). used the entire can up, most of which went down into the crevasse between metal panels.
this i will allow to dry overnight.
-phred
i've used angle-grinder with wire brush to scour the flakes, and exposed 98% of the holes visible in the photo. this has been shot with cheap-o rust catalyzing spray paint ($6/can). i put the spray nozzle right up at the holes and used an air compressor to send it in search of the rust which very likely has conspired to eat bus metal. wear a mask and a pair of cheap safety glasses, or be prepared to inhale stuff and toss out perfectly good contact lenses or eyeballs (i had the sense to use a mask, but now have vision speckled with grey dots!). used the entire can up, most of which went down into the crevasse between metal panels.
this i will allow to dry overnight.
-phred
- bretski
- Ellipsis-Meister
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Phred,
I'm gonna throw a couple of cents your way:
I would not use the Col. Hackpatch method here. As I recall, that was originally suggested to temporarily keep ruckman101's feet from hitting the ground until a proper piece of metal could be found.
Since you're on a limited budget, and you're apparently not going to weld-in new metal, might I suggest a different tactic? Use some of the POR15 you were planning to use in other areas here. Lay down a coat. While the paint is wet, put a strip of fiberglass cloth over the offending holes. Now generously saturate the fiberglass cloth with another coat of POR15. Allow to dry. You'll have a solid repair on the cheap. In the future, you can look to a fix with the appropriate repair panels.
I'm gonna throw a couple of cents your way:
I would not use the Col. Hackpatch method here. As I recall, that was originally suggested to temporarily keep ruckman101's feet from hitting the ground until a proper piece of metal could be found.
Since you're on a limited budget, and you're apparently not going to weld-in new metal, might I suggest a different tactic? Use some of the POR15 you were planning to use in other areas here. Lay down a coat. While the paint is wet, put a strip of fiberglass cloth over the offending holes. Now generously saturate the fiberglass cloth with another coat of POR15. Allow to dry. You'll have a solid repair on the cheap. In the future, you can look to a fix with the appropriate repair panels.
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"
"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio
"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio
- RSorak 71Westy
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Memphis, TN
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you dont need the expensive repair panels to fix this one!!! The rust is limited to the flat area just under the windshield this piece would be easy to fabricate....cut at the top edge of the curved section.....and replace....easy job.
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.
- metric Cwrench
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: albion, mi
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it's not so much that i can't afford a "proper" patch for this area, i was rather thinking that i might put the $50 or so elsewhere into the bus.
pics of the offended area: right side
(
center section
so it's not really bad structurally, i'm mostly concerned with keeping out the h2o in the future. i've spent a while inspecting, cleaning, brushing and converting the rust that formed due to the leak in the first place.
hey, it might not work, i'll admit that. oh well, it's a minor loss. i'll be keeping a close watch on her after the repair is done, glass and seal re-installed. i won't put any insulation down in the nose until i'm satisfied that i'm not going to have to rip this patch out and try something else.
yes, i could use about a 1" wide strip of metal, instead of the pricey "window channel repair kits" out there, with very likely good success. but the whole point of the exercise is to see if low-budget engineering will allow me to free up funds for other goodies to get her up and running on down the road- parts, fuel, tolls, etc.
this will also give me a chance to experiment with painting the bus myself (brush, roller, something like that). if the window channel and the rest of the nose come out looking acceptible, kudos! save myself enough to take a nice, long trip somewhere.
tube of rtv- $5
can of spray rust catalyzer- $7
quart of gloss paint- $16
aluminum foil-$2
knowing i fixed it myself, creatively- priceless
-phred
ps- seem to be having issues with pics, they're all in my album here.
pics of the offended area: right side
(
center section
so it's not really bad structurally, i'm mostly concerned with keeping out the h2o in the future. i've spent a while inspecting, cleaning, brushing and converting the rust that formed due to the leak in the first place.
hey, it might not work, i'll admit that. oh well, it's a minor loss. i'll be keeping a close watch on her after the repair is done, glass and seal re-installed. i won't put any insulation down in the nose until i'm satisfied that i'm not going to have to rip this patch out and try something else.
yes, i could use about a 1" wide strip of metal, instead of the pricey "window channel repair kits" out there, with very likely good success. but the whole point of the exercise is to see if low-budget engineering will allow me to free up funds for other goodies to get her up and running on down the road- parts, fuel, tolls, etc.
this will also give me a chance to experiment with painting the bus myself (brush, roller, something like that). if the window channel and the rest of the nose come out looking acceptible, kudos! save myself enough to take a nice, long trip somewhere.
tube of rtv- $5
can of spray rust catalyzer- $7
quart of gloss paint- $16
aluminum foil-$2
knowing i fixed it myself, creatively- priceless
-phred
ps- seem to be having issues with pics, they're all in my album here.
- metric Cwrench
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: albion, mi
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- metric Cwrench
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: albion, mi
- Status: Offline
- RSorak 71Westy
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Memphis, TN
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you do understand any BS fix will come back and bite you in the ass and you'll have to deal with again later?
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.
-
- IAC Addict!
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^^^^^^^RSorak 71Westy wrote:you do understand any BS fix will come back and bite you in the ass and you'll have to deal with again later?
What Rsorak said. So you cut corners now and in 2 years you have to do it again and next time you crack the windshield. Are you ahead? The only thing that doesn't either absorb or trap water is metal. I'd fix this the correct way the first time. Body shop material suppliers sell lead you can float in specifically for this kind of repair.
- RSorak 71Westy
- IAC Addict!
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There's got to be someone close to where you are like me, some who has a welder and will fix this RIGHT for $150 or less. To bad you're not closer.....
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.
- chitwnvw
- Resident Troublemaker
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You do understand that not everybody has the resources to do it right? Whether it be time, money, skills or work shop? Like I said the steel foil tape lasts about 3 salty Cape Cod winters before failure begins. Even repaired with new steel and a welder the rust comes back, these 30 something year old cars rot from the inside out. Just do the best you can with what you have and expect to have to do it again every few years. Eventually you have to give up on that particular body. Hopefully you have made it mechanically sound, then you just go looking for a better body. Doesn't matter what shape it's in mechanically because you have a parts bus that is mechanically sound.
1/20/2013 end of an error
never owned a gun. have fired a few.
never owned a gun. have fired a few.
- chitwnvw
- Resident Troublemaker
- Location: Chicago.
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