Helping a friend with a Westy. Here we go again…

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ObnoxiousBlue
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Helping a friend with a Westy. Here we go again…

Post by ObnoxiousBlue »

A friend picked up a 78 Westy a few years ago. He’s usually pretty quick to flip cars but his son was pretty keen to the bus-life and somehow this one got spared. Fast forward to late 2022 and he asks me to help him put together a list of body panels to order for replacement, that led to body and paint, which as we all know leads to an empty wallet.
That said, the bus was painted by the same shop that did my bus back in the day. Now it’s at the point of being reassembled. We started the other day with the seat covers and today got together to handle the pop top. Earlier this week he sanded the roof and painted with Interlux marine top coat, the same paint I and most guys on TheSamba use for the roof. It came out great, and has a just a bit of texture like stock.
Today, I started off by installing the seals on the front rack and then he mounted it to the cab of the van. Then I moved over to the pop up itself. First the seals, then the new canvas. This is the BusDepot canvas which I think actually stalled easier than the Sunbrella brand that I used. The material felt a bit thinner, but also had more stretch and was absolutely more forgiving. New tack strip and a few hundred staples later and it was time to mount the lift bar.
We lifted the roof onto the bus, installed the lift mechanism to the body and then the hinges in the rear.
Super excited to see this coming together. Hoping his 12 year old doesn’t lose interest!
Next up, windows and doors!
I gotta say, it’s weird to be building “my bus” again…

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Raj
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Location: Long Island, NY

Re: Helping a friend with a Westy. Here we go again…

Post by Raj »

That top looks amazing....! Nice looking bus for sure
Glenn wrote:I have to say, this "gruppe" is so much more than just a car club.
MrBreeze wrote: This is the DVG board. The threads flow as they flow.
Deal with it.
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Tom
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Re: Helping a friend with a Westy. Here we go again…

Post by Tom »

I would have went with Chrome Yellow. ;)
I'm not an air cooled snob , I like them all !
Brown wrote:Tom is right!
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Glenn
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Re: Helping a friend with a Westy. Here we go again…

Post by Glenn »

I hear the green ones make you horny.
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine

"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

When you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
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