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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16496
Location: Brookeville, MD
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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 Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 2:25 pm Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story.... |
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Well as i was working on the top and removed the tin top roof, the damage from a forklift picking up the Syncro from the front windshield became more evident. I did a quick measure of the body to see if it was bent when I picked it up from the junk yard, but that's a very hard way to say for sure. O-well, have faith and move on!!!
The A and B roof braces were both bent. So, they were removed are replaced with new/used ones from two different donor vans. That's Two vans giving up parts to save one. The title should have a donor sticker on it. lol..
When adding the new braces, they lined up perfectly and the weld spots were the same, so that put me a little more at ease about the bent frame concerns.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 10:22 am Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story.... |
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Next I cleaned up the whole donor top and sprayed it with lizard skin sound dampener. Also decided to run the wiring for speakers, reverse/clearance cams, etc. More later on the clearance cam.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2016 1:25 pm Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story.... |
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I had this little spot of rust that I thought was not all the way through, but that wasn't the case. First time welding the body. Put a lot of weld on weld back then.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:40 am Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story.... |
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This was a hard decision. I sat and staired at this fender for about an hour before I decided, ok just do it. Cut the thing up and open it by an inch and a quarter. Very hard decision, yet I do think it looks much better with larger tires. Thanks Syncro Greg for the inspiration.
In retrospect, cutting straight lines as possible is key for this mod. Also, one little weld, wait 5 seconds and then another one was important to prevent warping of the panel.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 11:34 pm Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story.... (AWD EE-20) |
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It was time to tackle the biggest mod on this van... Well maybe the biggest, there are a ton of mods on this van. One could say its got more mods then a 1986 Depeche mode concert. Yeah, I'm showing some age here.
Anyways i always wanted the fuel filler in the rear vent. One of the reasons I bought this soon to be crushed van, is because it would force me to do the mod. Here goes.
The damaged area
Little clean up
More Clean up
Repair of this little section was really hard. Not a lot of metal to work with and getting it straight was a PITA.
Hummm..... This could work
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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Atadloco
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2012
Posts: 254
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 5:49 am Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story.... |
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| Awesome thread! Love the "just go for it and see what happens" approach.. |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 9:08 am Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story.... |
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| Atadloco wrote: |
| Awesome thread! Love the "just go for it and see what happens" approach.. |
I do think about every thing I'm doing a lot, yet I also wing it. Kind of a calculated risk thing going on here... Maybe a little more risk... 
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 9:31 am Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story....(AWD EE-20) |
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Now getting the factory air vent to work as a door was going to be tricky. There is enough room for it to swing out, but its tight. Also mounting the hinges would be very hard, because there is nothing there to mount to. Sounds like a job for my inter fabricator.
The other problem is what hinge would work for this application? Well, i looked all over eBay for a proper hinge and decided they all wouldn't work. I need it to swing out as it opens. Then I turned to gas tank cover hinges. Why not? They are a hinge that swing out and is built to withstand the elements.
After 2 hours in a pick and pull junk yard i stumbled on Two Saabs that had a metal swing out doors. Its amazing how many crapy plastic hinges are used by car manufactures these days.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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kourt
Samba Member
Joined: August 13, 2013
Posts: 1931
Location: Austin, TX
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| Posted: Sat May 07, 2016 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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| kourt wrote: |
I regret to report that almost all of those vans at Austin VeeDub were crushed this year. They have two or three of each type left over. Sad!
kourt |
Update: I visited the Austin VeeDub yard today (7 May 2016) and there are 17 Vanagons in their pick-n-pull yard in various states of disrepair. I think the day I visited last time the vans were scattered around and hidden in weeds. Today it was a bit easier to see them all, and there's quite a bit to choose from. Lots of good sheet metal in those bodies, and I also noticed quite a few sliding doors and front cab doors around the yard. It looks like they did not crush their Vanagon stocks after all.
We now return to our regularly scheduled Left for Dead resurrection story.
Kourt |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 11:33 am Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story....(AWD EE-20) |
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Next was fitting a bracket to the air vent. Lots of trimming, yet it was made easier because of a channel on the inside of the air vent. Metal bar fit right in giving it great support.
Lots of shaving to make the vent clear the edge of the vent panel.
Some progress!!
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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Tim Hamnett
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2016
Posts: 3
Location: Peak District UK
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| Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 2:52 pm Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story....(AWD EE-20) |
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How the hell did you transport the thing that far.
Was seriously looking at buying a dead syncro in Wales, which was about 180 miles from me in the uk. By the time I'd thunk about it enough and would arrange transport somehow, the guy anounced he was cutting it up.
Syncros are a rare beast in this country and it pains me to see one that could be saved, destroyed.
Keep it coming! |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu May 26, 2016 10:09 am Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story....(AWD EE-20) |
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| Tim Hamnett wrote: |
How the hell did you transport the thing that far.
Was seriously looking at buying a dead syncro in Wales, which was about 180 miles from me in the uk. By the time I'd thunk about it enough and would arrange transport somehow, the guy anounced he was cutting it up.
Syncros are a rare beast in this country and it pains me to see one that could be saved, destroyed.
Keep it coming! |
It was tough for sure. My little dolly system was an epic fail, so I was moving a shell half way across America without a suspension. I found a company that would transport if it was forklifted on. The Junk yard did that. Then coordinated with a local scrap yard to fork lift it off the truck and onto a flatbed for delivery at my house. The delivery was a dump and go. They just pushed the thing off the end of the flat bed and said" your on your own". In the process, they damaged the steering rack bracket. (More on that later in the build)
In the end it was in my possession and had zero under carriage rust. Was a pain, but worth it.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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| Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story....(AWD EE-20) |
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Next step was getting the piping though the van. Since I deleted the old Syncro piping that runs along the rear frame rail (Never really had one to begin with), I decided to go bigger and inside/outside the van. The reason for this was space issues. Couldn't go to far inside because of the engine, yet couldn't go on the inside wheel well because of the tire. So it was split.
Always make sure you grease your pipe well before it goes inside a tight tube. Took me over an hour to get the house in this.
Muffler shop helped wit the bending.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet
Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=
Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3) |
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Macwesty
Samba Member
Joined: September 23, 2013
Posts: 109
Location: Chambersburg, PA
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| Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 5:04 pm Post subject: Re: Left for Dead...The Resurrection Story....(AWD EE-20) |
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I've been looking for meaty thread to follow. Thanks and more power to ya!
Scott
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'82 Vanagon Westfalia
Subaru SVX power! |
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0cean
Samba Member
Joined: February 29, 2012
Posts: 1149
Location: California
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