Sunnivagon

[xriss]

not the only thing from cuba thats soon to be imported piggys looking sweet as are the stepps ohh yes the stepps are looking spiffing

[Plasticman]

yes you liked the piggy you took home as well if i recall
lol
right i will try again,
now spotted on, the row on the vertical are a bit of overkill but they are to the A post so why not turn the mig up to 3


next part is the first basse of the well. trial fit the cut prior to spending tiome detailing

now it fits and after a bit of tweaking its made

i acnt overemphasize the importance of making a part that fits without pushing hammering etc as you just want to be able to weldit to the next part and if its the wrong shape you will suffer later, asloi havent the time for heat distortion to wreak any more havoc then it tries as is

i have left a small crescent shaped gap here

I want it to form a smooth trough/channel in 2 planes and this way is eaiest as the heat and hammer will close it gently.

the line looks good enough from the side as well

so a welding it is then,as it was well tacked and hadnt moved i did a continuose run along the length of it.

heres the as was crescent bit, i made a small error here as the metal above the 3 spots should have been about an 1/8" taller but as it wont be seen then i neednt add a bit

coffee
mm

[Plasticman]

right last bit
the outer part of the well

this is as far as i can recall and check how it goes, had a look at the xrissvagon for confirmation

fits good so drilled it and finnished it, dont forget when you do this to sand the choddies of the back of the drillings as these will prevent it sitting close upand personal

ready to clamp and weld

spotted and seamed all round


wing / arch resting in place ready for final trim and fit,

the well is actually very flat and straight, it looks a bit grubby in the picks but will sand off very nice i believe
anyhow done for the day
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[LittleMissSunshine]

Thank you for persevering with the pics

[Plasticman]

Well the rotbox o/s is about done with.sorry miss S but it was as rotten as they come
this is the underside of the arch around where ive added the bit that goes over the seat belt mount

step has now had a run over with a disc

these next 2 are the underside of the step, they will be painted and then sealed so for all intensant purposes they will look like they haqvent been done,,,, hopefully anyhow


rear of arch drilled and checked for final fit prior to welding

was happy with it tacked on after fitting the door so back off with it and a welding we go

close up of the join at the lower front, it will sand smoth no problem , the other reason to make stuff fit nice ,is that you wont need filler.. ok a smear here and there but i like to avoid it where possible so worth the extra time to get metal right.plus it shows up the seams which is why its nice to get them in pretty much the correct position

hurried and coated the step as i dont want rust to form on the raw steel and gassing often causes a little moisture but the heat keeps it at bay for a while

now its welded on I just need to check the gaps again, im knackered if its wrong and i confess that it has happened a few times in the past and the work rectifying does sort of focus the head

feels realy good and solid which is so worth doing compared to the pattern ones even though they are far quicker to bob on.

very happy with the gapping , its worked out as good as i could wish for
and finaly dosed to death with 'product' the welding burns some of the weldthru off but this replaces it and passes right through the voids between tacks and runs onto the floor. seals it as good as i can anyhow and then during paint prep it will beadded to but at least it wont have filler in there.

so thats that side , ok a bit of sanding to do and such then its onto the n/s footwell, yes i know b ut.... and the slider seal channel and a look at the awful fit of the genuine wing oh and the destroyed fron panal and the small aerial hoile which im leaving till last as its a real nice little job i shall look forward to
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[lloydy]

Loving seeing that step come together

[Plasticman]

good, i hear you learn quick so pop up fri night and you can do the other side for me and i will be tea boy
mm

[lloydy]

Both steps would be a work of art, unfortunately mine would look like an attempt by Dali

[Plasticman]

T'other one for you then mr lloyd

now this side has been done with gas not mig, dont know what sort of gas but it was doen with the wrong size jet/flame setting and with 1/8" rod hence the look of it.
ive outlined the front bit where theyve gone round the mat holes then theyve stuck the mats down with gunge

so I need to find out how much if any can be saved so out with the disc and

yep , i knew this as id had a look underneath it first but this is typical of any repairs that consist of a patch over something , its ok in some places as an overlap such as a joddled edge but by abnd large butt weld stuff and then you dont have this sweaty area to carry on the rot , even if you cut it out its still not good if you can avoid it

this another example of a job being more difficult/time consuming thanks to previous rough repairs
they had even undersealed it as you can see it here where its gone through the voids

so now we cut a bit further

and we have this fine hole after a wizz over with a disc


yes they even stuck a patch on the side bit(now removed back to shiny) which prevented the door seal from doing its job correctly, rough!

inner bit made and offered up and all the bliddy underseal scraped off the rear

welded into place and a small bit let into the seal face

like so

and welded in, needs a quick dressing with a disc but want these all filler free

done and ready for the closing piece,which is a nice easy little part.

in the picky above you can just make out a small triangular shaped bit that comes from the bottom of the A post along the front of the step well , earlier picks above show it before this bit was added, it was the only bit of rot on the front edge so let a bowl shaped bit in and had aready run it with a disc so no pickies prior.unfortunatley the wing/arch cut is not perfect as the guy cut it a bit shoert on the inner arch but will work round that i suppose

mm

[LittleMissSunshine]

Looking at that I am surprised it too my weight jumping in and out of the van all summer. The steps are a work of art! Can't believe the rust

[Plasticman]

oh you wouldnt have gone through, they were very strong just about as crudely done as can be but i suppose they served their purpose, bit like a brushpaint job,looks good from 20yds ! (i brushed a mini many many years ago,never again)
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[kevtherev]

cab step porn..
awesome work MM, but what a mess to start with.

[LittleMissSunshine]

That's a relief ! Am getting excited now

[Dr. B.]

I don't think I'll be able to drive this thing once it's finished - might just park it on the drive and stare at it for the rest of my days.

In between bike rides, of course.

[kevtherev]

I stared at mine for three days after it's return..
and I keep looking for the seam rust that isn't there any more.