1947 Flxible RV restoration (1 Viewer)

[cranky]

That, my man, is a thing of beauty. I will now watch with interest. Keep up the good work.And for what its worth, in my opinion, if the aircon is original, keep it, although I do see what you mean.
Good luck.

 

[Peter & Elaine]

WOW:thumb:

 

[Wildbill]

amazing job :thumb:

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[pappajohn]

looking good Kerry.

as you may remember, i didnt like the bus at first...too much like a VW on steriods... but it kinda grows on you. :thumb:

 

[Bellini]

Absolutely fantastic!

I take my hat off to you, sir. :thumb:

Will follow this with a lot of interest and more than a few shreds of envy.

 

[kex66]

looking good Kerry.

as you may remember, i didnt like the bus at first...too much like a VW on steriods... but it kinda grows on you. :thumb:

How could I forget that brutal honesty!!!

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[Tootles]

I'm GOBSMACKED!!!!!!! :thumb::thumb:

 

[jhorsf]

I dread to think how much that is costing but one thing is for sure no one else will have one the same thanks for the pictures I am really enjoying your posts:thumb:

 

[Froggy]

Respect to you sir :thumb:

I like this project.

Bus is looking super

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[kex66]

I dread to think how much that is costing but one thing is for sure no one else will have one the same thanks for the pictures I am really enjoying your posts:thumb:

With the latest invoice and including the purchase of the vehicle - roughly $27,000 - £18,000

I'm at the FUN meet in Longridge at the moment but will update the running costs properly when we get home tomorrow.

 

[hilldweller]

I have a flickr account that I will update and a short video on youtube of the bus finallly moving under it's own steam:

You must have balls like cannonballs.

What a project, we're all waiting for it's first FUN meet. £5 a tour, you can recoup some of the costs.

 

[Wildman]

That bus was built in the year I was born should you wish to showcase it at the August meet in Ilfracombe you are welcome to attend as my guest.:thumb:

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[pappajohn]

With the latest invoice and including the purchase of the vehicle - roughly $27,000 - £18,000

I'm at the FUN meet in Longridge at the moment but will update the running costs properly when we get home tomorrow.

without doubt many times the original showroom purchase price but far less than the eventual restored value

 

[kex66]

You must have balls like cannonballs.

What a project, we're all waiting for it's first FUN meet. £5 a tour, you can recoup some of the costs.

I live in Altrincham Brian so you might get sick of seeing it!!!

 

[kex66]

That bus was built in the year I was born should you wish to showcase it at the August meet in Ilfracombe you are welcome to attend as my guest.:thumb:

I'll put it in the diary

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[kex66]

Need some advice!!!!

Just got back from a great meet at Longridge (Thanks again Ian and the other FUN members who put so much hard work into the weekend - sorry I don't know everyones name yet!!)

There is an email waiting for me from the restorer:

Hello again Kerry,

We have a potential repair that I want you to be a part of the decisionmaking process. These things can get tricky.... since it becomes subjective.

The bodyman and I were discussing this today and we aren't sure how to proceed. I will share my opinion so you see my point of view.

When we do makeovers on these types of buses, we typically deal with issues that go deeper than cosmetic. If there is rust and degradation, that is dealt with, no question. Typically, skin related issues that are minor and cosmetic are handled to minimize their visibility. Areas that we pay particular attention to are eye level and below.... those really tend to stand out... anything above eye level we tend to not place as much importance on.... since they are not very visible from ground level... which leads me to this particular issue.

The area in question, is along the upper drip rail, and has several layers that would have to be dealt with.... if it is to be dealt with at all. As you look at the pictures you will see a "beauty mark" this bus acquired somewhere in it's past. There are no structural issues, it's a matter of cosmetics. The bodyman would like to spend time and repair this. My feeling is that we are not trying to make it original, but make it structurally sound and as presentable as practical.... so we are in a grey area here. What might tip the scales is the cost to repair this.

Since it's along a major rib area, the drip rail, and skin would have to be removed.... then the underlying frame straightened... then everything re-assembled and primed. Our best estimate is between 14 and 20 hours of shop time.... or $1400- $2000 in cost.

These get to be tough calls, because we certainly want the bus to look as good as possible, but that can get prohibitive from a cost standpoint. We try to balance the finished product and the cost to get it there. When the high gloss finish coat is on... it will show up... there is no doubt... and will go away pretty quick too. It is my experience that irregularities such as these are noticed at first and then tend to "go away"... as in not really noticable after a time.

So, you can see the dilema... and that is why I want you to be involved.... so that there are no surprises later on. I am available to discuss this if you have any ideas or suggestions. Please let me know your thoughts.

Gerry

So what do you guys think?

Anyone got experience with bodywork restorationLink Removed

 

[Bellini]

Firstly, what a great email from your bodyshop!:thumb:

There's two schools of thought here:

1. Make it perfect. The cost will pale into insignificance over time. Nothing wrong with you making that decision.

2. Alan Clark once said 'never let a spray gun near a car'. In other words, let the imperfections tell a story. I can see that logic to a degree.

Looking at your pictures, it's clear that the issue is purely cosmetic and not terribly consequential in the 'grand scheme of things'.

So I ask myself what would I do? I think it's funds-driven. If the rest of the body is perfect and funds are there, then do it. You'll not regret it.

But as an anecdotal opportunity, what could be better? Save your money for something more 'practical' and dine out on the story for ever more.

At the end of the day, it's your call. You can't make a bad decision here.

 

[jhorsf]

I think the question is can you live with it IE when the bus is all finished only you know how perfect you want it and will you wish you spent the money now to put it right or will you accept it is not going to be 100% but 99%.

I honestly do not know whether if it was mine it would bother me or not but if you think it will bother you then now is the time to put it right, BUT I doubt this is the last thing they will find that needs a little extra spending to put it right.


As they say only you can decide

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[Billy23]

I did a flat roof on a house once, didn't set the timbers quite right, left it and to be fair nobody knew or noticed.......But here is the rub, I KNEW! and every time I walked into that room, I thought of it and wished I had spent the time and money to have made sure it was right.

As they say, your call.

 

[Terry]

Hi Kerry I am sticking my neck out and saying get it fixed :thumb: but then again I am not paying if you are anything like me it will bug you everytime you see it oh:
terry

 

[Mel]

Restoration is too good not to do it.

don't spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth*of*tar*

IMO

Mel

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[rainbow chasers]

I know what situation you are in having restored some old working landies and so on.

Do you restore to showroom, or show some of it's heritage/working-life battle scars to tell the story of it's past?

If particularly clean, do you keep some imperfections to show it's genuine condition, or remove them and people question if it is full of filler?

The choice is yours, some go for patina, some go for showroom. Only you can decided which route to take. Personally, if it is being resprayed perfectly - then that will annoy you as fresh, shiny paint will make that stand out more.

On the other hand, if you are nodding to it's working pedigree with some scars showing - then that in itself may be a good thing. If you have taken these out - then you may as well go showroom.

 

[hilldweller]

I live in Altrincham Brian so you might get sick of seeing it!!!

I doubt it, in a bland, grey, homogenised world that stands out like a ray of sunshine.

Wherever you go you are doomed to have people peering at you and accosting you.

The only negative I can see, with the rear engine, no boot/garage to store any form of bikes.

However I'm glad I'm not filling the fuel tank.

 

[hilldweller]

Le Bump.

That looks worrying from a repair POV. It goes right down the window. Could be a money pit if not on a fixed price.

A little filler ( spit, sorry ) or panel beating could ease it on the curve.

"I am told he was driving slowly through Yosemite in the dark and three tons of Elk slammed into the side when it failed to jump us. He took out his trusty Winchester and finished off the Elk and they lived on fine meat for the next two months".

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[wivvy's dad]

From a cost point of view, only you can decide.

But as it's been pointed out to you by the bodyshop, you are always going to notice it....and it is quite a ding..!!

If it were me....I would find the money to get it fixed.

 

[kex66]

OK peeps!!

Really big thank you for the comments on the repair. Needed to bounce this off a few people before I made a desicion. Can't talk to Christine as the only answer I ever get is "SELL THE BLOODY THING AND GET THE BATHROOM DONE LIKE YOU'VE BEEN PROMISING FOR 8 YEARS!!"Link Removed

The deed is done, I've sent an email to the restorer telling him............................................... ..........




.................................................. ...To go ahead with the repair and get it sortedLink Removed

I'm glad he told me 'cos it would have probably drove me crazy if he had just left it and spayed over itLink Removed

 

[kex66]

I doubt it, in a bland, grey, homogenised world that stands out like a ray of sunshine.

Wherever you go you are doomed to have people peering at you and accosting you.

The only negative I can see, with the rear engine, no boot/garage to store any form of bikes.

However I'm glad I'm not filling the fuel tank.

There is some storage at the rear of the bus. Some people take out the rear bulkhead for extra room but I'm leaving the bulkhead in place to keep some much needed storage space. The buses were made this way to store baggage.

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[hilldweller]

"SELL THE BLOODY THING AND GET THE BATHROOM DONE LIKE YOU'VE BEEN PROMISING FOR 8 YEARS!!"Link Removed

Looks like you did the right thing because a passing gypsy just told me it's your future home.

 

[kex66]

Brace yourself!!! This isn't pretty

I have been asked by the restoration shop to start considering what to do with the interior (and yes I've considered ripping out and starting again but the main structure inside is actually in good condition).

So I'm looking for advice on what to do regarding the dinette, main bedroom and fabric/ ceilling colour and materials:thumb:

Lots of people on here have vast amounts of experience regarding what works and clever storage designs that I may want to consider so please feel free to pass comment

Any advice will be gratefully appreciated:thumb:

 

[kex66]

And a few more

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