Front end repairs
So just finishing off some of the inside lower front repairs to ensure that the front end of the bus is good and solid before moving on to the next section.

Right, you might remember that when we were stripping the van out to begin repairs, that we found that the front windscreen lower front edge had been bodged with filler and gaffa tape! Lower windscreens are a common area for rust damage, even with dry(er) imported vans from the USA.




Dash repairs
Obviously, this will need to get sorted out properly, so first up, the rusted through sections needed to be cut back to good solid OG metal. It is also an ideal opportunity to get the rear dash section out and cleaned up.




Whilst out, it will make it easier for the rear dash piece to get cleaned up and painted. It will be repainted satin black to help reduced reflected glare on the windscreen which is a nightmare when driving!




Easy access
All looking a bit dramatic now with the rust cut out! With the affected areas removed, it is now much easier to work and see what needs doing, although it does look rather weird at this stage!




Original replacements
To ensure that the correct profiles are used and matched up to the rest of the windscreen area, a good donor section of a front window is used from Southern Kombi Parts (SKP) extensive range of spares and acts as a donor part for the rebuilding process of the lower windscreen area.
With their usual high attention to detail, this gets cut to the right overall size and then carefully unpicked so that it can get fully cleaned and prepped ready for use in the rebuilt section.




Correct fit
Once it is all prepared, it is carefully positioned and aligned to ensure a correct fit is obtained. Measure and check twice before moving onto the next stage.




Once in the correct position, it can get clamped into place. As its a two-part section, the inner and outer sections are positioned separately but need to carefully align with each other when finished.




Awkward alignment
It’s a tricky process to get everything aligned correctly and requires a fair degree of patience to get right!




Once everything is aligned it can get welded back into place. It takes time but at least there will be no more hidden rust to worry about!




Solid again
Great to see the lower edge of the windscreen built back and 100% solid again!



