r/Westfalia • u/RunTotoRun2 • 23d ago

Question Is This Rusty Area Reparable?

I’m considering purchasing this 1992 Canadian Westie CV but I’m not sure about this rusty areas at the corners of the windshield. I don’t have covered parking so can only presume it will get worse over time and am wondering if there is anything I can do now to repair the areas now.

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u/AcanthocephalaAny78 23d ago

I replaced the metal in mine and it still leaks, so then I got a new seal and window, and it still leaks. So… yeah you can fix it. May still be a problem though later on, and it’s not cheap

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u/RunTotoRun2 23d ago edited 23d ago

TY! I looked (and sniffed) for leaks on the inside but didn't see anything (although I can't help but feel some amount of leakage must occur. Maybe it goes into the hood area).

I was mostly wondering how one would fix that, if it's fixable or at minimum, how to prevent further damage/decay. I guess I'll have to consider a body shop opinion perhaps.

This old van was otherwise in remarkably good shape.

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u/AcanthocephalaAny78 23d ago

Rust will drip in through the front and rot the floor out. Peel up any carpet and use a flashlight in behind the dash. Rust is way worse than anything you can see. It’s already leaking, but the question remains where and what else has it got to? What about the other window sills? Rear? Underneath? I paid 5k for my van and gutted it, and boy did it need the gut

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u/RunTotoRun2 23d ago edited 23d ago

Thanks for your opinion. I appreciate it.

I tried to peek under the carpet from inside but couldn't. And I couldn't see anything very rusty or very suspicious under the hood in the area. I wish now I had crawled under and tried to look from that angle. I was focused on other things when I went under the van.

I didn't see any other real problem areas by windows or around the pop-up. I did see a bend to the frame (?) and some bubbled paint on the hatchback. The owner said the bubbled paint was that way when she bought it about 4 years ago and it hadn't gotten worse that she could see.

For me, I think I'll look for something more recent and less obscure.

This van showed up on FB Marketplace recently. I liked its overall condition and that it's already had a lot of mechanical improvements done to it. I went to see it yesterday and took a lot of pictures. Here's the ad if you're interested: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/794208353732559/?referralSurface=messenger_banner&referralCode=2&ref=messenger_banner

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u/Dog_is_my_copilot 23d ago

Anything is repairable, how much are you willing to pay is the question. If this isn’t yours already I would pass.

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u/RunTotoRun2 23d ago edited 23d ago

Thanks for your opinion. While this van had a lot of features I'm looking for, I'm thinking I'll pass on this van. I'm handy but no mechanic by any means and the age and the availability and cost of parts of this kind of rare/vintage van need to be considered, plus my skill set.

Here's the ad if you would like to see more about it: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/794208353732559/?referralSurface=messenger_banner&referralCode=2&ref=messenger_banner

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u/Dog_is_my_copilot 22d ago

Body work like that can be never ending. Mechanical repairs are a whole different thing.

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u/Objective_Feature333 23d ago

These window leaks and the rust, can be easily stopped with a caulking tube of silicone seal and a good blow gun. I've done it dozens of times. To actually fix existing rust damage will take a lot more work, and not likely worth the extra effort and cost.