Hand break pivot pin

Only one more part to remove before sending the body to the media blaster. So far things have gone fairly smooth. I've of course ruined some minor parts while disassembling the bus. This can't be helped when you are a novice at restoring.
Any way the hand break seems to be the last part standing. This is because of the pivot pin. Which has come to my attention as "the dreaded hand brake pivot pin".

This thread says it all, I love thesamba.com it has everything. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6611843#6611843

I did end up cutting the pivot pin as recommended by samba forum. I used a grinder and almost cut my arm off as for the tight angle I had to work under. So I will have to drill the pin  out of the hand break arm, and get a new pin. Looks like they can be had as mentioned in the forum or they are pretty easy for a shop to fabricate.

Car cancer before restore

These are the rusted dented dinged spots. I plan to do a before and after the metal restore.

Removing front and rear beams

Removing the front beam was relatively strait forward. There are a couple of components in the way. The linkage to the break master cylinder needs to be removed as well as the emergency break linkage. Also the steering linkage will need to be removed.

The rear swing axels are easy to remove. The break lines must be disassembled as well as the emergency break cable needs to be pulled out of its steel line. After removing a few bolts a little prying should do the trick.

Stripping Stuff

Restoring 73 Riviera Camper. I thought I would document it.

I have stripped the interior and removed the engine, transmission, most of the electrical, doors and windows. Getting ready to send to the media blaster. I'm trying to get as much paint off as possible to save a few bucks.

Lots of old foam insulation that I had to tear out. 4" Window Scraper was very useful. Get lots of extra razors.

Stripping paint with JASCO. It is nasty stuff. Make sure to have lots of ventilation in the work area. Take frequent brakes away from the work area. Use skin and eye protection. Do small sections in a sitting. JASCO main ingredient is Methylene Chloride. Goolge it before you use it!
That said it works great for removing paint. Along with a Window Scraper Razor it makes for short work of paint.

Corner Panel after applying Jasco.

Same corner panels after Jasco and window scraper.

Basic safety equipment. Do not use respirator while applying Jasco. Do use respirator while scraping. The respirator does not protect against gases such as carbon monoxide and methylene chloride both off gas of Jasco. Tends to give false sense of security.

Tools for stripping paint. Including Jasco, window scraper, extra razors. 

One tool not shown here is a medium paint brush. Use a cheap paint brush to glob Jasco on in copious quantities. Lay it on thick. The goof off is for removing glue and trim adhesive.