New Owner, 70' Fasty

Fastback, Squareback, Notchback, T-3 Karmann Ghia.

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wdollie6
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Wed Apr 22, 2020 12:05 pm

With what I thought was the ugliest job completed, I moved on to the section under the rear seat, hadn't seen ugly yet! That being said it could have been a lot worse. The mice had moved in behind/in the rear seat and the mouse urine did its job, rusting out the entire area. Initially it appeared that the structure underneath had been impacted as well but luckily the mice went dry, or something of that nature. Regardless I purchased a used section to replace the area and went to work, albeit uncomfortably as I needed to wedge myself into that small area with cutting wheel, grinder and welder. For one of the only times size was not an advantage! Because of the multidimensional part the fit up took forever, but the end result is somewhat okay. Also repaired the large dent and the rust in the battery tray while I was there.

Note that I partially painted the replaced metal that is why it jumps out at you. Probably should have waited until all was done, but seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh, and yes those are the heater flaps and wires from the A post, at some point I will clean up, paint and reinstall (I hope.. the subsequent heater channel replacement created some challenges).
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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wdollie6
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Wed Apr 22, 2020 12:47 pm

On to the heater channel replacements. All I can say is the learning came for this effort came fast and furious, the effort to replace the metal under the back seat felt more and more like a walk in the park when compared to the ins and outs of the heater channel as I tried to make the fit close to perfect. In an effort to ensure that the channel was in the right place I probably rehung the door 15 times on each side, checking gaps etc. Since it was just me (COVID 19 minimized help) this was a tiresome and at times frustrating job, especially starting the door screw in the hinge while balancing the door on my shoulder. At one point I had walked away at the end of the day satisfied that all was good only to come back the next day with a fresh set of eyes, realizing that no it wasn't. :drunken: Pulled the door once again and made adjustments to the channel, once again.

My two biggest issues; first I had decided that the heater channels on this car were going to be welded in while the body was still screwed to the pan to ensure proper alignment. On my Super Beetle they were welded in after separation and my welder's measurements apparently weren't the best (along with his welding) as the pan to body bolts didn't line up properly, resulting in some creative "adjustments". Secondly the used heater channels that I purchased were actually for a Squareback and trust me, they are different! Yes, it is only the area rear of the B pillar, but what a nightmare getting everything in place. Cut off saws, grinders, hammers, you name the tool I used it to get this are to fit, in the end should be okay but not the prettiest. Our sports construction contractors used to say "... has to shitty before its pretty!"

Because of the multi layers of metal at the A pillar I drilled holes in the out layer to get to the inner metal and welded where I could, is it as fully attached as factory, nope but best I could do, especially with the pan in place, not a lot of wiggle room. The pan in place approach also forced me to trim the A pillar tube that the heater flap cable slides in, so it will be challenging to reinsert the cable an reattach to the flap, I have some ideas though. Worse case is that the heater flap doesn't work, not to worry plan on leaving it in FL anyway.

Bottom line both heater channels are in, aligned and will be serviceable. Along the way I welded in repair sections for the outer edge of the pan and spot welded some pin holes. Also prior to installing the heater channels I cleaned them as best I could, blew them out with compressed air and taped their holes shut. I then poured in rust converter at the pillar locations and the heater tube and sloshed it everywhere, messy, but it should help with rust issues down the road. How effective this will be, who knows, made me feel better though.
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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wdollie6
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Wed Apr 22, 2020 1:14 pm

These next pictures are somewhat of a hodgepodge but mostly focus on heater channel and its interconnect with the rear seat area. Also note there is one picture which shows some of the area that was saturated in rust converter prior to welding in the car, seemed to work in that location at least.

This Fasties name will be Francesca or Frankie for short, shes aptly named based on pictures attached. Easy to understand, let me know if you have questions though.

On to the fenders. :cheers:
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Wed Apr 22, 2020 2:02 pm

Frankies front fenders and nose were definitely involved in an accident as the divider between the spare tire and trunk has taken a shot, the round pipe welded to the top of the divider is bowed slightly, passenger side collapsed on the end along with broken weld. While I believe I can straighten out the bow not sure how to fix the end as of yet. In addition the dimple for the bumper in the drivers side fender had been completely pounded out, obvious once the paint and filler were removed. I attempted to recreate the dimple with hammer and dolly, duplicating the one on the passenger side, not my best effort, work to do.

The front fenders had rusted thru in the normal spots based on posts elsewhere. The lower and upper rear sections and underneath in the front, oh and a few headlight rust opportunities. During the metal patching process I took the same approach as the heater channels, hanging the fenders a multitude of times to ensure fit up. While doing this it was clear that the drivers front inner fender was seriously out of place as well (bowed outward) so used a ratchet strap, block of wood and hammer to slowly move it back into what I believe to be a more correct position. Position was verified by hood and fender alignment, unfortunately I think more to come before it is properly located.

Rear fenders are next. Also have not touched rear of car rust holes as of yet as I wanted to stay focused on completing the front and all fenders. I also need to find an easy way to get the crappy/sticky/gooey undercoating that was sprayed all over the inside of the front trunk and inner side of fenders. This is not the product that can be simply chipped away but is more like a black wax (not wax definitely petroleum based). Any ideas that will speed up this process? So far have tried putty knives and propane torch but that just wads it up. Since I am working inside don't want to use gasoline or anything of that nature as the fumes and flammability are a concern. Again if anyone has any thoughts let me know.
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Fri Apr 24, 2020 5:31 am

Also the tire rims have been wire brushed, sanded, blown off with compressed air and wiped with cleaner. Followed this by brushing on rust converter, 100% improvement. Don't want to final paint them until closer to need date.

By the way these are Federal tires, 165/80R15s. Found them on sale and decided worth the try, $39.95 per, free removal and mounting/balancing at my high school class mates tire shop. Will let everyone know how they worked out once on the road, the way things are going should be in 3 or 4 years from now. :pale:
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Mon Apr 27, 2020 6:14 am

Completed some additional items last night. With painted floor pans and seats out had no problem laying on back and accessing under the dash. Removed 3 switches and associated wires added by POs; one for long missing fog lights, another for blower under rear seat, only he/she knows what the last one was for. While under the dash pulled the gauges, replaced all bulbs and corrected the wire locations per the schematic (I hope).

While underneath removed radio, hooked it up to a speaker and the antenna, powered it directly to battery and it worked beautifully as well as it's interior light. First VW I have had that the radio actually works. Also tried to adjust the cable for the hood release but no go, found broken cable conduit up in the spare tire well. Can you still buy replacements for this item?

Today will work on body again; grinding, sanding and maybe laying down some filler, front fenders need it badly. May also play around with seats to see what needs to be done.
1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Amskeptic
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Apr 27, 2020 1:58 pm

Wayne, it is a pleasure to see your work progressing. You show a real talent with metalwork.
Geeze, I feel so IRRELEVANT these days ...
Colin ; )
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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wdollie6
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Wed Apr 29, 2020 5:32 am

Nah, never irrelevant, remember body work is the easy part (with a grinder and welder you can do anything), just time consuming. It is the more complex issues where your expertise is sorely needed, fuel injection, dual carbs, etc., oh and just about everything else on a ACVW. I'll continue to post updates.
1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Wed Apr 29, 2020 5:52 am

Last night tore apart the rear seat back, in reality what was left of it. While the vinyl was in pretty good shape the metal structure/springs had been destroyed by urine from a large, large mouse nest, cleaned out by me long ago. Called Joel Mitchell, again, and he shipped me a used one which was in perfect shape. Saved the original "horse hair" backing which was in great shape, now waiting for new vinyl from TMI so I can finish the job and store for reinstall. Saved the old vinyl as it will provide cut patterns for the rear seat arm rest area.
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Amskeptic
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by Amskeptic » Fri May 01, 2020 5:24 pm

Good god, a spring steel seat frame done in by mouse pee? A new reason to loathe little critters making themselves at home in our old cars ...
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Tue May 05, 2020 6:49 am

"I hate you Meeses to pieces" Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks cartoon.

Yesterday moved on to rear inner fenders (no I haven't finished front fenders as of yet, how much paint removal do you subject yourself to at one time), where the rust isn't quite so bad, although certainly challenging shapes to patch. My plan is to repair these areas then attempt to remove/convert rust in the cavity behind the engine. Obviously access is a little limited but I will attempt to wire brush, blow out and vacuum then spray rust converter from both sides. Once I remove the engine and tranny will then get the rest through the center opening. Any unknown intricacies when removing a Type 3 engine/tranny?

Beyond those repairs/actions will be removing the body from the pan to attack unreachable areas, I am sure there will be opportunities in those areas as well. So hopefully will be able to keep moving forward, albeit slowly. With the spring/summer months slowly, very slowly arriving time will be consumed in other ways I am quite sure, although who knows when the stay at home order in will be lifted? The guvnor (watching too many British shows on Netflix), has indicated May 15th, however on Friday he kept all public schools and universities closed for the remainder of this school year.

Still looking for input on removing tar based undercoating in front trunk, what a mess. I have scraped and removed some but mainly just moving from one spot to another. Thankfully the PO didn't do this in the rear, undercoating back is dry and hardened and can be removed by simply scraping followed by a wire wheel. Also need a cable cover for the front hood release, cable is fine but the outer cover is broken, when you pull the lever in glove box cable pulls on itself vs. releasing latch.

On we go.
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Wed May 06, 2020 3:21 pm

Spoke too soon on rear, see pic below. Three layers of metal all rusted, other than inner layer, all gone, and to boot a mouse nest in this other wise sealed area. Double bonus is that the bumper bracket is rusted through on the back so now trying to figure out how to repair that while the engine is still in place. Never a dull moment with rust, damn was hoping I was going to rip through the repairs on the rear.
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1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Amskeptic
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by Amskeptic » Thu May 07, 2020 2:27 pm

wdollie6 wrote:
Wed May 06, 2020 3:21 pm
Spoke too soon on rear, see pic below. Three layers of metal all rusted, other than inner layer, all gone, and to boot a mouse nest in this other wise sealed area. Double bonus is that the bumper bracket is rusted through on the back so now trying to figure out how to repair that while the engine is still in place. Never a dull moment with rust, damn was hoping I was going to rip through the repairs on the rear.
Ouch, but important. These Type 3 cars are far more delicate than I ever thought.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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wdollie6
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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by wdollie6 » Sat May 09, 2020 5:53 am

Colin do you have an updated Itinerant schedule as of yet? If it is still September I should have time to pull the body, do the repairs underneath, then reassemble prior to your arrival. I read somewhere that it is difficult to run a fuel injection engine out of the car due to CPU and associated wiring.
Either way probably will need to pop the body off to do the rear bumper mount repairs ... and probably a few others.
1972 Superbeetle Convertible
1972 Westy Bus
1972 Beetle
1970 Fastback
1966 6V Beetle with Sunroof

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Re: New Owner, 70' Fasty

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 11, 2020 10:01 am

wdollie6 wrote:
Sat May 09, 2020 5:53 am
Colin do you have an updated Itinerant schedule as of yet? If it is still September I should have time to pull the body, do the repairs underneath, then reassemble prior to your arrival. I read somewhere that it is difficult to run a fuel injection engine out of the car due to CPU and associated wiring.
Either way probably will need to pop the body off to do the rear bumper mount repairs ... and probably a few others.

You will be in the loop if I get free to go up to New York in September. I will have a co-Itinerator if you are up for that.
Colin

Image
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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