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Clive
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« on: July 22, 2013, 09:31:36 AM » |
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Right, as many of you may know/have noticed, I have been rather quiet on the forum due to family commitments. As I didn't have the chance to keep going up the studio, five, six miles away from the house, I needed a 'stress relief' project, and where better to start than jumping in at the deep end with a four wheel project..............................stress relief, we'll see! Picked this up about three months ago, as a runner, but needing, what I thought was a little light restoration!   Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub |
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Clive
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« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2013, 09:35:52 AM » |
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Started with a good strip down on it all, junking the complete wiring loom, and removing the engine.  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub Started finding some rust here and there    Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub |
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Clive
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« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2013, 09:39:19 AM » |
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As you can see, I'd started to strip paint as and when I felt the urge  Clive's Vee Dub And that showed the 'paint history' on it. The strange thing was, when I first started o get into veedubs, I'd always liked the pics of a peppermint green one, quite a famous show car from the nineties, did I now own it?  ....................no, it turns out, but still was a strange coincidence!  Clive's Vee Dub |
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Clive
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« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2013, 09:45:30 AM » |
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Being.......well, me, I'd flick flacked between jobs needing doing. So, getting bored of stripping paint, and getting more and more daunted by the amount of rust, I turned my attention to the engine.the plan was to leave the internals well alone, as it worked, and if I started pissing around with it, it probably wouldn't when it went back in. So a good clean up and detailing was called for  Clive's Vee Dub Homemade pulley removing (I was really pleased I'd worked out how to make/do this, little victories )  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub Ending up with this (okay, I couldn't resist some artwork on there!)  Clive's Vee Dub |
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« Last Edit: July 22, 2013, 10:32:33 AM by Clive »
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Clive
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« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2013, 09:52:47 AM » |
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I couldn't put off the Rot any longer, so with a deep breath, well quite a few if I'm honest, I started on the replacing of rust with new metal! Never thought I'd be brave enough to tackle welding etc, and always admired those of you on here who were proficient in it, was always a bit of a black art to me! Started with something simple. Replace rusty rear bumper hangers with new ones, how hard can that be!?!  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub Not that hard it turns out! They may not be pretty, but are 'strong like bull'. Now wanting to weld anything in sight, I turned the rear valance into a removable one, to make access to the engine bay, and removal of the engine easier, by welding large washers on the edges, where the main wing bolts go through. So when the wings are bolted on, the bolts go through the washers, holding the rear valance secure and in place.  Clive's Vee Dub And a random shot of the first bag full of crap removed from the car, including some attractive bright yellow wing beading!  Clive's Vee Dub |
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« Last Edit: July 22, 2013, 07:33:45 PM by Clive »
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Clive
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« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2013, 09:56:00 AM » |
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With the front valance, bumper hangers etc being rotten  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub The easiest way to sort this was to replace the complete front in a one-r, with this, an original pre-67 front  Clive's Vee Dub So, it went from this  Clive's Vee Dub To this  Clive's Vee Dub It also fitted in the garage easier!!!! |
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Clive
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« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2013, 09:59:15 AM » |
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While the front was off, it made a good chance to clean up the beam, shocks, steering box, and replace the brake lines, after re-locating the master cylinder  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub In all weathers too!  Clive's Vee Dub |
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Clive
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« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2013, 10:02:40 AM » |
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Having found a 'small' hole in the front inner wing  Clive's Vee Dub That was the next area of attack!!  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub And then started to work my way backwards from there  Clive's Vee Dub Giving the rear end the same treatment as the front as I went  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub |
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« Last Edit: July 22, 2013, 10:34:57 AM by Clive »
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Clive
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« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2013, 10:11:44 AM » |
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Still working my way round  Clive's Vee Dub One of the big problems with restoring beetles is trying to get to the cooling louvres behind the rear grill. Mine were badly painted, covered in cobwebs, crap etc, so had to come off whatever. After lots of head scratching, and searching on the net, I drilled the spot welds on the rear firewall, then as carefully as I could, ground off the edge just under the grill, to end up with this  Clive's Vee Dub A clean up and paint  Clive's Vee Dub I'd welded some tabs under the grill at the back edge  Clive's Vee Dub And then re-secured it, using some drilled holes were some of the spot welds used to be.  Clive's Vee Dub This means its now removable, when the main re-spray happens  Clive's Vee Dub |
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Clive
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« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2013, 10:16:55 AM » |
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All you professionals now might want to look away. I wanted to change the fuel tank from a late model, with fuel cap on the outside of the car, to an early model with the cap under the bonnet, so a little more secure from the fuel thieves out there. I'd bought an early fuel tank under the knowledge that there was some repair needed around the fuel outlet, so with a repair section acquired  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub I will just clarify now you've all finished sucking your teeth, and wincing, that the tank was extremely well vented before I went anywhere near it with an angle grinder, or welder. This was the reason for replacement  Clive's Vee Dub |
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Clive
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« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2013, 10:19:11 AM » |
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More repairs, and bodywork  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub The body work will be gone over again, properly, ie not by me, before respray. |
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Clive
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« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2013, 10:24:46 AM » |
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Finally bit the bullet, and re-attached the front valance  Clive's Vee Dub Did manage to weld my foot at one stage though!  Clive's Vee Dub And started to tidy up under the bonnet, giving it a quick coat of paint as I went  Clive's Vee Dub And have now started on lots of other little jobs...............when I should be doing the rest of the big ones!!  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub  Clive's Vee Dub And got the bonnet catch welded on under to bonnet to allow for there to be no handle on the outside, then ground back off and welded back on the correct way round, and the holes smoothed out!  Clive's Vee Dub |
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Clive
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« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2013, 10:25:14 AM » |
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That's about where I am at at the moment, more to follow!!
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poprodder
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« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2013, 11:23:55 AM » |
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hi clive,
great work there, am i right in thinking i'm following thison vzi or volksrod forum?
looking for a beetle my self.
cheers chris.
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Manky Monkey
Administrator
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Karma: 264
Posts: 55102
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« Reply #14 on: July 22, 2013, 03:06:28 PM » |
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That's looking fantastic Clive! No need to apologise for your workmanship -looks damn good to me.
You do know Mr Loony's our resident Beetle specialist & has several at his workshop in Basingstoke, as well as a couple of camper vans?
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On the last freedom moped out of Nowhere City.
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