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Okay, decided to go out there and do a bit of work on the VW this afternoon. The combination of the crash and the acquisition of a beautiful daily driver in the Type 3 has rid me of any fear regarding stripping the ratty interior out, and today is bin day, so there was no time like the present! First some 'before' shots. This headlining has been annoying me since I bought the car, so time for it to meet it's demise. First seat out. Required a bit of force but slid out okay, as they're still on original runners. Welded on top like so. Happily, it seems that there might be a strap of steel welded to the top of the VW runner and then screwed onto the bucket seat's runners. Hopefully this will make life easier for me when I make up some new seat bases to replace the VW one. Both seats out. On a level surface, you can see how the drivers' seat (with me in it) has bent to the left during the crash. The VW seat bases are therefore junk and will be replaced with a home-made setup welded up from angle iron. Here you can see the impression of the handbrake and the rip caused by the heater control lever during the crash. With the seats out of the way it was only a few minutes' work to strip out the carpets and all of the tar board sound deadening. All of the tar boards and carpet came up beautifully, as the glue had deteriorated almost to nothing, so I was able to just gently pull everything out with my bare hands, no scraping, tearing or chemicals needed. Passenger side floorpan has the beginnings of some nasty surface rust, but it is sound and will come up fine after a session with the wire brush, rust converter and paint. The whole interior will be copping this treatment. At the moment I'm thinking of sticking with the factory colour scheme, that being black for the floorpan and white for everything else. Doing the whole interior in black would just look terrible, and I don't really want a white floor. Drivers' side floorpan looking much better, the paint is still all nice and shiny. Everything in here is solid too, but will need treating. Same here. Found a pile of loose rust flakes under the passenger side rear seat area. And a pool of water underneath the battery area! The insulation/felt was also moist under the drivers' side of the rear windscreen and the base of the drivers' rear side window, so I think those seals are a bit less than satisfactory. Will have to keep an eye on that. Headlining gone! Finally! I was initially going to keep the vibration dampener stuff on the roof, but it was about to fall off anyway so I ended up ripping it off. Might want to get a little square of Dynamat-style vibration dampener in there somewhere, as the roof skin works like a drum, and I think the 50g of sound deadening would be worth its weight in gold, even in a rally car. The headlining's final moments. It's now in the bin outside. The pile of interior which I stripped out. I think there might have been some bending to the brake and clutch pedals which occurred during the crash as well. Is it just me or is the brake a bit far to the right and the clutch a bit far to the left? Will get this sorted before it goes back on the road. So, the last thing to do to wrap up this post will be a Ghost-style weight savings list. Weight removed today: Carpets: 7kg Insulation and sound deadening: 12kg Passenger's front seat: 17kg Driver's seat: 20kg Rear seat back: 11kg Rear seat base: 9kg Other small items: 5kg Total: 81kg Previous weight removal: Towbar: 11kg Engine bay gutter panel: 1kg Total weight loss to date: 93kg Please note that once I've made up some new bases the front seats will have to go back in, so that will be nearly 40kg back into the car. But still, 50kg saved is a good effort in a Bug I think!
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I went to U-Pull-It today with a friend looking for a doorhandle to help fix up and sell her dying Hyundai. Dad asked me to get a mirror for the Nissan while I was there. I decided to also grab a Nissan cigarette lighter while I was getting Nissan bits, as the one in the car is a bit broken. From there it spiralled out of control! What I was ideally looking for was a balljoint front beam, but sadly there were none to be had in any condition. There was one Superbug there with MacPherson struts, and one nice, straight red Beetle which had already lost it's front beam to another customer. Damn! I bet it was nice and straight too, as the car had almost zero crash damage. Whilst looking over the red Bug though, I found that it was wearing a set of 14x6" Sunraysia copies (Wellers to you UK chaps) in excellent condition, complete with big domed steel centre caps. They were made by Speedy Wheels and cost me only $28 each for the set of four, so a bargain in my book! The car also had a very nice and recent looking battery which I also bought, and a nice straight front bumper which was a bit rusty inside, but considerably better than the one on my car was before the crash. All in all a bargain, coming in well under $200 for the bumper (with brackets), battery and a set of wheels. Pics of the new items will go up soon after I take some. The only parts which still need to be purchased for the Bug now are the front beam itself, the front shocks and the tie rods. I'm hoping to buy a slide hammer kit in the very near future, which will assist me in pulling the body back into shape. All in all, the bug is moving closer to being back on the road, but I think I might take my time on the rebuild and do some extra things. The biggest job I'm planning will be to paint the whole car inside and out! Almost rude not to, since I already need to repaint the interior and the front corner, and the roof has now got spots of bare metal just about showing. I've basically made my mind up already that it's going to go white with orange again, as it's fairly well known in that colour scheme and I rather like it. So, onwards and upwards! Anyone in South Australia got a good straight VW beam for a reasonable price?
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A few posts in the bodywork tools ( retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=71357&page=2 ) thread has prompted me to post up some photos of the damage with the panels off, so you guys can see what's what. To people with more experience than me: is this side panel saveable, or should I be cutting it off and replacing it? I'm thinking that slide hammer or sledge hammer and then smaller hammers and dollies should save the day, but the metal is probably stretched quite a bit which may cause me problems. I don't want it to look perfect, but it needs to provide a decent mounting flange for the fender and a fairly close approximation of fitting to the bonnet. 10mm panel gaps are acceptable (it had them before the crash), but not much more!
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That is badly deformed and torn as well. I would be cutting that off and going back to the scrap yard to get something straight.
Good luck, John.
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That is badly deformed and torn as well. I would be cutting that off and going back to the scrap yard to get something straight. Good luck, John. yup.
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Prud
Part of things
Posts: 308
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Dec 11, 2009 13:14:58 GMT
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3rding the cutting and replacing. Assuming you can get hold of the bits you need of course. Take your time, sure, but don't let it sit in the shed ignored. Trust me, it gets old having to unearth your car every time you want to work on it. You could always 'Superbug' it with fiberglass arches. I mean you've trashed one steel arch
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Dec 11, 2009 13:36:59 GMT
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3rding the cutting and replacing. Assuming you can get hold of the bits you need of course. Take your time, sure, but don't let it sit in the shed ignored. Trust me, it gets old having to unearth your car every time you want to work on it. You could always 'Superbug' it with fiberglass arches. I mean you've trashed one steel arch I know of a perfect donor bug in U-Pull-It, but my problem is with the re-attaching. I've only got a stick-type arc welder, and no real welding skill. I'm considering taking the plunge and investing in a proper MIG set-up, but short of that I might have to hire one and get a mate to do the welding, or something like that. I know that I will eventually need a welder anyway, and I've always wanted one, but now isn't really the best time to be sinking $700-$1000+ into a MIG welder which I will rarely use. I can't see myself being able to afford professional labour costs on getting it all welded for me, as the combined cost of doing the bug and a small bit of welding on my squareback would easily pay for the welder. Not to mention that the bug is land-locked in the back yard and taking it to a welding shop would be difficult. Does anyone have any recommendations on the procedure for getting the welding done? Second hand MIG from somewhere? Hire one and learn to use it on the job? Also, with regards to the fibreglass arches, I don't think they're very well suited to the way the car is used. Weight and width are not currently issues, as I can fit any street or rally tyre I want on a 14x6" rim under the stock guards. I'm sticking with steel because I believe that the fibreglass guards would probably get smashed up and chipped pretty badly. Not to mention that decent steel guards are still cheaper than fibreglass (although a bit difficult to track down).
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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Dec 11, 2009 20:29:29 GMT
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Great to hear an update on this Waveman, I agree that the front quarter should be changed. I'd say you'll have a hell of a job trying to straighten it out, especially considering the lip edges at the top & the lip for the rubber seal for the bonnet. I'd say get back to the scrappy's & barter for the front quarter, couple of minutes with a grinder should do the trick. As for welding, I had the same dilemma when I brought the 'Green Meanie'. I brought it on the proviso that a friend would do the majority of the welding, sadly this fell through so I tackled it on my own. Practice laying down some welds on scrap until you've got a weld that's strong & presentable & go from there, like most things it's down to practice. I found this site to be of much use.. www.mig-welding.co.uk/The guy who runs it also has video clips on 'how to do' as well, the key I found was the noise, you get to know by the sound being made whether you're laying down a good weld or not. Seriously though, I had never welded anything & with some hours practice I managed to plate some holes in the floorpan, weld up the front inner n/s arch, replace both lower panels on the heater channels & weld up the heater channel closing panels on each side. I'm th efirst to admit that the work doesn't look professional but the MOT guy said "not the prettiest I've seen but it's certainly strong enough". I've got a couple of areas inside the Bug to address when the wearther gets better but I've got some confidence with it now so I'd say give it a go. Maybe ask around, someone in a local club might have a MIG they could lend to you & possibly give you some pointers. If you were closer to home I'd be happy to help out with my trusty MIG. ;D Great to see some progress on her though, you be lucky and get that front quarter looking like it should but I reckon replacement will be the best option.
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974 Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974) Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary) MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986) MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984) MK4 Escort (1989) MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously) Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997) 1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat 2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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Dec 11, 2009 21:13:39 GMT
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As its a racer, why not put a baja kit on it and save some more weight?
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Koos
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Dec 11, 2009 23:07:47 GMT
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hi mate, you can get repro panels from lots of places and prices and quality varies if you can't find a descent second hand one. also years vary in design. if the other side is straight try and mirror dimensions from that and always triple check it. regards to welding, try and avoid hobby welders, if you intend on doing a bit of welding in the future it will just be a waste of money and time. i would say that for a car 110 amp is bare minimum. I'm on a local east anglian forum www.deutschworks.com, quite a cosy forum but we have a few good vw brains on there if you need a hand.
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Dec 11, 2009 23:57:04 GMT
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As its a racer, why not put a baja kit on it and save some more weight? As far as I know, a baja kit would make it fall foul of the regulations for motorkhanas, although it would still be allowed in khanacross. CAMS motorkhana regulations now strictly enforce a need to retain the vehicle's original overall length, which means that you need to retain some sort of bumper which sticks out at least as far as the stock ones. Baja kits shorten the nose of the car to improve approach angle. This has only just become important last year, and the VW bug which won the last two motorkhanas has now been forced to run stock bumpers again, after many years of running bumperless. Also, I don't want to cut the back off of the car, and having a Baja kit at the front only might look a bit strange.
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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Could also get alot of dust & dirt in the system as well with a Baja. ;D
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974 Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974) Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary) MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986) MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984) MK4 Escort (1989) MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously) Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997) 1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat 2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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Could also get alot of dust & dirt in the system as well with a Baja. ;D Um, that's kind of what Bajas were designed for! Mexican off-road racing is not known for its sealed roads!
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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Could also get alot of dust & dirt in the system as well with a Baja. ;D Um, that's kind of what Bajas were designed for! Mexican off-road racing is not known for its sealed roads! Sorry, that was meant 'tongue in cheek'.........Didn't really translate though. ;D
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974 Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974) Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary) MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986) MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984) MK4 Escort (1989) MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously) Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997) 1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat 2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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Hmmm shame. That would rule out a buggy too Have you spoken to Sharpbuilt in Toowoomba? They do a lot of strengthening bits for chassis and front beams.
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Koos
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Dec 16, 2009 13:24:12 GMT
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Okay, so I've been facing a hard decision with this car. Essentially, I don't have a welder and this is rather a big problem. When you add up the cost of the front beam, tie rods, shocks and a couple of new panels, plus possibly hire of and/or supplies for a welder, the cost of the exercise is straying dangerously close to the cost of buying another whole Beetle which hasn't had it's front stoved in! Bodywork was never this car's strong suit anyway, and the temptation is growing for me to buy another car and strip the current one for parts. This procedure would involve a very similar outlay to fixing it, but I would end up with a shed-full of spare parts, which is always handy in motorsport. Also, I'm thinking that it might be interesting to try running an S-bug with the MacPherson strut front end, as that's what is coming up cheap on eBay and also what everyone else runs in khanacross. So, I'm looking at these two: cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270499799879&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:ITcgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330387563869&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:ITI think that $1000 is a bit too expensive for a non-registered bug with such a tatty interior, and the cheaper bug looks just slightly too rusty for my liking. I'd prefer a nice 1500 bug to show up with no engine and rear-end damage for $100 or something so I could fix mine cheaply, but at the end of the day I will have to go with what is the best value for money, and buying a new car and scrapping the crashed one is looking like the cheaper way to go. Shame because I really don't want to! Any sagely words? Also, mdh: Toowoomba's a bit far from me mate!
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Mike D
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,196
Club RR Member Number: 57
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Dec 16, 2009 17:49:46 GMT
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I'd buy another rolling shell and just swap all your good parts onto it personally
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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Dec 16, 2009 23:06:07 GMT
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I wish I had the answer bud, weighing up what you've said it's looking more ecomically viable to get another Bug or shell of one & transfer any parts from yours onto it. Both Bugs in the link appear to be 1302-S models so you'd have McPherson struts & disk front brake which would probably be an improvement on the Beam, I don't know the market value for these in Oz bt over here the one in the first link would fetch around £600-£800 as it looks fairly straight. In your position I'd cruise around in the new daily & break the 1500 so when the 'right' Bug or shell come's up you've got all the spares ready to transfer across. It's sad I know, I've scrapped 12 Beetles in my time & a Bus but sometimes they're past saving due to money, skill or both. Hang in there bud, the right Bug will come up at some point so busy yourself with stripping whilst hunting for a new one.
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974 Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974) Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary) MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986) MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984) MK4 Escort (1989) MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously) Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997) 1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat 2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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Dec 16, 2009 23:14:21 GMT
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If you're thinking of keeping, then hiring a welder isn't a terrible idea, I did that when repairing my old type 3 and had no dramas, otherwise you should be able to pickup a suitable secondhand unit for $2-400 on the net. Having said that, from a safety and long term point of view finding a good solid shell and transferring parts is probably the way to go. are you a member of aussieveedubbers.com ? That may be your best bet for a shell.
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Remade In Australia thereimaginarium.com.au
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Still thinking about it, but I've joined aussieveedubbers.com now, so thanks dd.
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