TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:38 pm

hello,i need some help with my shell,i need to know if it is worth saving.i posted pic in the gallery. please let me know what you think.this is my first vw. thanks

Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:45 pm

i think you could probably save this... how do you plan on restoring the shell? are you going to cut out rusted metel and weld new in? ...

Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:46 pm

My '71 is worse than that. But I don't think I will spend the time to fix it properly. I will just drive it until it is a pile of rust, and then use it as a donor car.
But, my '64 T-3 ghia is worse than the '71, and I am fixing it. It is a lot rarer, and more prestigious once finsihed.
It is all in what you want. It is all in what you want to spend your spare time on.

Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:49 pm

iam going to cut it all out.but this is all new to me.first timer

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:12 pm

yea, after you cut it out, what are you going to refill it with? are you welding new metal in or are you using bondo and fiberglass?

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:15 pm

there is a junk yard by me that has 4 fastbacks,i was going to go out there and cut out the metal that i needed. will this work ok?

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:19 pm

it depends on what part of the car, some parts of the fastback vary between years, but not in a major way, thats interesting you have that many fastbacks at a local junkyard, i havent seen a single one in my towns junk yard...

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:26 pm

yeh,they are all the same year as mine 71.what other tool can i use to cut metal out?i have a saw-saw,would a hand grinder,with a cutting blade work good?thanks for your help,i've been spending money left and right here.just want to buy the right tools and parts one time only :lol:

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:29 pm

If you have a good air compressor then buy a wizz wheel, if you don't then a dremel will work, i used the dremel to cut all my rust out, im not so fortunate to have access to other fastbacks and welding stuff so i'm refilling my body with Bondo and fiberglass... but those tools should do the job for cutting it away, just make sure you cut out more metel then you need to fill, so you can fit it all correctly

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:31 pm

want to have the car blasted,but there is know place with in 250 miles,
i've been use air-craft stipper and sanding it,the stripper is taking off the 2nd coat of paint but not the 1st coat easy.but dont know how to do them hard places.as you can see in the pic all the red place an help with this?

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:41 pm

i just hope after all the money and time i spend it will be worth it.see i never drove a fastback or any other vw. iam building a new motor 1776 with baby dellorto's.its just that parts arnt cheap for this car all most as a porsche parts.but iam buying as i can.

Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:41 pm

To find a media blaster, check with your local graveyard monument company. They have someone on call to have the stones done at the cemetary.
It sounds gruesome, but someone has to do it. And they are portable.

Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:07 pm

That fasty is definately worth saving in my opinion. My Little Helga was in similar condition. But check her out now !!!!! :shock: You can see her pics in the fastback gallery. The latest pic is right above yours. Click on my name to see all the pics of her from the time I got her.

Good luck and I have found that the key is to NOT be in a hurry and be patient !! 8)

Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:21 pm

Yeah, it's worth saving, but it'll take some work on your part. I remember when I tore my Notch apart and found as much (if not more) rust than your car has. It took me 3 months of weekends and after work hours to get it ready for paint. My wife and kids didn't see much of me then, but they knew where to find me. :P The car was so rusty, that it got named Krusty. :shock:
On my car I had to replace or rebuild the inner lower parts of the rockers, the lower 3 inches of the inner rear part in front of the rear tire (after the rocker), the plates at the rear behind the rear tires, both inner and outer "C" pillars, 5 holes in the roof, and both rear corners of the sunroof tray (where the sunroof slides when open and water drains to), the leading edge of the roof at the sunroof opening (a strip about 8 inches long, 1 inch wide in 2 places), both fresh air intake grills, and their boxes, the lower 2 inches of both trunk lids, the lower 3 inches of the rear fenders, replaced both fronts, as they needed more work than it was worth, and the lower lip all the way across for the rear window (for the seal to attach to). Notice I didn't say anything about the floor, only because it was completely gone, and I just replaced the whole thing, like one of the PO's before me did. My son spent 3 days building new floors for that pan for his Roadster. If you think you car is questionable, look in the archives for the first Roadster my son and I built. There wasn't much of a car before we started on that one. :shock: I hope this helps.

Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:31 pm

Bobnotch wrote: Yeah, it's worth saving, but it'll take some work on your part. I remember when I tore my Notch apart and found as much (if not more) rust than your car has. It took me 3 months of weekends and after work hours to get it ready for paint. My wife and kids didn't see much of me then, but they knew where to find me. :P The car was so rusty, that it got named Krusty. :shock:
On my car I had to replace or rebuild the inner lower parts of the rockers, the lower 3 inches of the inner rear part in front of the rear tire (after the rocker), the plates at the rear behind the rear tires, both inner and outer "C" pillars, 5 holes in the roof, and both rear corners of the sunroof tray (where the sunroof slides when open and water drains to), the leading edge of the roof at the sunroof opening (a strip about 8 inches long, 1 inch wide in 2 places), both fresh air intake grills, and their boxes, the lower 2 inches of both trunk lids, the lower 3 inches of the rear fenders, replaced both fronts, as they needed more work than it was worth, and the lower lip all the way across for the rear window (for the seal to attach to). Notice I didn't say anything about the floor, only because it was completely gone, and I just replaced the whole thing, like one of the PO's before me did. My son spent 3 days building new floors for that pan for his Roadster. If you think you car is questionable, look in the archives for the first Roadster my son and I built. There wasn't much of a car before we started on that one. :shock: I hope this helps.

wow that was a mouthful... you can breath now :P

Sun Mar 27, 2005 9:35 am

Yeah, it's a mouthful, but it gives you an idea of how much work is involved in saving a rusty car. The west coast and southwestern dry areas don't usually have to deal with this kind of repair that us east coasters do. They just normally pass on it, and find a cleaner car. For us in the salt belt, we don't get that option very often, and when we do, we have to pay more for it. :shock: In my area, there aren't too many Notches to pick from, so we're stuck fixing what we've got.