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Thu May 08, 2008 11:40 am

Here is what my under dash area looks like...I have circled the three holes that need to be filled. You will notice one of the PO's cut in the worst possible areas as none of them are flat metal :x . Now those arrows are pointing to the curved downward area where someone cut a HUGE baseball sized jagged hole possibly for a gas heater. Has anyone every patched in that area without hours of cursing? :) Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Thu May 08, 2008 11:57 am

If you need properly contoured pieces for patches, let me know.

Thu May 08, 2008 1:34 pm

What kind of patching do you want to do? Exact replacement so everything matches, or just some metal to cover the holes?

John

Thu May 08, 2008 2:37 pm

Well I want to cover the holes but I don't just want to put a big hunk of metal over it and have a raised piece. I am definitely not looking for a perfect show quality match. Here is what the baseball sized hole looks like.

Thu May 08, 2008 2:50 pm

I had to patch several things like that on my squareback. Start by bending a piece of sheet metal to fit the curve (as close as possible) then start grinding and tweaking until you get it to fit, then weld. It might take a bit of time, but not that difficult.

Thu May 08, 2008 11:39 pm

If your not interested in matching the contours, get the right gauge metal have someone hold it from underneath and trace the hole onto the the metal. A dremel will cut and shape it. You can bend it until it fits the way you want and then weld.

John

Fri May 30, 2008 11:43 pm

I was looking into possibly fiberglassing over these areas or at least on the backside(trunk) and then after it sets up, using a fiberglass filler like tiger hair to fill in the remaining hole. I would masterseries the area front and back first and then masterseries when done with the fiberglass putty. DOes anyone see an issue with this method? I am not concerned at all with how it looks on the trunk side just on the inside of the car.

Sat May 31, 2008 5:33 am

Weld a piece of metal in. Do it right. Don't use a fiberglass filler.

I replaced the whole piece and replaced it with a donor piece.

You can place a piece of metal on the inside and trace the hole onto it, then cut outside the line and shape and trim it to fit. Use a magnet to hold it in place and edge weld it in place. It's really the best way. Then you can use filler to smooth it out..

Steve

Sat May 31, 2008 5:49 am

I would love to weld it in but I have never welded, don't currently have a MIG and am having trouble finding anyone local that can do it for less than a fortune. Since these areas are never exposed to the road, water, or salt I would think fiberglass would be a pretty lasting solution???

Sun Jun 15, 2008 1:03 am

I would take a piece of cardboard, or that white school paper board and trace an outline then put it to a piece of metal, same thickness, and cut it out, then grind till a perfect fit, tack it in place.

Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:49 am

Buy a piece from a wrecked VW of the same year and cut and weld the patches in. Here is a link to some pic's of the work my Brother has been doing to his 62 Bug. It may give you a better idea on how to proceed.
By the way, I gave my brother a 20 minute welding class and my welder and away he went. He wanted to remove some boxes the PO welded in to provide tire clearence when the car was lowered way to much.
http://www.manxgallery.org/gallery/album05

Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:53 am

2 solutions:
1: drop by a local school, high school or technical school, they probably tech welding and might hook you up for a few bucks if they can use it to teach.

2: Cut a panel say 1/2 inch larger than the hole, then use auto panel glue to glue it in place on the back side, throw a coat of body filler over the remaining dimple on the inside clean and neat. No welding involved.
It'll be nice and smooth from the inside and noone will know unless they look at the backside.