TheSamba.com :: View topic - Grumpy's Metal meets Vwsunroof.com

Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:39 pm

Hello All,

I thought I would get more involved in the forum and post work that is going on down at the shop. Grumpy's Metal does a lot of panel replacement and repair we also do some custom stuff.

I have always tried to kept a high standard in all that I do. For some this is totally lost and for others it is sought after.

John-- Aka Grumpy - Grumpy's Metal Fullerton Ca.

Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:39 pm

As you may or may not know, Grumpy's Metal ( my shop ) also owns VwSunroofs.com-- Well the two are coming together and what I have been doing is a lot of sunroof stuff.

this is a split window we did last week

the cut line is laid out with a scribe and blue line tape to make it easy to see

with the hole cut the inner structure is fit and then clamped in place

with clamps in place the sunroof inner structure is welded in

the spot welder leaves a nice factor look

Thanks for looking

John

Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:20 pm

all these parts are new from vwsunroofs.com

Thanks for looking

John

Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:36 am

nice work.

Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:17 am

looks good john

Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:52 am

Where in Fullerton did you move to?

Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:59 am

The shop moved to Fullerton about 5 months ago- The guy next door to the Downey shop had a fire and it made it difficult to stay at that location. We are at 720 East Walnut Ave-- (if you want to stop by- please give me a call and let me know a good time for you, I do my best to make time to see everyone but I need a little notice)

As we do more interesting repairs I will post them. Are there specific things you guys would like to see?

John 714 328 1028

Sun Mar 21, 2010 10:00 am

everything is new? even the part you welded in? The metal structure of the ragtop?

Sun Mar 21, 2010 10:27 am

DulxKom..

On this split the inner structure is original. In the past I have made the sunroof inner structure from scratch.

Right now I would like to find another customer with a split or oval who wants a 3 fold cut in (everything supplied from vwsunroofs.com). We have the inner structure (new) and the 3 fold assembly (new). I can take the photos and I want the customer or another person to post there thoughts of the work, how it looks and feels compared to OG.

Dimensionally the conversion will be exactly the same as OG and all the parts are interchangeable with the German ones.

John

Sun Mar 21, 2010 10:39 am

(originally posted on thesamba.com in a different forum)

The conversion will accept the original sunroof assembly or a reproduction sunroof assembly from VwSunroofs.com ( same dimensionally as an original Only the rails are shorter on a double cab, obviously.)

John

Mon Mar 22, 2010 9:30 am

Really Top-Notch work John!

Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:09 pm

Great work!

I have always been curious to know how much it would cost to put in a rag top from a professional and experienced shop. If you would prefer to private message me a quote instead of posting on here, I would really appreciate it!

Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:41 pm

Hello Skaper

Well, I would really like to find a customer who is active on thesamba to post their feedback on a conversion. ( and offer them a discount)
I have been talking to two local guys but neither one is ready.

Discounted price on a 3 fold conversion would be $2600- this would include all labor, all the sunroof parts and rag assembly ( no upholster )

all parts are interchangeable with the original, and the opening is dimensionally the same.

If you are reading this and interested give me a call

John 714 328 1028 or email John@grumpysmetal.com

Fri Mar 26, 2010 10:03 am

Grumpy's Metal wrote: The shop moved to Fullerton about 5 months ago- The guy next door to the Downey shop had a fire and it made it difficult to stay at that location. We are at 720 East Walnut Ave-- (if you want to stop by- please give me a call and let me know a good time for you, I do my best to make time to see everyone but I need a little notice)

As we do more interesting repairs I will post them. Are there specific things you guys would like to see?

John 714 328 1028

I will definitely stop by one of these days. You're within a half a mile of my house.

There is one thing I would like to see you do – patch a rust hole in a bug door with MIG welder with minimal warping. You know the rust holes that some cars get when water gets trapped in the insulation. I know that a MIG would be your last choice in tools to use in this situation, but I wanted to see somebody with real experience actually do it.

Sun Mar 28, 2010 4:04 am

I will keep that in mind when I am also ready.

Sun Mar 28, 2010 8:53 am

When you have small pin holes in a panel often the panel is rusting from the inside out (as is the case at the bottom of a bug door- water collects down between the seam).
You are seeing only the areas that have broken through, but there is substantial rust surrounding the pin holes. A MIG welder operates at extremely high temperatures and melts back the thinning panel as you attempt to weld it, making the hole bigger.

Also in the bottom of a door, there is no access to plannish your welds so the distortion can not be worked out.

In my opinion, trying to repair this area with a MIG welder is stacking the odds against yourself.

John A.

ps. why doesn't anyone ever sign their post? I never know who I am talking too?

Sun Mar 28, 2010 9:24 am

Grumpy's Metal wrote: When you have small pin holes in a panel often the panel is rusting from the inside out (as is the case at the bottom of a bug door- water collects down between the seam).
You are seeing only the areas that have broken through, but there is substantial rust surrounding the pin holes. A MIG welder operates at extremely high temperatures and melts back the thinning panel as you attempt to weld it, making the hole bigger.

Also in the bottom of a door, there is no access to plannish your welds so the distortion can not be worked out.

In my opinion, trying to repair this area with a MIG welder is stacking the odds against yourself.

John A.

ps. why doesn't anyone ever sign their post? I never know who I am talking too?

Yes, but can you do it to show how to do it without killing the door? Many of us out there have a MIG welder and can't afford a TIG. I guess you can call it, "going with what you got".

Thanks, BRIEN