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Thu Dec 22, 2011 4:05 pm

Took it to a couple body shops today both wanted a repair panel and would not do the weld repair work. One wanted 8-10K for the paint and work if I got the repair panel.

So I guess I am going to do the sheetmetal work myself and prep the car for paint and then take it in to have it painted.

Any tips for repair....pitfalls things to look out for...

The yellow lines are areas that I plan on cutting out

12-11 Drv Rear by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

12-11 Pass rear by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

12-11 Drv rear Inside by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

12-11 Pass Rear Inside by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:19 pm

Common area...sheet metal brake,some crimping pliers and a spot weld and your back in biz.

Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:55 pm

Thanks,

Inside fix is fairly straight forward. The outside welding and grinding, that has me as a first timer.

Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:03 am

That fix is fairly easy and straight forward.

You can purchase the "J" channel from chucks....

http://www.chucksconvertibleparts.com/products/metal-u-channel

or you can make your own pieces. See my thread about my 74 Super Beetle and you'll see how I made my pieces. Just keep in mind that channel has a compound curve to it which on a long repair should be kept in mind. My repair was short and I missed part of the curve but it works just great!

Good Luck

Dave

Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:04 pm

I have the J-channel from Chuck's. Chuck only has them for the 72-74 years and I have a 78 so I am going to make some adjustments to get it to fit right. But then again I should not have to do the compound bends.

I guess I just have to jump in and get to work.

Pics to follow of the progress

Mon Jan 02, 2012 10:01 pm

If this is your first time welding I suggest you practice on something other than this car first! Kudos for bravery.

You will experience a lot of warping if you aren't extremely careful. Go for it but don't rush.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:32 pm

Got the panels welded in and put on some filler, now sanding and paint..

Driver repairs rear 3-26-12 by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

Pass repairs rear 3-26-12 by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

Sloppy application of filler but that is why they make sand paper :)

Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:00 pm

Spreading filler smoothly is a great way to cut down on the need for a lot of sanding. Think of your spreader as the sandpaper- use this to your advantage. Spreading in a smooth line in the same direction as you will want to sand will help with the "straightness" of the area. I don't think straightness is a word anywhere but here.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:55 pm

VintageVulture wrote: Spreading filler smoothly is a great way to cut down on the need for a lot of sanding. Think of your spreader as the sandpaper- use this to your advantage. Spreading in a smooth line in the same direction as you will want to sand will help with the "straightness" of the area. I don't think straightness is a word anywhere but here.

Was trying to get it smooth. But....excuse alert....my spreader was a little too big for the area and not thinking ahead I used it and then had problems

So this leads me to sanding...

now to remove the other three fenders to look for more rusty areas

Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:15 pm

Just a little tip. Most, but not all the time, if you do the repairs yourself, it will end up costing you more in the end. More often than not the panel gets screwed up and the bodyshop has to redo the work.
$8K to $10K sounds about right.

Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:56 am

craigman wrote: Just a little tip. Most, but not all the time, if you do the repairs yourself, it will end up costing you more in the end. More often than not the panel gets screwed up and the bodyshop has to redo the work.
$8K to $10K sounds about right.

Took it to 3 "body shops" they all said that if I got them a new panel they would put it on for me. They would not do rust repair to patch a panel or welding. Guess insurance replacement is where the money is. So I decided to repair it myself and I will take it in for them to apply paint. If they won't do that I will try painting next.

Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:49 pm

Ya insurance work is where the money is at in the body shop world.
Might try taking it to a resoration shop and see what they have to say.

Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:01 pm

craigman wrote: Just a little tip. Most, but not all the time, if you do the repairs yourself, it will end up costing you more in the end. More often than not the panel gets screwed up and the bodyshop has to redo the work.
$8K to $10K sounds about right.
Sounds like he just wants to get it fixed for the most economically way possible. If he can weld, great. If he is not afraid to slather a bit of filler and sand like crazy to get it back to shape...more power to him.
Let's help people like him on this forum. There are other levels of bodywork that are acceptable for people that are trying to get their cars "on the road" and isn't that what most of the VW community is all about.
Most VW folks are $ conscious(cheap bastards, like me) and like to do things for themselves. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Builds character... :wink:

Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:29 pm

Oh believe me, i'm all for the do it yourself guy! 8)

Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:19 am

craigman wrote: Just a little tip. Most, but not all the time, if you do the repairs yourself, it will end up costing you more in the end. More often than not the panel gets screwed up and the bodyshop has to redo the work.
$8K to $10K sounds about right.

Please explain this to me. This satement makes absolutely no sense.

I suppose if you do it yourself without any tools or knowledge, beat the crap out of it and slather on two inches of plastic and totally screw it up thus making it harder to repair your screwed up repair than it would have been to do it properly the first time, ok, point taken.

But if you cut and weld in a panel yourself doing an acceptable job, how the heck will this cost you more in the long run!?!?!?

To the OP, many paint shops do NOT want you to prep and prime the car. Preparation is key to paint adhesion, do it wrong and the properly applied top color peels off, you'll blame the paint shop for bad work when it was really your poor preparation and priming that is the underlying cause if the failure.

Paint job cheap? Macao, their guys lay down paint all day long and have the skills. Trouble is that the paint they use is only marginally better than poster paint! It fades and loses its color after a year or two. Offer to pay for upgrade paint or bring your own brand name paint for them to use. Not all shops will agree to this, ask around. You do a proper prep, bring quality paint to a skilled applicator then will have a nice paint job in the end.

Dave

Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:16 am

Great job so far! You're learning just like all of us. Keep it up!

Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:37 pm

Off to Maaco this afternoon. Getting the Urethane with intergrated clear coat 4 year warranty. Painting it beetle blue (matching what is on it)

They are going to prime and paint, and basic chip repair. They have a form that you have to sign that says that they are not responsible for the previous body work

Pictures as soon as it comes home again

Tue Apr 03, 2012 6:29 pm

Back from paint...Maaco paint and my repair doesn't look too bad.

4-3-12 freshpaint drv repair by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

4-3-12 freshpaint pass repair by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

4-3-12 freshpaint side by Blue_Bug, on Flickr

now the work starts with putting it all back together and getting the new rubber on and the dreaded new top....

Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:47 pm

Good for you. You did it. Doesn't that feel great. I'm in the same boat. I'll be doing the same repair as you on a 71' when it warms up. Congrats!

Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:29 am

WTG! You didn't anyone tell you you Have to spend $10,000/can't do it yourself! 8)