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Epilog79
Samba Member
Joined: June 04, 2009
Posts: 218
Location: Tigard,Oregon
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 Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:43 pm Post subject: Run Forest Run |
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I have also been enjoying reading your thread. Congratulations on all your hard work so far. As for your concern for the 5.5in Sport Wheels, I have been using them for 14 years now on my 79. I run a 195/60 on the front and a 205/60 on the back. It isn't a daily driver, just a fun sun car. I too had to go with the topline tapered spring, that was the only way to get them to fit without rubbing the spring. I did use the adjustable strut. I have it set about 2.5 inches down. I just thought it stuck up too high in stock form. As for sticking out the beyond the fender, I think it is about perfect. It has never touched the outer fender even at full lock.
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As for the Sport Wheels, I have always liked the look. It had 4.5in sport wheels when I got the car 20 years ago, but I really like the solid feel and precise cornering you get with the wider wheels and tires.
Good luck on your project. |
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VWCOOL
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2006
Posts: 1821
Location: Down under
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| Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 4:15 am Post subject: |
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| Awesome Cabrio and great real-world advice for Forrest and others... thanks Epilog! |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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| Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 4:55 am Post subject: |
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oooh yeh I like the way that looks. thanks for the pics and tire feedback. I may go with those sizes myself. Perhaps not staggered. Not sure. But that looks just right!.
I guess if Forrest ends up looking like a motorboat, I may have to lower the front, but I think the topline/gas strut combo will still give about 1/2" lowering. I'll just have to wait and see.
The pan is almost completely done. Just need to bolt in the tranny and CV axles and its all ready to go under a dust cover. Then its time to learn how to weld all the holes on the body.
I figure while it out getting painted I will build up the motor.
Its taking longer than I thought, but I'm not too disappointed because something does get done almost every day.
_________________
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more beetles!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604918&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=759868&highlight= |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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| Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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3 days the fuel lines in the tunnel have lost 0.2 psi. I think it's probably the make shift fittings I have cobbled together to make a closed loop with a guage. I don't think I'm going to change the fuel lines in the tunnel. If for some reason I get a leak I'll run new lines under the pan somewhere. The vapor lines and air con hoses will all be under there anyway.
Anyone interested in a rear sway bar? I just tried to install it but it conflicts with the air con condenser. If interested PM me with an offer.
_________________
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more beetles!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604918&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=759868&highlight= |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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VWCOOL
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2006
Posts: 1821
Location: Down under
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| Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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Has the tranny been apart? Or the nose cone been off? Any opportunity for someone to stuff-up the shift rod/hockey stick relationship with the (internal) shift mechanism?
If NOT simply plonk the gearbox back in the chassis and mate it to the shift rod.... |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 5:48 pm Post subject: Cv joint adventure |
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Put one CV axle in. It was a lot more work than I anticipated. (Isn't everything on these cars?).
I purchased rebuilt OE German ones from autozone after reading the Chinese ones were iffy. They came with packets of unknown grease and in fact about 1/2oz of the stuff was in the boot Just a token amount. I dug this out and filled the boot with valvoline synthetic. Then the most fun happened when the CV joint fell apart and half dozen balls rolled away. It is not easy getting those suckers back together!
Next I started mounting the CV axles to the tranny and stubs. Got to the very last bolt and it wouldn't start threading in. I ran a tap into it and then it was fine.
The tranny and shifter are in and I can shift through all the gears and reverse
Once I get the last axle on the pan is officially finished I suppose.
_________________
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more beetles!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604918&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=759868&highlight= |
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backagain73
Samba Member
Joined: December 23, 2014
Posts: 47
Location: United States
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Weezle wrote: |
| Reinforcements only really needed for convertibles and if no rust in the heater channels even that is probably overkill. Unless your heater channels are literally dust I doubt you need supports for a sedan. Let's see what others say. This is my first vw restoration. |
This is a great read Weezle. doing it the right way right out of the box.You're going to have a smile a mile wide when get to enjoy it.Especially with the motor your running. This site is full of very experienced people that jump right in with info I'm seeing. I'm doing a 73 sedan now along the lines of your build and your thread will be a great reference Thanks G |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the kind words. There is no way I could have done this project without the samba people. I studied the website for 7 months before I dug in. I sometimes worry that I may post incorrect info that misinforms another member but so far the build seems to be going well.
Now that the pan is done, I think the most difficult part begins: welding up all the rust repairs. It kind of boggles my mind how time consuming and difficult it is. Rebuilding the pan is a purely technical exercise. Welding is more of a skill and rust repair is actually an art. That's a huge challenge for me. There is a good chance I'll need professional help with some welding along with all the bodywork and paint and the canvas top. Having a bad back and neck has been kind of a governor that has slowed down the build. I need my son and his friends or I pay a Friend who's out of work a few bucks to do any heavy lifting and so there are times where I just have to stop and wait until help is available.
I think it will be quite fun to have this car back on the road again. Everyone loves a convertible bug and I can hear peoples comments when I ride around with the top down. I actually learned how to drive a stick on my friends super. That was when supers were still new 
_________________
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more beetles!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604918&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=759868&highlight= |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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Bug-N
Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2007
Posts: 4
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:48 am Post subject: |
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WOW! That looks great! Makes me want to do that to mine. Maybe someday. Keep at it.
_________________
1971 Super Convertible |
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toddb_67
Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2003
Posts: 1313
Location: Hansville, WA
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 8:19 am Post subject: |
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Please take this as constructive critism from a somewhat experienced welder. Kind of like painting a car, 90% of the paint job is in the prep and bodywork. Same with welding, spend most of your time getting the patches to fit as tightly as possible. Trying to bridge the gaps in the metal with filler rod is hard to do and usually results in overheating the metal as you try to glob in more metal to fill the hole/gap. In the last picture you show with the primer on the finished patch you can see where there are areas that didn't get fully welded. These gaps will soon turn to rust as moisture creeps in there. You should go back to that patch, grind off the paint and weld up the gaps and incomplete fusion. I am certainly not an expert welder but I have done enough patches to learn the hard way and I have warped plenty of panels by being impatient and trying to fill gaps. Practice makes perfect so if you have some scrap metal play with that until your get good at it. You will have to find the right wire speed and heat setting that works for you. It will also give you time to perfect the art flipping your welding hood down at just the right time unless you have an auto darkening hood. Keep at it and remember the worst case is you have to grind the patch out and start over.
_________________
1970 Pastel White Westfalia
1971 Super Beetle Convertible (sold) http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=582365&highlight=
1970 Squareback "Savanna" (sold)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=714683
1974 Karmann Ghia- current project, 1967cc engine. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=775207
“I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.” - Dudley Field Malone |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 9:08 am Post subject: |
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| toddb_67 wrote: |
| Please take this as constructive critism from a somewhat experienced welder. Kind of like painting a car, 90% of the paint job is in the prep and bodywork. Same with welding, spend most of your time getting the patches to fit as tightly as possible. Trying to bridge the gaps in the metal with filler rod is hard to do and usually results in overheating the metal as you try to glob in more metal to fill the hole/gap. In the last picture you show with the primer on the finished patch you can see where there are areas that didn't get fully welded. These gaps will soon turn to rust as moisture creeps in there. You should go back to that patch, grind off the paint and weld up the gaps and incomplete fusion. I am certainly not an expert welder but I have done enough patches to learn the hard way and I have warped plenty of panels by being impatient and trying to fill gaps. Practice makes perfect so if you have some scrap metal play with that until your get good at it. You will have to find the right wire speed and heat setting that works for you. It will also give you time to perfect the art flipping your welding hood down at just the right time unless you have an auto darkening hood. Keep at it and remember the worst case is you have to grind the patch out and start over. |
yeh, this one and the bigger one behind it need some more work. this part is just so much harder and more time consuming than the mechanical stuff.
This is an area I plan to cover with paintable 3M undercoating. Could I just used some seam sealer, then the undercoat then have the painters shoot the body color over it?
_________________
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more beetles!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604918&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=759868&highlight= |
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Dodgy
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 517
Location: Leicester, UK
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 11:45 am Post subject: |
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^^^ what toddb_67 said ^^^
Get practice and see good results on these easy patches, before you move onto the difficult ones (front bulkhead etc, with thinner metal, lots of overlapping panels, critical structural areas or visible areas where the need to avoid panel warping is paramount)
It looks like you weren't getting enough weld penetration - insufficient heat, not enough time, wire speed too high, wire too thick...?
You will get better results with a chain of [MIG] spot welds than a continuous bead. Practice makes perfect, you will start to get a feel for correct welder setup / weld timing / technique.
You would probably get away with leaving this patch and covering with underseal / stone chip etc, but moisture tends to find these voids and rust out from there. Why leave a second-rate job, when you've worked hard to do the best you can elsewhere on this project?
Anyone can do mechanical fitting / spanner-wrenching, but fixing bodywork (properly) sorts out the men from the boys in terms of skill & patience, I think. 
_________________
'75 1303 (current project) owned since 1989!
'72 Squareback - full resto completed 2008 - now sold
356 Speedster kit, completed 2005 - now sold |
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ToughBug
Samba Member
Joined: July 22, 2014
Posts: 354
Location: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:44 pm Post subject: Looks like my weld |
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Hey. Really nice project! My chassis is a few weeks behind yours. I'm running brake lines and putting in new adjustable struts now.
FYI. I started welding a few weeks ago and mine looked like yours. I'm no expert at all but I did learn that the sheet metal patches really need to be near perfect so the edges make contact. Takes a while to get it right. I sometimes lose patience and have to go work on something else for a while. But there just isn't enough wire on the spool to bridge gaps all around a patch.
First welding was great fun. Then I realized just how much time it takes to prep the patch. (Its like you need tiny surgical tools to craft the piece, and I have a great big grinder and some snips!)
The alternative for patches no one will see is to overlap and spot weld.
Thanks for the photos. I'm dealing with a lot of rust and it help me to se what everyone else has....
Tom
_________________
1973 chassis + 1974 body = super beetle saved |
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Weezle
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2014
Posts: 685
Location: ORLANDO
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