Why do we start these things?

[kgj]

So just an update for posterity.
From this.

To this yesterday.

Inside.

A bit of red oxide primer. I won't cut as much away when I do the next side if I can help it. Probably best to cut below the curve if you can get away with it, or not at all.

I've had to spend quite a bit of time bending and pushing the sill panel to get a consistant door gap but I think I'm there now. Held in place with several self tappers before I commit to plug welding. And a trial fit of the replacement front quarter to see how it might go back together.

Just after I took it off the road I was asked if the car could be used for a wedding on August 22nd. Seemed achievable at the time so I said yes. It might have been a bit ambitious given that to get this far has taken over 50 hrs.
So 27 days and counting....
This was it last October at another friends wedding.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

Things haven't slowed down its just I've had a lot to do. And now the race ( in my mind only) with j1 seems to have been won by the not so "average joe", I've just been plodding on.
Needed to sort out this mess without buying the notoriously poor inner rear repair panel.

A few hours of work over 3 weeks it looked like this

Then I could offer up the outer repair panel. Only trouble was I had to cut some rot away this wouldn't cover.

Used a air powered joggling tool to put the 1mm step in the repair panel.
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

...So I hammered out this patch.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

Just chronicling this mornings efforts, and maybe a useful observation.
Prepped my new front quarter.
User sputnick60 kindly took measurements of the drain holes I have replicated.

Here it clamped in place.

My observation is that it is possible to weld this piece in place wrongly as there is no support for the original bit you are welding to. You could have the fender pointing inward or outward by accident if you didn't check the alignment against the door. You could perhaps pull a string line along the length of the body to check, or just see if the chrome trim looks right from the end on, a bit like this.

And here it is tacked in place.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[motorhead364]

Nice work
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63 ghia coupe

[kgj]

Thanks motorhead364. (Our last cat was called Lemmy)

Here's the results of an hour this morning and an hour this evening.

Thanks for looking
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

A happy hour grinding my plug welds this morning before work.
From this.

To this.

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1958 coupe

[kgj]

The rear quarter had been hit in the past and was deep in filler above the replacement panel. My brother bought the car a bit cheap because of a ding in this area. I remember it well. I thought it was beaten out. Maybe it had been hit again in the last 20 odd years. Who knows?
Before I started, when looking down the side of the car the panel bowed very slightly inward, which looked rubbish, especially with the chrome trim following the contour.
Now it looks like this. Not perfect but only requiring a couple of mm filler in the worst part.

And the next step is to fill and shape this bit inside the door shut.

This is leaded from factory, I've bought a lead stick so I'll have a go later...

Thanks for looking
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

This mornings effort.
Flux paste.

Bit of lead solder from Frost.

After a bit of filing.

A bit more to do later.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[DorianL]

Nice to see that kind of work - thanks for posting.

[kgj]

Pleasure.

A bit more time put in. Plenty of red oxide primer to keep the rust off while work continues

Wire wheel the primer off yesterday as I am now ready to put a skim of filler on. I haven't done this for a very long time. Not since the late '80s on a 1303s....

And today after a bit of rattle can primer she leaves the garage under her own steam. Exactly 3 months to the day I parked her up to start this episode.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[Bloku]

Very nice work... and ghia! I love how it sits, not too high but not too low. I plan to do this on my ghia some time. I have had 1 rust bubble on the rocker and have been monitoring it for over 3 years. It has not spread though ...
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1971 Karmann Ghia
1975 Porsche 914
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1975 BMW 2002
1976 BMW 2002 (Bored and Stroked w/ 5-Speed)
1981 BMW E21
1986 Toyota 4Runner (Dead engine and trans)
1989 Toyota 4x4 PU
1994 BMW E36 (Daily)

[kgj]

Thanks for the compliment.
On the stance. It looks fine but the rear is practically sat on the bump stops. So I have suspension travel at the front but almost none on the rear. The rear is dropped 1 spline I think.
Ironically, seeing as you mentioned the stance, today's mission is to take the rear UP just a little to make the car more comfortable to drive!
I'm also worried it may not pass an MOT sat on the bump stops. Booked in for Tuesday and then I can start using it again. As a short term measure to the primer I plan to cover the repair with some mat black rattle can paint so it doesn't look quite so obvious.

Last job before the short drive to the garage is reinstall the mud plate. One coat of POR 15. You can also see the drain holes in the front quarter which were missing on the bit I cut out.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[chipmunk72]

Fantastic job there . Just wondering where you got your panels from and if they are ok as i also live in the UK in Essex and we dont have envious supply of parts that they have over there.

[kgj]

Got them from a guy called Justin who runs a shop called Retrodubs here in Cornwall.
www.retrodubs.co.uk
I seem to remember the parts having a made in Denmark sticker. His prices are very keen it seems and I am sure he does mail order.
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

Last 2 days mission has been to raise the rear suspension just a little. Lowered it last year by 1 outer spline. Ended up just sat on the bump stops and has been a little uncomfortable to drive let alone any effect on handling.

First drive in 3 months to garage.

While we had it in the air decided to take off the trailing arms for a bit of a paint. A couple of hours with a wire brush first.

And a coat of POR 15

3 inner and 3 outer spline turns ( we think ) later it is now somewhere between stock and bottomed out.
Also installed some caster shims which took about 5 minutes to fit and ordered a rear anti roll bar now I'm interested in what's going on underneath.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

She went straight through the MOT last week so Now I am at least back on the road.
Couldn't bear driving around with the grey primer scar so masked it up this morning and put some mat black over the top.

And then a bit of trim just fun.

A couple of hours later I dropped the car off at my local VW resto shop, "evil Bens",

to have this fitted.

It's the original engine, taken out by the PO after it threw its flywheel and wrecked the dowel holes connecting it to the crank.(?!). At the moment I have an engine of unknown origin fitted. The original engine came separate to the car when I purchased it.
I split the case a couple of years ago and had a new flywheel machined to fit.
I bought the twin Dellorto 40's ages ago during a wave of optimism and now finally get to do something with them.
Ben finished putting the engine back together for me and bench ran it, and now the engine can rejoin the car for the first time in years.

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[J1]

So it seems you are doing a little more than just the channels! And by actually putting paint on your rocker and fenders, you've officially passed me up. You are another one of those who seemed to have magically and easily completed this project. But just to make me feel better, please tell me it was challenging and time consuming for you too Congrats on the channel and I hope the motor swap works out too.
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth.

[kgj]

Yes the work continues. I've owned this car for 3 years and apart from the right hand drive conversion and some reupholstery, neither of which actually improve or restore the car for the long term, this was the first job of significance. I didn't call my thread "another average joe attempts heater channel"etc because I could see this job leading on to more of the same. And it has. It's a bit like opening a can of worms.
I haven't constructed the data for presentation at all, and thank you for your incredibly comprehensive report, but I have been counting the hours taken.
I am a novice, it has taken me longer than anticipated and I have stopped the clock at 75 hours. This got me the point when I put the wheels back on the car and drove it out of the garage. Way more than that if you add in thinking time.
Yes it has been challenging. A little more difficult than I thought.
It took longer than expected. I was hoping for about 40-50 hours, which maybe a pro could beat, I don't know?
Would I recommend a novice tackle this? Probably not but it is your car.
It hasn't happened magically. There were times I was really worried that the door would never fit again. I do however now think I am reasonably prepared to tackle the other side, and a lower nose repair, and the back of one of the rear wheel arches.....
the "average joe " thread genuinely kick started the action though and any positive comments I have received are a bit like getting a medal along the way.
The samba build treads, all of them, really are inspirational

Thanks for looking.
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1958 coupe

[kgj]

I mean threads, not treads.
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1958 coupe