TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:33 pm

Today's topic: Dangerous rust areas. I need links to repair patches for these so PLEASE PROVIDE THEM. I'm not going to tolerate any "LOL YOUR BEETLE IS WORTH MORE AS SCRAP".

NOTE: Anything I circle in red is rust. Anything in blue is dirt or minor surface rust.

Let's start with the most dangerous stuff first. The strut tower. Now this doens't look too bad, but I want to get it replaced anyway.

Now this is in the rear where the battery tub is. I can see STRAIGHT through the floor on the bottom, and the wheel well rust is cracked through to where I can barely see the inside of that part of the quarter. Same problems on both sides, but the battery (passenger) side is FAR worse.

Passenger side closeup.

Opposite side closeup.

One slightly less urgent part is this. What the hell is this and how much will it run me to get a replacement? It looks rather important. I pulled it out from under the hump where the door meets the bottom of the body, which is also cracked from rust and I need a replacement for that too.

Now there are two places in the front of the car where I haven't the faintest idea on how to get patch panels for.
This is on the inside of the passenger side. As you can see, if I pull up the carpet, there is a ton of rust and exposed other (?) metal.

The opposite side has a small cracked area.

Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:26 pm

As far as the strut towers your best bet is to get some cut out of a donor car from an area in the USA that they don't rust as bad. Should be easy to find.

I may even have a donor car I can cut them from that is on the way to the recyclers soon, let me see if they are good in that area.

Same goes for some of the under the rear seat lower wheel well areas...

For heater channels try www.oeveedub.com as they have some good metal available.

Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:38 pm

Thanks for the help, that would be awesome if you could get a hold of a strut tower. I only need the driver's side one, though. The Passenger's side tower is surprisingly immaculate.

So that thing that's dangling off the car is a heater channel, yeah? I'll have to get one as soon as possible.

Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:38 am

Buy some solid rockers with front/rear inner fenders that you need attached to them and cut/weld them in or buy new metal a piece at a time.

Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:57 pm

Mike Fisher wrote: Buy some solid rockers with front/rear inner fenders that you need attached to them and cut/weld them in or buy new metal a piece at a time.

Those look awesome, where do you think I can find a similar pair?