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Sat Aug 24, 2002 2:06 pm

Just wanted to say hi, and introduce myself!
My name is Dave, I live in Woodland, CA.
near Sacramento. I just got back into the VW thing after about 17 years! I had a '53 bug, a '59 bus and a '63 bus! Now, I just got a '66 bug! It's good to be back! I've already got help from this board, you guy's are great! Thanks, and Thank You Everett!

Sat Aug 24, 2002 6:52 pm

Hi Dave. Don here from WA. State. Hope to see you around.

Sat Aug 24, 2002 7:11 pm

Hi Dave, Bert from Houston,TX '63 beetle

Sun Aug 25, 2002 6:55 pm

Welcome, Dave. Joe from the Garden State (NJ), 79 Super Convertible. Just watch it when you go to the Rants and Raves site, that's a whole 'nother world. Like an alternate universe.

Sun Aug 25, 2002 7:48 pm

Hi Dave, Tim From Az. Ya that rants and raves section is usually brutal. Good luck with your 66.

Mon Aug 26, 2002 8:04 am

Welcome Dave, Yep this site has is all... advice on everything from getting field rodents out of your new pride n joy, to marital and child rearing tips, good advice, bad advice, and name calling at a near professional level....Fun ain't it....
Oh yeah, there is some great VW talk as well. Join in anytime that's what makes this site so great! Keith in TX.

Mon Aug 26, 2002 11:01 am

Dave - Welcome to the site. I am also a newcomer to the site and more often looking for advice than providing it ! I bought a '62 bug in July and have got some great tips from others on here.

(Jakub - Can I ask you a Q. regarding heater boxes ? ... My bug does not have them and some have said this may cause door dropping...does this sound right ? Do you advise getting them done (it's a summer car only). I am in Ottawa.

Mon Aug 26, 2002 2:37 pm

While I agree that not installing heater boxes or heat exchangers means less weight to lug along, it's not logical to assume that heater boxes cause door dropping. Clearly the car was designed to have them. If the doors drop, (by which I assume you mean they don't close properly any more) you may have a much more serious problem: rust. Rust at the door supports, in the heater channels or other structural parts of the car, would cause the body to come out of alignment and then cause the doors not to fit properly. But putting back what the car was always designed to carry will not by itself cause doors to drop.

Tue Aug 27, 2002 7:25 am

Sorry folks...I probably didn't explain it very well. There are no heater channels in my car. My driver side door has a slight drop towards the corner which has worn a small groove into the running board rubber. Some one told me that I should check the door hinge (which I have done, and this seems to be the problem) but I should also get the heater channels done as this will some how ensure the doors remain in good working order over the longer term (???)

Tue Aug 27, 2002 11:18 am

I'm not an expert but everything I've read and heard indicates that the heater channels are structural pieces of the car that help to hold the car body's parts in alignment. They are welded to the pan. The heated air comes from the heat exchangers back by the engine and travels through the channels to the front footwell ducts and up to the defroster outlets. If someone has removed them in the past not only would it have been a big job to do, it would seriously threaten the structural integrity of the car. If the channels were rusted the answer would have been to remove them and replace them with clean units.

Tue Aug 27, 2002 9:14 pm

Heater channels are for heat. They just happen to be the base of the body. They are not welded to the pan. They are what the pan bolts to. If the Channel is rusty at the bottom of the door jam it could make the door sag. Heater channel replacement is not that big of a job for someone who has done it before. It is definitly costly but if your channels are that rusty you should look into it.

Tue Aug 27, 2002 9:34 pm

By the way Welcome back Dave. Just goes to show once you catch the bug, you always got it.

Wed Aug 28, 2002 4:59 am

I stand corrected, OGGFK. I thought heater channels were important to the structure of the car...although OGGFK implies they can mess up your door alignment, which would make them kinda structural, right? Also I remember reading in the BugShop Web page that the channels are bolted AND spot welded. Not true?

Wed Aug 28, 2002 7:43 am

I dont mean to correct you. Just wanted to clarrify that they arent bolted to the pan. The heater channels are the part that makes up you door sil. It runs from the front to the back of the body. And rusty heater channels can definitly cause structural problems, but more than that they cause things like, leaking, and noises while driving.

Fri Aug 30, 2002 10:52 pm

I am also a newcomer to this forum, but have read posts for the last few weeks. From what i've read OGGFK knows what he's talking about. I am currently doing a pan off restoration to a 66 beetle, the heater channels are spot welded to the body. Heater channels without heater tubes can be installed for structural purposes, but if you go that far might as well put functioning channels in place. See you at the Bug-O-Rama...

Sat Aug 31, 2002 5:33 pm

WOW! I just got back from camping in the Redwoods, forgot I had posted this! Thanks for all the warm welcomes!
XVDub63Bugx, I'm not sure if I'll be at Bug O Rama or not, the last two paydays I've spent a bit at Bugformance! So, moneys a little tight. On the other hand, at Bugformance today, my son was watching the big screen tv, showing past Bug O Rama's the Drag races! Then the guy at the counter asked if we were going, my son's eye's lite up and he tells the guy, yes! So...