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Wed Apr 23, 2025 10:17 pm

Got in four more hours. Finished off the front fender on the passenger side. I then turned the car around so that I can work on the drivers side.

I meant to take a front end shot during the day, but time got away from me! So you get a night time shot!

Thu Apr 24, 2025 7:35 am

VW_Jimbo wrote:

Hope I answered that question!

It did and makes sense. Thank you.

Thu Apr 24, 2025 8:31 am

matthew henricks wrote: VW_Jimbo wrote:

Hope I answered that question!

It did and makes sense. Thank you.

My pleasure! It is what I have learned through the years!

Thu Apr 24, 2025 9:34 pm

WOW! I spent another 8 hours working on the Bug! Got me some more shitola done. Baby steps!

Dove straight into the drivers side door and rear quarter panel. They are the worst of the remaining panels needing work, so, might as well knock them out! I started by removing the epoxy primer to expose the steel, at all of the weld seams. I need to glass all of the weld seams up, to keep the moisture at bay.

I hit the side, the front window corner, a weld spot on the front quarter panel, the door, the rear quarter panel, the rear wheel well and this side portion of the rag top.

I immediately followed all of that glassing with a coat of Rage Extreme. Took me 5 small batches to cover everything I exposed.

I then moved into sanding. I used 36 grit to take everything down quickly.

I followed that up with spot priming the bare metal that came out from the sanding. Afterwards, I pushed the Bug back into its spot! I needed to apply another layer of filler on the door, rear quarter panel and the front corner of the rag top, but ran out of time. Maybe I will get back to it this weekend. Hoping to have this side done by Sunday, with all of the repairs back in epoxy primer!

Until next time!

Sun Apr 27, 2025 7:13 pm

Had me a free day today! Another 5 hours!

Pulled the Bug out, sanded the last round of filler, then laid in three more rounds, which produced an almost perfect door and quarter panel!

Addressed the weld seam on the side of the hood and the front fender turn signal hole that was made by someone, at some point, in the car’s past.

Here is the front fender I knocked out last time.

I then filed in between the welds at the ragtop. Did as much as I could reach.

I just have to finish this one area at the rear corner.

Until my next day off!

Sun Apr 27, 2025 8:58 pm

Jim, a question:
I understand using the rage extreme to seal the worked areas.
Would it be possible to apply the extreme over the epoxy? Or skip the extreme and use other filler over the epoxy?
I imagine there may be compatibility issues.. Or what else?
I have always liked having a heavy coat of epoxy to seal the steel, and follow up with a compatible 2k primer within the "recommended 2nd coat time"
Not a criticism, I justy always like to know why people do things the way they do..

Sun Apr 27, 2025 10:37 pm

esde wrote: Jim, a question:
I understand using the rage extreme to seal the worked areas.
Would it be possible to apply the extreme over the epoxy? Or skip the extreme and use other filler over the epoxy?
I imagine there may be compatibility issues.. Or what else?
I have always liked having a heavy coat of epoxy to seal the steel, and follow up with a compatible 2k primer within the "recommended 2nd coat time"
Not a criticism, I justy always like to know why people do things the way they do..

It is not Rage Extreme that I am using for sealing. I am using a fiberglass filler by Valspar called Duraglass. It is waterproof. So no moisture can sneak in behind the Rage Extreme filler. Make sense.

The Rage filler could be applied straight to the epoxy primer as long as you do so within the open window for the primer. After that window closes, the filler will need something to bite into, or it will fail.

Some of my methods are from personal experiences. I have had a multitude of failed body issues through my years. It teaches you to trust what you know. But it makes it hard to change as well. That where my issue is. I changed my primer regiment up a bit. The blaster laid on a few coats of SPI epoxy primer, immediately after blasting the car. I have never had a full car in epoxy so quickly! It has been a learning experience. Plus, I am rolling on the 2K primer! I am mixing around 4 ounces of primer at a time and immediately rolling it, with a foam roller! It is cool, since it is binding everything together nicely! We will see how long it lasts for!

Mon Apr 28, 2025 4:10 am

Cool!
I love the SPI epoxy, it is so much nicer to work with than any of the other brands I had tried.

Mon Apr 28, 2025 7:56 am

You are a body work machine Jim!

Mon Apr 28, 2025 12:42 pm

esde wrote: Cool!
I love the SPI epoxy, it is so much nicer to work with than any of the other brands I had tried.

Could not agree more! Super good stuff! And the smell is not too bad and disappears rather quickly! I just have to remember to wear my mask!

Mon Apr 28, 2025 10:02 pm

matthew henricks wrote: You are a body work machine Jim!

Hey Matthew!

I was taught at a young age how to swing a hammer and sand wooden furniture and cabinets. Then in my teens, a good friend taught me how to use those powers to make dents disappear. He also taught me how to fill them in and how to make them look pretty. His name is one of the VW legends, Dave Nevarez. We hung out for a bit in high school. He actually did the body work on my 55 front fenders and the rear decklid! Great guy! It has been years since we have talked.

Thanks for sending me down memory lane! Took me awhile to respond. I was going back in time!

Wed Apr 30, 2025 8:35 am

Got home late last night and no one was home! So, I went straight out into the garage to find the bolts to hang the decklid. Took a few minutes but find them, I did! I then attached the decklid and then set the rear fender.

Now, I am all set up to smooth those 2 pieces out and finalize the way they integrate with the surrounding body panels!

It is starting to look like a Bug again!

Wed Apr 30, 2025 8:58 am

To me, your car has always looked like a bug. It just needed a little Jimmy V love to bring it back to life. Well, maybe allot of love!

This is moving along nicely these days. It's nice you have found a few hours a week to smooth out the body.

Dave Nevarez is active on Instagram,
https://www.instagram.com/dnr_restoration/reel/DISai3GpFZ-/
From the looks of things, he's still turning out quality restorations.

Wed Apr 30, 2025 9:21 am

VW_Jimbo wrote: Got home late last night and no one was home!

Send everyone on vacation so you can be alone with her.

Wed Apr 30, 2025 1:12 pm

67rustavenger wrote: To me, your car has always looked like a bug. It just needed a little Jimmy V love to bring it back to life. Well, maybe allot of love!

This is moving along nicely these days. It's nice you have found a few hours a week to smooth out the body.

Dave Nevarez is active on Instagram,
https://www.instagram.com/dnr_restoration/reel/DISai3GpFZ-/
From the looks of things, he's still turning out quality restorations.

Yep, he and his brother Jessie have a body shop up in the high desert. I have heard that through the grapevine. At some point I will drop in on him and say Hi! Just not in that area very often and if I do get out there, I am going to the In laws!

It has been A SHIT TON of love! Thankfully, I absolutely love working these little cars until they look and run great! And yes, things are moving pretty smooth right now. I got rid of a subcontractor, several weeks ago, who was causing me ALOT of problems which I had to rectify. He was an asshole when he left, went into my shop when I was out working (he had a made a copy of the shop key without permission) and let himself in to borrow a few thousand dollars of materials and tools! I dislike assholes. Especially ones that never see that they are the asshole!

I am over that hurdle. The cost to chase him down and prosecute him are far too great. He wins. Hopefully the forces of the universe keep tallies ate him and he reaps what he has sown! All the power to him. Water under the bridge! Onto more positive stuff! Body work - right!

Wed Apr 30, 2025 1:16 pm

heimlich wrote: VW_Jimbo wrote: Got home late last night and no one was home!

Send everyone on vacation so you can be alone with her.

I wish that I could! Hahaha! Problem is I love all of them more than the Bug! I bitch about it, but in reality, the 3 women in my life rule most of my time! I would have it no other way! I am blessed and happy!

Wed Apr 30, 2025 10:54 pm

Got another 4 hours in today! Thanks to a short work day! Love it when shit goes smoothly!

So, after lunch today, instead of going back out to work, I walked out into the garage and played with the Bug! Dove straight into the decklid! Propped it up and started feeling it for damages.

Then I penciled out the problem spots. Then followed that up with some 36 grit to the cured epoxy primer.

Mixed up some Rage filler and smeared it all over those marked areas, keeping the thickness to 1/8” at most through the centers and easing the edges all around. Then some sanding with 36 grit.

Repeated those 3 steps two more times. This photo is after sanding the first coat. On the second photo those darker areas are the low spots. So, I will need to add some more filler. It is then onto sanding it. On the fourth time around it all came out perfectly! So , I rolled some epoxy primer on it all!

Until next time!

Thu May 01, 2025 4:06 am

Are you handling everything up to paint, or will the body shop go over it again?
Have you decided on paint brand/ color?

Thu May 01, 2025 8:33 am

esde wrote: Are you handling everything up to paint, or will the body shop go over it again?
Have you decided on paint brand/ color?

I will handle everything, including paint and clear. That is the plan. Well, unless booth rental is through the roof! I do have a buddy, a subcontractor that I have used for 30 years, who sprays all of my cabinet parts for me. I asked if I could use his booth on a Sunday. He said yes. So, I do have that option. But it is an open ended booth. It would be nice to be in an enclosed one. So, I will keep looking. I found one 50 miles away. My buddy is 1 mile away. That is a BIG difference! Because you know I am going to go back and forth a few times!

Have not settled on a paint brand. I really am unfamiliar with the paint scene for automotive finishes. In cabinetry and furniture, Valspar is top dog. I know they have an automotive line as well. I just need to research it a bit and talk to some people, to get a decent education! You know - TIME! Of which I have a limited amount of.

Any input? I am all ears right now!

Thu May 01, 2025 3:11 pm

The shops that I know are doing show quality works are using Sikkens. My zwitter just (finally) got all the parts sprayed in base/ clear and the depth its just amazing.