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Thu Nov 27, 2025 10:19 am

Bruce wrote: Heating them up glowing red will not make them brittle in any way. Those stampings are just mild steel. There's nothing you can do with heat to cause mild steel to get hardened. There's not enough carbon content in mild steel. High carbon steel is totally different.

When you bend steel, it work hardens. Everyone has bent a piece back and forth multiple times when you want to break it. That's work hardening.

Heating the tabs before unbending is an excellent idea! When VW originally bent them down, they got work hardened. Heating them up will anneal them back to a soft state. On the next one, unbend one all the way, then unbend the other only part way. I think you'll be able to remove the part still. Then after you get it apart, heat them again to anneal them.

Thank you! I will give it a try! I have been researching the hell out of bending steel like this, the last few days. What a rabbit hole! WOW!

Seems like each step in my metal working, is being accompanied by an avalanche of reading. I am loving it, for the learning portion. What sucks is spending my free time reading, instead of working on the Bug. But it all pays off down the road!

Thank you for the information and your time sharing what you know. I am appreciative for both!

Sat Nov 29, 2025 12:08 pm

Wednesday after a few beers with the wife, I went through the garage and pulled out all of the rag top parts I had.

I have purchased everything as cheaply as I could. The pieces are in really bad shape, but now I get to restore them and have fun doing so! Onto disassembly of the header bow!

Placed the header bow up on the tools box after it sat for a day with GM Heat Penetrant applied liberally. I then attempted to unscrew the slotted screws that secure the top of the bow. The screws would not move. So, I grabbed on with a pair of vice grips and broke the two screws free! Then removed the top.

I then removed the hook by unscrewing the retaining bolt and the washer.

Followed that up by fishing the hook through the slot. Then undid the spring.

I then pulled the lift mechanism out!

I then cleaned up everything. Something was accomplished today. Now, I have to find parts, get parts plated, blasted and painted!

Sat Nov 29, 2025 12:16 pm

After the Header Bow, I immediately disassembled one of the vent wing pivots I have. Here you go!
Before.

I then bent the lock tabs away from the nut. Removed the nut and disassembled the assembly, laying each piece in the order it was removed in.

Sat Nov 29, 2025 12:41 pm

And I followed that up by disassembling a semaphore to find out if it would be able to be saved. My starting point.

Depressed the push rod to open the unit up.

I unscrewed the lens, but could not get it to come out of the cover. The rust crumbs just poured out!

So, I figured if I removed the flipper, I would have less to mortgage while weaseling out the lens. So, let’s drill out the pivot ends!

Just enough removed to take the rolled over edge of the pin off. No drilling out the semaphore flipper cover!

Bummer, nothing is giving. Let flip it over and drill out the other side.

Okay! I can feel how loose it is now. But still will not give. So, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Then POP! Something gave. Might be good, might be bad.

Lens is free! Looks to be in one piece, but it is also missing a tiny corner of itself. I am guessing a previous removal did not go so good. It is what it is! Let’s get the lens freed up. I unscripted the end and removed the wire. You can cut it too, but then run the risk of having to be creative when reassembling time comes!

And with that removed. I can wiggle out the flipper arm! I also drilled out the brass rivet retaining the connector board. Then pushed the rivet out as far as it would go.

Flipped it over, to expose the back side of the robot. I then pulled it out with a pair of pliers.

Followed that up by removing the solenoid, from the frame. It needs to be tested, and wrapped, for reinstallation.

And on the back side of the frame is….

Now, I can go find parts!

Mon Dec 01, 2025 9:15 am

Nice work laying out those for us to see. Never seen a semaphore come apart. Cool Beans.

Mon Dec 01, 2025 10:29 pm

matthew henricks wrote: Nice work laying out those for us to see. Never seen a semaphore come apart. Cool Beans.

Hey Matthew! I was thinking about you when I was disassembling the semaphore. I remember you having a DC controllable power supply in your garage. Thinking it would be nice to have one of those, so much better than draining my 6V battery down. But, I have not anymore space in my garage for anything. So, I must live within my four walls!

Glad you are enjoying the work. I figured this might be my last VW and decided to show everything I know about, for those that need to know later on! Let’s hope this build thread does not get erased, like the first 70 Bug I did a build thread on did!

Hoping all is good your way! It has been awhile.

Tue Dec 02, 2025 9:44 am

I don't know if you remember this but Last Triumph rebuilt his sunroof mechanism in 2010 and did an amazing job. Unfortunately, like me at the time, he used Photobucket and all the pics are gone. Too bad.

Don

Tue Dec 02, 2025 11:04 pm

sunroof wrote: I don't know if you remember this but Last Triumph rebuilt his sunroof mechanism in 2010 and did an amazing job. Unfortunately, like me at the time, he used Photobucket and all the pics are gone. Too bad.

Don

I have no recall on that one. I was not even aware of this site back then!

I just checked his username and it states he was active today. I will shoot him a message and see if he could send me his pictures. I will let you know what happens. Thanks for another lead!

I have been studying Grumpy’s metals video on rebuilding the head piece. Pretty sweet!

Wed Dec 03, 2025 6:24 am

nice work Jimbo!

grumpys was the best source i found for the missing bits when i did my ragtop. shoot me a message if you need pics of anything. most of its accessible even though its installed.

Wed Dec 03, 2025 9:50 am

Jimone wrote: nice work Jimbo!

grumpys was the best source i found for the missing bits when i did my ragtop. shoot me a message if you need pics of anything. most of its accessible even though its installed.

Thank you! Agreed Grumpy’s is a great resource for ragtops! When I was starting to think about cutting the roof open, I called Grumpy’s and talked with John about his kit. He offered up a spot to watch a full install of one of his kits. I was never able to make the time, life continually found something else for me to do. But that set me off into researching for days! I got me an education that has astounded myself a few times! But, I will hit you up if I run into a roadblock! Thanks for the resource. Maybe some where in the future I can find a minute to get by Grumpy’s. Lord knows I need some parts!

Tue Dec 09, 2025 12:11 am

Well. I got a shit ton of parts in route to my home. All of the needed rag top parts are supposed to to be here by Saturday. I sure hope that they are early, so that I have some time to assemble something! Or at least get a new list of parts needed! Status quo - right?!?!

In the mean time , I decided to disassemble the roll up window mechanism. It has a weird spot while lifting. I tries lubing it but there was no change. I tried cleaning as best I could, but again, no change. So….apart the assembly goes. This is a part of Ovals that I have never disassembled! I went ahead and researched everywhere and could not find anything on disassembling the gear asssembly. I have never seen this area of these old Bugs, SO IT IS KIND OF COOL!!!!! I love learning something new!

Here is the regulator. It looks fine. I see nothing wrong. Betting it is dirty or rusty, or both!

I first took a center punch and hit the rivets dead center!

I then drilled out the heads of the rivets with a 1/16th drill bit.

Looked good, so I went through 5 more drill bits, stepping up the size each time, to finally get to 3/16. That is when the heads twisted off with the drill bit.

I then cleaned up the edges with a small grinder.

It it under tension, or a preload, because the cover pops up.

Lets open it up and see what the mystery is within!

I do not see anything in this portion, nor do I feel anything. Let’s see what is in the crank shaft portion.

Looks like an open sided cage with a few springs.

Yep, if I turn this shaft, I can feel the tight spot. Let’s keep digging!

The shaft is the next piece. He’ll, the only piece left!

Oops! I lied. There is a circular spring in there as well!

Yep, it is this crank shaft. I am betting it is the rust. A good cleaning ought to take care of it all! Here is the shaft.

For the records. Here is the back of the shaft. And the pinion gear.

Here it is, in order, all laid out.

How to get the rest of the assembly apart? It would be cool to clean all of this and paint it!

I then decided to bring the punched head off of the pivot pin, which seems to be holding this assembly together.

It looks like a keyed joint.

All ground down. Just need to tap the pivot to pop the assembly apart!

Here it is, apart!

Look the center pivot pops right out. Look at all that rusty stuff!

And that’s it! Off to cleaning up the tid bits. Then painting them. Followed by reassembly. First up, I have to go order some solid rivets, 3/16” round x 1/8” length. I think that ought to do it!

Until next time!

Tue Dec 09, 2025 8:30 am

Very cool Jim. I too have never seen one of those taken apart.

So the piece with the gear. Does its "U" shape drive on the opposite side interface with the "U" on the main shaft? Does that provide a solid or loose coupling? Seems like it would be sloppy.

Also, no bearings right? Just metal on metal?

Cool beans...

Tue Dec 09, 2025 9:08 am

matthew henricks wrote: Very cool Jim. I too have never seen one of those taken apart.

So the piece with the gear. Does its "U" shape drive on the opposite side interface with the "U" on the main shaft? Does that provide a solid or loose coupling? Seems like it would be sloppy.

Also, no bearings right? Just metal on metal?

Cool beans...

Yes it does. The 2 separate U form a type of U joint! Odd design. Not sure why the engineers thought that this crank required a force limiter. That what it seems like! Like it could decouple from the shaft if the force was too great. Or maybe I am thinking in the wrong direction. Maybe it is just for thermal expansion. Allowing the exterior panel to change as it warms up but keeping the interior side more static, with no direct path for the heat to migrate to the handle. Or maybe it was for keeping the metal handle from getting too hot! That’s it, it was a thermal isolation joint! TIJ for short! That has to be it!

To answer you. Yes the 2 U’s are a tight fit. Virtually no play detectable at the joint.

There are no bearings. Only a stamped bushing for the crank shaft, WHICH IS FULL OF RUST! Unbelievable- right! Never would have even guessed I would find any in there. :roll:

Regardless, it was packed full of RUST! I know, I know. It is hard to believe, but it was. Ha ha ha!

I had to order solid rivets. I have only riveted a time or two. The last time being the door hinges. So, I got me a bag of solid steel rivets coming from McMaster this week! I should be practicing on the big press or with the air hammer. Thinking I can use that same custom end I used on the hinge rivets!

Fun times to be had soon!

Tue Dec 09, 2025 9:48 am

It is a cool design. The torsional spring acts like a brake to the mechanism so the window stays put. The slop allows the handle to tighten the spring and release its grip to the outer housing. Quite ingenious.

Thanks for sharing the details inside.

Tue Dec 09, 2025 8:14 pm

Dan22 wrote: It is a cool design. The torsional spring acts like a brake to the mechanism so the window stays put. The slop allows the handle to tighten the spring and release its grip to the outer housing. Quite ingenious.

Thanks for sharing the details inside.

Thank you! Stuff that was never on my radar before! It is always, SO AWESOME, to learn something new! There are so many details within each of these items, which make or break the devices they serve. It is amazing it has lasted so long!

Wed Dec 10, 2025 4:47 am

Looks like the mechanism's supplier is Keiper.

Wed Dec 10, 2025 9:11 am

Rome wrote: Looks like the mechanism's supplier is Keiper.

Yes it is! I had to take some 320 grit sand paper out when I could see that there was something there. Gave it a few back and forth and a name emerged, along with 4 / 54!

Very cool find!

Sat Dec 13, 2025 10:02 am

Some parts came in this week. Got rivets for the window regulator assembly and some rag top parts! Cross your fingers for me!

Aren’t they purrrdy!

Yesterday 6:55 pm

Update time once again. Not too much time out in the garage lately. Lots of family get-togethers still going on. I have been seeing my 2 girls almost every other day! I love it! I would give the Bug up if that would always happen!

I have been concentrating on the ragtop. I want to get it installed. I only need to clean a few parts, paint them and assemble it all. So, let’s get to cleaning!

First up was the header bow’s carriers. Into the blast cabinet, followed up with etch primer and a few coats of black paint.

That did not go as planned! My blasting cabinet, stopped blasting, due to a lack of available pressurized air. Seems my old compressor, bought used, decided that running continuously was not in its job description. Both the motor and the pump locked up together. The motor actually shot sparks out of the front openings in the motor end casting, from behind the pulley. That is what got my attention! So, I disassembled the compressor and went searching for a way to improve the burned up components.

Found a motor on Amazon. I had a 3hp, got a 5hp, as I want a two stage pump. I then found a two stage pump from an air
compressor company. Both came in a week or so after the death of the old one. I got those both on the old tank and then I realized an issue. The pump had an outlet of 3/4”NPT and the tank had an opening of 1/2”NPT. Okay.

So I went to my plumbing box and fashioned up a pressure tube from the pump head to the tank. Works great! And the compressor fills more quickly than the blast cabinet can shoot out! I have to keep the duty cycles of both units in mind. Oh wait, I do not, both were rated 100% duty cycle!!!!! It is awesome!

After the rebuild, 2 weeks later, I was able to test it out by finishing up the blasting of the ragtop components. Worked unbelievably amazing. Like a really hot knife through butter! After the blasting, I laid down an etch primer followed by 2 coats of satin black epoxy paint. Once it was dry, I installed the rub blocks on the header plates.

That was all the time I managed to squeeze out over the holidays. I did find out that I now need to clean more hardware, so that I can reassemble it all! Until next time.