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57 Beetle Beam Painting
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2067Bug
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:22 am    Post subject: 57 Beetle Beam Painting Reply with quote

I initially posted this in the body/paint forum but got no response. What would be the best method to paint a stock 57 bug beam that does not have any rust, and needs to be brushed on because the car is assembled and painted? My goal is to remove old paint that is coming off the beam.

Should I use a degreaser followed by a rust encapsulator, and then paint over it? Will using a degreaser and just a rust encapsulator do the job? This is not my area of expertise, so any advice is appreciated.

Thanks
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TDCTDI
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:33 pm    Post subject: Re: 57 Beetle Beam Painting Reply with quote

I warm up the old paint with a propane torch & then scrub it off with a stiff wire brush.


TDCTDI wrote:
….

The pan head looks pretty nice.
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However, it’s gonna look like shit if I mount that freshly painted beam, & knowing myself, if I bolt it up, I’ll never tear it back out just to clean & paint. So deeper down the rabbit hole I go.


So, using my torch & brush method….
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Huh, it’s really nice under there.
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Unfortunately, my torch & brush method does warm the metal enough that if I paint this surface, it would blister if I addressed the metal on the pan head behind it. Dammit.
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The never ending rabbit hole.
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After that, I treated the bare, and rusty metal with Ospho, then Rustoleum self etching primer, & topped that off with Rustoleum black paint.




TDCTDI wrote:

After slipping a couple new body mount pads on top, I slipped the beam into place & crammed a couple of caster shims in place.
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Ooohh…. Sooo pretty.
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Here’s the pic of the top of the frame head.
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finster
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:30 am    Post subject: Re: 57 Beetle Beam Painting Reply with quote

TDCTDI's method looks good but if you're refreshing the beam on the car then heat will result in the grease running out.
as you say a good degreasing session to start, if there's rust then wire brush and treat with ospho (or similar). for paint - either a zinc rich primer with chassis paint top-coat or a rust encapsulator all-in-one should be ok. personally I would then finish with a waxoyl or lanolin treatment (but then I live in a damp country)
I'm assuming the car isn't used all year round on salty roads etc but anything you do is going to be better than the old flaking paint.
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TDCTDI
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 7:16 am    Post subject: Re: 57 Beetle Beam Painting Reply with quote

finster wrote:
TDCTDI's method looks good but if you're refreshing the beam on the car then heat will result in the grease running out.




I don’t try to burn the paint off, just warm it enough to soften it. When the paint starts to smoke/blister, it sloughs off fairly easily. The metal will be hot to the touch, but won’t burn you.

You can see in the pics that I posted, the unrusted metal is almost as it was from the factory, the bluing from the welding is clearly visible.


Liquifying grease that is potentially 60+ years old isn’t such a bad thing. Once the paint is off, pump a couple of tubes of fresh grease in, wipe off the goo that was displaced, clean thoroughly with brake clean, then wipe down with acetone, & then begin whatever top coat treatment of your choice.
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2067Bug
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:36 pm    Post subject: Re: 57 Beetle Beam Painting Reply with quote

Thanks for the responses and taking time to post pictures. This is very helpful. Yes, the car is garaged at all times and not driven on treated roads during the winter.
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