1973 Std. Beetle heater channel bottom plate Repair

[BIGMIKEY]

When I did the frame head bottom plate I made liberal use of self drilling/tapping screws. I would clamp the panels together and drill through the bottom plate into the flange below. I would use a 1/4" drill bit so the screw body would clear the hole. I then installed the self drilling/tapping screw and cinched it down tight. This way I could move the clamp and repeat. Once the panels were flush all around I could rosette weld them together.

I worked from the back to the front. As I drew the panels together that gap at the beam got smaller and smaller.

To make sure nothing moved I fastened the rear edge of the bottom plate to the napoleon hat flange and made sure to line up the 4 oblong M10 bolt holes. I then bolted them solid with big flat washers. Finally I drilled and threaded two 1/4-20 bolt holes thru the floorpan lip and fastened it with bolts.

This is close to what I ended up with in front to weld. Some hammer forming and fitment yet to do. Especially on the right.

Mike T
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BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[theKbStockpiler]

Sheet metal screws are much stronger than rivets but why not clamp and then tack weld next to the clamp ,then repeat?
_________________
My beetle is not competing with your beetle. I have the yellow beetle in my town. There is a red one, a green one ......
Use all safety devices including a mask.

[BIGMIKEY]

All the 2 bolts did was keep the plate from moving during installation so the holes in the plate stayed aligned with the 2 bolt holes on each side of the Napoleon hat. I wanted the bottom plate completely fitted because of it's lousy initial fit. I wasn't sure it would work at all.

The original bottom plate is spot welded to the flange on the frame head. I simulated those with rosette welds. After I was finally happy with the fit. I drilled down through the bottom plate into the flange, but not through,h with a 3/8" drill bit and rosette welded.

All bolts and screws were removed and holes used for rosette welds. I used the temporary screws because I didn't have enough clamps. I didn't use any rivets.

I also seam welded the top when I flipped the pan back right side up. There are 2 gussets just behind the lower beam too. I added them. making them longer and thicker material.

Why not clamp and tack? I would have had to do that from underneath to have anything I could tack. Remember the pan was flipped over. I don't weld well upside down.

Finally at my age getting down and the floor, crawling around, then getting back up 20 times isn't happening. It was this way or no way.

Takes a long time to tell but it turned out good.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[theKbStockpiler]

I liked your approach on previous threads so I wanted to follow you along on this one.

So with the method you used you did not have to grind out any welds to change the position,position it once and then commit to welding.

[BIGMIKEY]

[BIGMIKEY]

All the screws and bolts that I used to hold everything together were removed one by one and the holes welded up. Finally I put seam sealer on the welds. Here it is in primer. I followed up with bed liner.

Note new master cylinder and all lines. Also a leaky steering damper. I have a new one.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[BIGMIKEY]

[theKbStockpiler]

I just noticed this statement.

[BIGMIKEY]

Now that is very interesting. My shop is a few hundred feet from my house. Power is from buried lines run from my electric panel in the house. Done by a professional 20 years ago when I built the shop. Also I am the last pole on the line. ( I live way out in the country, the only house for 1/2 mile.) Never occurred to me that I may have low voltage in my shop. Or amperage or wattage?

Oh. My welder is a Lincoln ProMig 135. I was using Lincoln superarc .025 wire and Co2/argon gas mix.

The good news is that I found an issue that seems to have helped once I corrected it. I was changing the welding gas bottle and I noticed the gage flow rate was set waaaay too high. I had been reading the wrong scale on the gauge to set gas flow. Once I adjusted that things suddenly got much easier to get a good bead.



Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[theKbStockpiler]

I have fans in my garage and you can tell the speed changing sometimes with no other load on the circuit. I know people that have complained to the electric supplier and they straight out lied about it. They called their own electrician and it was out of phase. I also have a neighbor that has some sort of business in his garage and I wonder if he has a 3 phase converter or something that is screwing up the line voltage sometimes.

I will have my welder dialed in and be using the same steel and sometimes the arc will get soft and it will have no penetration. If I turn the voltage up it makes no difference. If I wait until later in the day it will return to normal.

Too high of a gas flow is just wasteful from what I have experienced.
_________________
My beetle is not competing with your beetle. I have the yellow beetle in my town. There is a red one, a green one ......
Use all safety devices including a mask.

[BIGMIKEY]

I spent a few hours working on this 1973 beetle over the weekend. I wanted to get the engine installed. So I was cleaning, sorting out wires and removing the tattered tar boards.

While I was back there I decided to see about getting what is described as "Death Foam" out of the body cavities. Once I figured out how to get to it in a few hours I had a huge pile on the floor. It takes a while learning what the foam feels like when you hit it with the digging device but eventually I am pretty sure I got it out. All that I could reach with various shaped hooks and rods. There are good threads on here that cover the process so I won't go into it.

Work continues.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[theKbStockpiler]

I used a long piece of bent up threaded rod to saw through the stuff.
_________________
My beetle is not competing with your beetle. I have the yellow beetle in my town. There is a red one, a green one ......
Use all safety devices including a mask.

[BIGMIKEY]

The beetle is just about done. I didn't take many pictures along the way though. Just worked steady so I could get some driving time this summer. If it ever stops raining.

I have posted a few pictures in the "What did you do to your Bug today" thread. I will post more in the coming days. Thanks to you guys that posted.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.