Pan off, Pan on?

[matthew henricks]

The questions is what benefits are there when restoring a bug to doing it with the body off the pan?

About to embark on a restoration of a 64 sunroof. Not a concourse but the car has been with us since 64 and i want to do her right. Goal is stock, clean and reliable. Three is no rust in the car and no major body damage. Typical body work needed and a tired interior. Pan are in fine shape.

What are the Pro's and con's?

Thanks

[scrivyscriv]

I can't think of a good reason to separate the body and pan if you don't plan on doing floor pan replacement or extensive paint work. Most of the reason for a pan-off is to replace the pans.

Suspension and drivetrain access is much easier with the body off.
_________________
Robert in Memphis
Dünkelgrügen 1967 Java Green bug thread
Engine rebuild thread
If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help.

[pastellgreen]

[finster]

if it aint broke don't fix it
without seeing the car or assessing what is required it is hard to say pan off or on...
if there is a lot of fettling and overhauling of the trans, running gear etc planned then this will be easier pan off plus you can give the parts a good clean and paint.

be aware that pan off might involve the joys of seized/sheared bolts, stripped threads etc

there's also the 'it's only original once' factor - why not preserve it?
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[matthew henricks]

This is the bug. Only a few images handy. For sure it is not hammered or rusty. I painted it back in the late 80's. Since then spent half its time in storage.

The only area i can think of that may have suspect metal is the bottom of the A pillar at the pan as the sunroof models drained into that area.

Sounds like unless i have some pan work or want easy access to the drive train and suspension it really does not have any benefit if not doing a concourse type restoration.

[finster]

I wouldn't touch that, just re-commission and maintain it...retrim inside if necessary.
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[Q-Dog]

I wouldn't go pan off unless I needed to replace the floor pans. From the photos, that car doesn't need much more than a little cleaning and some grease in the front end.
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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[splitjunkie]

You would be crazy to restore that car. Clean it and detail it and leave the patina. Address any rust to prevent it from getting worse and fix anything mechanically wrong with the car but it is perfect as it sits. Hard to find them in that condition these days.
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[Busstom]

Those link pins look bone-dry and crispy. The king pin is likely dry too. I wouldn't defer that maintenance checkpoint any longer, that needs immediate attention. The rust dust is an indication that at least some degree of damage has already occurred, perhaps it's just from the shims chafing along, but man I'd yank that stuff apart and have a look.