Rusty 65 SC restoration

[Kb65single]

Filling the hole required 5 pieces. First one, besides fixing the rust, it gets welded to the back of the b-pillar the that holds the J-channel

Next one is the J-channel part of the b-pillar. Remember to measure the length of the J-cannel before you cut it away and write it down.

Before and after

Another hole cut out. Saved the lower part of the flange as a reference point, always good to know that the replacement piece is where its suppose to be (not crooked)

and fixed

The plate was the 4th

Did as much rust sealing as I could reach inside the b-pillar. Plate is welded in on the bottom.

Number 5

Now I have something to weld the hinge carrier to

[Culito]

Wow. Excellent work.
_________________
Copyright CJ Industries, Inc.
'64 standard w/2.0L type 4
'62 bug

[banana split]

^^^ what he said. Killer work!
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top

[chrisflstf]

Excellent repair work. Curious if you done this before? Keep it up, going really well so far and thx for sharing

[Kb65single]

Culito, banana split and chrisflst thank you for the kind comments. Its a hobby for me and now that I'm retired I enjoy it even more.

Well I decided to fix an area that needed it before putting in the treasure chest hinge carrier. I figured that I would save a few bruises on my head and make it easier to weld and grind this section. This section is where the drivers wheel well and behind the driver seat meet the separation panel of the treasure chest.
View from the treasure chest side

View from the wheel well side

View from the cab. front seat rail in front of you.

The separation panel repair is a flat piece of sheet metal.

Welding that in.

View from the cab side. Need be in three places to weld and grind this repair and 2 out of the 3 aren't the most comfortable to be in. Luckily the tipper cart helps out with the wheel well section.

Bought a new toy for metal shaping. I was in harbor freight and they had their shrinker/stretchers for sale and I always wanted one. I've seen them a million times in the Eastwood catalogue so I got it. I've always cut reliefs in my panels to bend them to their proper shape. This tool will save me from welding the relief cuts back together.
The tool in action

Should have bought one a long time ago. Damn it really works good.

Welding in place.

Really like that tool. If you shrink to much you just stretch it back.

[Mid West Dubber]

Really neat work, enjoying this thread!

[Kb65single]

Got side tracked again because another shipment of green metal showed up. I knew I was eventually going to address the driver side rear corner. The Gerson panel that fixes the driver side engine compartment showed up. I was replacing it because it looked like this.

Again I was impressed with the stamping of the Gerson panel and was comparing it to the original when I started to notice how poorly the strip of metal that holds the rubber engine seal was made. Here is the profile of the Gerson strip that is suppose to hold the rubber seal. I had a hard time believing that this would work.

This is what its supposed to look like.

I tried to bend the Gerson strip by hand but it after a few minutes, I realized that I would just screw up the rest of a well made panel. The metal that Gerson used was too thick (20 gauge) for that tight of a bend. The original was thinner (22 gauge). Then I thought if you've made a J-channel , you can make a C-channel its just two J's pointing in opposite directions. So its prototype time. Since its a straight piece I could bed a piece of flat sheet metal around a bar on both sides. When done bending, slide the bar out. I just needed to work out the details.
Started out with small pieces (2 inches long) and worked out the details. The 4th one was just right.

The bar is 16mm wide x 1/8" thick and rounded on all 4 corners lengthwise. That takes some time with a grinder at first followed by a lot of file work, remember you have to slide the bar out . It helps a lot if the bar is filed straight.
The flat sheet metal (22guage) is cut 29mm wide. The final length is 13 1/4 " long so I cut it a little longer at the beginning.
When bent the C-channel will end up 18mm wide with an opening of 9mm for the rubber seal to fit into.
Bought a piece of 1/2"x1/2" square stock at Home Depot so I could support the sheet metal and bar. Drilled 5 holes all three pieces and fastened them together.

Clamped it to the vice and started bending. Had to move the piece down the vice to keep it supported.

final bend

Unscrew the bar and slide it out. I had to hammer it out it fit pretty tight.

Comparing mine with Gerson. Mine slid inside of the green one.

The original

Stripped the old one off and welded it from the back side

I know the holes from securing the strip to the bar is not stock but the improvement is worth it.

I realize that reproduction parts have limitations. This part of this panel could use an improvement.

[Culito]

[Kb65single]

So now back to the treasure chest hinge carrier. I bought the Gerson panel to replace the section that I removed. As I noted before, the rust went further than the end of that panel and I needed to find a piece that included a gate hinge area to screw to. As I kept following the rust I realized that I needed a longer section because the holes just kept on coming. One option was buy another Gerson panel (at 225$) another was to look through the classifieds. Much to my delight I found what I was looking for but wasn't sure about the condition. Manfred58sc had what I needed and described it as coming from " the high desert" and said it was in great condition. We agreed on a price and he sent it promptly. When it arrived I was stunned at how good it was. I now have an appreciation of metal that comes from "the high desert". Just light surface rust in and out and the capture nuts and cages were rust free. It came out of an older SC and was a bit shorter because of the extraction method. The gate hinge area was on the wrong end but I could fix that. Another problem I was having was the new Gerson panel wasn't fitting into the space like I had envisioned. After carefully cleaning the ends of the top hats, it seemed like they were to long I could not get the end of that panel to fit flush with the b-pillar. 2 things that were wrong with the Gerson panel was it was wider than the original on the other side and it was bowed 3/32 inch in the middle. The top was straight but the outside surface was not, it was bowed in the middle. Found a solution to the width problem by cutting off the ends of the top hats and when the panel was installed weld them back in. The only solution for the straightness was section the new panel, straighten it and weld it back together.

Making sure the old treasure chest door fit in the space properly.

The location of the hinges seems within reason.

More rust followed to the rear of the bus

Replacement panel from Manfred58sc Thanks

More rust : from the rear

Cut the new panel on the top bottom and back to straighten the face.

Reproduction stuff has its challenges.

Cut off the end of the used panel that had the gate screw holes I needed and fit it to the opening and fit it to the Gerson panel.

Tacked it to the Gerson panel and checked for straightness. That panel was thinner than the original and the Gerson Panel but the holes for the gates were the correct height and spacing.

Welded the rest of the Manfred panel on to make it about 7 ft. long.

How about that High Desert metal. Its over 50 yrs. old.

Getting a metal tube to stay straight when you weld on it is a challenge. Notice the large metal piece in the background, that helped me keep it straight.

Now that I have a usable 7 ft. metal tube that has all the correct holes and things in the holes I can weld it in place. But as usual there are certain things that need to happen to make the project a success. More later

[Mr Margaret Scratcher]

[Kb65single]

Mr Margaret Scratcher
Patience is important when cutting metal

Now that the 7ft. metal tube is ready, it needs to attach to the bus. The b-pillar area has three points where it attaches to the metal tube. The first one starts with a piece of metal bent 90deg. It is welded to the outside face of the hinge carrier and also welded to the b-pillar inside the metal tube space. On the passenger side I repaired that area with the top of that "tube" cut off and had easy access to weld that piece on to the b-pillar. Since I already had to section the tube to straighten it I was reluctant to chop the top off. Had to create a recess on the hinge carrier face to accept the 90deg. metal.
Created a recess with my Eastwood panel flanger tool

Used a scrap piece of metal to tack the 90deg. piece in place then welded it to the b-pillar.

Cut the tacked piece off

Now that section is ready to weld to the tube

On the inside of the same tube VW made a complicated support that is the main connection for the hinge carrier. Took the original and made a copy with a metal brake, bench vice and the panel flanger tool

Paint before welding

Welded in place

The last connection is on top

Another 90deg piece welded to the b-pillar and the top of the hinge carrier.

Next is the c-pillar

[Kb65single]

Before you can weld the Gerson part of the tube on to the C-pillar and the rest of the tube (Manfred section of the "tube") that supports the short panel you need to clean up the rest of the top hats that get welded to it. I ended up following the rust to just before the last top hat that ended up being just short of the last SC gate hinge mechanism. There was rust in that area that involved the capture nuts and cages that would hold the gate to the bus. All that involved the driver side rear corner that had been repaired with fiberglass and Bondo.
C-pillar area cleaned up. The Manfred section was thinner than the original so I had to weld some spacers to the ends of the top hats.

End of the severe rust that the high desert metal will replace

Rear corner and gate hinge area that was involved. Sandblasted the area to find a good stopping point.

Before blasting

After blasting

Back side of the gate hinge it will need new guts.

So still haven't been able to weld the tube on until the rest of the "surprises" stop getting in my way. I know it will happen soon.

[ddutch]

Man, you work almost like a surgeon, with that precision. All those little peices of metal crafted in with so much attention. Epic work and a pleasure to look at for lurkers like me

[zuggbug]

Great work
_________________
SOUTHERN INTEGRITY AIRCOOLERS
58 15 window
56 westy

[Kb65single]

ddutch and zuggbug thanks for your kind comments. Being retired gives me the time to not rush things.

So the rust kept following the square "tube" that supports the load bed and the sides and rear of the bus. The last post showed the damage to the rearmost driver side gate hinge area but the driver side rear gate hinge area and engine lid hinge needed work too. Had to make two sets of cages for the gate hinges (side and rear).

Making the cages. Need the correct width of some thick metal that you can bend the cage around on both side of the hole that allows the capture nut to float when it is trapped. Cages are 18 gauge metal.

The thick plate is bent around it to create a U.

Found another piece of angle iron to bend the long legs of the U back to make the capture nut float easily.

Flipped the top piece to the opposite side and bent it to match.

Before the cages could be welded in the rust in that area needed to be fixed

Cut out the weak metal

Weld the new metal in

Now that the "tube" is repaired the cages and nuts can be welded in.

Now the gates have something frim to hold on too.

Rustproofing to hopefully make the repairs last

Rear corner outer skin repaired

Final grind and smooth

I can finally weld in the the treasure chest hinge carrier (Gerson and Manfred sections) and finish the driver side. Some more rustproofing before final weld

[Kb65single]

Welding the tube to the bus.

Since I had to cut off the ends of the top hats in the Gerson section of the tube I used some bed frame angle iron to support it while welding. People throw them out often especially during large item disposal in my town. Its free and works great for a variety of projects.

You can never have enough c-clamps and vice grips!

Welding the high desert section to the load bed top hats.

Moving forward to the Gerson section and c-pillar area.

Kept the ends of the top hats, shortened them and welded them on to the Gerson section.

The last top hat next to the b-pillar was to rusty so I had to make one.

The outer skin at the c-pillar needed to be filled in

Rustproofing both sides of the repair

Full weld

Grind and smooth

That area was a lot of work

[Culito]

_________________
Copyright CJ Industries, Inc.
'64 standard w/2.0L type 4
'62 bug

[Kb65single]

Now that the driver side treasure chest hinge carrier is safely welded in I can move on to other equally important tasks. The driver side rear gate hinge needed attention.

Rusted area around the rear gate hinge. This was an early picture where the High desert metal was trying to find a home.

Opened up that space from the side.

Opened up the top to gain access to the capture nuts and cages for the rear gate and engine lid hinge.

Made and bought the necessary hardware to restore the internals

Welded in the engine lid hinge cages and nut plates.

Rustproof behind the repair panel

After welding in the repair panel had a bulge and an oil canning that I needed to eliminate. Because welding is metal shrinking, I cut the area that was bouncing back and forth and rewelded it . After that the area was tight as a tick.

Redid the canopy screw area on the driver side just like the passenger side that I did previously.

On to the next stuff that needs doing.

[chrisflstf]

Rust doesnt stand a chance here. Excellent work!

[Kb65single]

Culito and chrisflstf thanks for your encouragement.

The j-channel for the rubber seal around the top of the engine lid had issues.

Had rust perforation at the hinge area and more (6") toward the center.

The metal that holds the seal is not a simple J shape. It has a 90deg leg bent away from the hook of the J on the top. The leg is the part that is welded to the hinge carrier as is shown in this picture.

Cutting off the affected area and rustproofing.

Fabricated the piece using the same method of bending the J section over a piece of angle iron after the 90deg bend was made.

Fitting piece before welding.

Welding in place

Didn't replace the whole strip because I couldn't figure out to make the strengthening bends that are present every 3 1/4". I eliminated 3 of them but being rust free was the better choice.