Roman’s Rust Bucket ('67 Beetle)

[rstrobel]

[Chickensoup]

sounds like a plan. if you need insight on how to replace the front clip, feel free to pm me or ask here in your thread. i found a great method I used on my 65. hood and fenders line up as good or better than new.

[rstrobel]

[Chickensoup]

that works, but is a little over kill. how far back does your donor piece go? on the side of the fron clip, there are some excellent reference points such as the wire harness holes.

a few things to add,

your going to realize, how do i cut the apron off, so i know its straight up and down at the cutting point? well, you know the gas tank rails the tank sits on? use that. i tried using a T square place ontop of the rail, but its very hard to draw a straight line with it,

instead, go to ace, or some place, and buy this lazer thing... yeah, sorry, i know thats real descriptive mine was a bosch brand. it projects a coordinate plane(x axis line and y axis), that can can adjust to square up against a desired edge. when your done, return it. mine was like 80 bucks. real handy tho.

simply clamp it to the quarter panel your not trying to mark, and point it at the crease where the gas tank rail starts to roll up towards the inside of the quarter panel. when the x axis is parallel to the rail, your ready to trace the projected y axis.

another fantastic idea that helped me out ALOT, is to find some square tubing. when you cut off your old apron, slip that tubing inside the gas tank rail. why? because you can drill two holes per side, through the rail sheet metal and into the tubing. then take some self tapping screws and install them.

this is tricky to explain, but the goal is once you have your donar apron cut(using the lazer method), you need to have the gas tank rails flush. a clamp isnt enough to hold the weight of the new clip. slide the new clip over the square tubing which youve inserted inside the tank rail, and then tighten the screws. now your clip is flush, and supported. and as any extra, you have tubing inside the rail which makes the front stronger. you can spot weld the square tube as well.

i have some pictures ill post in a second.

one more thing. if you have enough material on your donar clip, use the wire harness holes. simply take a ruler or calipers, and mark say 6mm left of the hole. then do the same on your old front clip. when using the lazer, line the y axis up with that mark youve made(on the inside of the panel!), as well as the x(tank rail), so you know your at 90 degrees.

[Chickensoup]

you can see a sliver missing on the passenger side. ignore that. i had it perfect, but my father took the flap disc to it

drivers side

insert square tubing here. leave a few inches so you have enough for the new clip to slde onto.


this is the laser i used. just found out laser isnt lazer lol

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-GLL25-10-Leveling-Cro...7150247648

[rstrobel]

Thank you for the helpful reply. When I tried tackling the front clip over the summer, I also realized that the gas tank braces needed to be cut perfectly, so that the front clip could be held up to the old one. What I was thinking is that I would have some overlap, and then I could cut through both front clips at once. This would avoid having a gap that is too large. However, the trouble that I found with this method was that there are so many curves/bends in the front clip, making it hard to line it up perfectly.

Your method seems like it would work quite well. I will definitely pm you when the time comes near.
_________________
1967 VW Beetle
1993 VW Cabriolet
My 67 build thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=716767
•(__)•
(O\!/O) <--- supposed to look like a beetle

[rstrobel]

Well, since the government decided to remove Methylene Chloride (DCM) from the paint strippers, I decided add it back in.

The results were underwhelming. The first test that I did was a 2:1 mixture of paint stripper to DCM. It seemed to remove the paint quite well, but the primer was still stuck on there pretty good.

In the future, I will add more DCM, as the original SDS indicated that DCM was 80-100% of the stripper.
_________________
1967 VW Beetle
1993 VW Cabriolet
My 67 build thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=716767
•(__)•
(O\!/O) <--- supposed to look like a beetle

[Ceckert64]

Belive it or not I got citristrip to work for stripping, just leave it covered for a week, or anything cover for a week or two and it should strip the paint off. And some heat helps stripper too, the hotter the better it strips
_________________
1964 sunroof Beetle Restoration "Herbie"
“Joann” 1970 Elm Green Squareback
1972 Sierra Yellow Tin Top Westfalia Camper
“Fitz” 1971 Westfalia Poptop

[67ctbug]

Hey Roman I suggest not stripping it. Original paint is a fantastic base to work from. I'd sand it down with the suggested grit on the primer and go from there.
_________________
'67 Beetle L41
'74 Westfalia
'69 Plymouth "Adam-12"
'63 Ragtop
'73 914
'73 Dodge W200
'72 Dodge Wrecker
Go Cubs!
World Series Champions 2016

[viiking]

I’ve given up on the plastic bag trick with methylene chloride based strippers. I’ve found a more efficient way for me anyway.

I apply the stripper over a couple of square feet and wait a couple of minutes then use some stainless steel wool and just rub it off, cleaning the wool in water as it clogs up. No scraping but a little bit of physical effort.

You actually don’t want to wait too long as the stripper dries out too quickly so that’s why I only do a small amount. You want to strip it off before it dries too much.

ItIt sounds like a lot of work but it’s quicker and cleaner than other methods. You need to experiment on how long to leave it react. I found it actually is better for a short time than a long time.
_________________
1968 1500 RHD Lotus White Beetle since birth. In the hospital for major surgery
1966 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupe - in the waiting room
Discharged: 1983 Vanagon, 1974 1800 Microbus,1968 Low Light,1968 Type 3

[dieselbuggy]

I'm also stripping paint on my 67. Went to the hardware store for paint stripper and they told me it doesn't work like it use to. So I used a heat gun and razor blade. Works great and less mess.

[dieselbuggy]

One more thing make sure all the insulation is removed when doing the roof and other panels. The panels get pretty hot while stripping the paint.

[rstrobel]

[rstrobel]

[dieselbuggy]

I heat it up just enough to get the blade started under the paint. It's hot, but doesn't bubble the paint. No warping. I have to admit that doing the roof has been hard. Paint is baked on from being a southern car and it had a crappy repaint many years ago. Hood and the other panels were easier, some areas had 4 coats or more of primer/paint.

[rstrobel]

[dieselbuggy]

4-5 hours. Roof is 3/4 done.

[rstrobel]

[Bug-nut]

If you can get your hands on some genuine aircraft paint stripper, that stuff works amazing and is still full strength! I'm not talking about the "aircraft stripper" they sell in the auto parts stores, as that is a joke and isn't the real stuff anymore. I realize that might be easier said then done, as I'm lucky that we have a supplier about an hour away that I can just drive to and pick up 5 gallons worth. The company is called Benco Sales.

My boss bought some last year for a project he's working on and they had the plane stripped to bare aluminum in no time using that stuff. Super nasty however and will born your skin instantly if it gets on it. Proper PPE is an absolute must while using it.
_________________
1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

1962 Austin-Healey Sprite

[rstrobel]