Bodywork How To's

[Matt K.]

The rear apron was pop riveted in...which was nice as the owner wanted the exhaust cut outs welded up and smoothed. So same procedure as before, make some templates, tack weld around the perimeter and grind it smooth. I will ad a couple of drain holes to each side just to make sure any water does not get trapped.
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[Matt K.]

One side is finished just for reference. It looks as though there is a huge dent in the middle of the apron.....But, its just the reflection from the flash....its actually smooth.
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[Matt K.]

The jambs were horrible so we stripped them down to see what was going on. The driver side we found a rust hole and some brass welding. It looks as though the fender apron, the door and the quarter panel were replaced quite some time ago as the welding was done in brass and the finish work was done in lead!.
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[veedubfreak59]

If you want to make your life multiple times easier getting a car down to bare metal without the damage that comes with a wire wheel, pick up a 4 1/2" angle grinder and about 10 of these. http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-nylon-abrasive-wheel-94017.html They're good for about 2 hours of grinding. They leave a nice silver finish and don't marr steel like a knotted wheel does. Get some good goggles and a respirator though cause it'll fog up the area with dirt/paint particles pretty quickly.

[Matt K.]

Sorry all, Life has been busy.......Here is the completed bug from that last part of this thread.
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[beetlenut]

Sweet! Love the paint color.
_________________
scrapyards are for quitters
---------------------------------------

[Matt K.]

Sorry, it is a picture of a picture. It makes the color look way bright because of the camera flash.
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[Matt K.]

This shot is of the bug after i fixed it the second time. Someone side swiped the driver's side and took out the quarter panel, rear fender and bumper.
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[Matt K.]

Here is the damage.....quarter panel, fender, trailing arm Etc.

The repair with a German fender.....

All finished..............
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[Matt K.]

As you can see i worked pretty hard on making this car straight and the paint nice and flat....the hard work pays off in the end.
_________________
This is my 23rd year in the Auto Body/Paint Game!
*Take a look at some of my custom paint: http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/mrpaint_2006/ .( NOTE: these are some older jobs but still neat.)

[wcfvw69]

That's a great looking 68 vert!
_________________
Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

40+ years of VW repair, and VW parts and vehicle restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours**

[Robinskibleh]

Hi there, can anyone tell me how much it would cost if I had to pay someone to do body work on a 1979 VW Bus? We are about to purchase one for $500, interior perfect, engine rebuilt, brakes, spark plugs, etc all good. Only issue is body work, as it has rust underneath and a little on sides.

Just trying to get an idea of how much I would have to put into it, don't want to over pay for this. They may be flexible on price if I can tell them what fixing it would theoretically set me back. I am in love with it and really want to buy it but just need some advice first. Thank you!!!!

[Mike Fisher]

$5-10,000 depending on your demands. $500 is less than the cost of materials if you did it all yourself.
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[loosecaboose]

Restoring/ derusting all 15 windows on a 1961 Bus. Any tips, suggestions, words of wisdom for a 1st time project about workflow, equipment, proces, things to lookout for? Also anyone familiar with this product from DuPont?
DuPont V-2910S™/V-2940S™/V-2970S™ DTM EPOXY
PRIMER-SEALER

[noahtibbetts]

Anyone have any leads on where I can find sheet replacement sections already stamped/formed for this area on a Type 1? Any help is appreciated!

[dirtslinger]

I have a question for the experienced painters out there.

I have painted a few cars, but it's been 20+ years.

I'm in the middle of doing a squareback for my daughter, I have it primed and I'm finish sanding it now before paint.

I jammed the car a couple weekends ago and I'm really struggling with orange peel.

I'm using a 20+ year old Binks 2001, and I really feel like the orange peel is coming from the gun. When I spray a test panel with a light "mist" coat, it just doesn't look very smooth. I've rebuilt the gun, tried different air pressures etc......

Here's my question, do you think it would be beneficial to just buy a new gun? I don't want to buy a super expensive gun because I don't know when I'll use it again. Are there any guns out there that are maybe in the $100 range that will spray nice and smooth?

I don't really want to do an HVLP gun because I don't think my compressor has the volume, but I've never used one so I don't know.

I will be renting a spray booth when it's time to spray it, so I guess I could use an HVLP, but it would be my first time using the gun and I really don't want to blow thru $700 in paint and have to start over.

Suggestions????

_________________
1967 Class 5
1970 Class 11 HSD Racing
1972 5/1600 V-MAR/Rasta Baja
1956 Baja
1960 Sand Rover buggy
1965 Street bug
1967 Squareback

[WithTheFlow]

If I want to weld in a repair into my cross member should I spray the side that I won't have access to with the weld through primer? Should I also spray it on the outrigger on the side against the chassis?

After that I would clean with wax and grease remover and apply an epoxy primer.
_________________
The fastest thing you can do is slow down.

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better."
-- The Alchemist”

[zuk]

Noah, looks like you'll need a lower hinge pillar and or the inner fender well panel, the lower hinge wolfsburg sells the best one to use. hte fender well panels most all the parts suppliers have

[Kiper]

Hello again. It has been a long while. Matt K. Is now Kiper. I noticed when I looked back on this thread there is more information I can share such as fiberglass repair. I should probably write about this as it will help people who are unsure about doing repairs or using fiberglass in general.

[Dwighia]

Just a shout out to Matt K, aka Kipper.
Really enjoyed this thread and wanted you to know there are lots of people still reading it and benefiting from your post and others' comments.

I'm working on my 68 Ghia and have learned "muchly" from this thread.
Was going to pay someone to do my body work, but now I'm excited to do it myself. (just stared the work yesterday).

Would love to see you post some more of your great work Kipper.
Thanks again,
Dwight
_________________
'71 Ghia Sedan
'68 Ghia Convertible
'84 Vanagon
If you dismantle a VW engine and reassemble it enough times, will you end up with enough extra parts for another engine?