'51 Standard Chassis Restoration

johnshenry · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:12 pm Post subject:

Welded on the right side floorpan tonight. First I masked off the tunnel and sprayed the facing surfaces with weld through primer. I had "modified" a set of long reach clamps to make them "longer reach" and used them to press the pan edge tight along the tunnel lip. The tip on the topside has a forked end so it can go around the weld. It was real easy to line everything up and rest the MIG nozzle on the tunnel and get a perfect alignment with the hole for the rosette weld.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

GLHTurbo · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:42 pm Post subject:

nice work...like the clamp!
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1957 Beetle
1966 Bus

greenoval · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 4:47 am Post subject:

John, is the outrigger welded to the support at the torsion tube or does it just rest on it ?

Jerry Hundley · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:04 am Post subject:

I love the clamps. great idea
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Jerry Hundley (AKA Slammed 66)

Because Stock Sucks!!!!
70 baywindow deluxe
65 slammed bug
69 bug
64 drag buggy

johnshenry · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:53 am Post subject:

johnshenry · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 6:02 am Post subject:

The clamp worked OK, but at that arm length, didn't really give the needed clamping force. As many probably know, it was critically important for the panels to be pressed together for these types of welds. Otherwise, not only do you get a gap, but on these "thin metal on thick" rosette welds, you will burn away the sheet metal very fast as you have to have a pretty hot setting. Of course I only took pictures of the "pretty" welds.

The other thing worth mentioning is the weld through primer. I have had issues with the MIG arc not "taking" to the lower panel when it has the primer on it. Somewhere some said that you had to grind off the facing panel/lips primer right under the hole. I tried that with a Dremel and didn't have much luck, so I just started welding. Once I got the MIG set up right I go pretty good welds. I ran it pretty hot, about 6.5/10 on my Miller and fairly slow wire speed for that heat. Best case, you get those nice little flat "pool" welds that need very little grinding.

This is one of the reasons I wanted to do the chassis first: to further hone my welding skills before going on to the bod which will need LOTS of welding. With any kind of welding, the more you do, the better you get at it.

I will use a seamsealer on both the top and bottom at the pan/tunnel interface. I'll "pinky finger" it in real close so it won't look like a bathroom caulking job. I may first give the welded areas a light sandblast to get the texture consistent everywhere, before primer. The black paint on the tunnel now is just a black primer.
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

ZwitterND · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:09 pm Post subject:

Has anyone tried using panel adhesive for the tunnel section of the pan?
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Bill

lovethatconvertible · Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:56 pm Post subject:

Well, Update or anything going on in that shop of yours?

johnshenry · Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:30 pm Post subject:

Lots of stuff going on in the shop, but not all of it VW, and even less (unfortunately) in the way of work on the '51. I did start grinding down the floorpan welds the other night. A fairly tedious process with how many of them that there are.

I'll post more pics as progress continues....
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

eurodub · Samba Member Joined: August 05, 2007 Posts: 1321

Let's revive this wonderful thread just to let you know John that at least i am thinking about your split and your work Very Happy

This is where it all started...

Hope everything is well with you and during this autumn/winter break you can finish that pan early enough for some spring break photo shoot Wink

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1960 1200 model 117 deluxe ragtop
1976 MK1 Golf

Tempie · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:30 am Post subject:

Any progress?
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When a deluxe is not enough.... you go standard Smile

Early 55 standard sunroof Smile

Visit the Standard Split and Oval Beetle group!!

VW Standard Split and Oval Beetle

johnshenry

For the sake of closure of a thread, I sold this '51 project a couple weeks ago. It went to a good friend and hardcore vintage enthusiast who WILL finish the car and WILL drive it. I could not have picked a better person to have it.

I sold it because I figured that I would probably never finish it myself AND I surrendered to a whim and bought another driveable vintage VW last month....
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

sinclair

mr. warehouse

drpete

Time to re-energize this thread. John mentioned he had sold this car. I’m the lucky buyer that will resume the restoration. John and I share (among other things) a passion for VW’s and the friendships and experiences these cars help create. We first met many years ago during a Solvang (California) Rallye and show. We’ve since had fun at the SoCal Treffen, and other Solvang shows as well as a couple shows in Europe.
This is my first split window bug; previously I had a 54 oval ragtop, along with some buses (including a ’54 Barndoor with an operating 2-level vintage toy-train layout). I’m really excited about this ’51 Standard.
The car’s metal work and paint will be done by a trusted fellow here in Northern California. I’ll try to document some of his steps as we go along. After his body and paint work is complete, I’ll do the assembly at home. All stock...we want her to look and drive just as she did in 1951. The car goes to his shop next week, after resting 2 months in my workshop/barn at home.
It'll be nice to get this early bug back on the road. She's the perfect car for a future September Solvang Rallye...

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Happy to be alive. Hey Dad, Mom, wish you were here to see all this.

Pete Keesling
Driving a VW every day.....

Grant Reiling

johnshenry

While I had a number of people interested in this car, I could not be happier that "Doctor" Pete now has it. Why? Because I KNOW he will finish it and I KNOW that he will DRIVE it, as it should be. And Pete is now my go-to Type 2 guru as he and I now both own '56 single cabs.

Looking forward to seeing this split done and Pete, thanks for keeping this thread going. Build threads are the best...!
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

mr. warehouse

Where's the like button?
Congratulations to Pete and John.
I look forward to watching the progress on this and seeing it at the California shows.


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'51 Standard Chassis Restoration
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