'59 Baja Ragtop Back To Semi Stock Build Thread

[Bret2094]

Updates:

Hope everyone had a happy new year! Today I did very little on the bug , I came down with some sorta cold/sinus thing thats been kicking my butt and slowed progress to a grinding halt. I did manage to get bundled up for a couple hours and fire up my acetylene torch and free up my rear adjusters on my backing plates. I left the camera in the shop again so looks like y'all will be getting a pic overload whenever i do get about uploading. Once i got the adjusters off, i noticed that the adjuster tab was broken on 3 of the 4 sides of my backing plates, and i started to freak a bit, but thesamba search bar came to the rescue in the form of this post, where i discovered that WW carries the replacement, so i put them on my new order list. I mocked up the pans with holes to spot weld, in anticipation for later today.When i'm in town i plan to pick up my brake shoes, front wheel cylinders, and weld thru primer that i ordered, and will start the welding process. I also have electrolysis planed for all of my fasteners that i will be reusing from the car. If nothing else i'll get that done even if i'm feeling like crap again


While i have the welder out, i would like to add the floor mat tabs to my new pan. Is there a diagram or measurements on where to weld them down? I looked in my bently, but it's either not in there , or my Texas public school education is rearing its ugly head.

Anyway, stick around for more crappily lit pictures

Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[Bret2094]

I finally got around to posting pictures...so here goes
I wound up ordering 3M's wed thru primer, didn't know what brand was best

Three coats were applied before adding the pans (up close shot)

I did hit the underside of the pan as well, but forgot to picture them
A lil background on welding....I used to competition weld back in High School with a Miller MIG welder, but none of the crap we welded was this damn thin, and that was a couple years ago, but it all of my experience came back fairly quick. This time around, I have to settle with flux core and Harbor freight quality. Say all you want about HF, but if you are on a tight budget, your $$$ goes alot farther.....I started off trying to fix the free welder my Step dad had, but the parts wont be in for another month, so...

Out with the old, in with the new, for $120 after tax

This is the end product,thus far

Underside

I still need to touch up some welds and finish grinding a few down, but for the most part, all my pans need is a lil seam sealer and paint. The project is finally becoming interesting! Feels nice to do something constructive for once, instead of tearing something apart or cleaning. More pics of electrolysis cleaning to come


Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[flyboy161]

That Harbor Freight welder is the same one I have. After owning a Lincoln and comparing it to this one, I say the HF is hands down better on thin metal. And it does a great job on spot welds too. The nozzle is deep enough to sit on the metal with just the right amount of space between the tip and the work piece to make a perfect weld with no blow through. The welder of course being set on its slowest speed and lowest amperage.

I used to do pans with an oxy acetylene and was getting a lot of warpage in the pan. I have two cars to replace pans in now and I was glad to see your post this morning. Looks great.

I know you were asking about floor tab locations. My '58 has them but it's sitting in a storage unit and I'm down with a bad back right now. If you have the floor mats, I'd lay them in and mark the locations through the mats. We call this a Chinese blue print at work.
_________________
My father's 1970 Beetle-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=603879

The 1964...Diamond in the rough
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=612776

My 1958 Morocco Bug-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=611483

[sportin-wood]

I have to agree that for the most part, Harbor Freight tools are decent enough quality that will allow you to do a good job, especially if you're on a budget like alot of us are. I did my pans not long ago, and it was definitely a good feeling to get past that hurdle. Looking good Bret!
_________________
.
Paused 66 project bug
.
"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[Bret2094]

[Bret2094]

I got a lil package in the mail today....wonder what could be 6 feet long....oh right

Just for rough fit

It's safe to say, i'm excited to say the least, but it's time for my little rant of the day, because I know someone will soon chime in about crap heater channels and using the incorrect rear chassis supports. I am well aware of what i got myself into. The heater tubes coming into the car on the old channels are gonna be saved and grafted into the new shiny ones to achieve some level of correctness. If i had unlimited funds, i would have ordered gerson pans and channels, but when you read this, keep in mind that I am a novice who is fairly well read up on the metal fight, but has to also keep the build reasonable. I dont think i mentioned it before, but i am aiming to spend no more than 3 grand on the car, and so far, I'm about half way there, with some possible trading towards metal without additional funds spent. Anyway rant over. Thanks guys for the encouragement, it means alot. If anyone's in the Texarkanna, Longview, Tyler, Shreveport area, hit me up and come see what all i have going on. I could always use the hand, and people to share the hobby with. My electrolysis bolts should bee done in an hour or so, so i'll add pics tomorrow , depending on when i get done cutting wood for the day

Later Guys

Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[caleb0101]

Pans look great! What year is the bug in the background of this pic behind the truck in the top left corner?

[Bret2094]

[Bret2094]

Say goodbye to your bandwidth! More pics...hehehe.
Ok here's my electrolysis spill for the day. Things you will need:

2x Coat hangers
1x Scrap iron
1x 12 volt battery charger (minimum of 6 amps)
1x Box washing soda
1x washing container that holds water (I used a 5 gal bucket)
1x piece of wire mesh for bolts
1x piece of fine mesh for inside of regular mesh
1x piece cardboard
1x tin snips
1x Tablespoon
1x Piece sandpaper
1x stick

All of this will get your metal pretty clean, but in addition i used a followup vinegar, soap steel wool pad, and oil bath to get everything spotless. I had everything around except for the washing soda and box of soap pads. I wound up being out $5...wooo big spender. Okay let's see all that in action...

Cut out a bit

I folded up a basket out of the piece i cut, and lined the inside with some fine mesh to catch really small stuff like washers, and then used a hanger, after sanding the finish off both ends to make a ways to hang my basket.
I had a junk cylinder that i used as my donor metal. I attached the other hanger to it and went nuts!

1 Tablespoon for every gallon of water went into the bucket

I stirred the solution up with a stick and then used it to hang my basket on

The most important part of this process is the cardboard, and the secret ingredient...a sharpie. Only those who read will get this one

Make a lil dumbass sign for all the adults and teens around the house who might try and stick their hands in the water. If you have kids or pets, sit it where they wont reach it, but dont cover it up!!! Hydrogen gas is released in this process. In small bubbles-worth volumes, it wont catch much on fire, but if you let the gas collect, watch out! Also don't forget to connect the red(+) side of the charger to the crap metal, and the Black(-) end onto the metal you want clean. I used the hangers to connect to, so that my leads would be out of the water.

I put these in my basket
springs and all brake hardware

ebrake levers

They ran for 4 hours and then i took em inside and rinsed em off. I lightly scrubbed em with the soapy steel wool, before placing em in...

Lol my mom thought i bought more icecream. Any way i poured vinegar in the bowl. The stuff i used was the stronger kind that has gotten kinda hard to get around here, it say's 9% on the bottle. I'm sure lower concentrations work, but take longer. I closed the lid for an hour and then came back and scrubbed a little harder on everything, rinsed and put everything still dirty back under the vinegar. do that as many times as necessary. If clean, i pulled out another empty ice cream tub and put some oil in the bottom to drop the freshly rinsed and clean parts into, so they wouldnt flash rust.

It happens quick too, cuz i went to the bathroom for like 10 min and came back and rust formed on a couple bolts. The end results for all that has cleaned up to the max is here.

The top bolts are the 6 that hold on the backing plates to the front spindles,THe two on the left hold the brake master cylinder,the two second down hold the pedal cluster to the tunnel, the 4 below that hold the drum cylinders to the backing plates, and the 8 on the bottom hold your rear drum bearing seal on, as well as the backing plates. All of the washers are still soaking, along with most springs. Everything is heavily greased now, but will be wiped down before being anywhere near my new brake shoes!! More coming up tomorrow night, I just got tired of taking pictures, i spent a majority of the day cutting firewood with a chainsaw.

On another note, i need new earplugs. lost mine halfway through the day and now my ears are ringing


Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[flyboy161]

Great write up! That's a very interesting procedure. It's early here, so forgive my question, but what exactly is the electrolysis for? I mean what is happening? You have an old cylinder as a sacrificial anode but what chemical process is taking place in the bucket otherwise?
_________________
My father's 1970 Beetle-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=603879

The 1964...Diamond in the rough
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=612776

My 1958 Morocco Bug-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=611483

[Bret2094]

[flyboy161]

Thanks! I'll check it out. I'm pretty sure the rust (FeO-iron oxide) is being converted during electrolysis by transferring electrons from the negative lead through the pieces and ultimately back to the sacrificial anode. This should should imbalance the atoms enough to break up the oxide and leave straight Iron. The byproduct of this process would be free hydrogen and oxygen as the current flows through the water and the rusty bits. The oxygen should for the most part, being heavy with electrons and thus negative, be attracted to the sacrificial positive anode and thus form rust (iron oxide) there. If I'm recalling my chemistry correctly.
_________________
My father's 1970 Beetle-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=603879

The 1964...Diamond in the rough
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=612776

My 1958 Morocco Bug-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=611483

[Bret2094]

Forgot to post the rest of my hardware the other day. The backing plates are drying from paint now, and I'll post their progression later this weekend

They came out clean enough, so i thought why not reuse. Most would go with new, but these function the same. Seemed like wasted $ for bling


Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[Bret2094]

Last night i had one of my two best friends move the body back onto the car chassis so that i could fix the door gap before welding in my supports to remove the old chassis supports and heater channels. Needless to say, we got a lil excited that it has reached this point.

The braces are going in today, and heater channel removal will follow. Probably will take me more than one day to get prepped for the new ones to go in


Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[Bret2094]

Small update: The last of my hardware to be cleaned is now in the process. Once my drums get finished today, as well as my engine tin, I will be out of things to clean, at least until I assemble my engine and put new seals in my tranny, so Things are definitly gettin to the rapid progression phase. If my spindles would hurry up and get here, I would have the beam in the car by now. 5 days left before I have to close shop till may. The channels will be in and the car bolted together so that I have a lil bragging rights.I plan on bringing the carbs, distributors, fuel pumps, and steering box with me and assemble them, as well as finish the steering wheel while I am away for the semester.(gives me somethin to continue progression)

Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[sunroof]

Good luck with the heater channels. I am about to do the same on my '59. Take lots of pictures.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=407138

Don

[Bret2094]

I made progress towards the heater channel fiasco today, but didnt actually get to the removal phase, lots of other issues to address first. Number one was the bracing, quickly followed with door removal and saving my heater box transfer tubes that hook up to the heater channels.

After welding in these braces, the car for the first time since I've owned it, felt nice and solid. After these were put in, I began to remove the doors...yuck

I tried to weld the rusty bottom two that I had stripped to a bolt for removal, but never got a strong enough weld, so other forces had to be applied.
I was able to remove 12 of the 16 screws with the following method:

I put a wide screwdriver tip in my universal driver, and added a pair of vice grips to the handle for extra torque

I then heated each screw up with an acetylene torch until the head was bright cherry red

This sumer I left a few bottles of water laying around and they got that nasty plastic taste in em, so i kept em around to put out fires, or in this case , I used the water to quench the red hot screws back to a cool temperature. I used one bottle on each side

A few of the saved screws

Wooohooo door out on this side

This pillar is a bit fucked up

Both doors out!!

I managed to save both of my heater pipes. Not much else left of the rear end

I didn't take a pic, but i did shave the metal of the package tray back a bit where most of the metal was solid. I think I will use some used metal from a donor car and patch up the rest of the holes. I started grinding down where spot welds are in the front of the car, but honestly the rear half of the car is so rotten, that it's already unattached. The actual removal is coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[sunroof]

My doors came off without any problem, first time that ever happened!

Don

[Bret2094]

[sunroof]

Just remember: We are doing this for fun, not profit. Just keep telling yourself that, "I'm having fun, I'm having fun, yup this is real fun."

Don