My first Resto project - 1975 super beetle 1303

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

[Dwayne1m]

You got a buddy to help.

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

I cut off some rust, wasnt brave enough to make bigger cuts.. And cutting is the easy part haha.

As Dwayne1m kindly suggested along many other great suggestions on PMs, I have cut through to the foam on the other rear quarter from the inside as it would be more forgiving cosmetically. I have found no foam and less rust, will need patches where fender bolts go as its rusted through on many parts:

But its a chance to convert and paint the rust there anyway. I wonder what could be under that patch there, didnt have the heart to check last night.

[Dodgy]

Great! A fellow '75 1303 rescuer!

These must be getting pretty rare now as fashion has favoured the early Beetles for so long - but Supers (especially the late ones) are so much better to drive than other Beetles you will definitely enjoy it when all your work is done.

Looking forward to seeing your progress!
_________________
'75 1303 (current project) owned since 1989!
'72 Squareback - full resto completed 2008 - now sold
356 Speedster kit, completed 2005 - now sold

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

after a long break from the project (due to high demand from work) I have worked several days on cleaning the interior from all the insulation and endless types of glue, would paint stripper take care of glue remnants?
I have converted the rust on the inside panel (death foam area), next I will prime it and paint it with Ace rust stop if that works, otherwise Ill have to order POR15, which will take time to arrive:

there is a spot I cant stop thinking about when its time to prep the car for paint. I have no Idea how I would reach it (to strip old paint and repaint)

Another question I have is, how would I paint the inside of a panel I am going to weld, even if its covered in weldable primer, wouldn't the weld line itself be bare metal? and maybe rust and infect the surrounding area?




-Zaid

[Jim Hunter]

Paint stripper will remove the glue residue but also the paint...
POR 15 is not as good as used to be...A good industrial use primer it will be good to use...
I suggest you to do not make any further cuts to the body until to find a donor , also a good wash will also reveals more problem areas , as for the rear window louvers , sandblasting or paint remover aerosol works good there...

Good luck and keep the pics coming...

Jim

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

[VW_Jimbo]

Hi Zaid, vinegar will eat rust. Just take a towel, lay it on the rusty steal and drench the towel. Keep it wet, by reapplying vinegar and covering the towel with plastic, so that it does not evaporate quickly. In several hours the rust will start to dissolve and the fresh steel will appear. If there is no good steel, you will be left with holes.

Vinegar is acetic acid. Acetic acid dissolves rust and will not harm the good metal. Acetic acid is almost always the active ingredient in “rust disolvers”. Cheap and easy. There is also Naval Jelly. If you can get Naval Jelly, that is acetic acid in a Jelly form that sticks onto vertical surfaces.

Use a weldable primer. Be sure to prime the back side after welding, or you will have rust once again. I use primer in the spray can and a straw. Drill small holes on the inside as needed to reach the back side.

Good luck!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[Jim Hunter]

[Buggeee]

For my louvered area I poured the paint stripper in a spray bottle (like window cleaner), although an aerosol can (as Jimbo suggests) would also work, and then after it bubbled up I blasted it out of there with a water pressure washer to get in there between the cracks. It took a few applications and power washings to finally get all the old paint scraps out of there. Once it was all bare metal I used a couple of cans of aerosol spray paint self etching primer. The spray paint cans let me get up close in between the cracks and up under the louvers until it was sealed up again. There were some sloppy drips outside on the louvers from getting in so close but those sanded right down.

I like to use phosphoric acid to dissolve rust, because it converts the surface of the metal bonding with the molecules somehow.

Good luck!
_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[Dwayne1m]

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

I will surely try the "stripper in a spray bottle" suggestion as I cant source spray can stripper. I love the idea of drilling a hole on the inside and spraying the welded area, very cleaver thanks!
I went junk Yard hunting and found most of the body metal I needed, almost at welding stage!
I made a short video of the junk yard hunting I though some might find it interesting to see what it would look like in Jordan. thank you guys for all the help and support.

heres the link:


Link

[Dwayne1m]

Interesting video. Finding a rust free donor like that here is almost impossible. Why didn't you jump on the zebra station wagon???(1:15 of video)

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

[Buggeee]

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

Im glad you like the video, and I agree, miracle of the Internet.
I am pretty sure I wont be able to find sprayable stripper here, it was difficult finding the regular one but this is the same brand I have.
I also bought a body hammer and dolly bloc. I also got a spray gun, cheap one for spaying the epoxy primer after i strip the car. I get excited over tools, thought id share.

[VW_Jimbo]

[SupBeetle4Zaid]

[Rome]

That was an ENORMOUS junkyard! Glad you found good metal for your '75.