Jeremy.G's 1973 Super Beetle restoration

[jeremy.g]

Hey Mark!

If your chassis is stripped down it is very easy to flip over. In fact when I had both pans removed I could pick the whole thing up and carry it around like a giant awkward guitar. And I'm not built like the Incredible Hulk.

Speaking of your Convertible-- when are you gonna start tearing into it and showing pictures??? You know a restoration hasn't officially "started" until we see shots of it.

Short update- I patched that rotted spot in my repair panel, using another section of the same donor panel that was close to the same curve. Only took a bit of tapping to match it up. Then I reinstalled the rear decklid to make sure it all lines up. Looks good to me. If I can bend/stretch the metal under the decklid without affecting the exterior curves I think all will be well.

I think I'll go play with that now. . .

-Jeremy

[VW_Jimbo]

Awesome fit!
_________________
Jimbo

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

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

[regordracis]

Wait ... what did I just read ?

Quoting from above ... " If I can bend / shape the metal ... "

Master JG , why do you tease us with such words ?

All of us faithful followers never expect "IF I can ... " , more like WHEN I bend / shape this metal ... or ... ONCE I bend / shape this metal ...

We kindly request an edit of the post above
_________________
Roger ... "Lost in the haze of alcohol-soft middle age"

[jeremy.g]

Hey, REGORDRACIS! I'd much rather state what I'm going to ATTEMPT rather than what I will DO. Bad things happen when you tempt fate. And hey! How's Daisy coming along? We all expect an update on your latest progress.

Speaking of progress: I finished fitting that roof section today. The reshaping of the engine-compartment-flange went as planned, and all lined up well (hoorah!) I forgot to take pics of the inside with the pink foam block, but I'm sure you can visualize it. Here's the panel mid-installation:

And then I started slowly closing up the flange with a smooth hammer. Exciting!

Then I smoothed up the weld seam a bit more and couldn't resist throwing on a coat of temp primer.

At this point I must admit I cracked a beer and looked the area over with a sense of great satisfaction. One month ago it looked like this:

Needless to say, I'm very pleased. The body lines look straight, and the weld seams should be very easy to finish with a light filler skim or maybe even just high-build primer. One Death Foam repair complete! (and one to go)

You'll notice I didn't weld the seam next to the air intake vents yet- and that's because I plan to remove that entire section in order to blast and paint behind it. That's probably my next adventure. . .

-Jeremy

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

[VW_Jimbo]

That looks great! Nice job! So smooth looking!
_________________
Jimbo

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

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

[jeremy.g]

[tzepesh]

Mark, I can vouch for Jeremy's feedback on aftermarket bulk heads. The replacement panel does not have the correct shape and the tunnel supports. You can buy one and cut the parts you need to repair yours. That is what I did (just because I had one bought years ago and still in good shape.
_________________
'74 1303S, L98B Viperngrun (extra glitter), German Look
'64 1200, Sea Blue, under restoration

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

[regordracis]

I bought a pair of those bulkhead supports from SBS and they were money well spent. Take a look at my thread , painted them bright yellow so they would stand out as I continued to repair around them
_________________
Roger ... "Lost in the haze of alcohol-soft middle age"

[TK-CS]

Jeremy, incredible work (as usually).

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

Well Jeremy, I've officially made it through all 29 pages of your post! It's taken about 2 hours each evening of the last 3 days, and I've re read several sections more than once. I'm sure I'll think of some more questions later on, but my first question is how you cut the sheet metal when making your repairs. The cuts look so clean and precise. I remember a few pages back you mentioned using a Dremil tool-is that all you ever used? Oh, now I remember, I wanted to ask about the little tiny hand held belt sander-where did that come from? it looks very handy! By now I'm sure you are tired of hearing it, but congratulations on an amazing job! And finally, when you convert your current house into a garage, look into getting a mini split system to heat and cool your garage! Mr. Cool makes a package that's only about $1200, and the line set it pre charged, so all you need to do is hook up your electrical line and run the stuff though your wall. I live in south Florida most of the year, and many small shops use those to cool their office area. They are cheap, energy efficient, and almost silent.

[offtherailz1]

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]

[jeremy.g]

Hey Mark,

All 29 pages? WOW! Hope you got something out of them. It's been a fun journey so far.

Regarding cutting accurate patches: You know the old carpenter adage, "Measure twice--cut once?" That's great for woodworking. When I do metal, it's more like, "Measure a lot--cut oversized--sneak up on the line until you're happy".

I took a bunch of photos while fitting that last roof repair panel. I decided not to post them (cuz I'm already up to 29 freaking pages) but since you asked here's how I fit that last panel.

I started by laying some 1/2" masking tape DIRECTLY on the cut line. Then, I cut my repair panel about 1/4" oversized, and laid it directly on top:

Once the panel was exactly where I wanted it, I laid another strip of the SAME 1/2" tape on top of the first strip. Then I could trace a line with a SHARP pencil, knowing with confidence that the line was exactly where I needed to cut in order to match the panel beneath:

I use a bunch of different tools to cut, depending on the need. Since these were STRAIGHT cuts, I just used my cheap Harbor Freight air cut-off tool. But I cut about 1/16" away from the line "just in case":

Then I "snuck up" on the line using that belt grinder (best tool ever):

That's how I get a good fit on panels like this:

I'm sure there are other ways to do it, but this works for me.

Thanks for the thoughts on the mini-split! That's exactly what my HVAC guy recommended. Current plan is to put a mini-split in the garage, and ANOTHER mini-split above for my Music Room, as I'm a drummer as well (yeah, yeah--- yet another hobby, right?)

Speaking of the house: we signed all the paperwork for the Construction Loan on Monday. Woohoo! My life is about to get VERY busy. I'm hoping I can still dedicate time to the beetle, but I'm sure it'll be bananas around here. Time to pretend I'm young and energetic again.

-Jeremy

[Mark 75 Super Convertible]