Jimmy V’s 54 Oval Project

[VW_Jimbo]

Cannot believe it has been 2 weeks since I last posted! Time flies when you go back to working, when no one else is! We had to get a 2 bedroom house ready to sell. Really odd working when no one else is. Good thing, because no one pays me anything to sit home!

Not much has happened. I have been studying the rear wheel wells. I need to replace, at minimum, the passenger side. Really badly rusted. If I look at it wrong, a hole appears! So, I went ahead and ordered some inner wheel well body panels for, “46 - 68” beetle. Believe it or not, they are not all the same, through that 22 year stretch. And now I know, first hand, that this 54 is like no later Bug (55 and on) that I have worked on, in this area. It is different. The entire curve is different and there is no flattened part towards the front.

What needs replacing;

The new panel held up;

That is a lot of work! But the car is too low, and I have grown tired of working hunched over. So instead of cutting, bracing and removing metal, I instead built a higher dolly!

Now I can roll under the body, while sitting on my stool!

Next weekend, I will get the wheel well replaced!
_________________
Jimbo

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

[tomsbuggered]

You are rolling right along.

It looks like we are in for this isolating for a while yet so I am think I may bring my welder home and work on the fender repairs. I need to progress something as you are leaving me in the dust Jimmy!
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June 1956 VW Oval Beetle

[jeremy.g]

Glad to see you back at it, Jim! When you went silent I was beginning to worry that COVID had it's grip on you. Glad you were just 'working'.

-Jeremy

[VW_Jimbo]

[Dibaltic]

Nice progress seems like more you work at it the more you find needing fixed. Glad you found a clip Ron has great prices and enough donors to fix any odd beetle rust! That was neat that the quarter windows match windshield corners.

[VW_Jimbo]

[Dibaltic]

[Volksvr6gti]

That body dolly is going to make life so much easier

[VW_Jimbo]

[VW_Jimbo]

So, yesterday I was out in the garage for roughly 3 hours. Decided to start pulling panels off of the rear of the car to get to the wheel wells.

If you ever wondered how they disassemble on the back side, here’s your chance.

The starting point.

I love being able to stand and work on a car! I feel like a human, instead of a knuckle dragger. I know I will be dragging my knuckles again, soon. But it just feels so good, standing up while drilling out several dozen spot welds! Enough chatting, let’s get to work, because nothing gets done if we talk!

Took the good old 4-1/2 grinder and removed as much of the totally shitty chicken shit welds someone did, from years ago. Look at that stuff, looks like someone tried making a sand castle with a welder!

Then up to the inside, again, crappy welds.

Then went to grind off the drivers top weld - there was nothing there. The passenger side was there, but barely, so I wiggled it off!

And thar she be matey!

I will need to convert that dog shit back into a usable piece of car panel.

Here is what I am looking at, now. I need to remove the engine bay shelves and the lower firewall. So, let’s go searching for spot welds to drill out. Did I mention how awesome it is to not work while hunched over!

Did you guys notice all the rust flakes on the floor! I should have kept my mouth shut a few weeks ago!

Look at the tail portion, on the inside of the rear fender well panel.

The shelf! Let’s get to drilling.

The other one.

Not as bad as the drivers side, but still bad.

Started drilling.

And a few hits with the air chisel.

Might as well get the lower firewall loose.

Then the drivers side.

Out! Not in bad shape. I can bead blast that and reinstall it.

Passenger shelf.

That was not to bad, but I already got new ones from Mika!

And with that, a shot not many see.......

I then wanted to see how that “new to me” luggage shelf fit.

Perfect fit!

Now, I need to sand blast a few areas. Spray some weldable primer. Cut and fit a few panels. Then, I can start pasting the rear end back together.

Oh, and yes, it did get hit in the rear end! Passenger’s side. There is a slight buckle right in front of the reinforcement plate, on the Driver’s side, so the hit was from about a 60 degree hit off of the back fender area. Not a hard hit, but enough to bend stuff! Barely visible. I will need to massage this a little bit.

Until later!
_________________
Jimbo

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

[jeremy.g]

Excellent.

That's pretty good progress for only 3 hours!

-Jeremy

[VW_Jimbo]

[Fifty-Eight Rag]

Dang, I thought my rotten ass 56 was bad...you might have me beat! But I love that you are a guy that is doing this car justice and not filling it with spray foam and filler
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1956 Oval
and a barn full of VW parts

1956 Oval build thread
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

1962 Single Cab Restoration
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7959298#7959298

1967 Beetle Restoration
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=495269&highlight=larrys

[VW_Jimbo]

[VW_Jimbo]

Here goes another 4 hours! Had to take care of paperwork. I absolutely hate paper work. But, I got to play out in the garage afterwards!

Starting point.

Found a crack in the body. Thinking the car got hit fairly good, then got pulled back. Then they welded in some pieces. They missed this one.

Went through the new rear panels. Had to remove the bumper mount. Look, no primer!

Laid out my cuts.

Look at how crappy the inside looks like!

Checking out how the panel sits.

Drawn on, measured and ready to be cut.

And here it is, cut out and laying on the new panel.

Onto cutting the panel. I oversized the initial cut by about a 1/2 inch on each side. Then slowly, maybe a 1/8 inch at a time, remove little segments, till the exact shape and size are finally created!

See the new scribe line. That the small amount I need to remove to get a closer fit.

And then again. I think this time, I filed off a few strokes worth.

And here it is, clamped onto the Bug.

Welded it into the Bug. Ground the welds down. Softened them up with some 36 grit paper. Primed it.

One down, one to go!
_________________
Jimbo

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

[Ovally]

Wow!
At the end you will almost have a whole new body.
Fantastic job!

Regards.
_________________
VW Bug Oval 1953
VW Bug 1200 D motor
Porsche 911S MFI 1970
Mazda 929 Hardtop 1977
Mercedes SLC 180 Roadster 2018

[rlmartinez]

[VW_Jimbo]

[Fifty-Eight Rag]

[VW_Jimbo]