Hole cut in tunnel

[scrivyscriv]

I found this little gift...

on my recently-bought 1967 sunroof beetle

and my question is, before I weld the tunnel back up, is there anything in there I should do or fix? The shifter is hotdog in a hallway so it will get a replacement bronze bushing, and I have to run a new steel fuel line. Other than that - ?

Thanks in advance for the advice and opinions y'all.
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Robert in Memphis
Dünkelgrügen 1967 Java Green bug thread
Engine rebuild thread
If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help.

[AZOffTheWall]

That hole is there because the shift rod bushing bracket broke and needed to be replaced, it's pretty common, usually guys do a little cleaner work but I've seen much worse. Replace the bushing before you weld it up.
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My Build: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=665399&highlight=
Continued:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=676470&highlight=

[Zundfolge1432]

Check the welds on clutch cable guide tube all three places. Last one is under rear seat. You and I know never to make right angle cut as it makes stress riser. Me? I’d radius the angles and instead of welding use original piece then a thin over lay and fasten the hole thing down using floating nut plates. Duplicate access panel on airplane. Unless you are planning very vigorous driving that example of hacking shouldn’t be a problem. Covered with carpet it’s out of sight.

[KTPhil]

There was a thread with photos (but I can't find it now) about a Bug with a not-as-bad hole cut in the tunnel. When the owner took a RR crossing at too high a speed, it bent the chassis severely. I'd take time to do this right as described above!

[stale air]

Exactly what was stated above..

Btw, I dig the dealer badge on the rear deck lid.
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[flyboy161]

I would cut it as stated above, radius the corners. And then make a doubler to put inside the tunnel, about 3/4” bigger than the hole and 3/4” smaller than the hole on the inside cutout of the doubler. Basically a ring of material around the hole on the inside. This gives you a lip to flush mount a panel to the doubler and strengthens the repair for worry free driving. The doubler is riveted to the tunnel and you could use nutzerts in the doubler to fasten the panel. Rivets placed about every inch should be sufficient to secure the doubler.

I would also consider welding some of the upper cut are back in place to get it off the bend in the upper tunnel.
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1968 Westfalia
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=792825&highlight=

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

[TDCTDI]

Rivets on the doubler?!?

Screw that! Any hole that large is going to compromise the structural integrity of the backbone of the car that's already known to be a death trap. Finish cutting out the panel, straighten the bent part causing it not to seat flush & weld it back in place.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


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Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Zundfolge1432]

[TDCTDI]

[Zundfolge1432]

You’d be real surprised with the amount of damage that gets repaired and returned to service. If it’s not covered with a standard repair it goes to engineering for an approved fix. Very little gets wasted, problems are solved and it puts bread on the table.

Once a 727 wingtip cut a gash 15 feet long into fuselage of MD80. The mad dog was less than a year old. At first it appeared to be impossible to repair. It was shored up and all three angles shot in with laser, reskinned and stringers spliced. Entire frames replaced and 3 months later returned to service. Cost millions but it got done. See em land wheels up, fixed that. Landed short hitting trees, fixed that. Where there’s a will there’s a way.

[TDCTDI]

[scrivyscriv]

I guess my fabrication skills are going to be under the microscope now!!

Looking at the damage I don’t really want to just weld it in as is, so I’m looking locally for a donor section. An access panel there would be nice down the road (maybe for the next guy?). I dunno, I’m more of a mechanic than a metalwork and body guy so I hope nobody is getting their hopes up for a fancy repair!
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Robert in Memphis
Dünkelgrügen 1967 Java Green bug thread
Engine rebuild thread
If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help.

[flyboy161]

[hitest]

Let's face it. The person who cut that trapezoid hole either has gorilla hands or tourettes when his cutting disc is spinning.

I'd take that patch, cut a clean oval IN in to serve as a new service port. Then I'd weld the hell out of that patch back in its jagged hole. Think hole in a hole. I'll bet everyone here at some time has had to retro house wiring through nothing more than a single-gang trim ring. Same theory here.

I'm confident integrity would be restored while still providing access in the future. The new, smaller hole could still be installed with the before mentioned speed hardware of your choosing.
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[Scott65Beetle]

thats an easy fix. I swear most PO of VWs must have been hacks. Ive seen crap like this so many times. How come they never respected their vehicles the way Porsche owners did? I know I know cheap little disposable cars,blah blah blah

[Zundfolge1432]

You answered your own question and when I was 18 years old with my first VW a Marina blue deluxe bug I simply beat the car to death. Imagine a time when these things were so common you could buy a running car for 100 bucks or maybe less if you looked hard enough and asked around they were free, people just wanted them out of their yard because of minor problem. It needs a clutch get rid of it. Early 70s when gas was real cheap v8s ruled and the demographic of VW owners then were kids, poor people, cheap eccentrics and folks that took pride in fixing their cars sometimes hacking. the demographic hasn’t changed much but price has gone up except the poor are priced out.

[TDCTDI]

[scrivyscriv]

Guys I am absolutely STOKED about this car. This is the most original numbers-matching VW I’ve ever owned!! Even the engine serial falls in range with the VIN production date and looks OG!
Check out that pulley tin nobody ever kept! The carburetor looks like it might be OG stock too.

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Robert in Memphis
Dünkelgrügen 1967 Java Green bug thread
Engine rebuild thread
If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help.

[slalombuggy]

Thinking that a hole like that is going to cause impending failure overlooks the fast that you have a large steel box bolted to the pan which has a lot of strength on it also. As long as it has heater channels and a roof that are sound then a catastrophic failure is unlikely.

Is is a good fix?..no its not. But obviously the pan hasn't failed in the amount of time its taken to wear out another shifter bushing.

Personally I'd pull it back, replace the bushing and weld it up. I wouldn't dream of using that hacked hole as a permanent maintenance point. The hole is far too large and in the wrong place, the cut at the top rear also goes up into the radius iof the structure which is where the strength is greatest . If you want to put another access hole in it use a hole saw beside the bushing and stay down as low as you can from the rounded top of the tunnel but still gain access to the bushing. Weld it up and start over with a proper size and located hole.

brad

[Glenn]

Looks like it was made with a hatchet.
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Glenn
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