Bottom end restoration of 73 Thing has begun

[Dougster43]

Getting closer. Doors, fenders, hood, and rear lid are now are the painters.

Making some last metal repairs to the body; Made front and rear speaker mounts as I wasn't happy with the flat plastic sheet options sold by TTS.

Also, the center rib on the vertical part of the cargo area was beyond repair. I made a new one with my bead roller. Not an exact match but I doubt anyone will notice once painted and it is partially covered by the roll bar too.

So mostly just a lot of sanding left to do before the body goes to paint!

[74 Thing]

How much did the handle rechrome set you back. They turned out awesome!

[Dougster43]

Around $400. I had some other stuff rechromed for a different project at the same time so I don't recall the breakout.

They stripped the handles and latch pulls down completely, then copper plated, chromed and polished them. They really do look amazing!!

[oscarsnapkin]

Wow. That’s some serious work. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. I was looking for some ideas to plan out my own project but this is way out of league. I was thinking of doing the chassis with POR-15 and some sort of rattle can paint just to protect it.
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- 1977 CEI Sunroof Bus 2.0L F.I. Hydraulic Lifters
- 1973 Thing

"It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate, it takes strength to be gentle and kind."

[Dougster43]

Slowly making progress. Body went off to final prep and paint about a month ago!! Like most body guys my painter makes his money from insurance work so this will be fill-in work. So far he has been progressing slow and steady...

With the body off to paint I moved back to the short list of stuff I had left to finish on the rest. Got the motor and chassis pretty much done now, just a real small punch list. Intakes and exhaust are coated with Cerakote.

The last thing I had to do was deal with the defrost ducts. They weren't in terrible shape but had a few cracks and holes. I fixed those with some 2 part epoxy putty, then I coated both of the ducts with a few coats of a 2 part resin like you would use for fiberglass. Hopefully good for another 48 years now. Finished them with a flat black paint and they came out pretty good.

Now its just time to wait for the painter. Hopefully he calls me to do some sanding shortly. Going with a metallic or pearl version of the sunshine yellow to give it some pop.

[Dougster43]

Ok finally time for some color - at least on the interior. All the body work is done and my fingers are raw from sanding, so it is very rewarding to see this progress! I also took my chassis out for a roll and a clean-up the other day as it will hopefully get the body back on soon.

Sprayed a white epoxy coat over primer, then 2 coats of yellow, a coat of clear with pearl in it, then 2 more coats of clear. It looks amazing and I can't wait to see it in the sun!

[mondshine]

So how far is it from Texas to Flat Rock, NC ?

A great shakedown cruise would be to drive that car to Kubel Treffen East come July.

It sure would be a treat to see that car in person.

Good luck, Mondshine

[Dougster43]

[Dougster43]

Paint is on and the body is back on the chassis and she is back in my shop. Targeting Memorial Day weekend for first drive...

Enjoy the pictures!!

[Dougster43]

More progress! Hopefully just a few weeks out now.

Also my speaker panels turned out great!

[Dougster43]

Getting really close - just lacking rear fenders and my hood which should be back from paint this week. First start went ok and I have 8 miles on it so far, but I still have to dial in the timing and idle.

Can't wait to get this Thing out for a real spin!!

[TDCTDI]

Looks great. I do hope that you don’t run into color match issues due to parts being painted at different times. I assembled a car for someone who went this route & the mismatch was pretty glaring once assembled.


The contrasting windshield frame is an interesting touch.
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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!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


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

[Dougster43]

Thanks. I debated on the windshield frame and ultimately decided to do it black to blend with the roll bar and the top. Not saying I won't change my mind later but that's the plan for now.

I had the same concern on the color. My painter is fanatical about matching the color between panels. He painted the doors at the same time as the body but all the fenders were at a different time, and he has been out to my shop several times to check them in all kinds of lighting to make sure they match. He kept some panels at his shop to check the colors between the sprays.

So far so good but anything could happen...