August 67 (68 model) Beetle Cabrio restoration

[Puppy67]

The replacement metal was also treated internally with epoxy and all mating surfaces with weld through primer before being clamped into position.

A few more clamps and looking good. Getting the top butt joint aligned without any clamps gave us confidence that we had a nice fit. A few tack welds will be added, then the inner arch section can also be trial fitted before anything is made too permanent.

[Puppy67]

More metal going in - new inner arch with original body mount section (including shock bolt hole and z-bar mount).

As anyone who has done this kind of repair will know, it takes a lot of gradual tacking and moving and checking, more tacking, more checking, to get right.

Getting the panels naturally sitting correctly before welding was our aim rather than pulling into position with a clamp then welding.
This meant having the rear quarter, wing/fender mount, body mount, luggage floor, etc. positioned, shaped, and working nicely together with a minimum of clamps needed before any tacks went in.

Still a long way to go, but so far, so good.

[Puppy67]

One of the genuine wings lightly bolted in place to ensure a good fit. Best to check now than remork later. As before, not having to
pull the wing into position with the bolts but getting a good natural alignment was the goal. All bolts did go in at some point, but not when
these pictures were taken.

Bumper mount panel (minus bumper mount) also getting checked and clamped.

More welding, more checking, more welding, etc.

[Puppy67]

Same again on the RHS, although a much smaller amount of replacement metal was required to get straight and solid.

The rear end is also starting to come together. Eying up the bumper mount panel and Autocraft rear valance.

Going to take a bit of a break from the work on the rear for now, as we really want the engine ready first. We're wanting to check clearances are all good with that before going too far and needing to change bits again.

[Puppy67]

Before making our way onto the front end, we thought now was a good time to get the doors back on and see the bigger picture with alignment.

That is the best door gap this car has had in the 23 years I've owned it.

This was so satisfying. No seals in place hence the light action, but it's hard to describe how happy this made us, especially considering
the drastic action we took to try and get here. To some, this is just a door closing, but to me it was a pretty major milestone.


Link

[Puppy67]

I know I said we'd move onto the front end next, but we decided the luggage tray could was welded in a bit more permanently at this point. A little metal bumping was required to get the shape closer to what it should be.
A quick shot of primer and that's it here for now, honest!

These supports on the base of the b-posts were also finished off.

[Puppy67]

We started getting everything clamped in place to check fit, alignment, and where the weld thru primer needs to be.
This actually went together with minimal fuss considering the jigsaw of parts being clamped together.

[Busstom]

What's your take on the new quarter panels, in terms of metal thickness? Are they stable and adequate? Or on the flimsy side?

[Puppy67]

I would have preferred a touch heavier gauge, but they're stable enough and seem reasonably accurate.

Only place that seems a little out is the fuel door recess. Whether that's because the '68 fuel doors are different to the '69/70, which are also different to the '71/2 or because of the pressing quality I don't know. Not sure if that's going to be a big issue yet or not, but already planning a few workarounds.

[Busstom]

Thanks. I don't need a whole panel, but I'm in need of the arched portion with the weld nuts (where the fender mounts) to graft onto a '65 Bug.

[Puppy67]

Bit more progress. It opens.....

.....and closes.....

.....and best of all, gaps and alignment are good with very little tweaking.

[Puppy67]

Happy with the dry fit, everything was marked, a few location holes drilled for clamp pins, and removed again. While the panels were off getting prepped and primed the heater ducts in the front quarters were fitted. Much easier to do this now than later (admittedly the slimmer pipes will be coming out again for paint, but they're not so bad).

I also managed to track down a jack clamp, so that was cleaned up ready to be fitted.

[chickengeorge]

Great work and thank you for sharing!

Just wondering what the plan for the finished product is. Resto mod? Still running the Fuchs? Color? Accessories? Motor?

[Puppy67]

Thank you.

Not everything is finalised on the plan yet, but what I do have sorted is:-

Keeping the Fuchs. They are genuine 5.5Jx15 fronts (dated 8/67 and 9/67), while rears are going to either be my deep 6's or 7R's - not 100% which yet. Either way, they are going to be re-anodised and detailed.
Already have disc brakes all round, so they will just be refreshed as required.
Engine is being checked and refreshed, but is already a strong running 1956cc (90.5 x 76) so no major change needed there. Exhaust is changing though.
I'm hoping the interior can be cleaned up. New carpets, but keep the door cards and seats if possible as a connection to my past with this car.
A while ago I restored the original steering wheel from my type 3 fastback (I sold the car with a mota-lita wheel), so that may go in as another bit of my history. It has the full horn ring too, which is nice and a bit different.
Subtle lowering. No pan scraping or air suspension, classic style raked look most likely.
Will keep all trim, bumpers, etc. (or replace with new - but not de-trimming).

As much as possible, I'm wanting the general look to be "period correct" or at least "period possible". Think "What would a tuning company like Oettinger or Cartune have done if they'd built this?" and that's the kind of thing I have in mind. Any suggestions people have, I'm open to ideas, but 19" wheels, whale tails and 80's neon paint jobs are out!!!

[chickengeorge]

[Puppy67]

[Puppy67]

I spent a bit of time today sorting a correct 1968 only speedo for the car. Full rebuild here ...... https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9951361#9951361

Finished gauge.

[Puppy67]

...and just a quick mock up of the gauges in cardboard so I can start thinking about a proper wiring loom for the extras. I can't decide whether the FastFab 3 gauge panel should be painted to match the car, or black/grey to tie in with the clock. I only did a very quick spray in the old colour to get an idea here, as the final colour, while probably similar, isn't 100% decided yet.

I also noticed that the end trim pieces on the panel aren't a match for the trim on the clock (haven't checked against my glovebox trim yet), so they may need a bit of re-shaping when the time comes.

[Puppy67]

It's welded!
That was A LOT of seperate pieces getting joined and lots of seams. Still, loads to do, but feeling like another milestone moment.

And from inside the footwells...

I think the next step will be hiding this with the extra panels cabrios have here.

[Puppy67]

Before installing the kickwell reinforcing panels, everything is getting epoxy coated and weld through primer protection. While that's being sorted, we re-fitted the doors to ensure the fit with the a-pillar gussets is good (they're part of the same panel).

We bolted the front wings on just to see the alignment with front panels. Looking good.