1971 VW Beetle Rebuild

[unopescio]

I really should have started this thread 6 months ago when I first bought my beetle, but now that the serious work has started on it I figured it would be fun to show you guys what Im doing.

Basically the story is I bought this car online from another state without ever seeing it in person. It was cheap, but there was a reason. several of them really. It had been unregistered for a long while, there were a few major rust problems, the interior was falling to pieces and there were holes in the heater exchanges so when you turned the fan on it actually blew exhaust into the cabin straight in your face. Also the tires were totally bald.

Anyway since I bought it last year Ive been slowly do my best to bring it back to life. Im going to keep uploading pictures in this thread as progress is made, Its annoying I havent kept a real history of what Ive done to the car so this thread should help.

Heres a list of few of the major things Ive done so far.

-Replaced the heater exchanges and silencer

-Twice sent it off for panel beating

-Replaced the snapped vw golf steering wheel with a repro

-Replaced the ruined running boards

-Replaced the right and door

-Replaced all the seatbelts

-Replaced the front tires

-Replaced the sh*tty side mirrors that were from bunnings or somewhere and just drilled into the doors.

-Chopped the headrests off as I convert them to lowbacks

-Completely Sanded off 3 panels, 5 remaining + the chassis.

-Rebuilt the seats completely replacing half the broken springs and welding broken joints.

and much more, I just cant remember it all right now.

Heres a few pictures in sort of a timeline, the last one I took today.

This is the car as it was the day it arrived

Off at the panel beaters getting its first round of rust fixing

The seats disassembled before I cut the head rests off to make low back seats

First incarnation of my dust mask

The floor pan after I sanded off all the rust, welded up a couple spots and repainted it in rust proof paint

The disassembling begins!

Bare metaling the first panel

Dust mask second incarnation

Tools starting to pile up

So today I hooked up my sandblaster for the first time and cleaned up the rest of a panel, holy sh*t does that thing burn through the steel grit fast. Im going to set up a plastic tarp next time so I can catch it and reuse it. I also started welding up a few holes that I found under the rear fender when I took it off, the results are below.

So that its for now! more pics will come as more gets done. I found a '67 online for sale aswell that Im thinking of buying so this could be a long thread indeed.

[*MURDOC*]

Looks great, props for giving this thing a second chance!

[Kiffster]

Always loved the classic bug!

[SouthLand]

I wished i had Time, Money and a place to do this...

 

Nice bug friend.

[epoxi]

Looks like a promising start.

 

The VW Beetle is one of the few mass produced cars you can actually make a profit on by restoring, at least in the UK.

[unopescio]

Beetle No.2 Im going to have a look at tomorrow

 

 

If I do end up buying it Im going to have to go into overdrive on this current one to get it on the road ASAP. Thankfully this one looks a lot less molested than the '71 was so there wont be as much work to do

 

 

EDIT: Its mine! More pics when it arrives on tuesday

Edited April 18, 2014 by Thunderfuckrapist

[unopescio]

Update!

Work on the Superbug is going well, Ive finished off sanding on the last wheel arch and am ready to move onto the hood sometime this week

 

 

Dust mask 3rd incarnation

 

 

And now onto the exciting news! yesterday morning around 1 oclock my very own '67 beetle arrived on the back of a truck! I took these pics straight away, later in the day i started pulling all the sh*t out of it, there were these weird wooden panels all over the car, and strange carpeting placed all over the interior

 

 

So yeah, fair to say I have a lot of work ahead of me

Edited April 24, 2014 by Thunderfuckrapist

[Blastoise1994]

Sweet bugs! I had a '68 for a few years, kinda' wish I hadn't sold it. I'll be watching this thread.

[Pavle]

-deleted-

 

 

I wish you good luck on your project.

Edited March 4, 2015 by pajkosinjo

[Lurch]

Do the 1302 Supers not have the AC grill? Or is that a Euro thing? My 1303 Super definitely has a fairly crude grill (supposedly for the condenser for optional AC).

Also, 67's are cool. Only year of the old 5 lug swingaxle car with the better 12 volt electrics.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Lurch

[Blastoise1994]

 

I can confirm they do have grilles, I had a 1971 convertible for a while. I'm thinking it might have been an optional thing, like, cars that didn't come with AC didn't come with the grilles. Mine had AC. My dad sold it out from under me after I tried to run away when I was fifteen. I still haven't forgiven him for that.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Blastoise1994

[unopescio]

Yeah Im not sure about the front grill, I know a lot about beetles but Im far from an expert, my super is a 1600cc though not a 1302. Im working on getting the '67 running today, yesterday I hooked up a battery and got the engine turning over but it isnt pumping any fuel through the line Im thinking its blocked with rust or gunk, it hasnt run in at least 2 years from what I was told.

[Blastoise1994]

Actually 1302 is the chassis code (I think?) for your model Super Beetle, not an engine size indicator. The '73+ model is a 1303, I'm not sure about the standard Beetles though. GL on the '67!

[OmegaEvolution]

Is it a Mexico?

[unopescio]

Actually 1302 is the chassis code (I think?) for your model Super Beetle, not an engine size indicator. The '73+ model is a 1303, I'm not sure about the standard Beetles though. GL on the '67!

 

yeah sorry I meant 1300cc, my super is a 1600cc. Yesterday was a failure. I swapped over the fuel pumps to find the one on the '67 is busted, its trying to start but its the crank pulley is stuck or something, Im not sure whats going on. Also the fuel line is blocked with rust or gunk Im going to have to clear it, fun times ahead.

 

@Amigo: Nope the superbug was made in Brazil Im pretty sure and the '67 was made right here in Aus

Edited April 27, 2014 by Thunderfuckrapist

[Lurch]

Could you get 1300cc supers over there? I'm thinking all 71-up US market bugs were 1600's. Hell, I think 68-up's were all 1600's (single ports. Dual ports from 71-on).


But yeah, by 1302 and 1303, I mean model number not engine displacement. 1302 = 71-72 Supers. 1303 = 73+ Supers.

[Blastoise1994]

I'm not entirely sure we ever had a 1300cc Super here in the states, but for a short time in the early fuel crisis, cost cutting era of the 1970s you could actually buy a European style standard Beetle referred to in literature as "the basic Beetle". It's pretty interesting, considering we generally only got the Deluxe "export" models, and I really like just how basic the "basic Beetle" actually is.

[unopescio]

Well its looking like the engine on the '67 is seized. Im going on holiday for a while but when I get back it looks like time for a massive engine rebuild on that one and the bare metal respray on the '71. Fun times!

[TheMcSame]

Looking good so far. My neighbour has a '71 beetle as well I'd post a pic but this forum seems to hate me posting pics. I'll try to get it up soon though if I can, it's not a landscape picture though . I'd take a decent landscape picture but he doesn't get it out too often.

 

Edited May 4, 2014 by TheMcSame

[unopescio]

Wow its been a long time since I posted in here. This is the beetle in its current condition.

 

 

Completely stripped, no glass or interior. Its off to get sandblasted this week, then Im going to hopefully spray it with primer this weekend. Things will be moving very fast with this over the next month so Ill try to get a few pictures uploaded here and there.

[unopescio]

Update! Things are moving very quickly so Im trying my best to take photos of what Im doing when I can. The body has been sent off to get sand blasted minus a few panels and the dirt space under my house has become the beetle construction zone.

 

 

Ive sprayed primer over these 4 panels now, top coat and clear coat should happen within a week.

 

 

Not bad for someone who doesnt know what the f*ck theyre doing.

[LightningLord]

Update! Things are moving very quickly so Im trying my best to take photos of what Im doing when I can. The body has been sent off to get sand blasted minus a few panels and the dirt space under my house has become the beetle construction zone.

http://i.imgur.com/0sYb2wq.jpg

 

 

Ive sprayed primer over these 4 panels now, top coat and clear coat should happen within a week.

 

http://i.imgur.com/BBvkpYI.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0AuyzDD.jpg

 

Not bad for someone who doesnt know what the f*ck theyre doing.

Edited August 31, 2014 by epoxi
Please don't quote entire post of images

[unopescio]

oh god it cant have been 4 weeks since the sandblasting can it? Anyway things are moving ahead steadily. Im very slowly pushing the car towards it getting primed. Once it came back from the sandblasters a whole number of rust holes showed themselves and Ive spent the last month welding, grinding sanding and polishing every inch of the car. Its about 85% done now. Working full time and working on this is killing me.

 

 

Spare room now beetle storage.

 

 

The fuel tank after I ripped it out and repainted it. Quite pleased with the result. Anyway thats it for now, moving into a new house and probably wont have internet for a little while so see ya and Ill post more progress once Ive made some.

[*MURDOC*]

Nice!

Good luck with everything dude!

[unopescio]

Its been a long while! I've been pretty busy with all manner of things over the last few months but after a lot of steady work with welding grinding and filling I'm finally ready to paint this beast this weekend!

Here's how my 71 looks currently. The body is now 100 percent clean and I've put a couple layers of rustoleum over the floor pans and parcel shelf where I had the worst rust problems.

 

 

Watch this thread! I'm ready to paint this weekend and I've got a room full of brand new parts to go in once the paint is on so it's getting exciting

[Daniel4]

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before, this is very cool.

[epoxi]

Awesome work, looking forward to the paint. Is there any risk that rust has formed in the period the car has been naked metal, or is keeping it covered safe enough?

 

Also: good to see the old OnePiece name (kinda) back.

Edited January 28, 2015 by epoxi

[unopescio]

Yep there definetley is a risk, flash rust can form very quickly especially when it's humid outside. partly why I have quickly painted the worst effected areas first. I wipe down the car with wax and grease remover most days I work on it though and that keeps the metal mostly clean and shiny. Had a bad surprise a month or so ago when I walked in to find a million f*cking spots of rust all over the car after the back door of the garage had been left open during a thunder storm. Had to give the whole damn car a once over.

 

Also you'll see in the second pic I've dropped the engine out (so easy to do on a beetle) and I'm going to completley rebuild it at some point. Fun fun!

[epoxi]

Sweet, I'd scrutinise it extremely carefully before priming because it would be a huge shame to go through all of this only to have some rust come back.

[M22]

Wow nice work on the 71 beetle bro, goodluck with the other beetle, also surprised that your parents or whoever let you work on the beetle in the garage with all the tools next to that SLK, have fun with the rest of the restoring dude!