1967 VW Variant.

kadman · 26-08-2023 9:16am

Sure you dont need the coat, to keep an eye on me. Just keep posting the tips😉

Did you do engine rebuilds back in the day, or was that farmed out to an outside rebuilders.

Its a simple engine as you know, but the scene here now sends their engines to a N.I. based guy who is an expert at doing them. I could nevver figure out why they wouldn't do their own engines. I do all my own. They are a nice simple engine to get them right anyway. Here is one i built 13 years ago. Ran so sweet you could balance a coin on it😁

https://youtu.be/RoG7AMZOIYI?feature=shared

New Home · 26-08-2023 10:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121028620#Comment_121028620

Pft, thay's easy, the €2 coin has a large edge. Bet you couldn't do it with cents. 😂

All jokes aside, that's chin-dropping work, Kadman.

jmreire · 26-08-2023 12:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121028620#Comment_121028620

Yes of course, back in the day ( as they say ) everything was done inhouse. ( specialist parts of the job, re-boring, skimming cylinder heads etc. were outsourced ) my very first job on my first day was sanding down a new wing for a VW Beetle...it was a job I got to know very well over the years all done by hand, no fancy sanding machine's mounted on powerful vacuum cleaners to extract the dust etc. ( Health and Safety not being invented at the time.) Brake shoes were re-lined, Dynamos were cleaned up and fitted with new brushes. Tyres were fitted, as were towbars, inc the electrics. Beetle brake drums were cleaned ( the dust caused "squeaky brakes ) while the car was on the wheel free lift, by the simple method of inserting the airline nozzle into the brake adjusting hole in the drum, giving it a good blast, while rotating the wheel. The ensuing cloud of brake dust ( from the asbestos brake linings ) would cover at least a 10 foot radius around the car and eventually, everyone in the workshop would get a "taste" of it. In a sense, it was very good all round experience. ( not health wise obviously) When you arrived in the morning to the workshop, you did what ever job the foreman gave you. And as you say kadman, once you do one or two engine rebuilds, you are good to go, they are a very simple engine to work on. The gear boxes were something else though, they had to be set up on jigs to work on, and needed special tools. But luckily, they never gave much trouble. They were overall a very well designed and built car.

Completely different ball game nowadays of course. Present day mechanics are 50/50 mechanic / IT technician. And modern workshops are divided into specialist area's it has gotten co complicated.

kadman · 26-08-2023 1:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121028904#Comment_121028904

Wide edge me arse. 2 mm and tangential contact = minimal contact. And engine at 900rpm's. Goway you gurrier🤣

jmreire · 02-09-2023 11:30am

I just happened to be looking at the time sheets ( as foremen do) and noticed an omission...hope everything is OK ?

New Home · 02-09-2023 1:02pm

Probably annual leave, the slacker. Can't get the staff, these days, @jmreire.

jmreire · 02-09-2023 3:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121059757#Comment_121059757

Universal kind of problem......😎. Hopefully, he'll come back fully refreshed and fighting fit...😂

jonski · 03-09-2023 10:28am

This mornings lesson in Classic Cars .............. Don't post when you are drunk .

kadman · 03-09-2023 2:07pm

You cheeky shower.😁

I will have you know, I have been hard at it with the corner all tidied up, and a new bottom splash panel made and fitted in, along with a new outer edge along the bottom of the wheel arch panel, and the front bottom edge welded in awaiting final alignment and finishing.

Then its an all around clean and tidy up on this corner, more final grinding, rust proofing, seam sealing and the final red oxide hammerite all before the gravitex stone chip.

Now I am off to welcome home son no. 2 the emmy award nominee back from the czech republic. And no I wont be asking Jim's permission, coz if he sacks me, he can just get one of someone in the audience to finish it off🤣

New Home · 03-09-2023 2:57pm

I'd offer to help, but it'd end up like a Fr. Ted job...

kadman · 03-09-2023 3:29pm

State of play now is the following. This side panel has now been mocked up and welded in , just to grind off the welds.

It turned out good enough considering it will never see the light of day behind the wing

This was the corner cut out of the bottom area showing significant rust.

Bottom edge welded in and partially ground off. One of my tools that I use as a dolly to shape metal against is an old heavy cobblers shoe last of a childs size. There are many profiles on this to shape against. I have about 20 of these different shapes.Here i am using it to form up the edge piece of the wheel arch that holds the wing seal.

Here is the oversize filler tacked in in order to shape the outer profile with a lip for the wing bead seal

Here is the view looking towards the rear bumper inside the wheel house. This is the bottom shield panel for the little drain flap behind it. This drain flap drains water that enters the wing louvres and collects inside the void. I also feel that it allows air to enter the louvres to cool the engine.

Here is a replacement panel made, with a few modifications to give the rear flap a bit more protection. And you just cant have enough clamps to hold in the new panel.

And now that I had to shape a front edge piece for the wheel arch, I bashed a bit of metal into shape for the air plannisher to finish off.

Aster a bit more aggressive bashing, I finished it on the plannisher.Once it was rough shaped it was offered up for a trial fit, and next thing is to weld it in and form the seal edge. I am clocking out now, so Jim as its sunday, you best put me down for double time🤣

jmreire · 03-09-2023 3:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121063671#Comment_121063671

All is forgiven !!! LOL, and you can look for triple time!!. That's a fairly exotic bit of use for a cobblers last, I must admit!! But having said that, It does a fine job!!. An elderly panel beater beater friend of mine, who was by trade a blacksmith, had the whole array of dollies hanging on the walls, all hand made, and some were made for only one specific job. He was a remarkably talented metalworker, and long before there were factory manufactured jig and bench repair systems, he had devised his own. It was not unusual to see some one bringing him a set of really old wrought iron gates for repairs. Ones maybe 100 +years old, and see him forging parts for it, to original specifications. He could weld bars in the forge he used. Once he even got the job of opening a bank safe, when the keys for it had been lost and he did it too!. You would have enjoyed his company as I did. One of the regrets I do have ( amongst the many ) was that I didn't take pics of him at work. But there you go.

kadman · 06-09-2023 7:05pm

Just looking back at the white fastback to see how bad it was in comparison to the blue one. It was as bad or worse for sure.

jmreire · 06-09-2023 7:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121077817#Comment_121077817

Yes, TBH, its vomit inducing. I feel like washing my hands after looking at it!!! But I've no doubt, you solved it. Only way to handle a job like that is to ignore everything else, and solely concentrate on that area. And forget about time. I've been asked a few times to take on a restoration job, on a car which on the surface, looked pretty good and solid. But what you see on the surface, is only the tip of the iceberg, and so I've always refused.

Looking at that pic, that's a nice looking jig set up you have. That's the most important piece of equipment you have in the workshop, especially when you have to dismantle to the extent you are doing. First thing on, last thing off .

Keep it up, you're getting there.😎

kadman · 06-09-2023 8:15pm

These are all the little in fill panels that sit behind the big panel that was rotten. And so were all these panels too. So I had to make them all, for both corners. The left and right corners that can be seen , are the repaired corners. Jim you are right to refuse a restoration job. Engine maybe, because you can get to know exactly whats ahead. Body work resos as you so rightfully point out, hold all sorts of horrors. The white car was given to me by my dad, so it was always going to get done, no mater what. And its 99.99% finished so all good. And in reality, so was the blue variant, its got the makings of a lovely car, and has a nice history. And the more that gets done, the further its getting from the scrappies claws. Are any of the resots to concourse, definitely not. Will they mechanically be good. Mechanically, they will do the pepsi challenge with any other type 3 on the road now

jmreire · 07-09-2023 1:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121078076#Comment_121078076

Those small bits were very painstaking I'll bet, but they are fine now !! The inner 1/4 panel is looking very well now as well , when you consider what it was like. Do you have some before and after pics of the white one? ( or even the finished article) ?

kadman · 07-09-2023 10:20am

I have 100's of pictures of the white car before and after. But as you correctly pointed out, before the resto it looked great until you took the wings off. Thats when you reached for a seat to sit down.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/GUUfdYC.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BMqCMVA.jpg[/img]

Here it is before I changed the floor and rolling chassis, which meant i also had to change the number plate by law.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/MIbFxCG.jpg[/img]

jmreire · 07-09-2023 10:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121079536#Comment_121079536

Yes, it sure looked like a very good restore project at the start. I'm very impressed by your rolling frame / jig bench. When you start to remove the outer body shell parts, because the vehicle depends on them for overall rigidity, ( monocoque construction) the shell can twist and warp. But that's not a problem for you, obviously. ( and with a restore project, you will have enough problems anyway!!!😏) Was it a complete new floor and chassis you installed, or from a donor car? Generally, with VW's, from the wishbone rear all along the centre tunnel, and to the Y front axle/suspension supports, the metal was pretty thick. I don't that I've ever seen one rusted through. The floor panels were a different matter, and especially under the battery.

kadman · 07-09-2023 11:27am

It was a complete replacement floor from a vw type 3 variant as they are the same floor footprint. It was a repaired floor pan with a few small repairs that was done when I bought it.

kadman · 07-09-2023 11:33am

The type 3 floor pan is different from a beetle one in the sense that the whole type 3 floor pan covers the entire bottom of the tunnel in 1 complete piece. Any replacement pans you buy will be in halves , that sit into each side of the main tunnel.

There were also reinforcing ribs running front to rear, one each side of the car, that are often left out when floorpans are replaced. here you can see them in the pic.

jmreire · 07-09-2023 4:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121079857#Comment_121079857

That's a fine job. Was it hard to align it with the existing body? Or did it slip right in? And MIG welded on to the tunnel from inside. I guess? Would be the handiest, I think, with an external weld here and there along the length ? The existing one must have been in a right old state. But that's a very good solution, complete replacement rather than the two halves.

kadman · 07-09-2023 5:07pm

New floorpan/new tunnel, hence the new number plate that had its vin just at the gearbox coupling inspection plate, just like the beetle. The old tunnel floor pan was more or less toast, so the old tunnel and floor got the scrap heap as i had to use the new logbook and number. It was the best option.

And because the new floor was a later pan, with the new 1 year only type 3 specific 73 floor seat 3 point seats, I lost the use of the comfy earlier rail mounted seats, and had to fit in golf mark 2 seats, and remake the floor mounts on the seats to line up. Complete pain, but its done now.

jmreire · 07-09-2023 9:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121081608#Comment_121081608

That was unfortunate about the seats all right, you could have done without the extra hassle. But just goes to show the difference a single digit change in the part Nr can make when ordering them. Buts its worked out fine.

kadman · 10-09-2023 3:38pm

Next job was to repair a rusted section that supports the internal part of the shell.

Find the rust and cut it out.

Then mark a template of the cut area for a repair panel to be formed from.

Then cut the piece from the metal sheet, form it, and weld it in.

Once its welded into place and welds ground off , then its time for convert ox rust convertor, oxide and gravitex stonechip. A little helping hand from a support rod, and its ready to final fit and weld

kadman · 10-09-2023 4:57pm

I just sploshed a drop of convertox onto the area after welding in the new piece.

So just to weld in a little patch, and its good to go with s

tone chip after a couple of days for the convertox to cure.

kadman · 10-09-2023 4:58pm

then its seam seal all the welds, and hammerite red oxide 2 coats, and then stone chip 2 coats.

jmreire · 10-09-2023 9:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121092733#Comment_121092733

Awkward. No other word to describe it.

jmreire · 10-09-2023 9:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121092969#Comment_121092969

Looking a lot better now.😎

kadman · 13-09-2023 12:20pm

Two coats of rust convertor 2 coats of hammerite red oxide, and just need to seam seal the welds. The weld in the pic thats not ground is too deep for my die grinder to reach, its under the wing so I can live with it

kadman · 17-09-2023 10:30am

I have been prepping the bulkhead with rust convertor and here it is cleaned before the convertor applied. When thats done it will get all the seams replaced with new sealer, and then coated with stone chip.Amazingly the 50+ year old sealer is still tough and solid, and would take an angle grinder to get it off, so its staying as further original protection for the bulkhead.

1967 VW Variant.

Comments