The Ragtop Express

[tpb_karl]

Sp,me great progress there  

nice progress, I think the fitment on the rear fenders and running board is fine

Thanks guys!
I'll have to look around at some shows next year, on what the "norm" of fender-to-running board fitment is like I haven't owned a bug for seven years. Back then i was very new to aircooled VWs. Which is why i'm not 100% sure on some details.

A couple of short visits to the garage this weekend. Had a big convex area by the horn grill on the driver's side front fender that I couldn't get rid of. Luckily I had backup fender and i don't understand why I didn't take this one from the start... This one fit perfectly and i just had to move the turn signal hole.







Then I started on the rear fenders. On the left, the gravel guard was still there, so after removing it, the to-do list grew once again..






I considered cutting out the whole piece that was rusty and making another attempt on the English wheel. But as I've said before, these are only supposed to get the car passed an inspection, so I've started patching up instead..







The fender is not finished. Work continues next weekend.
Ciao!

[MrIcka]

Nice work, man

[tpb_karl]

Nice work, man

Thanks!  


Back on it!
The white rear fender had a fairly long dent that got straightened out. I also welded and drilled new holes for my taillights.









Then it was time for the last fender. It was bent and had split apart at the hole for the bumper mount. But otherwise quite solid!







It found its way home eventually.







With the fenders ready, it's time to adress the rust on the body.







Horn mount and not a hole in sight (Or so I thought)





Tax receipt and first owner's name and residence. Gunvor in Lidköping





The spare wheel well is pretty rotted out and the same can be said about the little aluminium badge..
I tried blasting it off but it was a little far to gone. Are these available as newly manufactured?







On closer inspection at the horn, I discovered that the side was very thin... So i had to make a small repair.











The problem I had with the replacement panel from IGP was the hole where you take out the shift rod. On the original, the edges were folded in and on this one there was just a hole cut out. After some measuring, CADing and 3D printing, I had a giant dimple die. The 3D print did not survive.. But I got to the hole looking decent!







After some sanding and welding primer, the front was ready to receive the new wheel well. Grinding and paint..... Tt looks quite decent though. It's not 100% finished as i'm out of sanding belts and Roloc discs for my air tools..








And as a nice addition to the shelf, The same local club member that gave me the green fender has made a another donation. This time chrome T-bars. They should add at least a couple of hp.

[richie]

Some real nice work going on here

cheers Richie

[BossHogg76]

The other half of the sunday update crew 

Lovely work Karl.

[tpb_karl]

Some real nice work going on here

cheers Richie

Thank you! 

The other half of the sunday update crew 

Lovely work Karl.

Its a great way to reflect on the weekends accomplishments! Im glad im not the only one updating

[tpb_karl]

Sunday again, time for an update!

I’ve cleaned up the welds and thrown some primer in the spare wheel well.


Friday, I went to the garage and sorted the hole in the floor behind the drivers seat.



This repair was done "quick and dirty". I know this is not the right way to do it.. The idea is for it to pass the MOT. Later, when the car is fully disassembled and under rebuild, the body will be lifted from the pan, and both floor halves will be replaced with new ones.








Then it was time to tackle the inner wheel arches. The right side was first, and I decided to try making the sheet metal myself instead of buying an aftermarket panel.
Of course, you start with CAD (Cardboard Aided Design).


After some bead rolling, flanging, and bending over my knee, it started taking shape.


The heater channel also needed repair (of course).






The gap at the bottom of the A-pillar was welded shut, and I made my own press tool to shape the area around the nut for the fender mount. Strangely, I didn’t take any pictures of this, but I’ve filmed the whole process.



Using some 6mm metal from the scrap bin, I made a nut that resembles the original ones, which, as I understand it, were pressed into the fender edge. This one ewas welded on the back side.



Then it got welded onto the car. The fit wasn’t 100%, but I think I can adjust it later.




Next time, it’ll be the left side.
Take care!

[leec]

Very nice repair to the front inner wing - might have to copy that on one of my cars

[BossHogg76]

Great progress, love the weekly updates

[Steve67]

great job on the body repairs.
I would consider drilling a drainage hole on the bottom of the A pillar.
I think blocked drainage in this area is the cause for most rust issues there

[tpb_karl]

Thanks for the positive feedback! Thats a great tip Steve! I'll have to look into that!

[tpb_karl]

Here we go again!
I did some 3D scanning and CAD work for a friend and got paid in oil filters and Argon mix. Thanks for that!


Then I repaired the inner fender on the driver's side. The procedure is the same as on the passenger side, so here’s a bunch of pictures for you.











Thanks Steve for the tip to make drainage holes at the bottom of the A-pillar to prevent this part of the car from rusting again. After doing some research, it turns out that cars from ’61 already have a drainage hole that channels water out over the siderunners. The opening is right at the seam where the A-pillar’s panels overlap.


I had an idea to make a new hole at the front since I plan to give the car a bit of a nose down attitude. But that hole would end up inside the front fender, which would probably let more water in than out… So I’ll stick with the original drainage.

Here’s a little overview since about half of the rust repair work is done.


Probably won’t get more done before Christmas, so until next time, I would like to wish you all, a Merry Christmas! 

[BossHogg76]

Another great update, Merry Christmas Karl have a good one

[Steve67]

Great craftmanship. Retaining the original drainage hole ist the nicest option :-)

[tpb_karl]

After exams, reports, and assignments at the university, I finally got a few days in the garage—four, to be exact!

It's time to tackle the tedious work on the rear ends of the rocker panels.

First up, some more parts for the build!
Metal behind the doors and the outer section of the rear inner fender.
2-inch shortened tie rods, shock absorbers, and new rear lower quarter panels with bumper brackets.






Here's the first side to address.







After cleaning up a bit, it’s easier to see where the problems lie.







Looks like some repairs will also be needed under the heater channel before inspection.
I’ve temporarily removed the jack mount, and the car will likely remain without it.





I started with the easier task: the lower rear quarter panels. It’s only held in place with welding clamps for now.







Carefully removing rusty parts from the front inner fender corner.






The heater channel is, as usual, in bad shape, so I made a small repair.
Eventually, I plan to lift the body from the chassis and replace the entire heat channel.











Further research showed double layers of metal at the end of the heater channel toward the rear wheel well.
Ideally, I’d lift the body to fix the entire cross member, but for now, I’m patching it as best I can.

First, the inner layer.







With that in place, I could fit the outer piece—and while at it, i gotta test a T-bar!







When everything looked good, I welded it in place.






Next up: the metal behind the passenger door.
This part will need lots of love before it’s ready to weld.





I started by cutting off the bottom section and replicating the original panel, including the drain hole.








All welded nuts were removed.
The lower part now uses a stud, and the upper part will follow the same approach as the front fender repairs.
It took some persuasion to match the radii reasonably with the original.







Unfortunately, I didn’t get further this weekend, as I spent some time on the reinforcement plate for the inner fender.




I experimented with heating and hammering a bowl into a piece of metal, smoothing it with an English wheel.





I tried 3D printing a press mold with alignment pins in aluminum but failed.









I then traced the bracket onto the plate and made one from 2mm steel.






All this was testing for the final parts.
I’ll likely skip the "bowl" and go over the bumper bracket to allow for torque bars in the future without excess metal in the way.


That’s the current situation! Work continues next week.