1967 bug restoration hand-me-down

[WADVR]

In 2003(or so) my father purchased a '67 bug to retire the '68 that he had driven daily since the early '80s(that I know of, maybe earlier) he drove this '67 until 2012 when he retired and there it sat until last fall when my mother decided it needed to go. New battery and A new fuel line from the pump to the carb and it fired right up and ran perfectly. I wasn't able to bring it home until April this year but drove it 120 miles over a mountain pass and it drove great. I did stop a few times to make sure nothing was getting too hot but it crested the summit of Stevens Pass(4000') without an issue and power to spare.

The plan is to rebuild it for my daughter to drive. This will be her 1st car and while many disagree with a new driver driving an old classic she has a very level head and I find it important to for her to help with the build and appreciate the work that goes into the privilege of driving. Many kids around here are given fancy new cars and have no appreciation for the money their parents put into them. And if all else fails I will gladly drive this over my '12 TDI Jetta.

Enough of the story and on to the project. This car, while running and driving great is a total rust bucket. If I was not an experienced welder I would not even consider rebuilding this car. This car was driven winter after winter on chemically de-iced roads and it has taken its toll. The floor pans are shot, heater channels completely rusted through, along with the front wheel wells, front apron, quarts panels,... Pretty much everything. Through searching many threads here and my daughter scouring YouTube videos we hope to figure this all out. I know many recommend finding original sheet metal but I think that will be tough in my region, many panels will be aftermarket but where possible and necessary I will use original sheet metal.

So far: interior removed to uncover the expected bad news. Above the rear fender on the body was more extensive than anticipated and will require finding a donor car to cut out that section to replace the bad.

Many of the pan bolts actually came out ok, but several of them spun a nice chunk of the heater channel with them. The fenders weren't too difficult to remove and we took our time removing the lights and wiring so that when the time comes we can reinstall them and hopefully not go crazy with the wiring.
The fuel tank came out easily via a quick search and view of an informative YouTube video explaining how to unhook the fuel gauge sending unit-otherwise I was starring at it thinking, I am probably going to break this trying to figure it out. Turned out to be very simple. The brake res unhooked, and remove the body to beam bolts without issue.

Next up is to get the rest of the body ready to be removed;
Buy angle iron and brace the lower body,
Unhook the steering column,
Remove the dash items, gauges, wiring etc(not excited about this)
Remove windshield and back window,
Strip the doors of glass seals etc.

The idea at this point is to set the body on saw horses and fix the pan with new floor pans and check what else it needs. Since the engine was rebuilt prior to my father owning it, there might be some things wrong or missing. I know the shroud is not a '67 model but not sure what else I will find..

Once the pan is solid I will work on fitting new heater channels, quarter panels etc to the body. I hope this approach will be successful in having everything line up properly.

Thanks for reading my post and thanks in andvance for any tips, guidance, critisim that will help get this built properly!
_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[daven]

Looks like a project!
To help out - the picture of the fuel sender - the rubber seal looks like it's split? If so you'll get gas fumes in the car!
Good luck!
Dave

[far rider]

Since you're an experienced welder I guess you know what you're getting into. Guessing also you realize the time and work involved for such a project. That being said it can be done and it's all been done before. Plenty of info right here on the samba.
I agree with your plan to use OG metal. I would caution to take many pics and measure, measure, measure. One mistake I made in replacing my front clip was not putting the hood on to check alignment. I put fenders on and all looked good but the hood was off a bit. So check all panel fit before final welding.
Good luck!
_________________
67 zenith blue sunroof

Contentment; when what you have is what you want.

[67ctbug]

Definitely looks like a project. Good luck!
_________________
'67 Beetle L41
'74 Westfalia
'69 Plymouth "Adam-12"
'63 Ragtop
'73 914
'72 Dodge Wrecker
Go Cubs!
World Series Champions 2016

[WADVR]

Thanks, will be a lot of work for sure. It is a bit overwhelming looking at all the parts that are rusted out but take it one at a time.

Thanks on the fuel sender, will have to have a closer look.
_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[JeffRens]

Looks pretty similar to the condition of the 56 I restored. Great project and indeed well worth the effort. Be prepared.. I spent most of my weekends and a stretch of vacation time here and there. It took me 4 years and $12K. That's with me doing all of the work, including body work and paint, except for the heater channel installation by someone with a jig to square things up as it was so bad... Have fun and be grateful for a resource like this forum.

[Eric&Barb]

Get a copy of the VW dealer original workshop manual:

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ACC-C10-9651

While a little earlier most of the info is still pertinent.
_________________
In Stereo, Where Available!

[WADVR]

Got a little more done tonight, ready to pull the body now. I also found the 4th wheel I needed on CL earlier this week. Only had 3 of the '67 wheels, now I have a complete set, minus spare.

I purchased x2 6' of 1" angle iron and x2 6' of 1.25" angle iron to brace the door opening. This bug has been wrecked and the drivers door in particular sags but also hits the top of the A pillar when shut. I am sure the completely rotted out pans and heater channels are provoking this as well but I made the bracing easily adjustable so that adjustments can be made. I used angle iron for the supports as it is easy to fit, is ridgid and by using slightly different sizes matches up well for adjustability sake. It is easy to grind off the weld between the two pieces, adjust, hold with vice grips and reweld. Prior to fitting the new sheet metal I will check everything against some specs I found online, square it up and recheck for fitment.

Should be all ready for removal of the body now, after cleaning the garage to make space for both body and pan. I have purposely left the glass, doors, hood, etc for these fitment issues. Once things are in check and fully welded in, will remove them all for paint.

Thanks for the tips, will be picking up a manual soon, will definitely need the help!
_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[Eric&Barb]

Since you are in Western Washington you should be able to get plenty of good used sheet metal. Floor pans and heater channels will be hardest, but if you do get quality repro of those, and not cheapest available you should be happy with the result.

The Vintage Meet in Seattle is coming up soon in later July. You should be able to find some parts there and do not be afraid to ask each swapper selling about stuff you need.

Go thru the classifieds on this website now. You can narrow down the search to so many miles from you or by state. Say if someone is selling off an engine lid, or fenders, or front hood, etc., they might have a shell of a body or parts of with plenty of usable sheet metal for you.
_________________
In Stereo, Where Available!

[WADVR]

Good point, I have the Shorline meet in my calendar, hope to pick up some parts. Plan is to use Wolfsburg pans and Klassic fab heater channels, all else is up in the air.

Thanks.
_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[rcooled]

[Rome]

rcooled, the OP did mention right at the beginning that this was his father's Beetle for many years. So I'd say this resto is indeed a highly sentimental motivation, to pass along to his daughter.

I wish the OP perseverence (and his daughter's appreciation as work progresses) to see the car through to completion.

[WADVR]

Took a couple days off but will be pulling the body tomorrow night. Will be the time a final decision is made to keep going or to stop while I'm ahead. If the pan is hiding a lot more damage a decision will be made.
Rcooled, I definitely hear where you're coming from for most people fab work is scary. Which is why they pay me to do it for them.. The thread of the 62 you linked is probably the best thread I've seen yet Call me crazy but I would rather fab than pull an engine out of a car. Working on this bug is a bit different than my normal work which is another reason I am interested in following through.
_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[WADVR]

Pulled the body from the pan tonight. Took a whopping 2 minutes since I had everything disconnected. The pan bulkheads look to be in good shape so a couple new floor pans and slot of cleanup is in order. As I suspected the engine looks to not be from a '67 and needs some cleaning. Other items are CV boot replacement on drivers side, possibly new mounts as the CV boot looks a little close to the pan support. Will take the opportunity to clean everything and replace necessary hoses, cables, bushings Etc to make everything work smoothly. Not sure how far to go on the engine housing not being correct. Will have to fight OCD on this for the time being.

The body on the other hand is about as expected, hammered. On the hunt for some OG parts as the inner quarter panels that hold up the heater channels are toast and the right rear wheel well and body above need full replacement.

_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[flyboy161]

Good job! Love reading these threads!
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My father's 1970 Beetle-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=603879

The 1964...Diamond in the rough
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=612776

My 1958 Morocco Bug-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=611483

[67ctbug]

I saw your post in the firewall thread, so how is it coming? What have you done since June?
_________________
'67 Beetle L41
'74 Westfalia
'69 Plymouth "Adam-12"
'63 Ragtop
'73 914
'72 Dodge Wrecker
Go Cubs!
World Series Champions 2016

[WADVR]

Only worked on it a handful of days honestly. Life with kids, other hobbies and house projects have kept me away.

In that time though, I have stripped the pan all the way down and have welded in new floor pans. I partially sand blasted it just in the areas where the pans went or would be blocking access. Have to finish blasting and paint.

I mocked up the Klassic Fab heater channels and welded them to WolfsburgWest crossmembers.

I also removed the panels I needed from the section I bought and have just now test fit them, pre cleanup and repair.

I test fit the Wolfsburg West sourced front firewall and found that it was unacceptable to me and will be ordering a 2 piece firewall from Klassic Fab soon along with a pair of lower A-pillars.

That's about where it stands right now. I will try and update this thread better..
_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[67ctbug]

Looking good! It seems you've made more progress than me in less time
How did the pans fit? Any trimming, I may need to redo my pans...again.
_________________
'67 Beetle L41
'74 Westfalia
'69 Plymouth "Adam-12"
'63 Ragtop
'73 914
'72 Dodge Wrecker
Go Cubs!
World Series Champions 2016

[WADVR]

Wolfsburg West pans fit perfectly other than the cross bracing, I would recommend splicing mid span to fix rusted ends like mine were. Fitment to the tunnel was horrible. The pans did need downward pressure to make sure they fit tight to the tunnel flange. I just used a prybar in one hand and mig gun in the other. I was impressed with these pans as they are thick material and the primer isn't bad on them, I'd consider not stripping them if I wasn't going to media blast it all and possibly powder coat the pan.
_________________
- 67 Beetle Full Resto Project
- 66 Beetle “Parts Car” Project

[67ctbug]

Ok sound like they are really good. I used the cross braces, and they were ok. They weren't perfect though.
_________________
'67 Beetle L41
'74 Westfalia
'69 Plymouth "Adam-12"
'63 Ragtop
'73 914
'72 Dodge Wrecker
Go Cubs!
World Series Champions 2016