spookyrooky
Member
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- 41
how hard is it to do for a 1st timer welder????
- Thread starter spookyrooky
- Start date
madkayaker
Pro sparkey Pro Welder
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- 13,678
lots of thin panel what welder have you got? Worth heading to scrappy to get some bent bits to practice on first
I have welded up lots of beetles, the metal is alot easier to weld than other cars, when I did work on them (15 yrs ago) what rotted was available ie dont just patch the heater channels replace them with the whole section also I fitted the whole rear body crossmember (in front of backwheels hidden by the torsion tube assembly) instead of ill fitting plates. which model have you got does it have coil springs on the front as in 1302/1303 models these were notorious rot boxes around the lower track control arm mounts also the struts rotted. I always prefered the normal models, having said that mine was a 1500 semi auto. If I can be of any help then pm me.
bigbadbugga
Member
- Messages
- 1,005
I mostly weld Bugs, they are like any car, once you work out how they are constructed you can see where the repairs are needed.
As mentioned earlier, the original metal is quite a heavy gauge and easy to weld, the problem however is that many of the 'pattern' repair panels available are a less generous thickness and usually not a good fit.
Are you a member on Volkszone (VZI)?, there are plenty of knowlegable tech people on there to help you with the specifics of the VW cars.
As mentioned earlier, the original metal is quite a heavy gauge and easy to weld, the problem however is that many of the 'pattern' repair panels available are a less generous thickness and usually not a good fit.
Are you a member on Volkszone (VZI)?, there are plenty of knowlegable tech people on there to help you with the specifics of the VW cars.
Kafer_meister
Tinkerer
- Messages
- 185
I mostly weld old VW's as well, so give me a shout if there is anything specific you need to know.
Just some of the rust I've replaced on my 1300 1971 bug
Just some of the rust I've replaced on my 1300 1971 bug
spookyrooky
Member
- Messages
- 41
its a 1200 model with the front beam
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9968
already had the heater channels replaced and the front wheel well, just need the floor pans, rear valance and some inside bits done and etc etc etc
spookyrooky
Member
- Messages
- 41
I mostly weld Bugs, they are like any car, once you work out how they are constructed you can see where the repairs are needed.
As mentioned earlier, the original metal is quite a heavy gauge and easy to weld, the problem however is that many of the 'pattern' repair panels available are a less generous thickness and usually not a good fit.
Are you a member on Volkszone (VZI)?, there are plenty of knowlegable tech people on there to help you with the specifics of the VW cars.
ill give VZI a look at
and any new panel is bound to be better than a rusty one with holes in it, lol..
spookyrooky
Member
- Messages
- 41
was that just the one panel you bought for that section???
spookyrooky
Member
- Messages
- 41
got this one, http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9969
and i can get plenty off metal rom 09 upwards from my work to practice (work in a sheet metal factory, and been told to help myself to off cuts
for welding practice, but i still need to get hold off a bottle tho )Kafer_meister
Tinkerer
- Messages
- 185
Nah, that's two panels mate, they meet in in the middle where they're thinnest. The are called 'rear cross members' Genuine ones are about £50 a side and fit nicely, repo ones are more like £20 but are not good.
Beetle restoration
Have you ever had a go at welding a new framehead on?
I mostly weld old VW's as well, so give me a shout if there is anything specific you need to know.
Just some of the rust I've replaced on my 1300 1971 bug
Have you ever had a go at welding a new framehead on?
