Newbie - Beetle 1303 Project

[andyleesy]

Well having crash landed into a full on project here goes with some pics.
My had a varied history with cars, so for a random list to peruse I've 'enjoyed':

'95 Fiesta Si (1.6 fitted with a 2.0 Mondeo Engine).
'96 Ford Probe V6 :lol:
'02 Ford Cougar V6... I had a FORD phase.
'90 Peugeot 205 GTI (Mi-16 Engine Fitted) Trackcar.
'75 VW Beetle 1200 (1600cc Engine Fitted).
'02 Alfa Romeo 156 2.4 JTD
'96 Fiat Coupe 2.0v Turbo - Still got this.
'04 Volvo 2.0D - Worst car I have ever owned and by far the most expensive.
'02 Alfa 156 2.0 Twinspark

This is my second Beetle now, my first being a '75 1200, cal look. Pretty straight forward without much in the way of bodywork issues, instead I had loads of mechanical work to complete on it.
However, Noris the 1303 needs much much more work than mechanical :eek:
Also, I'd like to point out I bought it with 1 month MOT left!!!! Jeesus

Rear Qtr:

Gutter:

Underside of Roof Gutter in Door aperture:

Strut Turret:

Where Strut Turret meets front valance:

Big hole down there, near battery location:

So, there's a lot to do. I think it's fairly 'complete' though (except for the steel :lol.

So I will be getting to grips with MIG welding, intending to take a day course, maybe two, do a little practising and post pictures of my initial welds and then try and tackle certain areas. Any work that I think is too much at this stage may be saved for someone else, but we'll see how we go!
Can't wait to get started.

DA Sander ordered (Sealey), with Bosch Angle Grinder - anyone tell me wheels I should be using for cuts? Thin discs?
Welder will either be a Clarke 105 or 135TE. Not sure yet.

Few weeks should be enough, right? :incheek:

Andy

 

[andyleesy]

Front wing:

Inner front arch:

Inner rear arch/qtr?

Framehead..quick shot:

Heater Channels probably both near doing:

Oher side. Notice nice blob of filler whacked in there??

Towing eye looks sturdy:

Underside:

 

[pondy]

Been there , done that. Never again! Good luck with the project, going to keep you busy

 

[God mode restorations]

Hi..some intresting project's you have had...and you got your hands full with the latest one...

 

[pedrobedro]

Just think when it's finished though, it'll still be a horrible VW Beetle.

P.S. never been a fan of Beetles, can understand 205 and Alfa though.

 

[octo0072000]

i would be going with a Clarke 151 welder gives you a bit more scope for not much more money
1mm cutting disc's or called slitting disc's for cutting
grinding disc's are thicker flap wheels work well for cleaning up
also remember a one inch hole will end up as four to six inch hole when all cleaned up cut back to good metal have fun

 

[lchris21]

don't just love a bit of rust......

 

[rkde]

Wow, this one is a little sorry for itself. I have just finished the body and floor on a 1303 and have to say removing all the foam from the inside of the rear 1/4 took and age. You will have to do the same to repair the picture below. I hated replacing that part and we had exactly the same rust spot

Looks like it has a lot of modification to it over the years and you are right this needs a lot of bodywork especially if you do it right rather than just put it through an MOT

 

[andyleesy]

Just think when it's finished though, it'll still be a horrible VW Beetle.

P.S. never been a fan of Beetles, can understand 205 and Alfa though.

Hehe, not everyone's cup of tea, but thinking of it as training so I can then go on to work on Alfa, Pugs, etc!

i would be going with a Clarke 151 welder gives you a bit more scope for not much more money
1mm cutting disc's or called slitting disc's for cutting
grinding disc's are thicker flap wheels work well for cleaning up
also remember a one inch hole will end up as four to six inch hole when all cleaned up cut back to good metal have fun

Thank you for the response, I'll check this out.

Wow, this one is a little sorry for itself. I have just finished the body and floor on a 1303 and have to say removing all the foam from the inside of the rear 1/4 took and age. You will have to do the same to repair the picture below. I hated replacing that part and we had exactly the same rust spot

How did you remove the foam in the end?

 

[andyleesy]

Minor update today, we had 2x 2hour stints on the Beetle. The place to start is by taking it to pieces, so we proceeded by removing the rear wings, running boards, rear seats, entire headlining, carpets, doorcards, etc etc. Not finished, but kept us busy (I had the wife mucking in too! ).

I would like to know the best way to remove the foam under the carpets though as it is a pain in the ass. I guess either heat gun, dry ice or some kind of paint stripper?

Anyway, heres some more pictures. I managed to have a little blast with the wire wheel too (using wrap around goggles, heavy dewalt gloves etc). VERY impressed.

Inner Drivers Side Rear Arch:

Bit of wire wheel action:

Do we treat these patches, seem solid?:

Passenger inner rear arch:

And again. Note some bolts just didn't want to leave the car

Looks like Noris was once blue!? Giving me a dilemma on which colour to go with.

Areas of concern...

It's hard to say what I need to do here until I've cleaned the crap off it:

Thanks for the comments so far.
So really, my next step is:

- Clean crap of internally to see whats what. Clean up rear inner wings to see whats hiding beneath.

- Continue with interior/exterior strip down.

I've also had an offer to learning some MIG techniques from an experienced Agricultural Engineer, so the ball is rolling in that direction too. I just need payday to buy myself some kit!


Thanks,
Andy

 

[XMWelder]

Good luck with your project. Reminds me of my first Beetle I bought when I was 18 - a 1968 1300. Rushed in and bought it using my heart instead of my brain and later found out the frame head/torsion tubes were held on by metal straps and dirty great wood screws. Took 9 months to get it back on the road because I wanted to use NOS parts and not the bloody awful repro parts that were flooding the market in the early 90's.