Any advice before I attempt my first type1 body off?

My 1303 is half way through a body off resto

Floor pans are done

I took the doors off. I will fix a brace across the door opening before I cut out the heater channels. (bugme dont leave the doors on ! )

I measured the hole offset from the tunnel to the floor pan holes and made sure the new ones went in the same place. I will 'loose' fit the heater channels and put the body on to line up the holes and door opening (as in the bugme vid's ) before I weld it good and proper (thats my plan anyway)

I dont know what shape yours is in, but it took me more time to undo PO's bad repairs before I could separate the body. The heater channels were welded to the floor all the way round !

Some of the 17mm bolts that I removed 'span' in the chassis, so I guess I will have to weld new nuts to the body chassis points before I can bolt the rolling chassis back up. (dont know if you have the same bolts on a standard bug)

be prepared for more work than you think. I am just about to replace the frame head. It looked ok before I could see it :-) .

other bits and pieces - like the front and back valences were full of filler (bondo) etc.

Mainly rusted nut/bolts/bleed nipples etc... are what slowed me down.

Its not too bad when you get it separated and can see the task ahead !

Good luck, and if I can be of any help while the body is still off mine (photos etc. ), just ask !

Rich

Remco wrote:

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Hey Rich

Thanks for that! You've already done quite a bit - that's great! So yours had the floorpan welded to the heater channel?! I can only imagine what colorful names you used to describe the previous mechanic.. :)

I realize that the bugme video allows for the door to be opened - you're right: maybe I can open the doors once I properly brace the door opening. It will certainly make it a lot more comfortable, welding in the equivalent of a large soupcan in the middle of summer. I'll see how rigid it all is and then decide what to do. I won't pull the doors off in any case, just to keep the weather out a little.

Mine is in pretty rough shape but has never been tinkered with so that's hopefully a good thing. I've taken a sharp alw and pushed hard against all surfaces. The only surfaces that were found bad are one floor, one heater channel and strangely enough a spot hidden by the passenger wheelwell (not anywhere near where water can be trapped, which just seems weird). I am sure more are found as the body is removed, though. I'd be surprised if the passenger heater channel/floor pan will not need to be replaced but I can't tell looking at it from the top. Somehow the drives side is totally rotted out, but the passenger side looks ok. Where the battery belongs also seems solid. A friend of mine has access to a huge sandblast area at work (a train could fit inside), so that will help when I start looking for trouble using it. :)

Thanks for the tip also on how to keep the channels aligned. I'll try to do the same thing.

Remco

The only other thing I noticed that was unexpected. The Body is WAY heavyer that I thought it would be. I had to take the doors off to lift it ! I kept the glass in as I am not doing a full respray. Maybe it had alot of paint on it , under seal on the quarter panels and stuff.

Also it would have been easyer if I dropped the engine out 1st. Just for easy access.

I have the body hanging from the roof joists about 2 ft higher than the chassis. So its all accessible (just) and inside and dry :-)

I just jacked the car up, bolted some wire and hooks to the bumper mounts (after rebuilding the rear apron) and let the bottom half back down.

Only way I could think to do it on my own .

Rich

Hey Rich, I've dropped the engine and stripped it down so there's 300 lbs less to lift :) Was looking to rebuild it but some unexpected expenses came up so am waiting until things settle.

Until then, I am taking the body off but first will remove the bumpers and fenders. I figured to do it the way Rick of bugme suggests: put the car on floor jack and crank it up. Put it on short horses and drop the frame, hopefully leaving the body standing on the stands. I don't really want to suspend the body from the roof of my shop because working on cars is only one use for it. It isn't used for parking cars but a two car garage gets filled up pretty fast with tools :) Might make a large dolly so it can roll in and out of the garage -- this has worked for me for other projects. I found some nice air filled swivel wheels that are perfect for this.

To support the body by the bumper mounts worked well? Do you have it hanging from those mounts or do the mounts sit on the stands? Remco

And if you have a digital camera...take pictures of everything, from every angle, before, during and after.

--

'64 sunroof Beetle '55 semaphore Beetle

angle, before, during and after.

Thanks -- good advice. I keep a digital camera in the garage for exactly that purpose.

Dropping the engine doesnt make the body lighter ! Just gives you more room under the back end.

I have the front end with the bumper mounted resting on a saw horse, and wired to the roof as a saftey rope. The rear has no horse, mainly for lack of room. I too have loads of tools (woodworking - table saw band saw planer morticer etc. etc. as well as my welder comperssor ... ... ) and only a 15ft by 20ft work shop.

I used the bumper mounting bolt holes(without the mounting brackets) to hang the wires from. The front was not too bad but I had to rebuild the back end metalwork to make it strong enough. It wouldnt take the weight before I did, but it is good now.

I have some fail safe stands between the car floor and body. They dont support any weight but they will stop me from getting squished if something gives !

Rich

Right. I was in "duh" mode just then.

That _is_ tight! I am impressed, Rich. Mine is a two car garage but like to keep most of the shop clear. I have several benches in place, but the business end of most tools (table saw, shaper table, etc) I've kept higher than those benches so larger pieces of plywood or lumber can easily be moved. I have a small 16 ft wood boat (restoring that one) on a large dolly. The bug is on car dollys. Everything can scoot in an out of the shop within minutes. The benches, engine stand and wood stack on one side of the garage are also on wheels, so they can also scoot out of the way.

Thanks for that reminder -- I'll have to do the same, make sure it is strong enough.

You and I think alike! I hate being under a car without a fail safe and might tie the front and back horses together with two 2*8 they'd hold it up should something go wrong. This way the horse won't slip or tip either.

I didnt really find that things were flopping all over the place when I cut out that old heater channel. I left my doors on and closed, I did open them to take pics, but I had the body supported pretty good (Especially under the hinge) and the new channel was just C-clamped into place... to check door operation. Note: do only one heater channel at a time!!! Once I started it it was pretty straight foward and not really THAT hard to do. Lots of pics how I did it:

PICS Pics Pics can never have enough pictures!!! pictures tell me more than reading about it!

no need to weld em shut!

You could... if it is a vert...definately! But measure them BEFORE you cut!!!

Good idea.

hehe this is a must!!!

I didnt.

not really... the back seat support works

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Thanks! Your pictures really make it very clear! I've worked on cars certainly most of my life but never attempted to lift a body from a frame so was a little apprehensive until checking out what everyone has done. You are right: it doesn't look extremely difficult but just takes working up the nerve to do it. Thanks, guys!

Also won't bother then with crossbracing or welding the doors shut -- it is a regular bug. I will also carefully heed the advice regarding safety.

The other day I came across a 72 bug that will need the same things done that I am hopefully getting next week sometime. So by the time both bugs are back on the road I'll be a mean-clean-heater-channel-floor-pan-replacing machine! :)

I'll keep you all posted.