tunnel to pan connection

Throw it away. Find a better start. Don't waste your time and money on it.

the "tunnel" or "spine" is a two piece unit through the car...the upside down "U" shaped part is welded to the bottom plate...there should be no gap...the bottom plate is, as you speculated, wider than the upside down "U" shaped part so the pans can be attatched to it....sounds like you have a project ahead of you, but honestly rust repair is easier than collision repair, so if the car is, so they say, "straight" you will be okay....you seem to have a good attitude, so go for it....

Thanks, Joey - That's the reply I was looking for.

you are welcome...shall i begin cussing now? LOL

Please do -- you might get a cramp if you don't.. :)

or i might explode.....

Then maybe you should "let it go." hahaha!

hehe...quick on your feet...."good one".....or something...

? ! ? ! ?

Rust is just rotten metal, you can easily replace it.

Time is yours .. you have time or you dont !

I dont realy care if a car needs time spending on it. My free time is 'free' !

Its the pleasure you get from doing it that counts .

Have fun !

Rich

Something like this for a cross section. The horizontal *straight* lines are the pans, the other two parts should be obvious. This is a quicky sketch so please excuse the messy appearance.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

excellent visual here...(your diagram is right on Scott) this site is about "inside a bug"....

Poy-fect! Thanks, guys! That made it really clear.

That's what I think too, Rich: I enjoy the work most as well.

Depends where he is. That is a pretty decent "project car" over here in the UK! Usually you will have to replace the entire bottom 6".

Climate here in New England is pretty similar to the UK (hence the name, right ) One takes the rust with the good. :)

Hey, you can be all kind and gentle and waste the man's precious time and money. I have more respect for his effort. A bug that late in that kind of shape is junk.

actually at this date, the later bugs(around 67-up or abouts) are more rotted than their earlier siblings...i have read that the steel source was changed at around that time and the later steel wasn't as "high quality"....my 68 bug has less rust(and has been a daily driver *all* its life until i got it a few years ago) than my friends 74 that was garaged most its life...