I am going to buy myself a VW Beetle from 1970-1975 as my first car after seeing all the information and enthusiasts on the internet. Cheap car, cheap maintenance, cheap parts, loads of parts available, no road tax, o.k. gas mileage, and a solution to every problem right here on the internet :D:D Don't mind sacrificing "some" comfort for cheap awesomeness and not having to deal with scammy auto repair shops.
+Patrick S be careful with the cheap parts - find a good shop that really knows these cars - you will save yourself a lot of money by finding a good Mechanic that knows these cars, dont be surprised if he has a waiting list or is more expensive than a regular shop - he is that way because he is in demand and knows his stuff - in the end he will be cheaper and will steer you away from the bad parts
Thank you M Schiffel, I have several other videos planned. I have three VW's going in my shop right now all with bad rust areas. The Beetle shown in this video was just painted last week and should be going through assembly later this month. I will be posting photos of them to my website and facebook page soon!
Great job, it's a model that I have a soft spot for since I owned one in 1980 one of the best cars I ever owned regards John Tasmania Australia PS have subscribed
All my rust repairs have been much larger once you cut them open...nice job here....I Learned about the stupid tab, my 74 has this rust, my plan after fixing that was to weld shut that side vent...like early beetles.
+DanTheManIOM I hope I am not to late in my response but I would not weld the vents closed as you had commented. I replied earlier to someone about this same thing. The vents behind the side windows were very clean and not the cause of the rust. The rust is caused by the drain in the rear window. I had many people tell me before I opened this car up that the vents were the problem but there was no water or rust trail leading from the vent opening to this area.
+KiddysClassics ok. I was told water gets in, and gets down to the foam and rusts... I have seen many 73-74 super beetles with this issue...Don't tell anyone, I put clear packaing tape over the vents. I did not weld it shut...
+DanTheManIOM I think most people I see assume the rust comes from the vent because looking at the car the vent is the only logical place water would get in - most people dont know about the drain holes in the rear glass area - if you contact me at the shop and I can send you better photos that show the water track - my email is Shaun@kiddysclassics.com
Thanks for the great video. I just bought a 74 Super Beetle that has the same rust spots on each side. Does anybody make patch panels for this repair, or do you have to find a donor car or fabricate the parts? I haven't found any patch panels for that area yet.
No one that I know of makes the patch panels for this area, I lucked out and was able to find a donor section at the VW shop next to me. It was rusty as well but betweent the two I could make one good one. This is a very labor intensive area to repair so good luck and let me know if we can help, I am a little slow at responding on youtube but feel free to contact us directly through our website or by phone if you have questions.
no problem - this area took about 40 hours to work start to finish - Be very careful if you have to do the same type of repair because the body will move on you so make sure you lock everything in place somehow - don’t just cut the corner of the car off
You mean that small trick of bending that tab could have saved many a late model Bug from rusting (at least in that area)? BTW, when you say "lead the panel", are you using actual lead or a lead-free solder?
Yes, if the factory would have just bent that tab up the water would have not gone straight to the foam. If you look at the pictures on my website you can see how all of the rust is just in the area of the foam and it starts at those drain holes. As for your question about the lead, I use the real lead. I like its lower melting temp over the lead free stuff. Where a dust mask and gloves you will be fine. Contact Johnson MFG they have the good 30/70 lead you are going to want. Use a file do not use sand paper.
+Jason Cole Every car is different because every cars exposure to rain and moisture would be different. I have seen a few of these cars that are minor in comparison, and I have seen some that were in no way worth saving. My honest answer, when people that come into our shop and want the same repair done is, sell the car and buy a car from out west. The reality is that for us to repair this amount of rust the way we showed in this video is roughly 40 hours of work. Could be 25-30 if the rust doesn’t run so deep. Depending on where you are located shops charge anywhere from $65 to $120 an hours to do this type of work. If you still want to have it done make sure the shop you take it to, corrects that tab.
+KiddysClassics thanks for the response. And I understand your comment on buying a repaired car... unfortunately that isn't an option. That car has been in the family since new and has so much sentimental value. I'll never sell it... only pass it on someday. The rust level looks about the same to the car in the video. I know Supers aren't worth much, but to me this one is. :-)
+Jason Cole I don't know where you are located at but if you have any questions about doing a restoration on your car we are here to help. Our contact information is on our website. www.kiddysclassics.com
+jerry henderson Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but the vents in the side window were very clean and not the cause of the rust. The rust is caused by the drain in the rear window. I had many people tell me before I opened this car up that the vents were the problem but there was no water or rust trail leading from the vent opening to this area.
Fantastic work...I hope that you will make more "how to" videos showing VW rust repairs...You pay extreme attention to the details and it's great !
Man I just did this on my bug about 6 months ago...great job!
I am going to buy myself a VW Beetle from 1970-1975 as my first car after seeing all the information and enthusiasts on the internet. Cheap car, cheap maintenance, cheap parts, loads of parts available, no road tax, o.k. gas mileage, and a solution to every problem right here on the internet :D:D Don't mind sacrificing "some" comfort for cheap awesomeness and not having to deal with scammy auto repair shops.
+Patrick S be careful with the cheap parts - find a good shop that really knows these cars - you will save yourself a lot of money by finding a good Mechanic that knows these cars, dont be surprised if he has a waiting list or is more expensive than a regular shop - he is that way because he is in demand and knows his stuff - in the end he will be cheaper and will steer you away from the bad parts
Thank you M Schiffel, I have several other videos planned. I have three VW's going in my shop right now all with bad rust areas. The Beetle shown in this video was just painted last week and should be going through assembly later this month. I will be posting photos of them to my website and facebook page soon!
Great job, it's a model that I have a soft spot for since I owned one in 1980 one of the best cars I ever owned regards John Tasmania Australia PS have subscribed
Thank you!
All my rust repairs have been much larger once you cut them open...nice job here....I Learned about the stupid tab, my 74 has this rust, my plan after fixing that was to weld shut that side vent...like early beetles.
+DanTheManIOM I hope I am not to late in my response but I would not weld the vents closed as you had commented. I replied earlier to someone about this same thing. The vents behind the side windows were very clean and not the cause of the rust. The rust is caused by the drain in the rear window. I had many people tell me before I opened this car up that the vents were the problem but there was no water or rust trail leading from the vent opening to this area.
+KiddysClassics ok. I was told water gets in, and gets down to the foam and rusts... I have seen many 73-74 super beetles with this issue...Don't tell anyone, I put clear packaing tape over the vents. I did not weld it shut...
+DanTheManIOM I think most people I see assume the rust comes from the vent because looking at the car the vent is the only logical place water would get in - most people dont know about the drain holes in the rear glass area - if you contact me at the shop and I can send you better photos that show the water track - my email is Shaun@kiddysclassics.com
Great work!
whot a fantastic repair well done
Thanks for the great video. I just bought a 74 Super Beetle that has the same rust spots on each side. Does anybody make patch panels for this repair, or do you have to find a donor car or fabricate the parts? I haven't found any patch panels for that area yet.
No one that I know of makes the patch panels for this area, I lucked out and was able to find a donor section at the VW shop next to me. It was rusty as well but betweent the two I could make one good one. This is a very labor intensive area to repair so good luck and let me know if we can help, I am a little slow at responding on youtube but feel free to contact us directly through our website or by phone if you have questions.
no problem - this area took about 40 hours to work start to finish - Be very careful if you have to do the same type of repair because the body will move on you so make sure you lock everything in place somehow - don’t just cut the corner of the car off
very good work
Thank You!
Thank you for the video. Great job! What weld thru primer did you use?
I am sorry for the delay getting back to you, did not see your comment. I used the bloxide weldable primer, great stuff!
You mean that small trick of bending that tab could have saved many a late model Bug from rusting (at least in that area)? BTW, when you say "lead the panel", are you using actual lead or a lead-free solder?
Yes, if the factory would have just bent that tab up the water would have not gone straight to the foam. If you look at the pictures on my website you can see how all of the rust is just in the area of the foam and it starts at those drain holes. As for your question about the lead, I use the real lead. I like its lower melting temp over the lead free stuff. Where a dust mask and gloves you will be fine. Contact Johnson MFG they have the good 30/70 lead you are going to want. Use a file do not use sand paper.
Roughly how much would this repair cost? I need this work done on both sides! Yay demon foam!
+Jason Cole
Every car is different because every cars exposure to rain and moisture would be different. I have seen a few of these cars that are minor in comparison, and I have seen some that were in no way worth saving. My honest answer, when people that come into our shop and want the same repair done is, sell the car and buy a car from out west. The reality is that for us to repair this amount of rust the way we showed in this video is roughly 40 hours of work. Could be 25-30 if the rust doesn’t run so deep. Depending on where you are located shops charge anywhere from $65 to $120 an hours to do this type of work. If you still want to have it done make sure the shop you take it to, corrects that tab.
+KiddysClassics thanks for the response. And I understand your comment on buying a repaired car... unfortunately that isn't an option. That car has been in the family since new and has so much sentimental value. I'll never sell it... only pass it on someday. The rust level looks about the same to the car in the video. I know Supers aren't worth much, but to me this one is. :-)
+Jason Cole I don't know where you are located at but if you have any questions about doing a restoration on your car we are here to help. Our contact information is on our website. www.kiddysclassics.com
could you just block those side vents with a patch after doing the repair ? and put some of the old style ones in front of the door hinges .
+jerry henderson Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but the vents in the side window were very clean and not the cause of the rust. The rust is caused by the drain in the rear window. I had many people tell me before I opened this car up that the vents were the problem but there was no water or rust trail leading from the vent opening to this area.
:O wow
damn, my rust spot is waaay worse than i thought...