Have a seat

Here you can see the front seats have been installed. They have been recovered with the factory type covers and all new padding. We still have to install the front door panels and front and back glass and the new back up lights that should arrive tomorrow. Pretty cool little bug, I know the owner will enjoy it.

Finishing touches

This ’67 bug is back from the upholstery shop. We sent it out to get the headliner installed. Its back now so we started working on the carpet yesterday and today was able to install the rear seat back. We also installed the rear door panels and have the front ones built and ready to install. We will need to make a vapor barrier before we install them though. As you can see this one is shaping up to be a nice little car.

Getting there

We have been working on the ’67 bug this week, putting the finishing touches on it before it goes out for a new headliner. We had new tires and wheels installed, all the electrical has been gone over and all is working. We had a snag with a faulty signal switch so that was replaced, a new antenna, mirror and turn signals round out a few of the new items.  We hope to get the new headliner installed next week then we can install the carpet and seats then finally the glass. Wont be long before this bug is back on the road.

Bug reassembly

Today we spent a few hours getting the front of the bug back together. We started by running new lines from the resivoir to the master cylinder After that we bleed the brakes, installed the gas tank and front fenders. We then started straightening out some of the wiring. Since we didnt disassemble this car, we had to print out a wiring diagram to show us where things were supposed to go. Unfortunately we found that someone had been playing electrician in there before us so we just went ahead and straightened all of it up. We may continue with getting this back together some tomorrow if time allows.

Back together again

While Paul was busy on the ’86 Chevy, Chris, Rick and I was working on getting the body of the bug mated back to the chassis. Well as you can see, we got it. Things actually went very smoothly with this. We tried to anticipate a few issues that could pop up, but I was really impressed with these Wolfsberg West floor pans. We also ran a new gas line from the frame to the carb. Someone tried welding two metal lines together at some point and it didnt sit well with me, so I replaced it. We also made sure the heater boxes were operable as well as wiring up the engine and running new wires for the electric fuel shut off and choke. So now the bug moves out and next week we start back on the Ghia.

Beetle pan is almost ready for the body

The Beetle has still been moving along in the back ground. Last week the left B pillar was welded it because of rust, well yesterday and today, the right B pillar had its rust hole repaired. We also glued the rubbed down to the floor pans. We have to wait for a few parts to come in and get installed before we mate the body back to the pan, but that should happen this Friday.

Quiet Ride it

 The ’67 Beetle has been on the road to recovery this week. It received sound deadening material yesterday to ensure a quiet ride and 1 of 2 last minute rust repair procedures. The bottoms of the B-posts are rusted and it has very thin metal and holes on each side. Here you can see Chris welding in the patch panel on the left side. The right is just a little bit worse off that this side, but still plenty fixable. Once these are on, we will POR 15 the inner parts to prolong the metal thats inside there. This area will get body worked out next week as well as welding in the other side.

Hit the brakes

It was a busy day at the shop today. In addition to the Ford truck, fixing dents on the ’86 Chevy, we were also able to get the pedal assembly painted today, rebuilt and installed. This was completely disassembled, sand blasted, and painted. Once it was dry, all moving parts were lubed up and then it was reassembled. Since the carpet fits around the pedals and some of the flooring shows, we painted the area around the pedals black. The coating on the Wolfsburg West floor pans is really nice so we will leave it on the rest of the pans. We will be installing our sound deadening material on the pans and rear luggage compartment panel that we replaced. This will surely reduce the road and engine noise in the interior. We also installed a new brake line and a new grommet where it goes through the firewall. We will continue to keep pugging along on this one. Stay tuned.

Rust is done.

    Another productive days worth of work on the ’67 Bug. Today we de-greased the chassis and welded in the final pieces that were rusty on the bug. Yesterday we did the left channel and lower plate, well today we did the right side. As you can see it was about the same amount of rust on both sides. Several of the same parts needed replacing on both sides, The right side was not quite as bad as the left but both sides turned out great. As you can see we also seam sealed up these welded areas as well. This will keep water out and allow these repairs to last for a long while. Nothing is as good original, so all we can do is take every measure possible to ensure a quality job. Next week we will be putting this car back on the pan and prepping it for paint.

Buggin II

         Today was busy day on the bug. Chris broke out the air hammer first thing this morning and started cutting out the old floor pans on the ’67 Bug. Once they were removed, the area where the new ones will be installed was prepped by grinding the surface smooth. After that, holes were punched into the pans for welding, Chris checked for fitment then welded them in. While he was doing that, I was cutting out the old rusty metal on the bottom of the heater channel and prepping the new pieces to go in. We did get all these projects completed today, the right side will not be quite as bad, so it should be able to get that done tomorrow. If that happens, then the body will go back on the pan next week so we can start the painting process.