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Posts Tagged ‘Repair’

DISASSEMBLY – Removing the floor pans

07 Aug

Today I started to cut out the pasenger-side floor pan. First, I made some measurements from the tunnel to the bolt holes alongside the outer edge of the pan, and from the support structures at either end of the pan to the first bolt holes on the side. This will hopefully allow me to double-check that the new pan is installed correctly, both front-to-back and from tunnel-to-side. If I cut the new pan, say, too short in the front, or if I install it too closely against the tunnel (or not close enough) then maybe I’ll have trouble lining up the bolt holes when I go to put the body back on. Or, the seats will not be in the right place, and might interfere with some other structure in the car. I think the pan would have to be off by more than an inch in either direction to cause problems, though, so some moderately accurate measurements should help me keep it close enough.

 
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Posted in Disassembly, Repairs

 

DISASSEMBLY – Part 15

19 Jun

Disconnected the steering wheel coupler by unplugging the horn ground wire, then removing two castle nuts and cotter pins on the coupler. Cleaning off some of the gunk makes it easier to see the parts. Especially when trying to get the cotter pins out.

Steering coupler doesn’t look that bad, but I’ll know more when it’s cleaned off. I always assumed I would just replace it since it’s a ‘soft’ part. There’s an interesting forum thread on the Samba.com site, that talks about using urethane couplers. I’ll think I’ll stick to a OE part like this one from CIP1.com.

 
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You Can BugMe

01 May

There is a very good set of videos available to help you work on your Volkswagen.  Called Bug Me Video, it’s a multi-volume  set that covers maintenance, disassembly, and more. Created by Rick Higgins and family, the videos are informative, simple, and to-the-point. 

For more information, visit the website at http://www.bugmevideo.com/.

You can also view some excerpts on YouTube:

 
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Posted in Resources, WebSites

 

REPAIRS – Body Filler Removal

09 Apr

The left rear quarter panel had impact damage from an accident, and there’s a thick (as much as 1/4″) application of plastic body filler over the damage. I want to remove the body filler, and try to correct the dents, at least to allow for a minimal application of (probably solder) body filler.

I hooked up a flap disc to an angle grinder and tried to remove some of the body filler. Seems to work well, although very dusty. Taking the surface down to the bare metal results in scratching and gouging of the metal, but given that the quarter panel is already badly dented, it would need some leading or filler anyway. I wonder if a sander will help smooth down the metal once all the surface paint/primer/filler is removed?

 
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PARTS – Floor Pans

02 Apr

Received new floor pans today. I ordered these from a supplier on eBay (eBay ID: CarParts) for $62.55 each, shipping included. Jack points and cross braces are included, and are welded-on. Seat brackets are also included.

The price was quite low, so my expectations were, too. Shortly after paying for them, I noticed that eBay had marked their userID as “No longer a registered user”. CarParts had a feedback rating of about 37000, so they were selling a lot of stuff. Perhaps they had some billing issues? Not sure. I was a little worried, and sent some messages to the website (carparts.com) and found out the pans had already shipped. That was a relief. Pans showed up a day or two later.

Pans are made in Brazil. They look OK. I’ve never installed floor pans before, so I have no idea how they should look/feel. Will know more when I put them in. Everyone talks about the thickness of the metal, so I put the caliper on it — .061 or thereabouts. According to this UNC web page that works out to 16 gauge metal. Other sites, users, and suppliers refer to 18 gauge metal for floor pans, so maybe that’s what these are. I’m not sure how much thickness is added by the paint, and how that affects the gauge.

I cut my hand pulling the pan out of the box — the sheet metal is sharp. I hope that’s not one of those lessons that take a lot of ‘experience’ to learn.

The company still has them on the website (here’s the passenger side: Floor Pan, P/N:113-701 060), albeit at a little higher price ($104.99).

 
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Posted in Parts, Repairs

 
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