Slow Progress

Thought it was time for another update. Also thanks to my follower Margaret for contacting me to see how things are going. I haven't been doing much on the car lately but i haven't given in or stopped the project (i'm too stubborn for that). Life has just got a bit busy the last few months. We have just moved house to somewhere more ideal for our love of cars. With the moving the beetle project has been put on hold. The house needs a lot of work and we have just fitted a new kitchen so have been busy. Also Rich has just had an operation on his slipped disc so can't do anything on cars etc this side of Christmas so the last bit of welding has to wait.

The project is just on hold for a few more months and but in that time hopefully i can do some little bits and pieces too and then the project can get back on track.

Thanks for following and there will be more soon.

Painting the floor

WKs47-50

It has been a couple of weeks but I have been busy painting the floor.

Eventually got the floor all cleaned up, repaired and treated. The fun part started, painting the floor.

After plenty of research I choose to go with an epoxy paint from rustbuster. I have done 2 coats top and bottom of the floor and am now just onto the back part with the last of the paint. It is coming up really well. paint went on really well and it is nice to see it coming together and the floor being nearly finished. Lots of picture but here is the painted floor. Fully protected and ready to go even though it is all going to be covered up with either carpet or waxoyl and stone chip. All the prep is definitely worth the effort to put the time in to get it so it will last for many many years

The floor continues

Wk46

The realisation that it is coming up to a year of having the car. Starting to think that this is going to take longer then planned. I guess what we have done is big jobs just on a small scale. We have made good progress though.

This week continued with the floor. Getting close to having done all the prep and being ready for the paint stage on the floor. The back half is the worst for getting all the grease off. It is slow progress but needs to be done correctly for it to last the years. Started to rust treat and red oxide the parts on the back that I have cleaned up

Rich has been working on the front of the floor finishing off the welding on replacing the front part. He has welded in the new piece and it is looking really good. Definitely worth the purchase of the part to do it rather then a patch repair.

Hope fully only a couple weeks until the floor is clean, grease free and ready to paint

Napolean hat repair

Wk 45

Having had two weeks of doing the car going on holiday and a busy weekend.

Rich made a good start on replacing the Napoleon hat at the front end. We decided it was going to be easier to put in a replacement part then repair. This week Rich managed to get the old rusty one off and I cleaned up and treated inside the part ready for welding on the new one next week

Rusty parts off, cleaned and preped

I got back to the cleaning up of the floor. Nearly cleaned and treated all of the main floor pan top and bottom. Been cleaning up the rear area too.

Started to clean up some of the really rusty back parts and preped and painted to keep them clean and rust free ready for when the floor is painted.

Also painted up the pedal ready for wrapping up and keeping safe until it all goes back together.

Cleaning the floor pan

Being a bank holiday and being able to get some more time on the car I fancied getting on with something to see some good progress.

Had to lift the car up to get the floor out. We didn't have the right tool in the garage to take the gearbox off so lifted the front up to make a start cleaning up underneath. Lifted in on the engine crane with a ladder under for safety

Before

Before

Mum and I spent the day scrapping the waxoyl of the bottom of the car. Was a grubby job to do. By the end of the day we had got most the waxoyl off.

Waxoyl scrapped the worst off.

The waxoyl has defiantly kept the underneath looking good and clean, only a few bits of rust. 
To be able to paint it is all in the preparation. All the grease and oil needs to come off to make sure the paint lasts on it well.

Day two was spent cleaning off all the remaining bit of waxoyl in the groves and corners.

Looking much cleaner after day 2

While I was doing this. Rich made a start on the parts of the floor that needed a bit of work. The dodgy patch on the front was removed. The revealed a leaking fuel hose to be replaced. With fuel hose fixed a replacement panel was put on and we have put in an inspection hole

Patch removed

Fuel hose removed and welded in new part

Day 3 of the bank holiday was just half a day, did a bit more cleaning and made a start on the back part. Decided to get all the floor cleaned up before doing any painting. Then it will be a quick light sand, decrease and ready to paint. Pretty good weekend, next weekend on to the top of the floor.

Rear quarter

So i spent another day under the front of the car scrapping grease and grime off it and treating the few bits of rust. Kurust doesn't mix well with my hair, sticks it together like glue! Getting there with it now. Hopefully Kurust and paint next week. Spent a lot of time upside down on this but think it is one place that would really pay off.

Rich spent the day on the inner rear quarter. On the other side we made it up from pieces and it looks great but this time I bought the replacement part. Really glad I did as it has made it much easier. Went in really well. Bit more to do around the panel but went in well. Bit odd that the replacement panel doesn't have the holes it needs in for fixing to the body

Stanford Hall

A weekend off working on the car with my first real show in years to Stanford Hall.

I was really excited to go and get some auto jumble and look at the bugs for inspiration.

Got there nice and early and got to the auto jumble nice and early. Unfortunately really struggled to find anything I was after. There were some pipes and knobs and seat parts that i thought I would find but nothing much there. Loads for campers but not much for bugs just same old junk, half of which I don't know why anyone would buy. A lot of it was passed repair.

Luckily the likes of mega bug and Custom and Commercial were there. I got my pre-order from C&C which saved me 10% on some things that were the cheapest with them anyway. Then mega bug got quite a few seals etc that were some good show prices. Bit sad but I have a list of everything I need and the best online price for it.

Enjoyed looking around the show but things have changed since 8 or so years back when I last had a bug and went to a show. there are so many campers and hardly any bugs. To be fair most the bugs that we did see were very nice and I did get some inspiration.

Did a bit rubbish with pictures but here are the few for inspiration.

Loved the pockets on the jean seats for the jean beetle.

Loved the colour

Nice seats

Jeans beetle seats

Good weekend nice change from working on the car.

Finishing front wing

Wk 37

This week Richard got the welding finished on the front. He replaced two front nuts on the inner wing.

Next we cut out the end rust at the end of the rear arch. There is quite a bit more on this side then the other so now have quite a huge whole. Rich started to make up the pieces to go back in.

I did a bit more cleaning up underneath the front of the car. Starting to clean up ok and put the first coat of Kurust on.
Also did a bit of cleaning up of the rear end around were the seal goes. Took a while but cleaned up well, 2 coats of kurust and a coat of paint.

Under the Bonnet

Wk 36

This week was a week of fiddley bits. Spent my time cleaning up all sorts of part inside the bonnet. Lots of little bits of rust, mostly surface rust but just lots of little fiddley bits to sort.

I cleaned up inside the back of the dash area. Think there might have been condensation in there at some point as the top inside has a bit of surface rust.  Also cleaned up the rust in the neck of the fuel filler.

Rusty inside the fuel filler

 Also under the bonnet found a couple of patches of rust that were well hidden with seam sealer. Lucky i noticed it.

Hidden rust under seam sealer

 Got a really achy neck after sanding upside down on the underside of the front area under the window.

Sanded and Kurusted

There was quite a bit of rust in the brake fluid area to clean up.

Cleaning up and treating the rust around the brake fluid holder area

 With a couple of coats of Kurust after it was cleaned back I painted it up. Was a very fiddley day being really picky looking for ever last spot of tiny rust.

 An arm full of bruises from leaning into the car all day. After banging my arm the first couple of times you would think I would learnt!

Underside front drivers arch

Wks33-35

The last few weeks have been lots of work but slow progress.

With the old rotten metal all cut out the bottom it was time to start making up a new piece. The piece that was cut out was were about 5 parts all join so quite a task. Lucky for me Richard set about making up the piece and it came together really well

The main bottom piece is all clipped together ready for welding onto the car.

Rich sets about welding it on. I grind back the welds from the first part and then Rich welds on the last of the pieces for underneath and joining onto the heater channels

Bottom of the heater channel

All welded in and welds cleaned back

Rich then finished the welding at the front side of the arch

So while Rich was doing lots of welding the last couple of weeks i have been doing the grinding of the welds. Also spent a lot of time cleaning bits on the car up. I have scrapped some grime of the bottom of  my car. I have scrapped underseal of all sorts of places and started to scrape of all the glue from inside from the carpets and headlining.