I recently picked up a 1973 super beetle to be part of a rally racing project. This car was supposed to be stripped to build a race car... but it's just too nice. The interior and headliner are pretty nice, but it's go the crescent vent rust. i am going to try to replace what's rusty while saving the headliner.
Here's the plan:
On the driver side, the exterior paint has barely any surface rust and the panel feels solid. My plan is to remove the lower rear piece of the headliner kit. Cut a window into the inside of the rear quarter panel. Scrape out the foam. Treat the rust with rust converter. Paint the whole mess, and weld the window back in. then sand down the exterior rusty bits. treat them with rust converter. Apply waterproof filler as needed then paint the spots.
The passenger side is far rustier. Again, cut a window into the inside quarter panel. Scrape out the foam. Sand the rusty exterior. Plan and mark the material to be cut. Order the doner pieces. Then weld it up, filler, paint.
Dealing with crescent vent rust...
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rsb
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2003 6:03 am
Dealing with crescent vent rust...
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Steve Arndt
- Posts: 7420
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Re: Dealing with crescent vent rust...
I ground mine to good metal and welded in some panels to fill the vents.
Steve
My Baja Build
My Baja Build
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rsb
- Posts: 244
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Re: Dealing with crescent vent rust...
Nice! on my 74 I spliced in quarter panels from a 1970 beetle and eliminated the crescent vents... This one I think I will fill them like you did and add pop-out quarter windows for ventilation.
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rsb
- Posts: 244
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Re: Dealing with crescent vent rust...
Time for a status update:
I started by removing the seats, lower rear headliner, rear carpet, and rear windows. Then I removed the back tires, bumper, and fenders. I had issues with the fender bolt below the crescent vent... on both sides. I think if I checked the parts I cut off the last car it probably had the same problem. this bolt gets embedded it the foam and rots out.
Then I got to cutting holes into the inside of the of the inner quarter panels. I got smart this time and kept my bottom cut on the drivers side about 1 - 1/2" above the wheel well and avoided the wiring harness with room to spare. Then I got to scraping out foam. This was more difficult than the last time I did one of these cutting a large hole on the outside that's bigger than the foam is much easier.
With the foam out, I determined where I needed to cut the rust out on the passenger side. Then it was on to the roof rust... This was a new experience for me.using an old donor quarter panel piece from the last car I did, I was able to determine that the roof panel is held to the car by a pinched joint on the sides. i toyed with the idea of cutting the pinched part off... but opted to pry it up instead.tool of choice? broken plain tip screwdriver. I also determined that I would have to expose the roof rust on the driver side.
Then I ordered up a donor piece from Avery's Aircooled and got to work on wire brushing the rust while I waited on the mail. The donor material showed up this weekend, so I got started on patch panels.
I started by laying the piece I cut off the car onto the donor piece and tracing the edges. then I used painters tape to layout my cuts about 1/8" on the outside of that line.then cut it and got the piece separated. Since the donor piece was once a car, I had to scrape off the foam and wire brush the rust. Yes, the patch panel has rust issues... but it's way better than what was there. then it was a lengthy process of holding the patch piece up to the hole in the car and grinding off excess metal off the patch and so on until it fits.
I started by removing the seats, lower rear headliner, rear carpet, and rear windows. Then I removed the back tires, bumper, and fenders. I had issues with the fender bolt below the crescent vent... on both sides. I think if I checked the parts I cut off the last car it probably had the same problem. this bolt gets embedded it the foam and rots out.
Then I got to cutting holes into the inside of the of the inner quarter panels. I got smart this time and kept my bottom cut on the drivers side about 1 - 1/2" above the wheel well and avoided the wiring harness with room to spare. Then I got to scraping out foam. This was more difficult than the last time I did one of these cutting a large hole on the outside that's bigger than the foam is much easier.
With the foam out, I determined where I needed to cut the rust out on the passenger side. Then it was on to the roof rust... This was a new experience for me.using an old donor quarter panel piece from the last car I did, I was able to determine that the roof panel is held to the car by a pinched joint on the sides. i toyed with the idea of cutting the pinched part off... but opted to pry it up instead.tool of choice? broken plain tip screwdriver. I also determined that I would have to expose the roof rust on the driver side.
Then I ordered up a donor piece from Avery's Aircooled and got to work on wire brushing the rust while I waited on the mail. The donor material showed up this weekend, so I got started on patch panels.
I started by laying the piece I cut off the car onto the donor piece and tracing the edges. then I used painters tape to layout my cuts about 1/8" on the outside of that line.then cut it and got the piece separated. Since the donor piece was once a car, I had to scrape off the foam and wire brush the rust. Yes, the patch panel has rust issues... but it's way better than what was there. then it was a lengthy process of holding the patch piece up to the hole in the car and grinding off excess metal off the patch and so on until it fits.
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rsb
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2003 6:03 am
Re: Dealing with crescent vent rust...
A little winter break update...
With the patches trimmed, foam removed, and rust descaled I stopped the main cause of the rust. I then treated the rusty parts that stay with the car using Rust-mort rust converter. It turns rust into not rust using science. then I rinsed it off after 24 hours. This time around I wanted to improve my corrosion resistance and decided weld through primer would be the ticket. after some research I settled on Upol #2 Zinc. Unfortunately i did not read the can before I treated the rust,,, it requires a 220 grit sanded surface for adhesion. So I got to carefully sand the non rusty bits of the patch area. (My goal being that the inside of the quarter panels is sealed with paint and it is not burned off when I weld it together... final step of rust prevention will be rust encapsulating paint) lesson learned: read your paint then do what it says.
Then I prepared for welding by removing about an inch of paint around the perimeter of the patched and patch areas using a flap disc on my grinder.
For the patches where I am reusing the original part of the car, I had to make some strips of sheet metal to span the gap between the car and the panel. between the cutting and deburring I lost about an 1/8th of an inch of material. on the plus side, it makes reattachment a lot easier.
Then I got all of the ready areas coated with the weld through primer. I managed to get the roof patch on the passenger side welded in before dark. Today I got the drip line folded back over and ready for additional welding.
I should mention, i did all of the painting and welding outside while the weather was good...with a painting respirator. That zinc primer is nasty stuff. it says to wear a respirator if adequate ventilation is not available... and everything I've heard is not to weld galvanized because the fumes. Plus, the respirator helps with the rust converter fumes as well. Winning.
With the patches trimmed, foam removed, and rust descaled I stopped the main cause of the rust. I then treated the rusty parts that stay with the car using Rust-mort rust converter. It turns rust into not rust using science. then I rinsed it off after 24 hours. This time around I wanted to improve my corrosion resistance and decided weld through primer would be the ticket. after some research I settled on Upol #2 Zinc. Unfortunately i did not read the can before I treated the rust,,, it requires a 220 grit sanded surface for adhesion. So I got to carefully sand the non rusty bits of the patch area. (My goal being that the inside of the quarter panels is sealed with paint and it is not burned off when I weld it together... final step of rust prevention will be rust encapsulating paint) lesson learned: read your paint then do what it says.
Then I prepared for welding by removing about an inch of paint around the perimeter of the patched and patch areas using a flap disc on my grinder.
For the patches where I am reusing the original part of the car, I had to make some strips of sheet metal to span the gap between the car and the panel. between the cutting and deburring I lost about an 1/8th of an inch of material. on the plus side, it makes reattachment a lot easier.
Then I got all of the ready areas coated with the weld through primer. I managed to get the roof patch on the passenger side welded in before dark. Today I got the drip line folded back over and ready for additional welding.
I should mention, i did all of the painting and welding outside while the weather was good...with a painting respirator. That zinc primer is nasty stuff. it says to wear a respirator if adequate ventilation is not available... and everything I've heard is not to weld galvanized because the fumes. Plus, the respirator helps with the rust converter fumes as well. Winning.
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Ol'fogasaurus
- Posts: 17881
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
Re: Dealing with crescent vent rust...
On the third pix down there is a spot weld hole that has missing metal. It is on a curve where loading is in play. I would put some kind of metal doubler on the underside of the flange in that area to add support to the area. Since this is in an arc area the missing (and thin) material is not going to be as strong as it was when the material was newer.
I saw some other ragged slots in the area too which I think should also be doubled up for load transfer.
Look to/for the thickness of the metal as it is important as it is where different types of loading is applied when driving. Restoring things isn't easy is it!
Lee
I saw some other ragged slots in the area too which I think should also be doubled up for load transfer.
Look to/for the thickness of the metal as it is important as it is where different types of loading is applied when driving. Restoring things isn't easy is it!
Lee