Redoing '71 Bug Std. (for now)

Wartorn · November 1st, 2009, 10:29 AM

Hi all RJ here from Tucson ... owned a 1962 Std - sob; and a Fine gloss black '66 1600 then sold em back back in da day (who knew then?) kids.

Hey this is a really kool forum, so many kool V-Rods. ... drooling.

Ex-machinist pre-CNC days. Not much on welding, fair to middling on paint, fixing. Working mostly in carport stripping Latex (not my work) was PO's crazy handiwork. Was Clementine Orange; going new paint; a Cool Creme White in 106F sunshine.

Right now spraying SEM Primer, doing new fenders etc.

Wife and I love beetles, v-rods any year, any model.

Our 2 dogs will love riding in the new / old semi-restored Bug.

Saw the Kubelwagen; looked all original? at the Chircobugfest.

RJ and pit crew.

OK I just saw a thread "putting newbies in their place"

1. Its the Newbies that keep these forums alive.
2. Diversity improves the breed.
3. No-one is so perfect that we can't learn something from a newbie or fail be inspired by their questions & experiments.

Wartorn · November 1st, 2009, 11:45 AM

Here's a few before and during pics. Car is stripped, most of the heavy bodywork is complete as of Nov. 1st.

In the final stages of sanding, spraying doors and quarter panels with pro grade SEM - no more cheap primer!

Wartorn · November 1st, 2009, 11:55 AM

Nov. 1st 2009:

Lots of the heavy cleanup, sanding, stripping, ripping out already done. Next week will be spraying a nice cool off-white just right for our very hot Tucson weather.

Banged-up passenger door being replaced this week.

Last pic is of the bug on the first day spent reworking it Sept. '09.

Wartorn · November 4th, 2009, 06:41 AM

Removed cruddy old dash pad ... kinda like the looks of a bare dash.

Wartorn · November 6th, 2009, 03:24 PM

Made great progress this week. Lots of small pieces need special attention. Dents take effort & full attention to do them right.

Bug is almost ready for paint. If nothing else these little guys have a lot of details to be taken care of if ya want the car to look good.

Angled shelf under the rear window was rust pitted so it got the treatment. SEM Primer works wonders to even out highs & lows, scratches.

A few more items then it's spraying time. Will be applying 2-3 coats of "Wimbleton White" from Dimension [catalyzed]. Looks a lot like the oem white used on earlier VWs.

Wartorn · November 9th, 2009, 10:00 AM

Replacing sunken passenger door, sanding jams, applying SEM primer etc. on both sides. Doing it right the first time.

Probably been posted before - a Nazi propaganda poster for the state-sponsored KdfWagen.

Swapped a "recycled" door onto passenger side.
Went on and adjusted easy as pie.

Wartorn · November 13th, 2009, 03:49 AM

Got a nastygram from our landlord - no more bodywork at our place. OK so a local paint & body man gets to spray the paint. At least the bodywork got done first, the right way. Small-minded people and politics in the formerly free SW.

Wartorn · November 14th, 2009, 11:28 AM

Sat. 11/14/09 Took bug over to local painter to spray 4 coats of Dupont "Frost White" Acrylic Enamel - 4 coats allows for color sanding & buffing. Hope it turns out nice.