European '66 Beetle Restoration Log

Here's the spot to show off your 1966 Beetle Restoration projects
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SeeBlauKafer
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Post by SeeBlauKafer »

Hi everyone, I'll come right to the point here, I was recently the victim of a bodyshop and had a less than favorable experience with them leading me to cease doing business with them. This is always a danger if you use multiple bodyshops to accomplish different tasks.

I don't wish to expose the site to potential liability if names are given so none will be given.

John, I'll leave it to you whether or not you want the backstory published on this (minus names, shop names and particulars of course). For now let me leave the readers with a list of precautions when dealing with body shops.

Please don't let this dampen this happy season ... so:
>>>Happy Holidays to all!<<<
From - Seeblaukafer

#1.) Never trust the proverbial 'friend of a friend' when taking referrals for business - Even friends don't really know their friends very well at times especially how they do business.

#2.) Never give a bodyshop an OPEN ENDED repair ... always, always, always get a firm estimate IN WRITING for the full job and all parts involved BEFORE work begins. I shafted myself here because I didn't obey rule #1.

#3.) Pay close attention to the labor rates (and 'hidden rates'). Sometimes shops will sneak in a "parts labor charge" on top of the regular labor rate. Always have body shops explain their labor rate(s) fully before work begins.

#4.) Be extra careful when having a body shop work on a non-running car. A non-running car will give dishonest bodyshops a feeling that they have you 'over a barrel' which may prompt price gouging. If you can't drive the car you can't easily retrieve it if there is a problem and you need to back out. Luckily I had a plan from the start (my own VW towbar and a towing vehicle), but others may not be so lucky.

#5.) Always ask the body shop to explain their parts charges fully. Ask that they give you a price breakdown and the manufacturer's name for each part they claim to have purchased.

#6.) Try to do business with body shops that are members of your regional Better Business Bureau. This way if there is a grievance (dispute over charges, or shotty workmanship) you will be able to work through the BBB as a 3rd party with full documentation of the problem and any resolution attempts made by the vendor.

#7.) If you make a mistake, be a grownup, pay your bills, and go on with life. If you have a grievance and fail to pay your bill, the bodyshop can sometimes claim a 'mechanic's lien' against your vehicle (in essence they now own your car).

I was burned in this case due to having trusted the 'friend of a friend'. I hope none of you suffer the same. More updates on the car as I go back to working on it myself. Cheers!
'66 Type I
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

Wow - sorry to hear that things went so badly. I had a similar experience with second VW back in the late 1970's - I actually ended up in court (and prevailed) with the body shop. Your rules are solid and good advice for anyone looking at a restoration.
RobM
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Post by RobM »

SeeBlauKafer wrote:
I was burned in this case due to having trusted the 'friend of a friend'. I hope none of you suffer the same. More updates on the car as I go back to working on it myself. Cheers!


- Sorry to hear you got burned. Thanks for the warnings. I'll keep them in mind for future work.
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SeeBlauKafer
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Post by SeeBlauKafer »

Thanks John and Rob. It's actually been quite nice having her back in my own garage (temporarily displacing the Oval outside under a car cover as I need the extra space to work on her).

Anyway, what did John Muir always say when things went South like this? Wasn't it something like "Smile, look up at the shining Sun and go on with life"? Or similar words?

The heavy rust repair was completed by the previous (good) bodyshop man in late Summer. A big weight off my shoulders, that by itself. Interestingly enough when I recently placed the body back onto the pan, for the trip home, the mounting points at the front beam and at the rear wheelhouse areas (which were replaced) lined up perfectly. I communicated this fact to the (good) bodyshop man.

The body now sits in epoxy primer awaiting wet sanding. I need to sand and prime the inner trunk area. I also need to re-hang the doors and adjust accordingly. Hinge pin replacement will be performed on the driver's door with the reaming tool and parts I already received from Wolfsburg West. I bought a bunch of new hinge screws while I was at it.

FYI: A 1966 Beetle takes 12 door hinge mouting screws.

OK, so here's where I am at the end of December '07:
- Re-hang doors
- Strip and prime inner trunk area
- Re-mount heater inlets in rear bulkhead area
- Seam seal entire car (especially panel replacements)
- Apply body caulk where required
- Strip front hood and apply new filler then prime
- Apply filler to doors as needed then prime
- PAINT (two ways to go about this)
Option 1: Contract with a shop to professionally paint with a two-stage basecoat/clearcoat. (Downside: Not many shops are familiar with VW's today, or as familiar as I would like. Some parts may not be coated properly).
Option 2: Rent a booth and spray the car myself. That way I get all the nooks and crannies and ensure all the parts that need attention get attention. (Downside: All the prep, supplies and cleanup, plus the need of instruction from a friend who is a professional painter).

Until next time - Happy New Year All!
'66 Type I
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couion
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Post by couion »

The pics of your pan inside thr garage looks very farmiliar. Mine is in almost the same configuration. Looks great! My body however is not fairing so well. It still has a long way to go.
RobM
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Post by RobM »

SeeBlauKafer wrote: Anyway, what did John Muir always say when things went South like this? Wasn't it something like "Smile, look up at the shining Sun and go on with life"? Or similar words?


- Good philosophy. It beats slamming your head against the wall.

- Sounds like you have a plan of action. I need to draw up one of those.

- I guess my biggest problem is that we're using our little '66 as a commuter. I've sanded and sealed the outer body rust so we can drive her around all we want. She's so much fun to just drive, I haven't put together a plan to finish fixing her up like you have--which I should.

- List to self: After New Years and Daughter's wedding--remember to start a list!
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SeeBlauKafer
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Post by SeeBlauKafer »

The pics of your pan inside thr garage looks very farmiliar. Mine is in almost the same configuration. Looks great! My body however is not fairing so well. It still has a long way to go.
Thanks Couion. I must admit something here. While my body was undergoing panel replacement at the "good" bodyshop my pan sat outside under a cover. Even still the POR-15 photodegraded and has mellowed to a matte black color. I will therefore re-clean it and re-apply the POR-15 to the chassis, just because I like the nice glossy black color. I may just wait until final paint, that way I can split the body and pan after final paint, redo the POR-15 and reattach the two with a fresh pan gasket and new mounting hardware.
'66 Type I
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SeeBlauKafer
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Post by SeeBlauKafer »

RobM wrote:
SeeBlauKafer wrote: Anyway, what did John Muir always say when things went South like this? Wasn't it something like "Smile, look up at the shining Sun and go on with life"? Or similar words?


- Good philosophy. It beats slamming your head against the wall.

- Sounds like you have a plan of action. I need to draw up one of those.

- I guess my biggest problem is that we're using our little '66 as a commuter. I've sanded and sealed the outer body rust so we can drive her around all we want. She's so much fun to just drive, I haven't put together a plan to finish fixing her up like you have--which I should.

- List to self: After New Years and Daughter's wedding--remember to start a list!
I drove mine around like that for a couple of years. My floor was suffering badly from rust but the paint looked really really nice. I got stopped in traffic all the time. Once while refueling a man pulled a u-turn to pull into the gas station to ask if I wanted to sell it. Drive and enjoy her as much as you can!
'66 Type I
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couion
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Post by couion »

At this stage of the game I am considering a Right Hand Drive conversion. The body is off and has been blasted. There is a good bit of rust in the firewall and right heater channel so while I'm there I figure a RHD would be a cool way to go.
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SeeBlauKafer
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Post by SeeBlauKafer »

couion wrote:At this stage of the game I am considering a Right Hand Drive conversion. The body is off and has been blasted. There is a good bit of rust in the firewall and right heater channel so while I'm there I figure a RHD would be a cool way to go.
RHD would be a really cool conversion since you're already needing firewall work. 'Crazydaze' on this forum has a really nice RHD '66 Beetle. I myself am too lazy to convert my car ... plus I'm confused in life enough already for someone to go and swap my controls from left to right ... :shock:

What exactly is required for such a conversion anyway?

Here's some stuff I thought of off the top of my head ... (Oops, legal disclaimer time ... Note: The points below are for the sake of discussion only. I have never performed this procedure and do not recommend any of the points below be used as a guide or as instructions on how to undertake such a task. Please consult a professional.)

- Relocation of steering column hole in firewall L to R
- Swap of instrument pod position with glovebox pod position
- Relocation of speedometer cable from L to R control arm
- Special RHD pedal cluster (longer style)
- Relocation of pedal cluster bolt mounts and access hole L to R
- Relocation of steering box L to R
- Relocation of steering box lock-to-lock stops and mounts L to R
- Relocation of accelerator and clutch cable tubes L to R??? Or maybe just string 'em in there somehow without the tubes? (Your LHD pan not having a clutch cable tube installed on the RHD side sounds similar in theory to how a clutch cable is retrofitted during an autostick to manual transmission conversion. If memory serves I don't think autostick pans ever had a clutch cable tube installed.)
- Remember to drive on correct side of the road of course
'66 Type I
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SeeBlauKafer
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Post by SeeBlauKafer »

January 2008:

OK, So I have both doors hung (mounted) and the passenger side will not close properly. Fear not, the unibody is not sprung (new heater channels were already installed a few years ago and the doors fit perfectly afterward). Actually the lower edge of the door had the weatherstripping channel replaced but the metal was not trimmed to the proper size, thus it is hitting the door sill. I'll need to take the door back off and trim the excess metal off of the repaired area.

I ordered 12 new door hinge mounting bolts from Wolfsburg West and also new (first oversize) hinge bolts for the driver side (including the threaded one for the mirror ... along with a reamer tool. I'll let you know how that all works out.

Even after the new hinge pins I fear the driver side door will need a bit of tweaking to get the alignment right with the body line on the quarter panel ... while at the same time maintaining the correct distance between the A pillar and the B pillar.
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couion
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Post by couion »

Sounds like it is coming together. Cant wait for more pics. Getting back to a rhd conversion clutch and accel. tubes remain in the same place. The pedal assy. goes from the right side and connects into the clutch and accel. from the left.You are right it will take some work but I think it will be worth it if its done properly.
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couion
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Post by couion »

Changed my mind. Going to keep it orig.
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SeeBlauKafer
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Post by SeeBlauKafer »

couion wrote:Changed my mind. Going to keep it orig.
Sorry for taking so long to respond. Had a hospital stay for five days and unable to work on car. (Bloodclot in leg) Let this serve as a warning for anyone who injures themselves working out and refuses to see a doctor. Getting better now.

Yeah, I don't blame you. For once in my life I'd like to have a perfect stock Beetle. Every one I've ever owned has had something I didn't like about it:
- improperly repaired damage from previous owners
- paint color I wasn't crazy about
- bad case of rust
- a million little things that would nickel and dime me to death

I want this '66 to be one I can drive and enjoy while drawing smiles from passersby. Too bad mine won't be ready for the Spring weather.

Here's an update on my '56 Oval "Col. Klink" (might as well since I'm here). I'm pulling it out after a long winter of hibernation. The brake soft lines and fluid need replacing and it needs a valve adjustment and general tune up. After the '66 is done I'll strip and repaint Col. Klink his original Polar Silver.
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couion
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Post by couion »

Sorry to hear about the hospital stay. Good thing is you were able to get out. I have not had much time to invest in my 66 either but my excuse is a good one not bad like yours. I recently accuired a 67 deluxe bus that I have been spending a little time with to get it street worthy. All the big stuff was already done when I got it. It did need a lot of small things to make it a good driver though.
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