The Viking Project - restoration of a 1965 VW beetle

[nmshaikh]

With all work on the floorpan complete , it is time to re-attach the pan to body. An OEM Made in Germany, frame to body seal was used and as an additional precaution against seepage I used a polyurethane sealant that is normally used on roofs in houses. The product has good sealing property and remains flexible for long periods of time even when exposed to high UV radiation (sun) and temperature variations. VW did not use a sealant in this area but only the chassis to body seal. this additional measure is to ensure that no moisture gets between the frame and body.

[nmshaikh]

the seal is held in place using steel nails just as VW did when the car was produced

[nmshaikh]

As an added measure of protection, a polyurethane sealant was used to seal out any moisture.

[nmshaikh]

The body was attached to the chassis and has remained parked for a while now. There was the extreme summer heat followed by Ramzan and monsoons so not a whole got done. Work on the beetle would re-start shortly and this thread is going to be updated. Parts for the car, meanwhile, have been collected in the US and are waiting to be shipped.

[NashTrooper]

Good!!
So the wait is gonna over now for further updates.

[nmshaikh]

Work remained suspended due to the non availability of a suitable door and other rust-free donor panels. However it restarted back in January and is nearing completion.

The first task was to graft a new panel including the B-pillar that was badly damaged due to a past accident. The car was probably T-boned and took its toll on the B pillar as well as the door.

A suitable panel was harvested from a donor shell and grafted. First the pictures of the damaged door and B-pillar

[nmshaikh]

The offending panel was 'surgically' removed. The past repair attempt is evident and while the outside was smoothed out using lots of body filler and painted over the pillar could not be brought back to the pre collision state. Surgery was the only option left.

[nmshaikh]

The replacement panel was positioned and tack welded

[nmshaikh]

After checking for correct positioning the panel was seam welded. A hammer and dolly were used to ensure the welding did not leave a wave in the panel. A replacement door was fitted and the gap checked. To be sure, the door seal, handle and lock were fitted as well. Arshad fits and removes all seals and fittings several times during the bodywork process so there are no unpleasant surprises after the car comes back from the paintshop.

[nmshaikh]

after it was all welded and panel beaten, the fender was installed to check the lines and gaps. Even the body trim was test fitted to verify the holes line up the way they should. Everything looks to be in order.

[nmshaikh]

Attention was then focused on the front end that had received some knocks in the cars life. The nose was pulled out and panel beaten. This area is out of sight when the fender is installed but leaving it unattended can affect the fitting of the front fenders and is generally ugly if you look at the panel from the inside. If the car has received a serious knock it is difficult or impossible to fit the spare wheel in the wheel-well. If the car has been rear ended then it is difficult to instal the engine and even if it is shoe-horned somehow, the body is in contact with the engine and the vibrations can be felt in the car. I insist on having everything test fitted and removed prior to the car going for a paint job.

[nmshaikh]

The car was missing an original jack clamp so one was sourced and welded in place. In the picture it appears as if the welding was done on the side but actually it was attached in the middle just as it was done at the factory. Only difference is that it was spot welding at the factory but here it was welded using an oxy-acetylene flame and then ground.

[nmshaikh]

The bumper bracket seals and the overrider support grommets were test fitted for the same reason described before.

[nmshaikh]

The front and back bumpers were test fitted. The bumpers seen in the pictures are off another car and are only for test fitting. New bumpers for the car are on their way from the US

[farazarif]

Sir may I ask what you plan to do with these bumpers when the new ones arrive? I'd love to have these if you are not in need of them.
Thank you.

[nmshaikh]

Sir may I ask what you plan to do with these bumpers when the new ones arrive? I'd love to have these if you are not in need of them.
Thank you.

These bumpers are off another car and I use them to check the fitting including spacing with reference to the fender curves and body. I try and not use the new parts to be handled in the workshop as they can get scratched or dented even before the car is ready. I learnt this lesson when a new headlamp lens was broken and a complete tail light went AWOL!

These bumpers, in half decent condition are getting harder to source locally but I will keep an eye and give you a shout if one or a complete pair becomes available.

[farazarif]

Thank you, would really appreciate that.

[nmshaikh]

The rear window frame was badly rusted so needed to address that. While this piece is out of sight once the headliner is installed we decided to replace with a donor panel from another car. A rust free window frame was cut out of the donor car and grafted. The pictures you see are prior to the welds being tidied up by grinding.

[nmshaikh]

As with all other parts /areas that are worked on, Arshad does not leave anything to chance. The rear window was test fitted using an old seal kept for this purpose. Everything looks great so we can proceed.

[nmshaikh]

The car is finally ready for the next stage...painting! After getting a go-ahead from Irfan it was moved to his place of business on a flat- bed truck. The surface prep starts from Friday.