Front Suspension

I didn't have much time in the shop today, but I was able to finish the notches in the shock towers. I wound up cutting the passenger side loose and redoing it. It turned out I cut too much out of the rear side of the tower. I wanted to make sure to leave as much material as possible so the tower could take the abuse the shock will give it. I set the body on the pan and it does clear, but not by much, so I will be trimming a little off the wheel wells below the gas tank tommow.

Front Suspension

Today I was able to get the body set back on the pan so I could mark and notch the shock towers. The passenger side is almost finished, all that is left is a little grinding. The driver side has been cut, but I still have to cut the patch to weld in. Once that is finished, I can disassemble and paint everything.

You may also notice the new wheels. It turned out with the dropped spindles, the ball joints did not clear the inside of the 15 inch rims. Thank goodness Discount Tire was willing to take them back. But of course the 16s cost over $200 more. They are better tires though, so I guess I can't complain too much.

Front Suspension

This weekend I was able to get the torsion leaves and the tie-rods cut to length. The picture to the left is the short tie-rod with a threaded rod welded into one half. This will add strength to the tie-rod as well as make welding it back together easier. The clamps have also been removed for cleaning and paint.

Here is the short tie-rod welded back together with the cleaned ends in place. The long tie-rod has been cut, cleaned and welded back together as well but the ends still need cleaned up. The last thing that needs to be done before I can paint everything is to notch the shock towers so the front clip will clear when the body goes back on.

Front Suspension

This morning I was able to get the inner batch of wide torsion leaves cut and get the front end loosely assembled. I still have to cut the thinner torsion leaves, notch the shock towers, shorten the tie rods, cut the wheel studs to length and paint everything. But at least I can see the car on the ground again. I have a ways to go, but I have to say I'm happy with the progress so far.

Front Suspension

Since the rear suspension is more or less complete, its time to get back to the front. I had to start by setting the body on the pan so I can locate the steering box on the beam. Once that was done I was able to attach the steering stop and the dampener bracket. Next up, I need to notch the shock towers so the front clip will clear.

Rear Suspension

It's been a long time coming, but the rear suspension is all back together. I took it apart this morning and put the new rubber spring plate bushings in. I also got the wheel studs cut to length and the calipers mounted. I do still have to run the brake lines to the rear wheels though. I want to figure out a way to run soft lines to the calipers so I don't have to disconnect them just to get them off.

Front Beam

The new adjusters I ordered showed up yesterday so I decided to weld the front beam back together today! I started by making a set of sleeves out of an old chain-link fence post. The diameter was almost right so all I had to do was cut a slit and make it just a little larger. The seam is in the back so you can't see it in this picture.

The beam it self is all welded up. I still have to locate and attach the steering stop and the dampener bracket. I'll have to set the body on the floor pan first so I can make sure I locate the steering box correctly. Then I need to shorten the torsion bars and tie rods.

Front Beam

After getting the components cut off yesterday, I decided to get the beam cut today. I started by grinding the old welds down from when I put the adjusters in the first time. Once that was done, I marked the beam with electrical tape and cut it in half with a sawz-all.

Front Beam

I've decided to narrow my beam 2 1/2 inches to account for the dropped spindles and the wider tires. I found this link, On the Straight and Narrow from VW Trends. They follow Ron Lummus as he narrows a beam by cutting 4 inches out of the center and adding adjusters.

Rear Suspension

The rear suspension is finally back together. I decided to go with 18 degrees of preload which will only drop the rear-end about 1 inch. I'm hoping the tires will fill the wheel wells but the ride will not suffer too much. Next up is to get the rotors drilled and the studs pressed in so I can mount the wheels.

Tires and Wheels

I picked up the tires and wheels today. I decided to go with an MB Five-X wheel from Discount Tire. The tires are Falken Sincera 205/65R-15 on the back and 185/65R-15 on the front. It's not a super performance tire, but it should give a good quiet ride and the price was great.

Rear Suspension

While removing the spring plate retaining cap, one of the bolts broke. I should have fixed this before I painted the pan, but I forgot until I was in the process of applying the Rust Bullet.

I started by cutting off the portion of the stud that was sticking out. Then I drilled a small pilot hole all the way through the center of the broken off bolt. Next I reamed out the hole to the correct size for the tap. Finally I tapped it out and test fit the cap. Everything works perfectly.

Rear Suspension

After letting the undercoating on the trailing arms dry for nearly 2 weeks, I packed and installed the new rear wheel bearings. You can see the new bracket that will be used to hold the caliper once the rotor has been installed. I would defiantly do this assembly on the bench again, it was much easier than with the arm on the car.

Brakes

I got to spend quite a bit of time in the shop today. I started by painting and installing the emergency brake handle and cables. The cables of course are not adjusted as there are no rear brakes yet. But I hope to get that done in the next week or so. Because the e-brake handle gets abused, I used a self etching primer and an epoxy paint to help avoid chipping.

Once I was finished with the e-brake handle, I moved on to preparing the rear disk brakes. I don't like the look of rusty brake parts so I wanted to paint everything before installation. I used a semi-flat black on the rotor and caliper bracket. When it came to the calipers, I decided I wanted a little more pop so I used a red brake parts paint.

The other thing I did was get the rear trailing arms torn apart so I can take them down to Hook's Automotive and get them cleaned and blasted before painting them. Hook has also ordered the wheel bearings, seals and all the bushings for the rear end. They should be in on Wednesday, then I can get the rear-end put back together.

Brakes

Today I got the master cylinder installed and all the hard brake lines run. I still have the 2 hard lines that run along the rear trailing arms to bend, but I want to get the arms installed first.

Coating the Pan

Today I was able to get all the seams sealed and the entire pan undercoated both top and bottom. The rotisserie made spraying the pan so much easier. I still need to clean and coat the spring plates and trailing arms before I can put the rear end back together. But the rear brakes come tomorrow, so I'll be getting the suspension ready very soon.

Coating the Pan

Today, after Gunking the entire pan, I washed it with dish soap to remove all the Gunk residue that was leftover. Then I took some lacquer thinner to all the paint that was left to soften it up a bit before spraying the pan, top and bottom, with Rust Bullet. This stuff is thick and sticky! Make sure to use a heavy plastic on the floor since your shoes will stick to it.

Pan Halves

I finally got the pan on the rotisserie today. The pan halves have been welded in place but I still need to grind down the welds. I also need to remove the seat tracks since I will be building new ones for my custom seats. Once that is done and the pan has been degreased, it will be ready for a bath in Rust Bullet. Hopefully that will be done by this weekend.

Pan Half Replacement

I've decided it's time to get going on the pan. The rusty floors we starting to bother me. I wound up using the halves off the 59 pan that was under the car when I bought it. They did not have a rust pit anywhere on them and they are original VW sheet metal. Next up was to cut the rusty pans off so they could be replaced. Once I cut them off, I had to grind down the remaining spot welds and spray the area with a weld through primer.

The new pans have been tacked in place. I need to get some help setting the body back on top to make sure everything lines up before I weld it all up. It's not every day you see a 69 pan with 59 pan halves in it. But at the same time, you can't buy pan halves like this either. They are thick and fit perfectly. There was no shaping or pounding of any kind to get them to fit.

Rear Apron Reconstruction

The skin of the apron is done and the seal retaining strip is welded back on. If I was to do this again, I would start by marking the center of the strip and the center of the curve at the bottom of the apron. Match up the 2 marks and work my way back up from there. Starting on one end worked too but I ran the risk of running short on one end and long on the other.

The decklid is mounted but has not been fit yet. It does not look too bad, but the curve of the lid is not right. Next up is to remove the hinge strip so I can do some clean-up and remount it so the curve of the lid matches the curve below the back window. You would think for $500 they could get it right!

Rear Apron Reconstruction

This time around I have decided to construct the rear apron on the car rather than welding it together on the bench. This will allow me to ensure the decklid fits as it all goes together. I have the apron tacked to the car and the H pattern tacked into the apron in this picture. I have already set the decklid in place and everything fits perfectly.

Now the finish welding is almost done. The first pass has been finished and ground down. All that is left is to fill all the pinholes as well as the 2 slits I had to cut to make the apron lay flat. Next up will be to weld the decklid and engine seal retainers in place.

Wheel Well Repair - Part 2

This picture shows the driver side of the engine compartment. I have removed the shelf that sits between the wheel well and the engine because it was damaged along with the rear edge below the bumper bracket. I was able to fix the damage so I can reuse the original piece when I put it back in.

Not only have I gotten the missing metal replaced, but the shelf has now been welded back in too. The body is now ready for a new rear apron. Since that will take the better part of a day, I will more than likely not be able to work on it until the end of March or the beginning of April.

Wheel Well Repair - Part 1

As you can see, the driver side wheel well is a bit of a mess. It looks like the car was driven off-road at some point in it's life. the missing metal is not due to rust but bottoming out on something. There are a few cracks as well as the missing metal, but they are not too bad and I was able to just weld them up.

The new bumper bracket, purchased from Wolfsburg West, has been welded in and fits quite well for an aftermarket part. While it is not truly correct for the car, it will hold the bumper and it's actually stronger than the original, so what the heck.

Rear Apron - Second Attempt

I found a good used rear apron last weekend for $40. It came off a '71 but because all I need is the part outside the smile, it will work well. As you can see I have filled the exhaust cutouts. The new apron is just clamped on the car at this point to ensure fit. Next up I need to do some repair on the driver side where the bumper mounts to the car. Once that is fixed I can finish the apron.

Rear Apron - First Try

I just finished welding the H pattern into the new rear apron I bought. Don't look too close cause it's crooked. I'm also not at all happy with the way the apron fits on the car. The aftermarket aprons just aren't rolled as well as the originals. I'm going to start looking for a good used apron I can weld this H into this next week.

Final Grinding

The top is finished! All the welds have been ground off and the pin holes filled in. There will be some additional work to do on the bullet hole still. I will also wind up cutting part of the corner above the windshield on the driver side free and redoing it. But I want to move on to the rear apron first. I'm getting a little worn out on the top at this point.

Final Welding - Part 3

There it is... A '57 rag top. I've wanted one of these since I was 16. It's taken just short of 20 years, but I finally have one.

The welding on the passenger side and the back both turned out very well. I still have a ton of grinding to do, which is the part I have always hated. Once that is done, I will have more than just a few pinholes to go back and fill.

When butt welding 2 pieces like this, if you miss 1 hole moisture can get between the body and the paint. When that happens, the body will rust and the paint will blister up from the under side. The best way I have found to get them all is to use a flashlight from the back side. Make sure to look at the weld from all angles, cause those little buggers will hide from you.

Final Welding - Part 2

The front of the top has been welded up and ground down. There are a few waves but nothing too bad. The corner over the driver side did not turn out as well as I hoped it would but the passenger side turned out quite well. I still need to go back and weld up the pinholes but I will wait until all the other welding is finished before I go back and do that.

I have not welded down the passenger side yet, but you can see how well it will fit when I do. There is still some grinding to do on the front corner, but I don't think I will have time to do it today. I may try to get out to the shop tonight, but we'll see if the wife will let me.

Final Weding - Part 1

Most of the driver side has been welded up. You can see that I dug the filler out of the bullet hole above the door. I still need to cut a small patch to fill that in. I also need to do a little bit of shrinking and stretching to make the 2 inch strip right above the windshield line up correctly. All in all, it is coming along quite well. There are a few waves, but nothing I can't take care of with my new stud welder.

Final Roof Fitting

The final fitting for the new roof is done. Everything is tacked in place and fits extremely well. I still need to go back and work out two flat spots, one above the windshield on the drivers side and one just behind the trailing edge of the opening on the passenger side. Neither should require much time.

Next up is final welding. My guess is that will take the better part of a day including the grinding. I've not done a patch this big before, but what the heck, right?

I have to confess, I have never even sat in a rag top before, so I really can't wait to have this car done so I can actually drive one.

Fitting the New Roof

I started the evening by welding the supports in each of the front corners. Once they were welded, I sprayed a metal etching primer on them to protect the welds. This part of the roof will never see the light of day again so I had to spray them now to avoid rust later on. The body filler you see is a bullet hole patched by the previous owner. There are 2 or 3 more I will need to fix at some point.

Next up was to fit and tack the patches in above the supports I just welded in place. These patches took some serious work to fit correctly but the time spent will be well worth it. The next step will be to run a cutting wheel all the way around the top and tack the rest of it in place before final welding.

Here you can see how well the slider will fit. The rusty part is the front edge of the slider that will eventually be covered with a canvas top. You can't get a better fit than that from a factory installed top.

More Roof Work

I only got to work on it for an hour today, but I did get the new top trimmed to it's final size. This is a great fit! The only gaps between the new and exiting skins are where there are dents in the existing top. Most of them will be hammered out before I start welding the new skin in place. I hope to get started on that tomorrow, but we'll see if I get time to work on it at all.

Again, you can see just how well the new top fits. Across the back edge, there are a few gaps but that is just because there is nothing supporting the existing roof. So when the sag is removed, it's a perfect fit.

It's a Rag Top! Well, Almost...

I started by laying the new top skin on top of the car and marking the inside of the opening with a can of red spray paint. That way I can cut a hole in the top big enough to stand inside the car and work without having to lean over the side. I used an air chisel to make this initial opening so I had to be careful not to make the hole too big and risk warping the metal.

Next, I marked the smallest hole I could possibly cut and fit the new top down inside the hole. I then cut that hole out with a cutting wheel. Just above the windshield you can see 3 notches cut out as well. Those are there so I can weld the supports in the corners and above the mirror from the outside.

Here you can see the new top skin has been set in place. Although I have not trimmed it to it's final size yet. If you look close, you can see the holes just above where the visors will be. My guess is this top was on a Baja at some point in it's life.