UK VW Rusto-ROD epic - Cut-Weld-Drive Forums

BrownBUGUK · June 17th, 2011, 01:24 PM

Hi all, A while back, Dec2010 I decided to give my old '72 bug a bit of lovin', nothing too involved, just a quick patch n go project to make a slam door driver out of her, shouldn't take a coupl'a months tops!!

Well, so much for that plan.......here's how it went:

This is NOTHING compared to the RODical work elsewhere on this site but I thought you might like to see what we're doing over here.

This is how she looked

Just before I stripped the wings:

Only to find the usual tinworm:

At this stage I was still relaxed, ya gotta find some sh*t eh?

Meanwhile, I had been dicking around with the horn grills and rear number plate light:

.

Then I found this

Front n/s heater channels

Next.....

BrownBUGUK · June 17th, 2011, 01:30 PM

Also, this

Ultimately .....this:

Basically, the whole bottom 15cm of the body had to be renewed as well as the floorpan edges.

Remember, this was supposed to be a quick patch n go !!

BrownBUGUK · June 17th, 2011, 01:39 PM

Anyhows, I pressed on regardless, many would've bailed at this point I'm told (most of my friends) but me being me, I didn't:

Instead I did this

, Jimmy did a lot of this

so it ended up like this:

All still a 'work in progress' but looking much better

BrownBUGUK · June 17th, 2011, 01:52 PM

You can multiply by x2 all of the welding in the previous post as both side were just as fooked as each other.

This was a girl with a 'past' to say the least, remember that C pillar shot :

Well, the entire roof had been nailed on by an ape with a glue gun, alignment issues were coming to the fore:

I always knew something wasn't quite right! This B pillar shot shows how bent it was:

Check out the lump of bondo in the top corner of the window apperture:

A little fettling was required:

You can also see the roof cut across the C pillar.

Pillar cuts as they were uncovered:

Broke this joint free with a nail file

Now all safely welded:

Here's the bit I like, while cutting out rust on the rear gutter we did this:

BrownBUGUK · June 17th, 2011, 01:57 PM

Inspiration

Oh yes, if mine looks even half as good as these I'd be a happy guy. Notice how they're all brown? That's because I'm going brown, satin dark chocolate brown to be exact, already got the tank done:

Pleased with that

BrownBUGUK · June 17th, 2011, 02:08 PM

We're now into May 2011, so 5 months have elapsed since I started, optimistically, with a view to ending by end of Feb'11 sooo a little longer than planned

All the time I've been doing stuff, almost every day:

Setting up how I want the lights:

Fixin' the hood

Painting stuff:

Buying stuff:

Patchin stuff:

Restorin stuff:

Generally working my way through a tick list as long as my arm

BrownBUGUK · June 17th, 2011, 02:16 PM

The last round of work has moved into the filling n rubbing stage as the bodywork receives attention:

Oh yeah, remember that bent B pillar? A gentle PortaPower session soon sorted it

Now I have a decent enough shutline:

and a reasonably straight B pillar, (filler required)

Still got a was to go yet but it does seem like there is a light at the end of the tunnel (and it's not a train coming the other way!!).

Thanks for reading through this far, any comments of feedback would be welcomed.

Laters..........

Daddy o's 67 · June 17th, 2011, 06:48 PM

Keep up the good work

! Your eather a very brave man for working with so much rust or just plain crazy

.

BrownBUGUK · June 18th, 2011, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daddy o's 67

Keep up the good work

! Your eather a very brave man for working with so much rust or just plain crazy

.

Why thank you DaddyO, I have to admit it was a LOT more rust than I expected and I have to thank Scotty (using his workshop/equipment) and Jimmy (welding/metalwork) if it wasn't for my buddies I wouldn't be where I am with it.

Can't wait for paint

Dbug41 · June 18th, 2011, 10:28 PM

Amazing!
that's allot of work!!

bulletz · June 19th, 2011, 02:00 AM

Dude that must suck to find that much rust in what looked like a perfectly good car... still, good on ya for perservering!!

Love that color too!!

sallyandsean · June 19th, 2011, 04:25 AM

love it, love it, love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**radiotrib** · June 19th, 2011, 09:41 AM

I want those body jacks Dammit ...

Coming long nicely too ... lots of hard work but always a good result ...

RatRansom68 · June 21st, 2011, 04:00 AM

wow.........thats was some severe cancer, you have grave patience man! kudos!! keep it up, i wanna see the brown shine! :)

BrownBUGUK · October 9th, 2011, 01:25 AM

Hi all, Thank you all for your comments, well a long time has passed since June but a lot has been achieved:

All that pushin n shovin, fillin n rubbin resulted in a body ready to paint

Much, much flatting ensued!

Then colour.......

Here it is fresh out of the oven

a particular favourite photo

Tidied under the hood:

Couldn't decide on Porsche or Rossi??

Went with Rossi:

Rear end with modified plate housing and reworked gutters...giving it a wider, fuller back end view I think:

Well, that's where it is folks......hope to have it on the road within 3-4 weeks. Thanks for watching

BrownBUGUK · October 9th, 2011, 03:04 AM

This is the interior:

I think it'll contrast well with the dark brown, got some ideas of how to detail the dashboard and make it look a bit more like a 50's rod

Loving my Moto-Lita wheel. Looking to fix the same outer trim along the middle of the dash from speedo outwards on both sides. Along with the pinstriping (inside and out, classic red, cream & grey) I have planned it could look cool.

dt113 · October 9th, 2011, 05:37 AM

Can't believe anyone would spend that much time, on a worthless rust bucket!

LOL
Sure glad you did!

Anyone would be very proud, to own your car!

You all did an excellent job -- any plans for the next one?

BrownBUGUK · October 9th, 2011, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dt113

Can't believe anyone would spend that much time, on a worthless rust bucket!

LOL
Sure glad you did!

Anyone would be very proud, to own your car!

You all did an excellent job -- any plans for the next one?

Haha.....If I knew then, what I know now maybe I wouldn't have started this whole project. I'm more than pleased with how it's turning out..... believe it or not there's more to come, this is only phase1.

Phase2 included removal of engine and some tarting up in certain areas

Thank you DT, very kind of you to say.

**V8Transporter** · October 9th, 2011, 07:33 AM

Beautiful work on such a 'patina ridden' bug. Until your rod I wasn't a real fan of brown...but WOW!

Ryan · October 9th, 2011, 09:01 AM

looks great. good job. someone did a good job hiding all that mess. glad you sorted it out right

BrownBUGUK · October 9th, 2011, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crack monkey

looks great. good job. someone did a good job hiding all that mess. glad you sorted it out right

None of the rust (mess) was hidden, all was cut out and replaced with, mostly, genuine VW metal (T4 van side panels) or repair sections. Mind you there is a lot of welding under the bondo, can't be helped when the complete panel isn't replaced, I know what's there, but hell, it 'll be OK

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Transporter

Beautiful work on such a 'patina ridden' bug. Until your rod I wasn't a real fan of brown...but WOW!

Why thank you V8, you're not alone in coming around to brown....most of my friends in the VW world didn't like the sound of it either, but gradually as they see it for the first time they have to admit to liking it. It's actually turned out a little shinier than I had first planned...too much hardener in the 2xpack paint made it that way, next time I'd go to 30% matting agent rather than 20%.

As I add the shiny stuff the contrast becomes more apparent which is what I was looking for

Thanx both of you for your replies.

BrownBUGUK · October 9th, 2011, 10:42 AM

Dicking about with the small jobs.......that take forever to do

Like sorting a bad contact coupled with seized spindles on the wipers, round and round wondering why they don't spin up. Finally traced a bad contact in the loom/earth and the seized spindles meant all out again, then in then out as I had to set the 'rest' position....that took a bit of thinking to sort out

Now I like the positioning at rest:

BrownBUGUK · October 9th, 2011, 10:48 AM

I went for Rossi headlights cos I love the lights on this 40's Ford and I think they look like them. I'm aware of the irony though - Late bug with early slopey wings (wrong 'un) going for an after-market upgrade to uprights, fuck it

Even the blade bumper (fender) look alike and the general roundy shape, like the curves on a woman

FBB · October 11th, 2011, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dt113

Can't believe anyone would spend that much time, on a worthless rust bucket!

Over here on our heavily salted little island, that car was in 'good condition for its age'.

Ryan · October 11th, 2011, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrownBUGUK

None of the rust (mess) was hidden, all was cut out and replaced with, mostly, genuine VW metal (T4 van side panels) or repair sections. Mind you there is a lot of welding under the bondo, can't be helped when the complete panel isn't replaced, I know what's there, but hell, it 'll be OK

.

i ment before you tore into it. the car looked nice and solid with your begining pics. i would never have guessed it was that rusted.

you have done a steller job