Metalwork and welding

kadman

MrCostington wrote: »

Fantastic skill kadman and thank you for posting all those pics!

You must be related to MacGyver

I was afraid that I might be posting too many pics of my Fastback resto work:o

MrCostington

Not at all and delight it has its own thread now.

Do you post anything to youtube? If not you should See you on wheeler Dealers if Ant moves on!

kadman

MrCostington wrote: »

Not at all and delight it has its own thread now.

Do you post anything to youtube? If not you should See you on wheeler Dealers if Ant moves on!

I have posted a couple of vids, engines only for classic vw . Not much else.

jmreire

Bonnie situation:
:D:D:D:

Yes in a way... Its professional interest though. I spent many years working in a VW Main Dealership, servicing, engine repairs, bodywork, including bench and jig realignment, and of course welding, finishing and spray painting. Each and every one of these job's had a time in hours for completion, as per VW schedule. There was no manufacturing of replacement panels, either the damaged panel was repairable or it was replaced. And it was always a cost based decision...even if a panel was repairable, but cheaper to replace, then it would be replaced..
Restoration is a completely different animal, for sure !!! As I mentioned back in the beginning, forget about time and hours when you start a restoration project. Its a labour of Love and patience. And when it comes to having to manufacture replacement panels......time flys out the window. It was for this reason that I refused several time's to take on a restore project " in my spare time " Not likely, after working all week in the garage...and face into it again in the evening's and weekend's??? With no end in sight??? :cool: No Thanks !!!:D
So Yes, I am very interested in kadmans tale...and it reinforces my story...kadman is not a motor trade professional ( but would make a very good one if he wanted !! ) he is a carpenter and joiner, and for him, I expect changing from working with wood to working with metal, is pleasurable change and hobby, with the added advantage of having brought back to life a slice of history that would have otherwise ended up in the scrapper.
However now that I am retired, maybe I might consider doing a restore project..we will see !!!:):):)

kadman

Kadmans Tale...sounds like an ozzie wine:D:D

This resto was thrust upon me due to my dads insistence to purchase it,
against my advice. And i knew he did not have the skills for the bodywork,
despite his outstanding knowledge of the vw's stretching back to his first one back in the very early 60's.

His work buddies in London thought he was a mad paddy when he parked his vw UXC 89 among the fords, Wolseys and triumphs. They laughed at him, and he just smiled back:)

His love of VW's still there today, and i dont know any other 87 year old that has his vw knowledge, and thats where I learnt mine from. Like the belt on the pulley to start, and how to make 6v lighting brilliant, and we never drove in a poorly lit 6v beetle after the episode heading for Fishguard in a 6v, and the lights failing. We ended up following a bedford 6ton coal lorry through the welsh mountains, praying he was going our way:D:D

My background is in woodwork no doubt, but I have worked in cad technical design in both timber work and steel design, so thats where my technical ability kicks in.

As for my current restos, I aim for a strong roadworthy repair that will pass an NCT, on both my beetle Fastback and camper.
I dont strive for concourse because I doubt i have the skilset for it. And i am much happier driving a good car, than owning trailer queens that never see the road:)

Pythagorean

To see a really epic restoration job see PeteC's You tube channel. He dragged a 1971 Cortina Mk 3 from a hedgerow where it had resided for 20 odd years, amazingly the engine and transmission still worked, but the body was a different story, the whole shell had to be repaired, which involved a lot of fabrication, etc, as per Kadman's account. Pete's videos are well shot, entertaining and informative. Definitely worth a look.

kadman

Finished heater channels for the fasty were impossible to source when i needed mine,
and expensive. I saw quotes of 1000 each side NOS. And recently about 300 euro each
per side, excluding the oute cill and heater tube.

I found making these to be easier than some of the other jobs on the car.

kadman

Smallest panel was this dished disc,









Which I have now lost because it is so bloody small:)

jmreire

There is nothing wrong with Aussie wines, I can assure you.....no matter what the wine buffs will tell you.!!! LOL. While I would not be inthe same timeframe as your Dad, I well remember the 6 Volt VW's, and an Aunt of mine owned one of the early VW's with the split rear view windows.....And an Uncle of mine bought a brand new 6 Volt vW...and a few weeks later ( 2 , I think..) the 12 v made it's appearance,...my Uncle never forgave the dealer for it!!! LOL......that 6v VW drove perfectly, and lasted him about 18 years, still driving perfectly, until rust claimed it, but mechanically, it was driving perfectly. I must check what happened it eventually....Now that's a thought.
Good to hear that your Dad is still hale and hearty and as enthusiastic as ever about VW's...and I'm pretty sure that he was more than pleased to tell you that he WAS right about the car after all !!! LOL
To restore a car to a good functional working level would be my aim too......all of my car's have been workhorses, well kept, but always in working condition.. I can see all I want of cars trailered to exhibition's etc, but I prefer to see them alive and well and on the road. I was in a mK2 Ford Cortina last week, belongs to a garage owner friend of mine..he show's it occasionally at Car and Coffee shows, but it's his daily driver to for all local work. He bought it about 2 mths ago, and intends to restore it to it's former glory...maybe I'll give him a hand, and that will satisfy my restoration urge..... LOL
Your skillset is showing very well, and like I remarked, It's great to be able to swop around job's...working on the same "thing" all the time can get tiring and stale. I would swop between the body shop and the main garage all the time, which was handy for a change of scenery.
Anyway, Keep up the good work ( and maybe the Aussies WILL name a wine after you......LOL )

kadman

Rear wing corner repair,

kadman

Common problem areas in beetles and fastbacks are here under the back seat.





New panels fabricated. There are replacement pieces available for small repairs,
but large repairs are going to need panels added to them

kadman

This car is typical of standard MOT repairs on UK cars. I dont know
what the legal requirement is for the repair standard. But I do know the repairs on this body
were nothing more than metal bandaid repairs consistently welded over the previous MOT repair
done previously.

If you look carefully at this pic you can see the layered patches. Thats why any UK car you consider
buying, check the MOT history. Pinpoint the corrosion locations, and inspect that area for a proper
repair, which is doubtful you will find there.

jmreire

That's a nice bit of fabrication done there kadman. In the Beetles, under the rear seat on the passenger's side, where the battery was located, was a common site for rust, regardless of where the car was based, near the seaside or inland. I'd say that your one saw English road's a lot, kadman???? Plenty of salted roads over there.

kadman

jmreire wrote: »

That's a nice bit of fabrication done there kadman. In the Beetles, under the rear seat on the passenger's side, where the battery was located, was a common site for rust, regardless of where the car was based, near the seaside or inland. I'd say that your one saw English road's a lot, kadman???? Plenty of salted roads over there.

It was a uk import correct. Like i said its a typical
area for beetles to rust.

kadman

Inner wheelhouse area is also prone to rust, and panels are available for these,
but I made mine.



Panel tacked in



Bumper made fabbed up,



Tacked in ready for final finishing

jmreire

Yes, all lower box section's, sill's etc, were prone to rust..these are the hidden areas...so you don't really know what to expect until you dig into the job. Many a prospective amateur restorer got caught with corrosion in the "hidden places"

kadman

Its well known that a major design flaw for the fastbacks, were the rear wing aircooling louvres,
that basically scooped water into the rear section, if the drain outlets in these sections were not kept clear.
This was the result.



There were actually quite large drain openings here. That lots of restorers welded up:eek:

You can clearly see the drain outlets here



And partially completed here,




Thats what these little chaps are for,







And here you can see the drain chute fitted

kadman

Finally got here,

jmreire

How do you find those Cebora Welder's for bodywork?

kadman

Apologies, I posted this in the wrong thread, can a kind mod please move the last post with pics to the Metalwork and Welding thread,

sorry:o:o

kadman

I like my one, never gave any trouble. Although its long time over due
a replacement lead and torch.

I think the liner is overdue a change. Intermittent feed sometimes.

kadman

Front area below the bumper was also ravaged by rust and it needed some
radical repairs made to it. All from the gearbox shaft removal hole downwards was replaced
by 2 new fabricated panels.
Looks like this now.



Left and right repair panels,



Plus spare wheel well.



Trial fit



Plus this lower bumper reinforcing hole panel



And this one



Panels

kadman

Both front inner wing panels had extensive repairs made to them as well.
I also made indents wherever need in the panels , as opposed to flat patches ,
which was the norm before with the patch on patch method favoured for
mot fixes.

jmreire

kadman wrote: »

Both front inner wing panels had extensive repairs made to them as well.
I also made indents wherever need in the panels , as opposed to flat patches ,
which was the norm before with the patch on patch method favoured for
mot fixes.

So was it worse than you expected before you started?

kadman

jmreire wrote: »

So was it worse than you expected before you started?

No it was exactly as i had expected, all the tell tale signs were there to be seen.

Bottom 4" of cills ect were painted black. Under wing areas were coated in sloppy black schultz.
Uneven ripples in all the wing surfaces.
Previous patchwork under the seats, and inner wings in boot area.

No, I got no surprises. Biggest surprise was my dad still wanted it, like a schoolboy with his first car:D:D

jmreire

kadman wrote: »

Both front inner wing panels had extensive repairs made to them as well.
I also made indents wherever need in the panels , as opposed to flat patches ,
which was the norm before with the patch on patch method favoured for
mot fixes.

The indents were not there just for cosmetic reasons, they gave it strength. and were part of the overall monocoque design.

jmreire

kadman wrote: »

No it was exactly as i had expected, all the tell tale signs were there to be seen.

Bottom 4" of cills ect were painted black. Under wing areas were coated in sloppy black schultz.
Uneven ripples in all the wing surfaces.
Previous patchwork under the seats, and inner wings in boot area.

No, I got no surprises. Biggest surprise was my dad still wanted it, like a schoolboy with his first car:D:D

Yes, they were dead give away signs all right. Beware of the SCHUTZ ..:D:D:D but he was basing his opinion on memories, and using rose tinted spectacles.....But why not??? You brought a car with what was terminal illness back to life, and made your Dad happy !!! No small feat.:):):)

kadman

jmreire wrote: »

The indents were not there just for cosmetic reasons, they gave it strength. and were part of the overall monocoque design.

Yep, created structural integrity in a flexible sheet. But most repairs forget about them. I try not to

jmreire

Repaired areas looking really well now.

kadman

More typical areas that get eaten away with rust.
Front wing inner wheelhouse.

Before



After,.