From Der Hacken Laden Werks - '61 Volkswagen Beetle rebirth

[STINEY]

In the beginning, we drug this mess home because it had a nice hood ( and the car came with the hood, old dude wouldn't part it out).

After it fermented further in the barn for a few years, and my wife & I having a couple of boy-childs in the meantime, I found myself in need of a family 4-seater for dune cruising. After a brief flirtation with the idea of a full length 'glass buggy with Thing suspension............sanity prevailed and then receded as this idea came about.

So after moving 3 other "junk" beetles (hey, I considered this one junk and changed my mind about it, anything can be fixed) it lurched/rolled squinting & bleary-eyed into the early morning sunlight....






Poor little thing barely made it into the shop.

[STINEY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

Now I want to warn all you folks out there in the Western United States - THE FOLLOWING IMAGES DEPICT SOME DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC IMAGES!

















This boys & girls, is rust. Not sun decay or metal fatigue, but rust.

[Kenny_Z]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

I want to pick up a beetle project one day. Good luck with this one, she looks to be in baaad shape.

[STINEY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

The few bolts that were left came out suprisingly easy, only 1 broke (gas tank hold down, go figure.)

Of course there were a BUNCH that did not need to be addressed whatsoever.....

Even though all the bolts were out, the rear crossmember stayed stuck to the pan - and took the package tray with it. Look close at the previous pictures and its understandable.



So we sourced this piece. Thanks to thesamba.com & greyhound busing for existing, I would have never found this stuff before the internet.







Just to act as a jig, it was sat down on its "new" pan with new floors/hat already installed. This let the new heater channels be bolted loosely to the floors so that the next step can be figured out......where do you start when everything is COMPLETELY shot?



Right or wrong, this is how I'm doing it. I'm committed at this point (or should be!) since everything is quite loose and wiggly. (a questionable quality in women, definitely not desirable in cars)
First step is to get the package tray/rear body mounts in there solid, then worry about the channels.

[miketblsr]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

The real life scene from a herbee (sp) movie!!!
good luck

[STINEY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

I know you're not supposed to dive in and cut too much out at once, but honestly, this a-pillar wasn't doing anything constructive in the first place, and the slob-patch that was attached to it was in the way of the body sitting down evenly on the pan.

So I measured, left a few inches extra, and removed the offending section. Even got the hinge freed up with the liberal application of heat.........





I think I'll leave the hood alone, at least as long as it stays attached by itself. Maybe add a tetanus warning sticker.



Front firewall sitting on new Napoleon hat and new heater channels. Notice I'm fully welding all of the areas that the factory spot-welded, makes everything stiffer for cheap.





Spare tire well floor............or lack thereof?



Passenger side b-pillar "area". No laughing at the 2x4's unless you submit a better idea......they are all that is holding up the rear of the body, going from floor to roof. My hoist was tied up with another project.

[STINEY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

Some of you know the drill, when an early body goes on a later pan, the rear fenderwell body mounts must be shortened approx 1 1/4".

So here's some pictures for anyone who might be curious....

The cut marks laid out.



Was originally going to drill the spot welds and move the whole bracket up. Yeah. Think they used enough spots there?



This piece needs to be a little narrower for bolt hole alignment.



Taadaa.

[STINEY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

Ran into a new "issue"........I've never had to cut this before, and I've never heard of this needing clearanced when putting a early body on a late pan.

But this one sure needed the body mount casting on the pan trimmed. No way it would clear without.



More trimming to make room for the "new" rear package tray/body mount piece.




Competed cutting the body to accept the donor section. I ended up using the remains of the body mount piece and a level and angle finder to reference the cut lines, damn hard to measure when there's no bottom to one piece and no top to the other!



Slipped the donor piece in to mark for final trimming.









And the management! Or should I say "apprentice"? He is really quite an excellent helper, in charge of putting out fires and has saved my butt more than once when I needed a third hand. Thanks buddy!

[STINEY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

Here's about what it should look like when done. Think "patina" real hard, not "pos". Should give the local fuzz something to think about at the very least.





The rear will come up another couple inches, still have to readjust the torsion bars. And I found a bumper for the rear with just the right amount of nastiness.



And back on the stands for the next round of cutting.

[HoosierGTA]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

I really think the "dome" shape of the shell is all that kept the bug from buckling in the middle!

[Ron Ward]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

While looking at these photos, I kept saying to myself, "tetanus shot.... must get tetanus shot."

Ron

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

Dude...you barn looks VAST.

Brian

[STINEY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

Thanks, I love my barns. Old barns are almost as much fun as old cars, and you can't afford to build the space that they have to offer. Plus taxes on them are a fraction of what a new building would be, the barn is still taxed at the rate/value from when built.

Heating will require some thought though. That's next on my list of things to do...


On the bug, I've been very careful to not open the doors when I have it lifted/supported. That roof can only do so much!

My wife (works in the medical industry) is always telling me to go get a tetanus shot - I keep telling her that I keep "updating" mine with fresh cuts, it never gets a chance to wear off that way. Then I get THAT LOOK again....

Wonder what that look really means?

[JOES66FURY]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

WOW....I thought my car was rusty....you sir have given me new hope....

[Agent-OO6.]

Re: From Der Hacken Laden Werks......

You ARE committed ;D!! Very nice 'werk',the Furher would be pleased ;D ;D. ~OO6.