Walter's 1969 Beetle
August 3, 2009
Today was spent filling, sanding, filling, sanding, shooting primer, filling some more, sanding some more, shooting more primer........ But that is the way body work goes. At some point you just have to say "good enough" and quit. There will always be little blemishes if you keep carefully inspecting a well-traveled car. Considerable time was spent on the right front of the car. When the car was hit in the front (or hit something with the front depending on which of Walter's beloved daughters is recounting the event), the apron was wrinkled quite a bit. Previous repairs had put the apron and fender in approximate alignment, but the apron still had a lot of waviness. I pulled the apron and front bulkhead together as much as possible and zapped in a couple of spot welds. The apron was filled in order to remove most of the ripples. The fender got the same treatment since it had been hammered out previously and the old body work had left some waves and bumps. These panels still aren't perfect but are much better than before.
I checked in with the body shop today and they said they're a month or so behind. But I left with the possibility the Beetle could be worked in sooner on short notice. As far as I'm concerned, the car is ready for paint. Hopefully the call will come soon because the Brown Truck is dropping off several boxes containing the new interior. As soon as the car comes out of the paint shop, final assembly can begin! The wheels still need painting but that will be one of the last steps when we get new tires...or it may be done sooner if the paint job gets delayed.
One more task remains before paint--address the droopy rear bumper. Due to the right rear fender liner being knocked out of line, the right bumper bracket was too low. Walter has tolerated this malady since one of his beloved daughters, who shall remain nameless, was rear-ended while cruising in the Beetle many years ago. The crooked bumper is one item he requested be resolved if at all possible. The old bumper is mangled (it will be replaced) but if aligned "level" you can see how the right corner of the car is actually what is "drooping" (remember the engine and tailpipes that wouldn't fit?). Notice how the apron and fender are lower in relation to the bumper. This we won't fix since a proper repair would be very complicated and invasive. The plan is to raise the right bumper bracket enough to get the bumper level.
But this is what we get when the bracket is pulled up enough to level the bumper. It no longer fits the slot in the fender. A rubber grommet fills this slot but it won't fit in this case. The domino effect really impacts Beetles since the body has so many complex shapes. When one thing changes, a whole bunch of other things are changed. My first thought was to recut the slot and weld up the unneeded lower portion of the opening. But after considering the hassle involved in that process, I think I will modify the grommet and "fake it" by making a little mask for the lower part of the slot. I won't tell anyone if you won't....................... The mounting holes in the bracket will have to be welded up and redrilled but that modification won't be visible.
By pushing the left bracket in as far as it will go, and pulling the right bracket out as much as possible, the bumper will almost align correctly in spite of the pushed in right fender and panel. It's a process............................
One of the interesting aspects of taking apart an old car is "turning back the clock" and analyzing old repairs. I noticed the right bumper bracket had been cut and welded. I am almost certain this was done so the bumper could be "refitted" to the warped rear panels. Since Beetles were so common and cheap in the '60's and '70's, they often didn't get much respect when it came to repairs. Quick and dirty was the method often employed so the car could be returned to service quickly at low cost. My, how things have changed--Forty years ago nobody would have dreamed we would go to so much trouble ($$$$) to refurbish a lowly Bug! But the Beetle is an American-adopted icon that is worth the effort since it reminds us of a bye-gone era when we were transported by a beloved little car.
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