JBugs Video Series

1971 VW Super Beetle Door Disassembly & Removal:

Body

Video Overview:

We’re continuing the disassembly of our 1971 Super Beetle and in this video our tech covers disassembling and removing the doors. The process is the similar for 1965 through 1977 Hard Top & Sunroof Beetles so follow along and learn all the steps needed to disassemble and remove your VW Beetle doors.

Vehicle preparation: 0:50
Inside scraper removal: 1:24
Felt channel & clips removal: 1:30
Vent wing assembly removal: 2:04
Outside scraper removal: 2:15
Window regulator assembly removal: 2:29
Door handle & release lever removal: 2:43
Door latch mechanism removal: 3:16
Door check rod removal: 3:43
Door removal: 4:04


Video Tips:

Tools used in this video:

Sledge Hammer
Manual Impact Driver with #4 Phillips Bit
Flat Blade Screw Driver
Side Cutters
Allen Key Set
10mm Socket
#2 Phillips Screwdriver Bit
#3 Phillips Screwdriver Bit
1/4" Drive Extension
1/4" Bit Adapter
Impact Driver

Video Transcript:

Hi! I'm Sam with JBugs.com
We're in the midst of disassembling our 1971 Euro Look Super Beetle 
and our next step will be disassembling the doors. The disassembly on our doors will be very similar for 1965 through 1977 Beetles, excluding convertibles. 
Before we start we'll remind you, 
keep all the hardware and the components until after the door is reassembled. Installing the hardware back into the component it goes with is an easy way to make sure it doesn't get lost.
The door panels in our car have already been removed. 
We start by rolling down the window so we can unbolt the window from the regulator. The lower window regulator bolt is unthreaded so we can lower the door glass out of the way of the seals we will be removing. The inside scraper is pried away from the inner edge of the door and removed. 
A pair of pliers is used to remove the felt channel from the door, 
pulling the channel free from the clips. 
There are six clips to hold the channel and the outside scraper in place, 
three across the top and two at the back. 
There is one more clip at the felt channel brace inside the door. 
Sometimes the clips will break while pulling out the felt channel. 
In our door, however, all the clips stayed in place 
so a flat blade screwdriver and a mallet are used to tap the clips out of the door.
Next, we remove the upper screw at the back edge of the vent wing assembly 
along with the lower bolt and tap the assembly back, away from the door frame and remove it. With the vent wing removed, we can unthread the small screw at the front edge of the outside scraper. We pry the lower edge of the scraper away from the door and remove it. 
The window crank is unscrewed from the regulator 
then the two front bolts next to the crank gear and the upper regulator bolt are removed. 
The window glass is pushed up and out of the door 
and the regulator is pulled out of the bottom.
Now, the door to body seal is pulled from the door 
so we can access and remove the door handle screw and remove the door handle from the car. 
The two bolts for the door release lever are unthreaded 
and the lever is removed from the pull rod. 
The door lock pull is unthreaded 
along with the bolt for the felt channel brace. 
The felt channel brace also acts as a shield of some sorts 
for the door latch mechanism, which we will remove next.
The three screws for the latch are unthreaded, 
the latch catch is rotated down, and the mechanism is pushed into the door. The latch is dropped down and pulled out of the door. Our latch rod popped out while doing this. 
If your rod doesn't pop out easily, there's a spring clip that needs to be pried up and away from the rod 
so the rod can be pushed down and out of the mechanism.
The last piece to remove will be the door check rod. 
This starts by tapping out the pin at the door jamb with a mallet and screwdriver. There's a tiny circlip that holds the pin in place so be careful not to lose it while removing the pin. 
The two screws for the check rod assembly are unthreaded 
and the assembly is removed from the door.
Now, we can remove the door itself. 
An impact driver is a necessity as the door jamb screws are extremely tight. 
An impact driver with a large Phillips bit 
and a brass hammer is used to loosen all the screws. Once the screws are loose, they are all unthreaded, so the door can be removed. With both doors disassembled and removed, we're one step closer to having a stripped-down body. We've got a few more videos of the tear-down planed, so stay tuned.
Thanks for watching!
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As always, when you need parts or accessories for your vintage Volkswagen, head over to JBugs.com