JBugs Video Series

1971 VW Super Beetle - Right Rear Quarter Panel Repair:

Body

Video Overview:

Now that our rusted heater channel is out of the way we can repair the damaged front quarter panel, rear quarter panel and rear cross member so we can install the replacement heater channel. Follow along with our tech as he covers patching in some new sheet metal pieces on our 1971 Super Beetle.

Vehicle prep: 0:49
Quarter panel rust removal: 1:28
Patch panel template: 2:09
Quarter panel patch welding: 2:23
Heater channel prep: 2:50
Heater channel repair: 3:15


Video Tips:

Tools used in this video:

Angle Grinder
Wire Wheel
Cut Off Disc
Flap Wheel Sanding Disc
Air Powered Angle Grinder
Sanding Disc
Hammer
Chisel
Flat Blade Screwdriver
Side Cutters
Magnet
Vice Grips
MIG Welder
Caulking Gun
Self-Leveling Seam Sealant

Video Transcript:

Hi! I'm Sam with JBugs.com
We just finished replacing the heater channel on our 1971 Super Beetle. 
A good friend of mine let me use his shop so we can show you the repairs and today we'll get to patching the rust at the right rear quarter panel.
Before we start, we'll make sure to say, wear appropriate protective gear. 
Work in a safe and well-ventilated environment, and only perform work that is well within your capabilities. Cutting, grinding, and welding can all be dangerous so make sure you use all the necessary precautions.
We start with a wire wheel on a grinder and clean down the paint and rust on the quarter panel. 
We continue below the quarter panel, onto the heater channel 
and up the body, at the rust on the fender nuts. We only had holes on the rust at the bottom of the panel and a bit in the heater channel. We hit the heater channel with a hammer and chisel to see if it's solid and fortunately, it is.
So, we'll get to cutting out the rust with a cutoff wheel and a grinder 
and we follow the bottom edge of the quarter panel to give us a nice, square edge. We cut up either side and across the top and pull out the rusted metal. With the hole cut open, we can see a rat's nest of sorts, stuffed in the body which is most likely the cause of the rust. We pull out all the debris, and next well cut out a small section of the quarter panel at the fender flange.
Then, we mask off the areas we'll be welding and spray rust converter inside the body and quarter panel. 
We also spray the fender nuts that we cleaned up earlier. 
The masking tape is removed, 
then we use a piece of paper and press it into the openings we cut, to give us a template. We transfer the template to the leftover left side quarter panel repair piece and we cut the pieces out. After checking the fit of each piece, they're held in place at the body with a magnet, and tack welded.
We move around while we're welding so we don't warp the metal 
and we grind down the tacks occasionally, to make sure we have a straight smooth panel. 
Once both pieces are welded in completely, 
we grind the welds down smooth with an air grinder and an angle grinder with a flap disc. Next, we clean up the heater channel a bit more with a wire wheel to make sure it's solid. Then we spray the panel and heater channel with rust converter.
While it's curing, we cut the bottom lip from the patch panel that we've used for most of our repairs. 
This is why I only cut out rusted metal and I don't replace an entire panel. We've gotten five patches out of one panel and we still have plenty of metal left. 
Once the rust converter is cured, we lay the patch panel in place, 
and weld the panel in, every inch or so. The welds are all ground down and we'll seam seal this patch and get to a few more body repairs. Those will be coming out soon.
Thanks for watching!
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and when you need parts for your vintage VW, head over to JBugs.com