My Beetle Restoration

The frame head bottom plate I am using for replacement is a Klokkerholm panel made to fit 1956-1965 Beetles. It is very different than the one on my car originally, but this is really the only available option. I purchased two donor frame head assemblies, and both the bottom plates were two rust-damaged to use. These are also very difficult to remove from donor pieces because of all the seam welds. The best option for me is to use this generic one and make it work. There are huge gaps in several places like where it fits over the end of the tunnel and where it fits against the front axel mounting plate.

There is a 2-milimeter gap under the replacement plate between it and the tunnel rails. I decided to make spacers and weld them to the plate, so I removed the EDP protective coating sprayed on by the manufacturer and sprayed U-POL Weld #2 Copper Weld Through Primer on the areas to be welded.

I made the spacers and both spot-welded them to the bottom plate and seam welded them. It is overkill, for sure, but I want to have them firmly attached to the plate. After grinding down the welds, I sprayed them with the weld-through primer as well. I also sprayed weld-through primer on the end of the tunnel bottom plate where it will be welded to the frame head bottom plate.

The last steps before welding the plate on was to drill holes for the areas to be spot welded and to remove the primer on the outside of the frame head.

The replacement was initially bowed and didn't fit flat against the tunnel and was even more bowed after welding on the spacers. To flatten it and pull it down to the tunnel, I used some 2 x 4's and clamps. With this and some adjustable metal clamps I was able to get a close fit.

I started with the spot welds. I was somewhat successful and didn't make too much of a mess of them.

I flipped the chassis over and welded the areas where the bottom plate fits against the axel mounting plate and the tunnel bottom plate. These were all seam welds. My welding turned out messy, but I was able to get good coverage and penetration.

I first ground down the spot welds. Not a hard job but it took a while.

The seam welds on the bottom took hours to grind down due to my lack of welding skills. Lots of shaping and metal sculpting was required. In the end, I had acceptable results.

I re-welded the seam weld where the frame head bottom plate is attached to the tunnel bottom plate. The straight weld just didn't turn out very well and a bead weld should be a better weld visually and structurally. I will not ground this down very much as it will be covered with seam sealer and is fairly flat already.

The next step is fitting and welding the Napoleon hat!

At last it is time to fit and weld the Napoleon hat! Again, this is a donor part from a 1965 Beetle and a good match for this car. I put it in the approximate position and laid the floor pans in place as well. The floor pans are Wolfsburg West pans are very close to the OEM pans in both construction and thickness. They will need to be trimmed in both width and length, but just a little mainly in the rear.

I cleaned up the weld areas to remove any primer and rust. I then drilled holes for the spot welds.

There are big gaps where the Napoleon hat fits over the tunnel. This was previously an issue when it was on the donor tunnel and the gap was filled with weld. I made relief cuts in this area on both sides to make it easier to bend it down for a closer fit.

I masked off the weld areas on both the Napoleon hat and tunnel and sprayed them with U-POL Weld #2 Copper Weld Through Primer. I also sprayed the interior of the Napoleon hat with Eastwood Matte Black Rust Encapsulator just to add another protective layer to the primer I sprayed previously.

All the welding I did on the frame head bottom plate caused it to bow upwards a bit, so I used clamps and wood blocks to pull it down level to where it should be.

The welding process took a while as I had to keep cooling it off with compressed air to keep the heat down, especially on the long seam welds. On these seams, I could only do a couple of inches at a time. Also, the Napoleon hat wanted to tilt toward the front from the start. I tacked it at the top of the tunnel on both sides and welded all of the spot welds on the back side first, and it still drifted about 1 millimeter to the front. This was more of an aggravation than an issue. The front firewall that sits on top of it will be replaced, so that can be adjusted to match at that time.

I added a seam weld down both sides of the frame head where it fits over the tunnel. There are a few spot welds in that area, but I wasn't really happy with them being the only welds there and decided that it would be better, structurally, to run seams in those areas. It may be overkill, but I don't want to find out later that the spot welds weren't sufficient. Besides, my welds have improved since I got the new welder and I feel better about that area now.

I then ground down the spot and seam welds. The spot welds on the rear side of the Napoleon hat need to be ground down flat in order to properly fit the floor pans. On the front side, I ground them down flat as well just to have them match. The seam welds were fairly tall, and I ground them down a bit, too. All of these welds will be covered at some point by either the floor pans or by seam sealer.

I sprayed the frame head, top and bottom, and the front side of the Napoleon hat with primer to keep it protected until I get ready to paint the chassis. This could be a while and I don't want it rust.

I also welded on the donor brake hose brackets.

Now on to fitting and welding the floor pans!