My Beetle Restoration

The aftermarket frame head bottom plates come with a flimsy, thin brake hose bracket that has to be bent up into position. This makes it a little short and does not match the original brackets in appearance, the point where it is welded on, nor in strength. I decided to remove these and also remove the ones on the donor frame head to use instead. I sandblasted the donor brackets, sprayed them with primer, and also sprayed the areas to be welded with weld-through primer. I will install them later once the welding for the bottom plates, the Napoleon hat, and the floor pans are done.

Being a 1960 model, this car did not come with seatbelts and didn't even have seatbelt mounts installed at the factory. I want to install seatbelts in this car, so I am going to add mounts in the factory locations. Since I am working on the chassis now, I need to add mounts on the tunnel. I don't have any information on exactly where these need to be installed, but I found a couple of pictures in the Internet of mid-1960 models with the factory mount locations. With these pictures, I needed to determine these locations by using some reference of a known quantity. I was able to determine that the measurement from the center of the stick shift hole in the tunnel to the center of the emergency brake pivot pin is about 475mm. So on the picture I had, I drew a line from the stick shift center hole to the emergency pivot pin center which according to the image editing software was 517 pixels. I drew another line on the picture from the emergency brake pivot pin center to the center of the bolt on the seatbelt location, which was 232 pixels. So with these measurements I was able to come up with an equation of 517/475 = 232/x. Solving for x gave me 213.15mm. So I rounded up to 214mm. This should get me in the ballpark of the correct location of the two mounts on the tunnel if I use the emergency brake pivot pin center and measure 214mm towards the back of the tunnel.

To make the mounts, I took two 2" x 3" pieces of 3/16" steel, drilled 1/2" holes in the centers, curved them slightly so that they would fit the contour on the inside of the tunnel, and welded two 7/16-20 nuts on them. I then sandblasted them and gave them a coat of copper enriched weld-through primer just to protect the bare metal. Next, I measured 214mm from the emergency brake pivot pin center towards the back of the tunnel and for the location vertically, I just eyed it and guessed. Not a very scientific method, but I think I will be close enough. At those locations, I drilled 1/2" holes in the tunnel for the seatbelt bolts and four holes for spot welds and welded the mounts to it. The driver side was a challenge as the mount location just happened to be right where one of the accelerator tube mounting brackets was welded to the tunnel. So I drilled out the spot weld on that bracket, welded up in the hole I just drilled in the tunnel, and bent the tube out enough to clear the mount. I then welded the bracket to the mount. I'm almost done with the work inside the tunnel. I just need to weld the new frame head front plate to the end of the tunnel and then I can start fitting the frame head bottom plate to the frame head, tunnel bottom plate, and the Napoleon hat.

Before welding on the bottom plates for the tunnel and frame head, I wanted to get a good protective coating on the inside components. I masked off the areas where the plates would be welded and sprayed the inside areas with Eastwood Matte Black Rust Encapsulator. This should help protect the inside for many years to come.

After a three year hiatus, I am finally back to working on this car and more specifically, the chassis. The shop is still in disarray after building out the interior, but it is done enough that I can get back to work on the 1960. This is also the parking spot for my 1973 Super Beetle that can be seen in the background of my images.

When I moved to my current location two years ago, I fastened the tunnel bottom plate down to the tunnel with self-tapping sheet metal screws to strengthen it and make it easier to move. It's been in this state until now and has been lying around in the shop. When I pulled the bottom plate back off to get started, I found that mice had been inside of it. But fortunately, they didn't cause any issues other than some poop and acorn shells. The protective coating that I sprayed on the inside also kept it them from causing any rust or other damage. I cleaned and disinfected all surfaces. I test fit the frame head bottom plate and the Napoleon hat just to refresh my memory. It will need a lot of fettling to get the pieces fitting well. The frame head bottom plate is a modern aftermarket part and is quite a bit different than the original. The Napoleon hat is a donor part from a mid-1960's Beetle and is very close to the original.

I took a couple of pics from the underside to show the fit of the tunnel bottom plate and Napoleon hat.

The next step is to weld the tunnel bottom plate back onto the tunnel.

I'm finally at the point that I can weld the tunnel bottom plate back on. First, I touched up the protective coating on the inside of the tunnel with Eastwood Matte Black Rust Encapsulator. Then, I cleaned up the areas where it will be welded.

Next, I masked off all areas where the panels will fit together and sprayed them with U-POL Weld #2 Copper Weld Through Primer.

It's been a while since I last welded and I had to buy a new welder, so I really didn't know how this was going to turn out. I started by welding the welds on either side of where I had placed the sheet metal screws. There was a steep learning curve to overcome. The holes that were created with the spot weld cutter were huge (3/8"), and many were very close to the edge of the plate. Getting the welds hot enough to penetrate the 2-milimeter plate and fill the holes without melting away the thin outer edge was very difficult. Fortunately, the replacement rails were quite a bit wider so if the welds did melt the outer edge away and spill over, it shouldn't really cause an issue as the rails will be trimmed back when I fit the floor pans. Out of curiosity, I counted the welds on each side - 63 on the driver side and 76 on the passenger side. I took my time and made sure that I didn't get the metal get very hot. After doing all of the spot welds, I ran a straight bead on the rear seam where I had cut the bottom plate. I received mixed results, but I did get it done. Lots of grinding ahead!

I flipped the chassis over to check the penetration of the welds. I was pleasantly surprised how well they had penetrated. I wasn't able to get this level of penetration with my last welder despite the settings.

Grinding down the welds took hours, but the welds were solid throughout and I only had to do a few touch-ups. I was able to get it fairly flat and even and felt good about it after it was done. After years of not getting anything done on this car, this felt like a big step in progress.

I used a Scotch-Brite™ Clean and Strip XT Pro Disc to remove any remaining paint, rust, undercoating, and mill scale on the bottom plate. These discs do an excellent job and remove very little metal. They are by far the best thing for removing mill scale.

I then sprayed primer over the bottom plate to keep it protected until I get to the paint prep stage. Quite a change from the rust-eaten tunnel I started with!

I also used the clean and strip disc on the area where I replaced the tunnel rails and sprayed primer over it.

Next step - welding on the frame head bottom plate.

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!

Many years ago, I test fit the floor pans after removing the original ones. At that time, they fit really well. Since then, I have removed and replaced frame head top cover, removed and replaced the frame head bottom plate, removed the tunnel bottom plate and replaced the tunnel rails on both sides, and repaired the tunnel bottom plate and welded it back on. So basically, I have replaced everything that touches the floor pans and more. Consequently, when test fitting them now, they fit a little differently. I have tried very hard to get everything to fit as it did originally, but by using a combination of donor parts, aftermarket parts, and parts that I fabricated, there will likely be a lot of areas that require some effort to achieve a proper fit. Also, I am replacing the rear cross braces for the floor pans as well, which could be a difficult task as they are shaped very differently than the originals.

I put the floor pans in place just to see where the problems are before I replace the rear cross braces. Right now, the fit is too tight on the front by the Napoleon hat and also in the rear by the cross braces on both the left and right floor pans. On both sides near the tunnel where it flares out to the forks, there are big gaps between the pans and the tunnel. We'll see if these issues still exist after the cross braces are replaced.

The cross braces are attached to the tunnel by spot welds and seam welds, and on the outside they are attached to a support brace from the torsion tubes by spot welds.

I removed the original cross braces by grinding down the spot welds and cutting through the seam welds.

The old welds and rust was removed so that I can test fit the new cross braces.

I put the cross braces and floor pans in place to determine the fit. The cross braces are 1/4" longer than the original ones and don't fit against the tunnel well at all. This pushes the floor pans further out, making the gap between the pans and the flared portion of the tunnel way too big. Going to be a challenge getting them to fit correctly and to move them in the needed 1/4".

Before I fit the cross braces, I decided to remove the transition plate that goes between the two cross braces over the top of the tunnel. This plate has been bent down and the easiest way to straighten it out is to pull it off where I can access it from the underside. So, I removed the plate, straightened it, sandblasted it, sprayed weld-through primer on the areas to be welded, and sprayed regular primer on all other areas. I also cleaned up and primed the area under the plate that is difficult to reach with the plate in place.

I then welded the transition plate on, ground down the welds, and sprayed over this area with primer.

Another thing I decided to do while the cross braces were off is clean up and prime the torsion tubes and arms. These were heavily rusted and had a lot of recessed areas that are difficult to reach. I used a series of wire brushes, rust removing abrasive wheels and discs, rust removers, and finally a rust converter. I then sprayed them with primer. This took many hours to accomplish, but I am glad to have that done.

After many hours of fitting the cross braces, I was finally able to prime the cross braces, the support braces from the torsion tubes, and the areas where the cross braces will be welded to the tunnel. I then welded on the cross braces and ground down the welds.

After many hours of trimming and fitting the floor pans, I prepped them to be welded on. I punched holes in all sides that are to be welded on, except near the passenger inside rear corner where there just wasn't enough of the tunnel rail to get a good complete weld. I will just weld a few short stich welds in that area. After the holes were punched and deburred, I removed the EDP coating around the top side of the holes and sprayed the bottom side areas where the panels overlap with weld-through primer.

On the tunnel, cross braces, and Napoleon hat where the floor pans will be welded on, I masked them off and sprayed them with weld-through primer.

I put the floor pans in place and did a final check of their fit. I used a measuring tram during the fitting process to make sure that the body bolt holes were at the correct distances. To keep from having to constantly looking up the measurements, I wrote the measurements on masking tape and placed it by each hole. I was able to get the measurements fairly close. Some were a little wide, but the welding process will pull the pans in toward the tunnel. I have a diagram with the correct measurements below.

I started welding on the passenger floor pan first. I had some difficulty getting the heat and wire feed tuned in at first and had to drill a few welds out and try again to get a secure weld. I also had to drill all the holes for the spot welds to 3/16" diameter and to drill down into the tunnel rail just a bit because of the thickness of the combined tunnel rail and tunnel bottom plate. I had some issues with getting solid welds to the Napoleon hat on this side as well, so I ran a stich weld down that area just to make sure. The welds to the cross brace were way easier as the metal was the same thickness on both pieces and much thinner. The driver side floor pan was a lot easier as I had then figured out much better welder settings.

Grinding down the welds was a lengthy job. My welds were tall, and there were a lot of them to grind. The welds that are in-between the tunnel and the seat rail were particularly difficult to get to. I had to use a finger sander and had to lean over the pans to access them. It was also a challenge to not take too much metal off to get the welds even to the pans. I always tend to overdo that. They are not pretty, but they are done.

I remembered that there are four tabs that are needed to hold down the rear brake line along the tunnel. My car only had the rear most tab when I got it, and I removed it years ago and put it somewhere where I would not lose it. I haven't found it yet. I made four tabs and welded them on.

I cleaned up the weld areas on the top side and then sprayed them with primer.

I flipped the chassis over to clean up the weld affected areas there.

When cleaning the weld areas on the underside, I noticed a little rust exposed on the support braces from the torsion tube. I coated them with a rust encapsulator.

I then cleaned up and sprayed the weld areas with primer.

I almost forgot about the accelerator pedal bracket. I welded it on and sprayed it with primer.

Update #1: I did forget about installing the battery strap stud and battery strap hook that attach to the strap to hold down the battery. I first installed the battery strap stud which required drilling a hole at the rear of the passenger side floor pan, just behind the stamping in the pan for the battery. I then welded the battery strap stud on the bottom of the pan, ground down the welds, and sprayed the weld area with primer.

Wel, I thought I was finished with the battery strap stud until I flipped the chassis over and realized that I had installed it on the wrong side of the chassis. So while I have the chassis facing up, I decided that I would go ahead and weld on the battery strap hook. I first drilled holes in the plate of the battery strap hook and sprayed the weld areas with U-POL Weld #2 Copper Weld Through Primer. I then welded it onto the floor pan, ground down the welds, and sprayed the area with primer. Lastly, I removed the battery strap stud from the wrong side and repeated the previous steps when I welded it on there. I also filled in the hole where I incorrectly installed the battery strap hook, ground down the welds, and sprayed the area with primer. Now I am done with floor pans!

Note: I considered for a long while whether or not I should install the standard jack points onto the floor pans. I have them as they came with the floor pans. But for several reasons, I decided not to do so. These are just not a very good design by VW and often damage the heater channels when the floor pans cannot support the weight of the car put on them when jacking up each side of the car and they bend upward into the heater channels. I just repaired one of the donor heater channels that was damaged this way, and the side of the channel was bent and torn. I'm just going to invest in a good scissor jack and use that instead. I can use a scissor jack on a better reinforced and sturdy area of the chassis should I need to jack it up while on the road.