[rothaus]

It's not a P-car, however, I like to share what I'm doing.

Here we go:

I have started the restore of my wife's '78 VW 1303 Cabrio.
I like to share the progress and hope to find some information during the process.

I found the beetle and did some repair 13 years ago and it was a birthday present for my wife. Now after these years we have some issues with rust, top, etc.

Here is what it looked 13 years ago.



It took me a while to actually start on it, but now it's real.

Now in the works, started actually last winter.

Some progress in between other stuff.

Here we go - no comments needed:























Disassembly of the top.







Outer skin is off



Got some rotten wood



All is gone



Next, the sound mats, with heater gun and scraper





Doors off, they have some rust at the bottom, details later.



Engine is also out, a little easier as the 911.





The dash is gone, the wire harness from the fuse box to the rear end as well, and the windshield.



Removed the rest of the wire harness.

Disassembled the doors etc.

Here some pictures

What happen to this car ????



Why does it have a hole, and it looks like somebody cut it out with a chainsaw.



Anyway, I think I need to fix this, besides other holes.

Here is one door. It has some rust at the bottom.



Door Hardware Art



More progress on the beetle, besides other stuff.

Drained and removed the gas tank.





Next, the front suspension



Is now also gone.



Now I need to make some braces for the upper part of the body, where the doors were. And then split to body from the chassis.

Installed the braces





Separating the chassis and the upper part







Transmission removed



Rear suspension removed



Got some new pieces



To be continued

Cheers
Engelbert

[Jazzbass]

Awesome write up. I bet you giggle with happiness when you see prices for VW resto parts after working on Porsche for so long.

[Lupin..the..3rd]

The rough hole in the dash is probably from dealer-installed A/C. There would have been a big fugly aftermarket blower/evap assembly in the front trunk, just behind the dashboard.

FYI this guy has a good selection of convertible top parts, like replacement wooden bow for your rotted one: http://www.chucksconvertibleparts.com/

[VaSteve]

Wow, you don't do anything partway do you?

Looking cool!

[antonioconceicao]

Very good sir! If you need a place for plating parts the shop I am using at Ohio does a great job.

Nice!

[Dr K]

Awesome! Keep 'em coming

[N0tt0N]

Love it!

[rothaus]

OK, more about the beetle:

Old Floor pans removed



Cleaning up the old welds





Test fitting the new boards, just fitted with sheet metal screws



They actually did fit really good, even they are made in Brazil... LOL



Fitting the schuh



Getting closer



Looks like the schuh fits





Even the holes line up



Back apart and finish welded



Applying seam sealer and primer



And the final coat at the bottom.



Did some cleaning/blasting of small part for the rear suspension, etc. prepping for powder coat.



The chassis is done, also at the top, and ready for assembly.



Did some power coating. The stove works OK, however, I need to watch the temperature. Some improvement is needed for the temperature control.



Bending and installing some brake lines



Put the rear suspension back together



New bushings



Powder coated spring plates and covers





Now with the control arms



Moving back the to body, since I waiting for some suspension parts.



New front piece installed with the left and right bumper support section



Attacking the rear part of the wheel well, which looked like an easy task.



Not so... more under the skin







Reconstructing all the pieces









Welding it back in





More stuff to fabricate









The skin, finally





All welded in and cleaned up. The next piece is the brace of the strut tower.



More coming soon.

Cheers
Engelbert

[HoodPin]

Great project, and write-up! Its amazing how much corrosion you've found for what appears to have been an otherwise nicely maintained car. Its a lot of work, but the end result will be amazing.

For a truly "over the top" finish, perhaps you should consider this item on eBay, with bids still being accepted.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=171207023079

[realroadrage]

Best thread on Dorkiphus in a while. Awesome stuff!