The Fat Lady Sings!

Ok, I found out that this body style of VW Squareback is called a 'fat chick' due to the larger trunk/'snout'. Could not resist using this in the title. Here are the photos straight out of the Escondido MAACO paint shop (windows still removed).


MAACO said they would re-touch this area on the gas lid for free. Otherwise no complaints for the $1500 they charged me.

10/13 Off to MAACO

I had a local shop quote me over $4k to sand and paint the vehicle. This included $1200 in materials (!).

I want to drive this thing before gas gets to be $10 a gallon and asked them for a referral. They said the local MAACO in Escondido should be able to do a serviceable job for under $2k. They quoted me around $1500 to do some sanding, prep, and re-paint the factory color. We'll see how it goes.

Not having a windshield installed made it a bit challenging to drive 6 miles to the local shop. Ski goggles came in handy!

Here's the 'before' shots of the condition of the squareback before drop-off:




Dig the plate?

10/11 Golden (Bondo) Shower

OK it's been a while... I went out of action in mid-March for shoulder surgery, adopted a baby in May, and was out of the country from mid-June through mid-July. Long story short, I'm back in action, and back to getting this thing ready for paint. There's lots of POR-15 in the window sills, covered up with some primer.

I wonder, of the old VW's still in existence, how much steel is remaining and how much POR-15 has taken place of the metal?

Did some more bondo/sanding work on the car to get it ready for paint. Here are the shots:


Before - Note the dings. I ground down a few inches of cracked bondo and then filled in w/Lead filler.




After. I used mostly lead filler with a 'skim coat' :) of bondo over it.
Here's the dreaded welded-in patch. After a full weekend of sanding and build-up, you can hardly tell the difference between the original and replacement piece.

Here's the area beneath the passenger headlight. Nice and smooth!

Passenger door and rear quarter panel... good to go!

5/10 Yet more fun w/ MIG Welder (Tool Time)

Using 1 1/2 inch x 1/8 inch steel L-bracket, I welded together a Type 3 generator belt wrench to hold the 24mm pulley nut, just like the one in the John Muir "How to keep your Volkswagen Alive" book.

This is more how I was expecting the welder to work in the first place. Much better. Now All I have to do is cut the 24mm groove in the short end. I'll do this @ work, where we have some s-weet tools in the 'mechanical assembly area'.

5/10 More fun w/ MIG welder (Passenger Front Fender)

A bit more proficient w/ the welder after the first few passes (btw, I DID practice on some scrap metal first). Still burns the fender sheet metal like tin foil. Heres the spot below the headlight and the spot right behind the wheel:

5/10 Fun with MIG Welders

Here are some shots of welding I did with the Home Depot Lincoln Electric HD100 flux-core MIG welder. The infernal bugger burns through sheet metal like it's tin foil.

I had better luck making a tool out of 1/8 inch steel L-bracket (next post).

Maybe I should use one with the inert gas upgrade next time? Does the gas cool the area so you don't get so much burn-through?

Here's the driver side Rear Quarter:



I think I'll fill in the holes with some Metal Glue on a caulking gun, then cover w/filler/polyester. What a mess! At least I didn't start a fire!

Here's the inside. I welded a strip of 40 mil sheet metal to fill in the gap for rigidity:
I'll grind it down some more. This is going to be covered w/ contact paper anyways, so it does not have to be too pretty, just smooth. Also will fill in the gaps w/ metal glue.

Steel Wheels 3/01

Purchased recycles wheels from the scrap yard for $65 and had them powder coated at San Diego's RW Little for $225. Not bad Eh?