# The ongoing Bug rehab



## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Well, that escalated quickly. So much for a simple steering box replacement; with the gas tank out of the car, it was the perfect time to fire up the hot glue machine and replace the rotted spare tire well. That, in turn, led to cutting off the tip of the apron and welding on a new piece. I got 3 hours into it before I ran out of shielding gas and had to switch to a different task. 

Box and well out. 



























































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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Then the apron. I find it easier to bisect the hole for the shift rod access panel so that I know the new piece is at the correct level. 


























My friend gave me a front clip. I’d already cut off the bottom here. 










Clamped into place. Measure and trim 8 times, weld once, not like it, cut the weld, reposition, weld again. Hammer and dolly got some use adjusting the body and the piece. 





















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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Air gas is closed today, so I’m switching to replacing bad oil cooler seals (that were replaced when I rebuilt the engine last summer). Good parts are increasingly hard to find.












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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

My last highway trip, 150 miles, saw a not insignificant oil leak develop. Oil seepage came down between the cylinders, from the oil cooler, so I assumed bad seals. UV dye in the oil supported that. However, today, after going the long route of removing the cooling system with the engine in the car (not pulling the engine probably added 1.5-2 hrs, but it’s too hot and with the front on blocks I didn’t want to mess with a Jack), the cooler is dry. I may need to fully remove the intake to check for a cracked or leaking case. 



























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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Heated, ventilated, massaging Nappa leather seats? Pshhhh, Only the finest of noble steeds laid down its life to stuff my seats. 











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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Upper end back together with new oil cooler seals, and a gasket between the adapter and the case. We’ll see how that works. For those that don’t know, belt tension on an ACVW is accomplished by adjusting the width of the alternator pulley, it is split and shimmed. Tightening the pulley nut requires a wrench on the crank to turn the engine while simultaneously tightening the pulley bolt to walk the belt out and ensure the pulley halves seat evenly and don’t pinch the belt. 


















Then did a couple of small beads to adjust the gas reg and wire speed, then ran several beads to avoid warping the metal and ground it down. VW metal is fairly thick gauge and can handle some heat before warping. A friend who restores these for a living turns the heat way down, runs a heavy cold continuous bead, and then grinds it down and doesn’t warp anything. I’m no where near that level, but I do good enough for government work. It’s hot today so that’s where I left it, but it’s ready for glass. 











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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Boom. Made some moves today. 



























































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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

I decided since the need for filler was so minimal, to just use up some old Bondo final coat instead of cracking open the can of glass. Gonna let it cure for a solid day before I sand it; hoping to lay down some paint tomorrow!

















One of the few things I farm out was the carb for a professional rebuilt and re-plating, throttle shaft bushings, etc. i look forward to it making noise. 











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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Good use of a holiday. Now I’m literally watching paint dry. Good day to mend fences and tend to the tomatoes. 


















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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

And just like that, I have a car again. 

















Too bad the oil cooler gasket immediately blew out. Gotta pull the alt and fan shroud and go back to old school orange seals tomorrow. I can’t wait…


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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Oil cooler adapter seal swap today, then oil change. 


























Leak was pretty apparent. 









Lesson learned: can’t improve on a bazillion year old dealing system. Gasket out, orange seals back in. 









On the test drive, the only drips appear to be residual from the copious oil leak, draining out of the shroud and being blown by the fan. After a quick test run to also get the r oil hot, I changed the oil and replaced the weeping strainer gaskets. Strainer was perfectly clean. 5w-40 M1 for the win. I rerouted some wires to clean up the engine room. 

During reassembly, my 3 yr old kept me company as a tool gopher. When he got bored, he grabbed a sharpie and tattooed his future ride.










Unfortunately, my test drive also showed that the $115 new steering box that precipitated this endeavor is absolute junk. Spec has less than an inch of free play at the rim of the steering wheel, but I’ve got over 90*. No amount of adjustment can reduce that, as it’s to the point where the wheel is just tough to move and doesn’t self center. The car is undriveable until I either find a quality replacement, or parts to rebuild my original. It’s amazing the junk that gets passed off as good these days. 

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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

My first crack at seat recushioning and upholstery came out moderately ok. I practiced on the passenger seat in order to learn tricks for the one I’ll be sitting in. 

Start










Hit the frames with acid and paint









Bottom









Complete

















When I pulled the rest of the seats and the carpets, I found the floors to be pretty good. 










Except in a few spots where I discovered the paint and structural foam were the only things holding the metal together. This was poking with my fingers, not a screwdriver…


































Looks like I’ll be continuing to hone my MIG skills. Patch panels were ordered this morning. Isn’t it fun keeping ancient German daily drivers on the road, daily driving? 


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## Zeichen311 (Mar 31, 2011)

Nice work on the seat!

The floor pan reminded me of the E36 that was in my care (?) for about 4-5 months, some time ago. Not the proudest entry in my car-buying résumé, in that I missed a few painfully obvious (in hindsight) warning signs when inspecting it--such as an underbelly composed almost entirely of structural rust and Bondo.

Your Germanic DD looks more solid at 50+ than that thing did at age 17.... 💀


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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Thanks!

I knew this had some rust issues when I bought it, but no ACVW doesn’t by this point. I’ve seen these cars with nothing left of the floors, with running/driving cars sold at a premium whose pans were only siliconed into place, and whose channels were merely glasses-over 2x4s, so this car is still pretty ok. Just peeling back the onion, one layer at a time. 😉 Definitely doing more this round than I’d planned, that’s for sure.


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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Few more seats done. I’ve been putting off the Rube Goldberg folding rear seat back, but will get to it tomorrow. To add to the Frankenbug status, the rear seats use hog rings while the fronts use welded tabs that have limited bends before fatiguing. I prefer hog rings. The outboard drivers seat (pictured) plastic cover panel was shattered, so I had to weld that back together too. 

Yes, my shop is too cluttered. 











































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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Spent a few hours this morning installing a trailer hitch on the Pacifica, then turned back to the final seat back. The frame and springs on this were rust free so I was able to strip and reassemble in the same day without dealing with the acid wash and paint. I think this one actually turned out the worst, but I did have a struggle getting everything to fit right. The wrinkles should smooth out over time. _should_. Enjoy. 



















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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

Multigeneration approved. 











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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

New to me chassis. Ain’t she purdy???











Swapped out the new pushrods for the old ones. I wish I’d noticed this a year ago. The 4 on the bottom are a year old. 










Old









New









Also noticed that I’d forgotten these ultra important rocker stud seal isolators a year ago! Not this time!











_Buy socks on Amazon, not car parts._


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