V8 Super Beetle Project

[V8 Super Beetle]

Still doing body work. It's been tough lately cause of the heat. It's been 95-100º. So I try and do as much work in the morning and the evening as possible.

I have the hood just about ready to rock. There's one small low spot that needs taken care of.




The b-pillars are pretty much ready. Just need to glaze and sand up to 150-180 grit.






The doors had so holes drilled in them I'm sure for some accessory. Don't quite know what. So i had to weld the holes up, grid, and tap them down.

There was also a rusted corner on the driver's side door that needed fixing. So I cut out the rust, welded in new metal, ground the welds, and filled the low spot with bondo.

The doors are ready other than some glazing and to be sanded with finer paper.






Almost there. Thing left to do are:

1. Radiator area.
2. Engine bay.
3. Front clip.
4. Finish detail work around the gas tank filler door.
5. Finsh driver's side front quarter panel.


The whole, where body work has been done, still needs a paper thin layer of glaze to fill in pin holes. Then I need to sand the entire car with the DA working my way to 150-180 grit.

Then we can paint. That's not too much more to do, right? LOL

[matt123]

Thats awsome! looks like its comin along great! cant wait to see some color on there!

[V8 Super Beetle]

Thanks! Me too. It'll be such a relief once it has paint.

[Mock1racer]

Progress is progress.

[454bug]

Hey Matt,

Everything is really looking great! Those are the same rear fenders I'm using.

Are you planning on using some kind of Rhino liner on the inside of the fenders? That's my plan... My last set of fiberglass fenders didn't have any protection from the bottom side and they caught hell from the rocks thrown up by the sticky tires... It chipped the paint from the backside and spidered through to the paint. You might have already mentioned it but I didn't read it...

[V8 Super Beetle]

Thanks guys. I have some chassis sealer / undercoating, Master Series, I'm going to coat the underside with. I might look into a rubberized undercoating as well. Hopefully that'll do it.

[murphytj]

Looking good Matt. I'm with you as far as the heat goes. Yesterday morning at 7:30, it was 89 degrees with heat indece of 100. It hit 99 degrees and heat indece of 110. Needless to say, I did not go out into the garage

[V8 Super Beetle]

Jun 22, 2010 8:30:49 GMT -5 454bug said:

Hey Matt,

Everything is really looking great! Those are the same rear fenders I'm using.

Are you planning on using some kind of Rhino liner on the inside of the fenders? That's my plan... My last set of fiberglass fenders didn't have any protection from the bottom side and they caught hell from the rocks thrown up by the sticky tires... It chipped the paint from the backside and spidered through to the paint. You might have already mentioned it but I didn't read it...

Was just thinking, maybe a quart of bed liner would do the trick.

[V8 Super Beetle]

Jun 22, 2010 18:14:31 GMT -5 murphytj said:

Looking good Matt. I'm with you as far as the heat goes. Yesterday morning at 7:30, it was 89 degrees with heat indece of 100. It hit 99 degrees and heat indece of 110. Needless to say, I did not go out into the garage

Thanks Tom. This heat is killing me. I'm still managing to get some work done. Did some more last night. Gotta be early in the day or after 7pm. Otherwise it's just too hot.

When I go to paint my car I'll have to do it in the am. I hope my neighbors don't mind the sound of a compressor. ;D

[murphytj]

Jun 23, 2010 9:04:03 GMT -5 V8 Super Beetle said:

Jun 22, 2010 18:14:31 GMT -5 murphytj said:

Looking good Matt. I'm with you as far as the heat goes. Yesterday morning at 7:30, it was 89 degrees with heat indece of 100. It hit 99 degrees and heat indece of 110. Needless to say, I did not go out into the garage

Thanks Tom. This heat is killing me. I'm still managing to get some work done. Did some more last night. Gotta be early in the day or after 7pm. Otherwise it's just too hot.

Yeah, it's hot again here, 87degrees with 95% humidity. When you paint, make sure the Tree Huggers don't report you to the EPA. That happened to a friend of mine who painted a car in his garage and he was heavilly fined.

When I go to paint my car I'll have to do it in the am. I hope my neighbors don't mind the sound of a compressor. ;D

[V8 Super Beetle]

I'll talk with my neighbors. My next door neighbors are cool about it. LOL, yeah, I'll be painting in the am too. Somewhere between 11pm and 5am. Whenever it's below 80º. The activator I bought was is for 70-80º. I though I was going to get the car painted sooner than summer. Maybe it'll be fall before I do and I can paint it during the day. ;D Just joking. I hope to get this done ASAP!

[V8 Super Beetle]

Almost there! I know this stage has seemed to drag on, but I'm trying to make sure it's as perfect as possible so I'm not using filler during the primer stage. It seems just when I have a section done, I run my hand over it and I can feel just the slightest wave or imperfection.

This gas door has been the biggest PITA because of the body line just above the door. Once I get the shape right it'll be on like Donkey Kong.




I have the radiator area nice and flat. Just a couple more spots that need work and it'll be good.




The front clip needed some help. Some high spots and lows.




Just about finished with the other front quarter panel. Just a little more blocking. And another skim coat to make sure it's flat.




I'm hoping to have the remaining body work done by this weekend and to have some primer down. I have a 3 day weekend and the wife is working late tonight so I should be able to get it done. We'll see.

[matt123]

its looking great man i have to say your WAY better at that body work then i am!

[V8 Super Beetle]

Thanks. I'm OK at body work. Just when I think I have a panel flat it needs more work. I'm sure a pro, or someone who knows a little more than I do would've had the car done already. I think sometimes I work the panels too much and I undercut the body filler.

I worked on the body all evening yesterday. Boy did I find out the driver's side door is wavier than I thought. The whole bottom half of the door needed a skim coat of filler. It's getting there though.

[V8 Super Beetle]

I ordered a windshield the end of last week and it came in yesterday. Shipping charges were about the same cost as the window. Here's why.






Needless to say, the glass arrived safely.