Removing the 1969 VW Beetle Luggage Compartment

What a mess.

When I removed the carpeting last year, I discovered a giant rusted out hole. I knew I had to fix it to prevent us from getting asphyxiated. The first fix I used fiberglass cloth and POR 15. That was a good fit and all I knew how to do at the time.


 Since then, I've purchased an Eastwood welder, watched a lot of welding and body work "how to" videos, and got pumped up enough to do a more permanent fix.

When I first considered welding in a replacement, these babies were about $600 to $800 about a year ago. However, the prices dropped drastically. Two weeks ago ordered a replacement luggage section from WolfburgWest, for around $350 including shipping.

I began with using a drill and spot weld remover drill bit to remove the old welds. There are tons of them and I thought the job was taking to long so I decided to switch tactics. I used a grinder and cut off blade to just cut out the metal close to the welds.

This is the right rear area after removing the old section.
You can see the new piece to hte left. You can also see where I drilled
all the way through the car...ooops.

This is from the engine compartment, see the new section to the front. To the left is the drill out metal brackets where I removed old welds.

Great mess. Lot's of rusted out pieces.

This is the underside. You can see the rust as well as the POR 15 patch. It did the job, but I wanted more.

Everything is out, now I have to smooth it and get ready for welding

Just sizing up the new section

That turned out to be a great idea. However, I also had to use a reciprocating saw to get some hard to reach and stubborn metal.

Be careful with the drill bit, you can still go all the way through the car and not just the spot weld. Be sure the grind old paint and filler to find the welds. In some cases I had to use a hammer and screw driver to lift up old welds. Nothing works perfectly, so don't be afraid to improvise. Also, be careful to protect the metal you will be welding the new piece against.

 Finally, I had it all off after a few hours and decided to call it a day. Tomorrow, I'll clean up the metal and begin welding in the new piece.

Here is what I've used on the project::