The Daily Grind-Stripping Paint and Rust From Classic VW

VW Beetle is 3/4 stripped down to metal.

I've been spending a lot of time trying to get the paint off the car. I've tried a few tricks including sanding and chemical stripping. I've even tried getting someone to media blast it, but that also proved daunting. A side job like my Volkswagon is not a major money maker and therefore pretty tough to find commitment. So, that leaves me.

I spoke with a fellow tinkerer, albeit one with a lot of experience. He recommended an industrial grinder and wire brushes. So, that's what I've been working on. It's a lot of work and requires lots of endurance and strength. I've also had to develop a few techniques to both reduce fatigue and keep the work going along. The results are immediate and satisfaction guaranteed.

I've opted for a Chicago Electric angle grinder with wire brushes, both from Harbor Freight. Originally I could only grind for a half hour at a time, but now I can go for an hour or so. I wear safety goggles, gloves, hearing protection and a good respirator.

Happy grinding.

Preparing for Paint Front End VW Beetle

I spent the day today applying bondo to smooth out the remaining wrinkles. I still have a long way to go to get everything tidy and ready to paint, but the dimples and pin holes are disappearing between the welding and putty application.

I  finished welding the bolt retainer inserts for the front left quarter panel. The hood seal channel was completely rusted so I welded a new one in place. The old one came off easily as it was tack welded and flimsy. The new weld went on easy. I welded it on, ground the rough edges and primered it. I'm not a good welder and you can see where the channel melted a bit. It will hold though.

Also sanded off the remaining glue and tar paper from the interior. Should be finished with this part soon.

Where does all the
rust come from. This is the interior
where the headline fits down the door post

Scrubbing off the old glue and rust from the roof.

Just cleaning up the dash for paint later.

I can't wait to get this bug painted. I'll miss the work though.


I'm going down to metal on my project, but here's a great place to get a new padded dash.

Remove and Replace VW Beetle Headliner

 I removed the headliner and saved the bows. I'll use them again, but since the seals, windows and all hardware has been removed, I can get a good coat of paint applied and have a new headliner installed with professional results. I do plan on installing a folding, slide back roof. How fun. 

Currently, my efforts will involve sanding down the old adhesive so that only bare metal is exposed. Then I'll primer it and prep for painting.

New Interior Color for 1969 VW Beetle

I am sanding and repainting some interior parts to make them off white. This will look great with the green exterior and give it a more retro feel. My father is skilled at painting small components and did a great job with the stick shift and parking brake knobs.

Welding fender bolt inserts onto the wheel wells

New front apron after weld

Welding is something that I haven't mastered. It's hard to find training and while it looks easy on Youtube, welding is fundamentally hard for me. But, it is something that I'm glad to have partial grasp of.

New front apron clip before weld

I tried to tackle welding 

in the new front apron. I successfully sliced off the old piece, but had no idea how to weld in the new piece. My lack of knowledge of geometry, welding and body work became overwhelmingly evident. That's why I'm glad to have had a referral to a skilled and affordable welder.

Since then I have aggressively tackled welding in bolt receiver inserts into the 

New bolt inserts

fender wells. The prior owners used various bolt, washer and nut combinations to secure fenders where the old bolt receivers have rusted or otherwise popped out. Now I have barbarically welded them in. My challenge is the smaller holes left as the new inserts were not as large as the vacant holes. I may fill these in with putty or attempt to weld in small pieces of sheet metal or spot weld with a copper spoon. Either way I am closer to being finished.

I've sanded down the trunk are and just need to smooth out dents, dings and wrinkles that the apron replacement did not cover. My plan is to do a coat of black primer followed by grey. After sanding, the entire area should be black. Any grey areas will indicate low areas that need to be brought out.

New VW Beetle Pedal Assembly

I've got a "new" used VW Beetle pedal assembly. This is great since I wanted to convert the roller to an accelerator pedal.

I bought this jewel for $10.00 at a VW show and went to work. At first, I soaked it in white vinegar for a couple of weeks, wiped off the rust and dust, broke down the old accelerator pedal and began sanding and painting. 

Here's what I have so far:

Old rusty pedal assembly

Halfway through pedal assembly rehab.

Complete refurbished pedal
assembly installed

I've just ordered a new accelerator pedal rebuild kit for $5.00 on Ebay. 

The Front Apron

Lots of Bondo and dents in the front apron

I worked for 5 to 8 hours with hammers and chisels to straighten out my bent and rusty front apron. My plan was to have a new one welded in, but I thought I might be able to fix it the old fashioned way.

However, once complete, it looked like Swiss cheese as fatigued metal snapped, rust broke through and Bondo popped out.

Torn metal found under old bondo and fiberglass.

I had the same experience with the rear apron. I was able to pound out a lot of damage and make it look halfway descent, but the amount of work yet to do was daunting.

Hours of relentless banging and pounding produced nothing but headaches. Time for a change in plan.

I decided to buy a welder and attempt to make the repairs myself. My next logical step is to review welders on line, determine what I needed, take some lessons and make it happen.

Still have about an inch more to remove before I weld.

Removing the front and rear apron required drilling out the old spot welds. Some are harder to see than others, so you might not know that old welds remain until you try to remove the skin. I used a hammer and chisel to remove the skin and chiseled out the remaining welds. Be very careful to not damage the skin on the main car. It's easy to gouge the metal, so if you err, make sure you damage the sheet metal that you are removing.

Just dreaming of what it will look like once I get it welded on.

For the front apron I used an electric saw with a blade meant to cut sheet metal. It went fast. There's a danger to fast as mistakes can happen faster than you can react.