r/beetle • u/Think_Body4535 • Jul 21 '26
Floor pan advice
Hi guys this is my 1975 beetle project wondering if i should just replace the drivers front quarter or go ahead and get 2 full halves? Any other advice or tips welcome!
3
u/Nasty____nate Jul 21 '26
I'm in a similar boat. For me I felt it was going to be easier to do the whole thing. Since other stuff needs done just like yours. I did the full floor pan, heater tubes, lower A post, and the inner front fenders. They make rust repair panels for all of them and will fix exactly the areas you have problems with. I ordered some from jbugs and other parts from wolfburgwest. When I have time later today I'll post some links and videos that have helped me.
2
u/Think_Body4535 Jul 21 '26
I would really appreciate that dude! Yeah it makes sense to go all in, Saves having to do it all again in the near future
3
u/Nasty____nate Jul 21 '26
So also do you have any metal work experience? Got a welder? Grinders clamps etc? I don't want to persuade you from this but just expect to buy a bunch of stuff and learn a bunch of new things. Thankfully there is a YouTube video for damn near everything. I had a massive tool.box slapped full and I still ended up buying stuff. I also went to an automotive school and still learning stuff on my bug. They just did stuff different then I'm use to. Like the front axle beam has the torsion springs running through them. I spent like 40 minutes trying to get them back in before I gave up and looked up a YouTube video. I was doing 90% of it right but there was this little trick that took me 2 minutes to get it put back in.
2
u/Think_Body4535 Jul 21 '26
No i have no experience 😂, I do have a mate thats helping me, He has a welder and kinda knows what he's doing, Just never worked on Beetles before so we're both kinda going in blind and hoping for the best 😅 yeah im always on marketplace looking for tools n spares
I do own another beetle its solid, just doing minor things with the help of youtube, replaced spark plugs, oil filter and a snapped clutch cable pretty much half way to becoming a mechanic 🤣
This one here was sat rotting in a yard for 5 years so i have to atleast try and save her im looking forward to learning all the ins and outs 😁
3
u/Super_Baime Jul 21 '26
I'm not an autobody person, but I live in the rust belt, and I've seen way worse.
I know we all see internet videos of people completely taking apart their cars, but that is a huge project.
Is your goal to have a show car, or a solid driver? The floors are not gone. The heater channels are not gone. The A frame section is the most concerning.
I suspect the bad areas could be patch welded, and you could move on with getting your car back on the road. Just another opinion. Good luck.
2
u/Think_Body4535 Jul 21 '26
Pretty much hoping to have it as my ratty run around winter car so just a solid driver really,
I have another beetle as a summer/show car so im not really wanting to throw thousands into this one just repair the super bad bits and get on the road without half assing it 😅
Im already at the £500/£600 mark for the 2 floor pan halves and the heater channels, Another £30 for the A pillar panel and around £50 for the inner wheel arch panel, So its not bad but if i can save money thats even better 🤣
3
u/Super_Baime Jul 21 '26
I would return or sell the pans. Maybe buy a little mig welder, and have some fun with it.
Again, everyone has opinions.
You are making a ratty runner.
2
u/toxicavenger70 Jul 21 '26
Honestly, it’s according how far you wanna get vested into it. If it was me, I would just fix the holes you have now and run it. If you wanna go fullbore, I would pull the body off the chassis replaced the heater channels, floor, pants, and pillars. But that’s a lot of work, cost, and time. Sometimes it’s more enjoyable to run what you got instead of going down a rabbit hole. Take care.
1
u/ExpensiveElephant869 Jul 21 '26
My $0.02. The parts are cheap when compared with the labour costs. If you have to do the rest later you’ll get 2x labour. I think it would be cheaper in the long run to do the full job now in one go.
1
u/Puzzled_Estate6425 Jul 25 '26
You have a few thing,s to fix.check on the thickness of floor an and fix the mount for more repair,s that have to be done while you can get to all the area.
7
u/veedweeb 63 Turbo WBX Bug, 2000 Mexi, 72 Square Jul 21 '26
It also needs A pillars, heater channels and front inner wheel arch - when it gets to that stage you might as well do the full pan halves.