Heater channel replacement

Questions and general discussion on all things Type 3 & 4
User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Heater channel replacement

Post by topnotch » 4th October 2005 - 12:24pm

Does anyone have any tips on this or if there is an online guide anywhere?

i can`t really take the body off the pan as i don`t have the room or facility!

any help, much appreciated,
thanks,
mike

User avatar
miketyp3
Posts: 1788
Joined: 19th October 2004 - 12:38pm
Location: Northampton

Post by miketyp3 » 4th October 2005 - 3:46pm

There's no guides as such (that I know of anyway), but it is quite straight forward presuming you have panels to do it (and if you have, you are very lucky).
Just bare in mind there is one extra panel in the sill section compared to a beetle, and a lot of people seem to forget it. It is the panel that forms the whole car side, which is sandwiched between the inner and outer sills - without it most of the strength in this section is lost.
I have a diagram that shows what I mean, if you email me on mdempster@barhondaf1.com I'll send you it.

Mike.

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Post by topnotch » 8th January 2006 - 8:27pm

its been a while since i posted this, but thought i`d put up an update of what i`ve been up to -
http://www.vwtype3.co.uk/heaterChannels.php

i only really started just before xmas, but i`m getting there!

cheers,
mike

User avatar
manky ed
Posts: 111
Joined: 25th May 2005 - 6:50pm
Location: manchester

Post by manky ed » 8th January 2006 - 11:29pm

cant wait!!! :D :D 8)
blug,blug,blug,blug,blug, thats his name!!!!!!

User avatar
Editor
Posts: 5515
Joined: 10th October 2004 - 8:52pm
Location: Pensford, Bristol
Contact:

Sill and heater channel rust

Post by Editor » 9th January 2006 - 10:51pm

Well, I've seen some worse and some in better condition, but that's pretty major surgery, and tidy welding too - well done!

While the under seat area is usually pretty obvious, what can be hidden is the rust that develops where water gets in under the rear inner wing at the front end, runs round behind the underseal and enters the heter channel where it remins unseen until it's eaten it away. Certainly looks like that on the RHS.

The front inner wing on later ones ('68 on?) has reinforcement which causes the inner wing to rust along the spot welds. You can fabricate repair sections with all the swaged parts from the forward part of a scrap inner wing opposite side. Details in the Club Technical Manual.

User avatar
Angelo Amato
Posts: 337
Joined: 25th January 2005 - 12:54pm
Location: Wirral

photos

Post by Angelo Amato » 10th January 2006 - 11:45pm

got lots of photos of my job on my fasty.

I had FULL inner sills made (top hat shape in section)

Made from 1mm thick galv steel - awesome

drill holes and fitted bug wing captive nuts

can post pics or e-mail

NOTE - i may be able to get some inner sills made up at a resonable price.
they will be just the bare metal shape and you'd have to buy the captives for them but they worked a treat on mine.

Angelo

User avatar
Angelo Amato
Posts: 337
Joined: 25th January 2005 - 12:54pm
Location: Wirral

photos - can also get pan edges made

Post by Angelo Amato » 10th January 2006 - 11:56pm

Image

Image

Image

Image

User avatar
Editor
Posts: 5515
Joined: 10th October 2004 - 8:52pm
Location: Pensford, Bristol
Contact:

Shiny new inner sills

Post by Editor » 11th January 2006 - 12:53am

Oh the light hurts my eyes - where's that welding mask so I can see the new panels clearly!

I've had lots of fun welding (well, trying to weld) galvanised. That hot-dipped is hard to do, particularly if you get it near rust, as it does a mini-thermite process and tends to melt a lump off! (iron oxide + zinc = zinc oxide + iron + lots of heat).

No problem to clean off a small area, as the rest of the zinc coating will continue to protect any bare steel that develops. You also need to rough it up a bit to get primer on it, or better still use a primer for galvanised metal.

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Re: Sill and heater channel rust

Post by topnotch » 11th January 2006 - 10:09am

Editor wrote: Certainly looks like that on the RHS.
The LHS doesn`t look as bad as the right hand side (although wait until i get that wire brush grinder on it and the seam sealer removed!)

I`ve hopefully sourced an inner strengthener too and i already have the outer sill piece ready.
I`ll put some more pics up as i go along - i`m going to try and get the new heater channel bottom piece in place and fitted one night this week and then start to weld that in this wkend. i can`t wait until this is done because then i`ll have good clean metal edges to weld to!

i`ve also got to get a length of exhaust pipe to to repair the end of the heater pipe that passes through the channel.

User avatar
Angelo Amato
Posts: 337
Joined: 25th January 2005 - 12:54pm
Location: Wirral

galvo

Post by Angelo Amato » 11th January 2006 - 12:20pm

YES dave, I learned the hard way too.

just a couple of moments grinding off the coating where you need to weld make a hell of a difference. this pics were taken very early on, learnt alot since.

Other reason was all the metal i could get was galv' so i wasn't going to argue, just think how nice INSIDE my sills must look !

User avatar
manky ed
Posts: 111
Joined: 25th May 2005 - 6:50pm
Location: manchester

Post by manky ed » 11th January 2006 - 8:03pm

and i have it all to learn! :lol:
blug,blug,blug,blug,blug, thats his name!!!!!!

User avatar
Matthew
Posts: 70
Joined: 14th October 2004 - 7:39am
Location: Southampton
Contact:

Post by Matthew » 19th January 2006 - 10:06pm

Mike,

Looks like you're doing very well on your own. If you get stuck, or need a tip or two, you could try Alex Taylor, Defcon 3, Poole. Not too far from you. He did an excellent job doing the same areas on our fasty. http://vw1600e.org.uk/car/Rear/. Friendly & helpful chap. Contact details should be in the services section of this site.

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Post by topnotch » 20th January 2006 - 9:03am

that looks like some great work they`ve carried out there - if mine is anywhere as agood as that when i`m finished, i`ll be well pleased!

i`ve fitted the bottom of the heater channel in this past week and i should be starting to weld that in this sunday. i`ve also got a donor floor pan half from another car. This is the part i`m most enjoying - fitting new panels in!

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Post by topnotch » 5th February 2006 - 8:45pm

an update - i`ve fitted the heater channel bottom and fabricated a new heater pipe using the end of the old one.

I`ve also fitted the new floor in, but haven`t welded it in yet.

I`m waiting for an inner strengthener panel to arrive, then i can weld this and the outer on and nearly done!

http://www.vwtype3.co.uk/heaterChannels.php

User avatar
manky ed
Posts: 111
Joined: 25th May 2005 - 6:50pm
Location: manchester

Post by manky ed » 5th February 2006 - 8:54pm

topknotch-thanks for the link-your pictures have certainly cleared a few things up for me!,the heater pipes on my car are excellent,its just the surrounding areas that are gone.inner sills ok too.

thanks again! :D
blug,blug,blug,blug,blug, thats his name!!!!!!

User avatar
Rusty nuts
Posts: 9
Joined: 8th February 2006 - 9:54pm
Location: Midlands

Post by Rusty nuts » 8th February 2006 - 10:10pm

Love the standard of work in the pictures. I'm cheating this year (mines got major rot :( ) putting steel over the rear quarter pans/arches, and bypass the rotten heater channels for now, just to blow heat into rear footwell.

PS This site kicks posterior, been waiting for someting like this for a while for us UK T3 and 4 owners. Excellent :thumbsup:
'71 Variant - '88 Caddy - '95 Variant (golf)

User avatar
Editor
Posts: 5515
Joined: 10th October 2004 - 8:52pm
Location: Pensford, Bristol
Contact:

The site

Post by Editor » 15th February 2006 - 1:30am

Yes, it seems to run itself, which suits me.
I must use some of the posts as the nucleus for the next Autumn/Winter/Spring issue club mag. Shame on me!

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Post by topnotch » 19th February 2006 - 10:48pm

site updated - i`ve got the inner strengther and outer sill welded in place and a couple of other repairs sorted.

http://www.vwtype3.co.uk/heaterChannels.php

sorry for the amount of photos on 1 page - i`ll split it up when i get the chance.

mike

User avatar
miketyp3
Posts: 1788
Joined: 19th October 2004 - 12:38pm
Location: Northampton

Post by miketyp3 » 20th February 2006 - 9:29am

Looking good Mike.
Where did you find the inner stenthening panel :?:
Wouldn't mind getting a pair of those...

Mike.

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Post by topnotch » 20th February 2006 - 10:18am

miketyp3 wrote:Looking good Mike.
Where did you find the inner stenthening panel :?:
Wouldn't mind getting a pair of those...

Mike.
paul at t3d managed to source one for me - i think he knows some one with stock left over from the 80`s. The fit from it was excellent.

be prepared to pay though - i think mine cost about £85ish, but then i keep justifying it to myself as i`m doing the work myself!

i`ll probably need one for the other side when i get round to it.

User avatar
DelBoy
Posts: 116
Joined: 3rd March 2006 - 2:52pm
Location: Leicester

Post by DelBoy » 3rd March 2006 - 3:04pm

Nice work! Especially getting the heater tube done properly.

I've just finished the same job on my squareback; both sides on my car were completely rotten, inner, outer and middle! I managed to get a pair of complete secondhand heater channels from the US. The parts were cheap, but the shipping wasn't :shock: however it still cost about the same as getting panels over here :evil:

Rather more fiddly job than beetle heater channels! But now I have a nice solid car again.

User avatar
milfredo
Posts: 29
Joined: 25th October 2004 - 9:16am

Post by milfredo » 3rd April 2006 - 9:26am

I found a hole in the front of my pan over the weekend and on closer inspection it looks as though I'm going to need to redo the rocker as well as it was badly done by the PO. I've patched it up for now and will takle it after summer shows are over.
I have been quite lucky as I managed to get these off ebay this morning:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :B:SS:UK:1

...and I thought it would be hard to find these :D Where is the best place to get the other parts: Inners, heater channels and floor pan front?

Cheers,

Will

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Post by topnotch » 3rd April 2006 - 9:39am

you lucky lucky b****d!!

i`ve finished the passenger side now and having looked at the drivers side, i`ve decided to do this aswell. i got a new outer rocker and heater channel bottom at the wkend.

i` ve also got the front bumper mount and just under the bulkhead where the wing means the body under the front windscreen. The floor area, i`ve finished reapiring on this side - i couldn`t find a type 3 donor panel and couldn`t afford other places, so i bought a beetle floor side, cut it in two and then welded it back together so it was as wide as a type 3 floorpan side - i `ve welded this in as a large repair section and with all the `rib pattern` matching, it looks fine.

the inner strengthener piece i got from type 3 detectives, but this time i`m gogin to try and repair the one that there already. it was a really good fit though the one i got for the passeneger side.

the heater pipe - i bought a length of exhaust pipe, then welded the curved end of the old one onto this.

i`ll post some more photos up soon when i get the car out of the garage and in the light.

mike

User avatar
milfredo
Posts: 29
Joined: 25th October 2004 - 9:16am

Post by milfredo » 3rd April 2006 - 9:51am

How much are they normally, I thought it looked too good to be true?

User avatar
topnotch
Posts: 97
Joined: 9th November 2004 - 10:04am
Location: weymouth, dorset

Post by topnotch » 3rd April 2006 - 10:09am

well, coolair advertise the same ones you`ve bought for about £50 each, but they can`t get hold of them at the moment and t3d sell them for about £90 per side, but theirs also extends into the back inner wing area which was helpful for me as this was rotten on my on both sides aswell.

Image

Post Reply