1971 VW Type 3 Fastback

[937carrera]

I was looking at this

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/in ... odest3.php

and now this, available on T2 68-79

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/in ... stype2.php

so you're OK, no need to repaint

[937carrera]

and what it's like at full scale

My dad & next door neighbour had '73 vans in this colour

a taste of things to come

[broady_6]

Yeah I was looking at the samba too, this bit in particular



That looks very plasticy to me. It must be the limitations for screen displays. But I havent really found a photo of it I like. Yet the real thing is just amazing. So hopefully in the not too distant future it will be that colour

[937carrera]

How's it coming on ?

[broady_6]

Havent touched the ole banger for a week, been away on a tour and at a concourse for work. Got to have a good dribble over Nick Masons 250 GTO!

[broady_6]

A little while between drinks, mostly the same and same and same. So there arent many photos to show.

Its just been a case of shaping up.

My first focus was this little number on the front end.



And as there was plenty to do I worked on the rear wing as while one was curing the other was being sanded.



I struggled like buggery with the wing. It was wither the right shape are the bottom, or the top. After chatting with a friend whos pretty handy with the body work he asked what I was doing. Id been using a foot long velcro backed rigid sander. He said a how maid sander will be loads better.

A slice of hardboard, double sided tape and a roll of 80 grit later.



And a decent smaller version on some firm firm.



I havent got any further photos of the wings yet but they're much more the right shape. Ill snap some pics tomorrow. I try not to handle my phone when my hands are covered in filler dust. Here is the front end.



Corners coming along well too.



And I knew it was coming so last weekend I put the podcasts on and sanded the roof down.



And just about smooth. One small depression which I have filled. (the blue patch just above the B pillar)



Ive also set about the rear valance and its coming on so much quicker than I had hoped. But the down side is the 944 seems to have a poorly engine, so I pulled the front axle off that and got the sump off saturday morning. Though I still dont really know whats wrong with it

[broady_6]

Starting to find it a pain to work on the roof panel at such height and getting a little fed up with the small casters on my dollys going any which way and struggling with the load. I need to start hanging panels on to check ive got the shaped up nicely, so it was time for the body to come back down to earth. For this to happen I needed to build up the pan.

I was met with this from my old handbrake cables when I pulled them out, so it was easy to do I put a new pair in.



The new (4 year old less than 1000 miles) axle boots on the offside had both split. Top quality stuff ive bought there!





So that was removed from the car and bench built, fortunately I have a few original drive shafts with nice original boots, which aren't perished and still supple. I removed two of these and installed on the car.

I threaded various other cables through with lots of lovely grease, to get to this point.



This was just a bit of a fun, the earth strap was very grotty, before and after photo here. I put it in a jar of diesel over night, then spray with brake clearer and it looked all nice and coppery again. I know it wont last 5 minutes once it rains, but hell it looks nice for now.



Before I went any further, I wanted to check everything was suitably protected. It was then I noticed the two rubber bungs in the shock towers and realised a that cavity projection wouldn't hurt in there.



My inner chimp took over though as one of them simply wouldn't come out and i ended up pulling it with pliers, which im sure you guess has torn it in two. So if anyone has any of these grommets im happy to buy a few off you, ive been through my stash and I only have the bigger diameter ones. Typical eh!





With my inhibiting completed I set about fitting the pan seal. I arsenal was as follows.



With it all trimmed to the fit the corners I put a few dabs of tiger seal on the contours it didnt want to follow, laid it on and held in place over night with pan washers.



The following day this meant the moment was upon us, I cleaned up the various mounting rubbers, sleeves and fasteners. Then aligned the body and the pan.



I tried to lift the back and manually but I simply hadn't eaten enough wheatbix to be able to do it. So I took a risk and used this block of wood and my trolley jack.



The front was easier as I could lift it manually and lower on to the body.



A couple of hours with a tin of copper grease and a selection of bolts so it all fastened down for the last time, I hope!

I thought it was time that i finished the repairs to the body.



As expected I found a rotten drain pipe, which the previous person who repaired this didn't bother to fix so its rotten through again.



With this handy hack saw blade I managed to cut the rotten bit out.





I then got carried away, I replaced the rotten section with a piece of house pipe and tried to seal up the panel. But I hasnt worked very well, so I think its all coming back out this evening to be improved.

[broady_6]

Lets close this off then. Having cut it open again I took one last photo.



Then inside the boot on each side I drilled a 10mm hole through which I can spray dinatrol. VW seeminly never created a way to get in here and its a water drain! What did they think would happen? Once waxed up ive got a couple of grommets to seal these off.



Once id welded up the skin I started shaping the filler. Between working on my rear valence. And I must say this has come on quite well, still one or two small ripples to remove, but its 90% there.



Otherwise ive just been going over the hold body starting at 80g and getting finer and finer. at 240g now so not far from 400 then I can think about some primer!

[broady_6]

Progress was slow for some time, down to my lack of skill/knowledge. Something was telling me to check this rear valance because it doesn't feel right, owed to doing it over about two weeks I rather lost track of how much filler I have used. I put the rear wing on to check and........well its rather embarrassing. Not only is it miles about theres a door wedge of gobbo in there.



Id much rather have something more like this



So having lost my way, moler of bestvolksrodever fame came round for a spot of guidance and motivation. His first idea was "use a better sanding block"
He gave me this piece of noodle. Ideal for getting the two opposing curves in one stroke.



Next tip was to make profile gauge from the other end of the panel.



Armed with my new tools I removed all of that filler and went back to the start. The third and final tip I was offered, filler the wing and valance as one. Then separate and treat the edges.





I then ran a hack saw blade up the panel gap and removed and filler which made it between the two panels.



Wanting to feel a little progress the drivers side rear wing needed little work so I decided to spend a couple of evenings on this. After and hour my reflection in wet primer was this.



Obviously hard to tell without any gloss to get a reflection but this is how the wing ended up.

[broady_6]

Not much to update on, I will do my best with the photos but its hard to photograph a panel that's been sanded and filled and make it exciting!

I havent worked in any particular order, just picked a panel and got on with it, both doors needed a clean down, they were degreased and jet washed. I wasnt happy with previous filling work so it was removed with a strip disc.

I will admit to one tiny bit of welding (I thought id got it all) This door seal strip werent pretty.



And then it was



The nit picky stuff of running down the inside faces of both doors ate up a sunday morning, then I returned to the bit that will be seen most often and made it flat once more.



Several strokes of a sanding block later



As a short mental break I found out what the correct boot light should be for the car as mine was never fitted with one. I wrongly believed it was the same as a beetles interior light. But it seems it actually from a 356. So take your couple of quid from the autojumble life a chuck it, you're paying Porsche tax. 35 of the queens pounds and 2 of our earth days later this arrived.



Still doesnt seem like ive had £35 worth but maybe on a dark wet night when I need to fettle the engine at the side of the road I will think "that £35 was well worth it just to see what I was doing" I will let time be the judge.

The next item on my list was a small dash blank, you may remember some pages back my rectangular dash hole had been enlarged by a previous owner, thanks to moler measuring his, I welded mine up to the same dimensions. And after a couple of months searching, the ever kind purplepeter manage to rustle one up for me when I made the trip to bath at the weekend for the garage sale, and here it sits in its rectangular glory.



And what do you know, it fits.



I have continued to work my around the car, tidying small details as I spot them, sanding the air vents in the scuttle panel. I mange this about 5 at a time before I stand to loose the will. I also been trying to get the C pillars something like. They are certainly close, but not quite there yet.





On the larger scale of things this leaves me with on rear wing to shape and both bonnet and boot lid need a rub down to key them up for paint. Then it will be a decent inspection for any off edges that ive missed and finally get it all sanded down to 400g. Paint certainly feels like a September thing

[Kai]

That square bung, had a few of those in the past. I enlarged the hole on my dash to fit a mk1 golf rear heated window switch. Then about 2 months later at the volksworld show in the auto jumble was the correct (looked correct to me) rectangular heated rear window switch. Not as expensive as your 356 light but only by a fiver .

Keep up the good work.

[broady_6]

I think thats what a PO had done, but never fitted the heated rear screen! defiantly had a golf looking dash switch though. Id have paid a fiver for it haha, cheers. I think paint this month is a good target before I slow down and have a life again

[broady_6]

Not a photogenic update, but more blocking and sanding along with some fibre glassing.

A little repair to the inside of the filler in the wing, the mount for the release mechanism has pulled through, so ive filled it all in with fibre glass and resin then filed out the holes.




Nothing too exciting here, door shaped up and offered up.




And because I forgot to post this when I did it.



The other rear wing is fairly smooth now too.





I needed a change of pace and as it would speed things up a little later in the month I did a little painting on the inside of panels

I set up a room suitable for some murdering.





I had initially just panned to do some priming, but decided that as things were going well id put the colour in the inside of the wings.





And just for some jolly and as there was little paint left I did the filler flap to see the colour with some shine and depth.



My sunday was broken up by the MotoGP but either side of that was sanding, the front wings, doors and one rear wing are now sanded to 400 and are ready for paint. The other rear wing is half an hour away. I made a start on the body too. The bonnet is shaped and ready to be made smooth. The boot lid requires a few dents pushing in and filling. I assume this down to the it being closed on things which didn't quite fit in the boot!

[sparkywig]

I like the blue, be even nicer when it's polished.

[broady_6]

Taa, I cant wait, that was only rubbed down with 240g as well. I since flatted it down to 400g so its well ready for a proper coat. Great evening today and nearly got the roof 100%. Seriously looking at primer buy the end of the week

[broady_6]

Im just going to tease you with this.



Been dead round here for the last week, everyone ok?

[jmarkha1]

proper job on that valance - bet you enjoyed a beer after getting that sorted
car is coming on great - looking at pics online makes it look easy...

[937carrera]

Is that the topcoat Broady - it looks a fair bit brighter than the Neptune Blue I remember ?

[broady_6]

Thanks very much, if you get too close you can see it needs colour sanding and polishing. the roof didnt go so well. lots of flatting required.

I think its just the photo, its a colour ive never managed to see properly represented in a photo. Have a look at the inner wings further up, they look grey. but is the same paint from the same well mixed tin. And looks like neptune blue in the metal. Just another excuse to come for a ride out once its built

[937carrera]

Well you are the only one looking in the metal. I have a Riviera Blue car, and have never seen a picture anywhere near to its true colour, so all sounds good.

[broady_6]

Ive had some problems with my technique, but ive sorted it now, Ill post some more photos when I have a suitable story to go along with them.

[Chino]

Wow...someone has been a busy boy since I last checked in! Keep up the good work mate

[oldtimer]

Loved reading this, awesome work buddy.

[broady_6]

So you are well over due an update, I didnt want to post half a job so this will be a big one. I needed to murder room the garage, I used a roll of plastic membrane I had kicking around to make a booth. So here ive starting making a booth and masking the car.



And the primer was on I flatted it off with 600g







With the garage at just about the right temperature I decided it was time to have a go at spraying celly for the first time in about 10 years.





You don't need to be a professional spray painter to know that it didn't go well. At least the roof didn't you already know the back panel looks fairly good.



The following day it looked like this.





And the scuttle panel had a lot of scratches in, I clearly hadn't preped this properly at all!



I had a good chat with a few folks I know who can paint, the problem was quickly identified. Two much air pressure and not enough paint flow. So with that in mind and knowing that the roof would need at least a week before i could rub it down and start again I set about the other panels.











The paint is much better, still got a degree in orange peal, but you can see I had improved. I wish the colour would photograph better, it looks far too grey in photos.

When it came to revisiting the roof and scuttle I had really got my act together.



Here is the repainted roof It was time consuming work to undo the mess id made but I bought it up to 600g again before putting 3 more coats on.



This leaves just two big panels to do, I will have a few small bits and bobs to do, but in a decent effort to beat the drop off in temperature Ive got the bit stuff painted before the mercury dropped below 15c





And then I took a little step back and went pealy again.







Everything has had two coats of primer with flatting between coats and then three coats of colour.

Weve come along way but now it all needs some time to rest and cure. Ill start the colour sanding next week all being well

[jake@facewest.co.uk]

Great stuff, nearly there!

Painting is really full of ups and downs! Not sure I could face repainting mine. Might see how much a decent respray is in the spring. But looks like you've got the kit and skills, and are nearly there. Well done.