Video: VW Super Beetle Heater Channel Removal

Video Overview:

When we first started working on our 1971 Super Beetle we noticed a bit of rust in the left side heater channel. The more and more work we did, the more rust we discovered so as opposed to patching most of the channel we decided to remove the entire piece and replace it. Follow along with our tech as he cuts, grinds and tears out the old rusted heater channel.

Video Transcript:

Hello! Sam here with JBugs.com. A friend of mine was nice enough to let us take over his shop for a few days so we can show you some of the repairs on our 1971 Super Beetle restoration. We are going to begin with the most major rust repair, the rusted through drivers side heater channel.

Before we start we'll make sure to say; wear appropriate protective gear, work in a safe and well ventilated environment, and only preform work that is well within your capabilities. Cutting, grinding, and welding can all be dangerous so make sure to use all of the necessary precautions. Before we cut out the heater channel, we want to make sure that our body is braced. The heater channel is a major structural component for the body and removing it without bracing the body could cause major issues with alignment later. We made a simple structure that bolts onto the lower seat belt mounts on the B pillars and to the lower door hinge bolts at the bottom of the A pillars.

We start with the easiest portion to remove and cut the heater channel section out between the door jambs with a sawzall. We make sure to cut on the inside edge of the factory welded seams. We can always cut or grind away more later but adding metal later isn't always as easy. Next, we will get to work on the front quarter section.

A wire wheel on an angle grinder is used to remove the paint, undercoat, and body seam sealant to expose the metal edge of the inner fender where it meets the heater channel. With the seam now visible, a cut off disc on an angle grinder is used to cut into the heater channel, following the lower edge of the inner fenderwell. All the way forward to but not into the front firewall.

The heater channel is pried down a bit then we move to the inside where we start to remove the body seam sealer with a knife before we switch to a wire wheel to expose the seams. Then, we use a sawzall to cut the heater channel at the front firewall up to but not into the front inner fenderwell. We switch to a cutoff wheel and cut along the inner fenderwell towards the front firewall and remove the section of heater channel we just cut loose. We switch back and fourth between a sawzall and cutoff wheel to remove some of the inner heater channel that is still attached to the inner fenderwell.

Then, we work on removing the heater channel duct that sits at the bottom of the door jamb. This is one area where the majority of the heater channel is seam welded, not spot welded to the body. We trim up to and into the weld, a little at at time, as we want to save the door jamb metal. We pry our way, and remove the metal as we go.

We move to the outer fenderwell where we [cut out a rusted] portion of the inner fenderwell. Then, at the outer, lower edge of the inner fenderwell at the door jamb, the spot welds are drilled out, the sheet metal is pried away from the heater channel, and the heater channel is pried out of the door jamb. A cutoff wheel is used to cut out the rusted section of the inner fenderwell. Then, the remaining lip of the heater channel is cut and pried away from the inner fenderwell and the front firewall inside the car. We alternate between an hammer and chisel, vice grips, grinder, and a sawzall as needed. Once all the heater channel is removed from the front quarter, we clean up the area with a wire wheel, before moving to the rear section.

We continue there with out wire wheel, cleaning up all the seams. Once the metal edges are exposed and we can see where all the spot welds are, the spot welds across the top edge of the inner quarter panel are drilled out. Then, a cutoff wheel is used to cut into the heater channel, at the lower edge of the B-pillar. The metal along the inside edge is pried up, then the weld at the body is ground down and because the heater channel is pretty much all rusted away on the outside, we don't need to cut it there, so we pull it down away from the body, and we cut along the back, inside the rear fenderwell, and the heater channel can be removed.

The last portion we'll cut out is a bit of rust on the rear cross member and we'll take a break here. In our next few videos, we'll get the rear cross member and the left quarter panels repaired. We'll repair the body repair plates at the front firewall, and then we'll install the new heater channel.

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