Dave wrote to Rob regarding the front apron on his SB -
There is no question but what this poor little baby has been in a front-end collision as some point in it’s past that collapsed the bumper brackets and pushed the bumper into the front apron -- thus the crease across the front and the deformation of the "shelf" (for lack of a better term) in the apron where the lower bonnet latch resides. An enterprising PO filled the apron with a thick layer of body putty, but now it’s cracking, and the bumper has bunged up the apron (and the bonnet) being so close.
I can’t imagine why someone would go to so much work and do so poor of a job when the front apron is readily available and kinda cheap ($50) and relatively easy to install.
I've ordered a new front apron and associated stuff. The blurb in the J.C. Whitney catalog says that the front apron is a "bolt-on" item -- I hope it truly is; if not, I’m going to have to find someone who is a good welder. I'm plowing new ground here!
Rob responded -
I didn't know they were bolt on, they certainly aren't on the standard Beetles.
Dave wrote -
Replacement of the front apron will be a chore, but I'm pretty sure I can do it. I will have to remove the fenders, so I'll be able to fix the broken bumper mounting bolts without having to rent a right-angle drill!.) And the lower part of the bonnet latch will be replaced in the process. Maybe we'll get this bonnet to latch after all!
I found the seam between the apron and the body on the upper left; the seam on the upper right has been filled in and painted over. So there’s going to be some touchup necessary at that interface. Otherwise everything is either under the front of the car or inside the trunk (spare tire well). There’s some kind of mastic or something smeared all over the metal-to-metal interfaces that I’ll have to get past -- probably a good idea to replace it once I get the apron on to make a tight seal. I’ll probably have to remove the "crash" plate that is right behind the apron, but that’s no problem -- I took it off when I replaced the shifter bushing.
Dave posted a general question to the RAMVA newsgroup -
I need to replace the front apron on my '73 SB. The JCW catalog says this is a "bolt-on" item. Anybody have any experience you'd be willing to share? I don't want to tear into this blind.
John Connolly (Aircooled.Net) responded -
It's WELDED on, and requires the front fenders be removed for installation. JC Whipme strikes again.
Dave wrote to Rob -
Given John Connolly’s response, I’m apprehensive! I’m looking forward to it getting here so I can check it out. A casual look at the situation really leads me to doubt what John says -- it looks to me like it is simply bolted on, and that you can get the old one off and the new one back on by removing two or three of the fender bolts but not necessarily the entire fenders themselves. We’ll see, I guess. I’m determined to replace it (got my dander up!), even if I have to go begging to the guy across the street or take it to a shop.
Rob wrote -
One possibility -- it's been replaced before, and so WILL be unboltable. I imagined that it would normally be stop welded in the factory, but I might be quite wrong on that too.
Someone from the RAMVA newsgroup wrote -
The apron is spot welded in. One of the VW mags did and article on this several months ago.
Dave wrote to Rob –
If it IS spot-welded on but can be bolted together when replace, then I think I can handle it -- I can probably drill out the spot welds.
Dave later confirmed that the apron is definitely welded on with a series of spot welds. Special bits available for drilling out spot welds. They have a little pilot bit in the center, then a very small hole-cutter type bit around the pilot so that you can just drill through the metal around the weld.
A friend took a look at the little spot welds and advised me to just center punch them and then drill them out with an ordinary drill bit. May even be able to chisel them off. So long as they come off easy, Rob wrote -- you don't want to damage the body where the new one will be welded on.
I found in the January 2000 issue of VW Trends a pictorial article about removal and reinstallation of the front apron on a ’57 Bug. I assume the later models (e.g., '73 SB) would be similar. Kinda discouraging -- John Connolly is right -- not just a little welding -- a LOT of welding! :-( I’m thinking that if we decide to have the car painted (which is looking more and more likely) I’ll just have the shop replace the front apron (which I will provide) at that time.
The guy from the newsgroup wrote again -
Welding is really not that hard. I have a spot welder ... it's an attachment for an arc welder that welds sheet metal from one side. I think it will work perfect for when I do my aprons.
Dave prepared a Front Apron Removal/Replacement Procedure that now appears on our main Web page.
Rob recommended adding the note that appears after Step #19.
Rob wrote –
I note that the new one does seem to have the compliance plate holes (which would be needed on our bugs). It normally sits on the bonnet lip between the catch and the left "rib" and I think I can see two small holes there.
I can see how the old one has been crushed, and creased right across the front - no wonder your bonnet would latch properly.
Dave wrote -
I removed the "crash plate," then cleaned and painted it and up under where it had been. Then I started going after spot welds. Turns out there are about 22 on each side and several across the front (inside the hood). It’s really quite a mess, what with the damage to the left front.
Rob responded -
You might have to ask someone there if it would be better to reinforce the rotting metal, replace it with made-up strips, or find the same part off a donor body.
Dave wrote -
I think I'm going to fabricate a strip of sheet metal to run along the backside, with appropriately-placed holes for the fender bolts.
Rob responded -
That should work OK. My only concern about that is the each side of the body piece has an attachment -- apron on one side and fender on the other. So if you add a strip of metal, you'll end up with one side or the other being "fatter". Just wondering if this would be a problem -- not having it in front of me to look at makes it hard to visualise. Still -- it can't be left how it is - not enough meat left on that metal to support anything.
The other possible problem is future rust between the old metal and the new strip -- the gap between the two will be a capillary for water. You might need to paint both pieces very well and then seal the gap in between with non-setting silicone as a water barrier.
Dave wrote -
I'm going to bolt the metal strip to the back with tapered-head bolts, countersunk on the apron/fender side so the heads will lay flat.
Rob responded -
That sounds good -- be hard to spot later, but should be sound. Just a thought -- could you use a reinforcing strip BOTH sides of the damaged metal, and sandwich it? So long as you could keep water out of the sandwich you'd then have good metal for the bolt heads and nuts to bear down on.
I would think that bolting the apron on would be OK if you need to do it that way. You'd need to use plenty of bolts of course - 22 spot welds per side were obviously there for a reason (keeping the front end of the body straight and aligned side to side is vital on the Supers since the front bodywork carries the front suspension).
Dave wrote -
I got the left side all straightened out, then slipped the new apron on. It fits perfectly!! I got it straightened out with my handy-dandy new dollies and hammers!
Question -
I need to change all the front body assembly, I mean, the structure that comes from the gas tank and holds it as it holds the bumper and the spare tire too. I think I'm talking about what I read somewhere is the "front apron".
Rob responded -
The front apron is the section between the two fenders at the front, but I don't think it includes the spare wheel area. It's not too hard to replace -- Dave has done this job on his.
The Question continued -
It is getting broken right on top of the upper damper mount... as corrosion is literally eating the spare wheel compartment.
Rob responded -
In that case you will probably need a spare wheel section from a wrecked car, and add a cross-brace too. These mount to the top of the strut towers and extend across the luggage area in a wide U shape. These help hold the top of the struts rigid, and help the handling of the car. The design of the Super Bug has the suspension supported by the body, which is not as strong as the older Bugs method, and so the suspension flexes a little as the body moves – it’s not as stiff as the older torsion bar suspension. If your body is rusty in front of the strut towers, then the whole suspension is probably moving when you drive it.
Disclaimer stuff: Rob and Dave have prepared this information from their own experiences. We have not assumed any specialised mechanical knowledge, but we DO assume that anyone using this information has at least some basic mechanical ability.
We hope you find this information useful, but we don't take any responsibility for anything which happens to you, other people, your VW or any other property or goods resulting from your use of this material.
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Last revised 4 May 2004.
