Bug Update: Filled and Floored

Filled:

I didn't have a lot time after school on Wednesday, Char has to be in her ballet outfit and at the dance studio by 5:00, but I was able to drive the Bug over to Casey's and fill the tank with fresh gasoline. The tank holds a bit more than ten gallons, and I put in over nine gallons and some Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment.

The drive home only lasted three minutes, but the car hasn't sounded happier in this century. I then installed new spark plugs after Charlotte went to bed.

Later that night I caught the Bug writing in his journal, "Best day ever!"

Floored:

I've got a small library of repair books for air cooled VWs, but it doesn't hurt to check out books about other models. I found this guide at Half Price Books, and I've found it to be very informative.

For instance, this quote was comforting, "With precious few exceptions, the metal floors of most cars turn to Swiss cheese after 50 years and tens of thousands miles of exposure to water, snow, and salt."

My car has spent 52 years in the Midwest, so I shouldn't feel bad that it has a few holes in its floor pan. At some point the previous owner (my high school principal) had the floors repaired. I chatted with him at the luncheon after my father's funeral, and he told me, "I had new floors put in that car!" But that was a bit of a stretch. 

Imagine a styrofoam cup with it's bottom burned out and a different styrofoam bottom wedged in place. Under the carpet and mats, my floor is a mix of repair patches riveted over rust holes, but I can live with that for now.  The exception is under the back seat where the battery is located. The repair patch for the battery tray now has holes in it, too. Batteries filled with water tend to do that to metal floors.

I'm not at the point where I'm in danger of having the battery fall out of the car (I think). But adding a little security wouldn't hurt. So Thursday night I made myself a patch panel for my patch panel (?) out of an old license plate. I figured the plate wouldn't rust, and the raised letters would actually add strength to the flat metal. Daphne was using the camera in the house, so I didn't take any pictures of this process. Once I get the time for a small project, I hate to stop for anything. I'll use a photocopy of a license plate to explain this cheap "fix".

Here's the paper license plate.

I drew a V in the corner. I wasn't sure if it was the right amount of metal to remove, but you gotta start somewhere.

I cut the notch out using tin snips.

Then I bent the two edges up.

This formed a box-like corner. I needed this shape because the rust in the floor started on the bottom of the battery tray and crawled up the back side. The black spot shows what I'm trying to explain.

This metal patch fit pretty well over the damaged floor, so I called it good. I pressed the plate into place, drilled the pilot holes, and fastened the plate to the floor with pop rivets (the black dots).

I covered the plate with a section of Quick Roof to help seal and quiet the battery tray. Quick Roof is great. I used it to line the insides of my car doors. Now the doors barely rattle, and they sound so much beefier when I close them.

Here's the Quick Roof under my battery. 

Does using an old license plate and pop rivets make this a hack job? Oh, there's no doubt about that. It's a bandaid fix that's rougher than a burlap bra. But now the battery's secure, and I'm also keeping exhaust fumes out of the car's cabin. That's certainly not hurting anybody, and who cares what is under my back seat?