The moral of the story is do not poke We knew there would be some rot hidden behind the corner panel where it meets the rear valance So whilst I was at it, I prodded and poked the rear valance, again I wished I'd left well alone but we might as well do a thorough job!
Well the outer rear valance has been removed to find the inner is as solid as a rock, nothing to worry about with that panel. Its now been Vactan'd, had a liberal coat of red oxide and a coat of black rustoleum. Will waxoyl etc when the time is right The rusty metal has also been cut out and new welded in, later this week, the repair on the outer body skin and the new outer valance can be welded up.
Another job ticked off, rear valance fitted and welded up nicely. Needs the welds grinding back where the engine lid seal fits, skim of filler on the left hand repair section, a blast of etch primer and done. Next on the list, replacement front panel
So, the rear valance is done for now having been treated to a coat of etch primer and a couple of coats of high build, just to protect the metal till the time comes to respray the body. it looks good! Time to strip the front panel down for removal. it quickly became apparent that some work had been done. the airbox had three layers of bubble wrap type insulating material gaffa taped in which revealed poor repairs to the airbox itself. Its had some form of sealant applied to the joins, the top has got a big split in the join and to top it off, the bottom lip on the front panel, which is a reproduction one anyway, looks to have part of an older panel still in place! I do wonder what will be revealed when we start to remove the old metalwork?
Well, we found out why the air vents on the front panel was gummed up with seam sealant and three layers of bubble wrap. The so called front panel is in actual fact held on by very little, the airbox looks to have been shunted back by 1/2" as shown in the gap at the top. Again filled in by seam sealant. Down on the bottom, the lip of the front panel was again gummed up with seam sealant and the panel behind the deformation panel is crusty rotten. Thankfully the deformation panel itself is okay.
The front panel is off, what a bloomin mess Its been badly repaired from a front end shunt, the airbox is dented beyond pulling out, the top part of the airbox was non existent and the side vents seam sealed. the plinth which the front panel sits on has rotted away The right hand door pillar is good and the left hand one is dented but retains its overall shape where it matters. Both have surface rust. We do have a genuine VW inner repair panel to replace the existing one as well as a new front panel. We're not yet sure how to tackle the airbox assembly, that will take some doing. I am tempted to get a new inner deformation panel and replace that, for peace of mind sake.
I know your feeling knocked back after finding that mark However it's not all that bad compared to a lot of restorations and be rectified The airbox can be pulled out with a bit of time and a slide hammer
I'm not overly worried @paradox - it can be repaired and will be! Some time and deep thinking will prevail (and a few beers too)!
well I'm not surprised it looks a mess...................................................using a Stanley knife to chop that out what do you expect