Classic 1973 VW Super Beetle 1303S Restoration

Scottie the 1303S Beetle came to us for a bit of MOT welding to get him back on the road for summer. But this car, as is all too often the case with classic VW Beetles (so beware if you plan on buying one) turned out to have much bigger problems than we'd anticipated.

Once we explained the full extent of Scottie's failings as a car, his owners ultimately decided to let us get stuck in and fix him up properly.

Beetle Floorpan and Heater Channel Welding

As you can see from the pictures, there was a lot of visible rot once we got the interior out, so we decided (instead of trying to patch over the rot as had been done in the past) to fully weld in new floor pans and heater channels, new cross members and lower door post sections as well as (many, many) small sections in the arches where poor previous repairs had rotted out. We also replaced the rotten running boards and a rusty rear bumper with a shiny second hand one.

Rustproofing with U-Pol Raptor, Underseal and Waxoyl

When all that welding was finally done on the Beetle we wanted to make sure it stayed that way, so we coated those newly fitted floorpans, heater channels and arch sections in tinted U-Pol Raptor to match the rest of the car, making it look awesome (if we do say so ourselves) and protecting it from future damage as well as adding some much needed sound-deadening to block out road noise and that 1600cc engine in the back.

On the underside we also coated Scottie with 3M Shultz for extra protection from the good old British weather. Finally we gave the whole Beetle a really good coat of Waxoyl in all its internal cavities including the heater channels, behind the door cards and under the carpets.

Classic VW Beetle Engine Service

With all the bodywork sorted we turned our attention to the mechanical side, after all this classic Beetle hadn't been on the road in a few years and he needed to pass an MOT. We serviced the engine which meant all new spark plugs and an oil change as well as replacing all the fuel hoses which had perished with age, the points and condenser. The brakes also got a good service and we tidied up a bit of dodgy wiring.   ​

Interior Revamp

Once he was rustproofed and deemed roadworthy with an MOT we gave Scottie's interior a complete makeover- fitting a full new charcoal carpet set and new matching blue door card set as well as replacing all the worn out plastic trim, repairing the broken glovebox catch and giving everything a good clean. The Beetle also got some fancy new pressed metal black and silver number plates and a good second hand passenger side wing mirror and chrome aerial to replace his broken ones.