Heater Channel Replacement

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Heater Channel Replacement Article

by dragenwagen

Page 3

*Disclaimer* This really isn't a how to. This is merely a collection of my thoughts and pictures. If you decide to undertake replacing the heater channels in your Beetle, then it is up to you to decide if you are capable of this task. You accept all risks involved in this endeavor. I am in no way responsible for your actions or your results. I am not responsible if you get killed, hurt, injured, squashed, burned, maimed, disfigured, burn your house down, accidental amputation of body parts, snoring, bed wetting, nightmares, drunk and disorderly conduct, profuse swearing or any other unforeseen natural or unnatural act for which I have no control over. Basically you take what I say or any of my pictures as merely reference material or entertainment material. Please do not use my pictures or my articles as I have written this and I am the owner of this article and all that which is contained in it. All pictures are mine. If you would like to link to them or use them in any way please email me and ask first.

Cutting out Heater Channels -

What to do first -

Since I am going to leave the doors on and leave them closed for structural reasons I cut the area out in the door sill while all the other welds are still in place. I cut them with my Dremel tool with a cutting disk... yeah, they are small and you go through quite a bit of them . They are small and you can get into the corners real good. Be sure and wear some safety goggles and hearing protection. Cut everything that is accessible with the door open that will not be accessible with the door closed! Once you have all these cut I also used a hack saw to cut into some areas that was difficult for the Dremel to get to. Don't cut all the way through the heater channel. Just the weld beads around the A and B Pillar.

Ok now that you have cut through the welds in the door sill at the A and B Pillars you can shut the door and forget about opening them for a while!

Drill out spot welds in fender well. There must be about 50 of them to drill out. When you are drilling them out the bit will probably go through into the heater channel. No problem with that because you are replacing it anyway. Make sure you get the weld drilled out as it makes it easier to break the weld with the chisel.

Cut around A Pillar. Now here is a problem on the drivers side. The wiring harness goes through a hole in the heater channel as seen here. You have 2 choices. Cut the metal around the wiring harness, or you will have to remove all the wires at the fuse block or where ever they go. It might be easier to cut the metal out from around the wiring harness, then you don't have to remember where they all went. I took mine off from the fuse block. I was thinking that I am going to get a new wiring harness and install it. I have already spliced every wire that went to the back of the car because mine had a short in the harness where it disappears into the rear fender well and all the insulation was melted off. I got everything to work, but I think the type of wire I used will add more resistance and not work quite right, even though it does work. Why? I'm not an electrical engineer, but the wire I used is 12 gauge stranded, but the strands are thicker and the insulation seems thinner.

Cut the weld bead up at the bulkhead in the inside of car. This is an after shot photo. You can see the patch I welded in and the crappy temporary patch on the A pillar. This area was pretty bad off. You can see where I cut the heater channel out at the front bulkhead (just behind the clutch pedal) Notice I left the metal on the bulkhead I cut just past the weld bead. I am going to take off the temporary patch and fix the inner A Pillar later.

Cut around the B Pillar. I used a grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut the bead around this area. I had to use my Dremel tool to get at a piece of the weld around the duct. The bead weld here is pretty hefty, so I cut just to one side of it I have already cut the area under the door, remember the first cuts you should have made? This is why, because you should not attempt to open the door about now! You can see where I spliced in my wiring harness. That's why I want to replace it

Drill out rest of the spot welds behind B Pillar and use a chisel to break spot welds on the very back of the heater channel.

A this point you should have all the welds cut and you will see that the heater channel just wont come out. That's when I found the heater channel is tied in a few more places. This rusty channel was almost out but it didn't want to come out I shook it and kicked at it and I threw the hammer out of the garage into the yard. Yes it made me feel better. I finished my temper tantrum and I went back to look what was holding the channel in there.

I found that I had to drill a few more spot welds at the front of the bulkhead in the front fender well and persuade the thing to come apart with my air chisel. I had to start drilling on the spot welds going up the front part of the fender well, but only a few. Yes I know the metal is bent outward, but it was necessary and I can hammer it back into shape later. This is an after shot, but you get the idea. Ignore the brass on the front bulkhead. This is something I tried to fix about ... well I don't remember! I tried to fix it but I blew holes in the metal and I am going to cut it out and try again after the channel is in. Its in a difficult place to work and I still have to clean up the area under the gas tank and paint.

I found the back of the heater channel interesting. The way it is put together is kind of overlapped with the rear package tray and the quarter panel.

I took my Dremel tool with a cutting disk and I cut along the back side of the channel. This is another after shot but you can tell where the metal overlapped. Check the area real good there is several pieces of overlapping metal here and I did find some rust hiding in the rear wheel well I cut it out and fixed it but it was a real small area. I am going to cut a piece of metal out of that old fender and cover the entire rear piece so it will be completely sealed.

Also there is a piece of metal that overlaps the back side of the heater channel. ( another after photo, sorry) I tried to drill it but I had my Dremel and air chisel handy and I wanted this thing out, and my patience was growing thin at this point. It was hot and I was working on the car all day long. I should have quit but I was being as stubborn as this heater channel. See the rust hole in the rear quarter. I need to fix that. But see the gap? That's ok because on the inside it is touching the rear package tray.

Age and the elements have taken its toll on this heater channel. Now that I cut though this piece that was overlapped I still couldn't get the thing out. Now I was frustrated , so I grabbed my air chisel and started to cut like a mad man! The air chisel cut through the rusty metal of the heater channel like a hot knife through butter. Now I could see into the back of the heater channel and I broke right through the welds in the back of the channel and it almost fell out of the car. So I put my foot to it and it fell out on the floor in all of it's rusty glory. I stood up with the taste of rusty metal in my mouth, wiped the sweat out of my eyes and said " HA! take that you rotten S-O-B"! I think the neighbor kid now know not to stand in my driveway for fear of flying tools, and I bet he now knows a few more twists to the curse words he shouldn't know.

Below are some pictures of my triumphant success, and the last picture is some of the junk I found lurking in the heater channel. An old set of points, a 1965 Quarter, a lug bolt, a piece to some wiper blade refills, a door panel clip and a piece that goes to the door handle trim (I think), a washer and a piece of bondo.

Page 4 - Installing New Heater Channel

Home Heater channel page 1 Heater channel page 2

email me Heater channel page 3 Heater channel page 4

Heater channel page 5 Heater channel page 6

Heater channel page 7 Heater channel page 8

Heater channel page 9 Heater channel page 10

Heater channel page 11 Heater channel page 12 - Not done Yet

Since I am going to leave the doors on and leave them closed for structural reasons I cut the area out in the door sill while all the other welds are still in place. I cut them with my Dremel tool with a cutting disk... yeah, they are small and you go through quite a bit of them . They are small and you can get into the corners real good. Be sure and wear some safety goggles and hearing protection. Cut everything that is accessible with the door open that will not be accessible with the door closed! Once you have all these cut I also used a hack saw to cut into some areas that was difficult for the Dremel to get to. Don't cut all the way through the heater channel. Just the weld beads around the A and B Pillar.
Ok now that you have cut through the welds in the door sill at the A and B Pillars you can shut the door and forget about opening them for a while!
Drill out spot welds in fender well. There must be about 50 of them to drill out. When you are drilling them out the bit will probably go through into the heater channel. No problem with that because you are replacing it anyway. Make sure you get the weld drilled out as it makes it easier to break the weld with the chisel.
Cut around A Pillar. Now here is a problem on the drivers side. The wiring harness goes through a hole in the heater channel as seen here. You have 2 choices. Cut the metal around the wiring harness, or you will have to remove all the wires at the fuse block or where ever they go. It might be easier to cut the metal out from around the wiring harness, then you don't have to remember where they all went. I took mine off from the fuse block. I was thinking that I am going to get a new wiring harness and install it. I have already spliced every wire that went to the back of the car because mine had a short in the harness where it disappears into the rear fender well and all the insulation was melted off. I got everything to work, but I think the type of wire I used will add more resistance and not work quite right, even though it does work. Why? I'm not an electrical engineer, but the wire I used is 12 gauge stranded, but the strands are thicker and the insulation seems thinner.
Cut the weld bead up at the bulkhead in the inside of car. This is an after shot photo. You can see the patch I welded in and the crappy temporary patch on the A pillar. This area was pretty bad off. You can see where I cut the heater channel out at the front bulkhead (just behind the clutch pedal) Notice I left the metal on the bulkhead I cut just past the weld bead. I am going to take off the temporary patch and fix the inner A Pillar later.

Cut around the B Pillar. I used a grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut the bead around this area. I had to use my Dremel tool to get at a piece of the weld around the duct. The bead weld here is pretty hefty, so I cut just to one side of it I have already cut the area under the door, remember the first cuts you should have made? This is why, because you should not attempt to open the door about now! You can see where I spliced in my wiring harness. That's why I want to replace it
Drill out rest of the spot welds behind B Pillar and use a chisel to break spot welds on the very back of the heater channel.
A this point you should have all the welds cut and you will see that the heater channel just wont come out. That's when I found the heater channel is tied in a few more places. This rusty channel was almost out but it didn't want to come out I shook it and kicked at it and I threw the hammer out of the garage into the yard. Yes it made me feel better. I finished my temper tantrum and I went back to look what was holding the channel in there.
I found that I had to drill a few more spot welds at the front of the bulkhead in the front fender well and persuade the thing to come apart with my air chisel. I had to start drilling on the spot welds going up the front part of the fender well, but only a few. Yes I know the metal is bent outward, but it was necessary and I can hammer it back into shape later. This is an after shot, but you get the idea. Ignore the brass on the front bulkhead. This is something I tried to fix about ... well I don't remember! I tried to fix it but I blew holes in the metal and I am going to cut it out and try again after the channel is in. Its in a difficult place to work and I still have to clean up the area under the gas tank and paint.
I found the back of the heater channel interesting. The way it is put together is kind of overlapped with the rear package tray and the quarter panel.
I took my Dremel tool with a cutting disk and I cut along the back side of the channel. This is another after shot but you can tell where the metal overlapped. Check the area real good there is several pieces of overlapping metal here and I did find some rust hiding in the rear wheel well I cut it out and fixed it but it was a real small area. I am going to cut a piece of metal out of that old fender and cover the entire rear piece so it will be completely sealed.
Also there is a piece of metal that overlaps the back side of the heater channel. ( another after photo, sorry) I tried to drill it but I had my Dremel and air chisel handy and I wanted this thing out, and my patience was growing thin at this point. It was hot and I was working on the car all day long. I should have quit but I was being as stubborn as this heater channel. See the rust hole in the rear quarter. I need to fix that. But see the gap? That's ok because on the inside it is touching the rear package tray.
Age and the elements have taken its toll on this heater channel. Now that I cut though this piece that was overlapped I still couldn't get the thing out. Now I was frustrated , so I grabbed my air chisel and started to cut like a mad man! The air chisel cut through the rusty metal of the heater channel like a hot knife through butter. Now I could see into the back of the heater channel and I broke right through the welds in the back of the channel and it almost fell out of the car. So I put my foot to it and it fell out on the floor in all of it's rusty glory. I stood up with the taste of rusty metal in my mouth, wiped the sweat out of my eyes and said " HA! take that you rotten S-O-B"! I think the neighbor kid now know not to stand in my driveway for fear of flying tools, and I bet he now knows a few more twists to the curse words he shouldn't know.
Below are some pictures of my triumphant success, and the last picture is some of the junk I found lurking in the heater channel. An old set of points, a 1965 Quarter, a lug bolt, a piece to some wiper blade refills, a door panel clip and a piece that goes to the door handle trim (I think), a washer and a piece of bondo.

Home	Heater channel page 1	Heater channel page 2
email me	Heater channel page 3	Heater channel page 4
	Heater channel page 5	Heater channel page 6
	Heater channel page 7	Heater channel page 8
	Heater channel page 9	Heater channel page 10
	Heater channel page 11	Heater channel page 12 - Not done Yet