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Cracks under wheel arch of beetle?

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Ryno17 Commited Dubber

50 posts · joined Jan 2011 ·

#977424
🥲🥲
My parents have bought my 72 mod 1300 beetle back 12 years after I owned it and have found major cracks under both wheel arches at front of both wheels. Has anyone ever come across this, been able to repair and know why this happens?

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Ryno17 Commited Dubber

50 posts · joined Jan 2011 ·

#977426
Someone has had a go of repairing and made a mess of it.

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vduboy Insano Dub Head

702 posts · joined Oct 2012 ·

#977431
My good mate had a similar thing happen to his late model beemer, it was professionally repaired and braced so it wouldn't happen again. Unsure why yours has done that though, did the crack start due to rust?
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ian.mezz I never said, I could write or spell

3,913 posts · joined Sep 2004 ·

#977435
if its a strut front end rust where strut , or I would call it just rust .
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Ryno17 Commited Dubber

50 posts · joined Jan 2011 ·

#977464
It's a torsion bar front end. And no rust? Beam was cut and turned 12 years ago to lower the front end.

vlad01 Compulsive Aussie Vee Dubber

4,270 posts · joined Jun 2010 ·

#977493
Thats metal fatigue. So sort of vibration or stress in that area has fatigued it.

71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#977496
Any evidence in the spare wheel well of a hit?

I've seen one that was hit in the front end do that many years after the prang.
I would bet small tears started when they straightened it and spread through vibration.

Same thing might have happened with yours.

matberry Moderator Go hard or go home

8,114 posts · joined Mar 2006 ·

#977522
Yep, I agree with Joel
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bajachris88 The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 6

6,661 posts · joined Apr 2005 ·

#977525
Repair would involve drilling out the crack tips to relieve the stress (and prevent further propagation) and then weld the whole crack back up 🙂

Just be cautious to not start a fire with the trim etc on the other side (IE: remove).

You could just drill out teh crack tips to prevent it spreading for the time being.
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Ryno17 Commited Dubber

50 posts · joined Jan 2011 ·

#977536
Copy. Will be up at the parents this weekend so will have a closer look to see if it has had some previouse damage. And I will tell the old man about possibly drilling out the ends of the cracks.

Thanks for the feed back.

vlad01 Compulsive Aussie Vee Dubber

4,270 posts · joined Jun 2010 ·

#977546
could you anneal that area to relieve stress and soften the metal?

71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE