I've recently bought a 1969 VW Beetle which has had an engine fire which on initial inspection appears to have only melted the insulation on the wires, melted hoses etc. But has made a mess of the paint work around the Vents above the engine and below the rear window.

Does anybody have any smart ideas as to how I can get into this area to clean up the damaged steel work, and repaint it?

a wire wheel attachment on a die grinder or drill should clean up the metal 4 ya

Very Difficult , nearly impossible to get behind the vents..

a very small wire wheel on a long spindle??

whatever you can fit up there...

the paint is probably burnt off behind the vents too..
the part you can't see...

Maybe get as much peeling paint off and give it a few coats of fish oil..
then paint it flat black etc later when the fish oil has dryed

a dark color behind the vents looks much better than a lighter color..

the fish oil will stop the metal from rusting..

best of luck

LEE


http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug 

I'll try the wire wheel approach and the fish oil.

Thanks for the tips

Do you know if there is anything other that the visual damage done to the plastics/rubbers in the engine bay which could have been damaged. The fire was contained on the lefthand side of the engine. Cables on the alternator and HV leads on the righthand side appear undamaged, therefore I don't envisage a problem there. But I was wondering if there is anything internal to the distributor or fuel pump which may have perished, which should be inspected?

I've never had one go up in flames (touch wood), but for my money I'd be replacing the fuel pump... I mean if the fuel lines have melted/burnt then at minimum there could be clag/soot in there... and fuel-pumps have rubber bits in them that probably wouldn't like flames...

Yes,
engine fires are VERY hot

the fuel pump may work for a while and then break down due to the heat

the coil and condenser would need replacing

distributor caps are a replaceable item anyway
[I just replaced mine yesterday]

cheers

LEE

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug 

blasting would be the easiest way to clean up in there
can u get pics of how bad the damage is?

Attached is a photo of the damaged engine bay. Hopefully you'll be able to see the vents at the top.

On a slightly different subject, you might notice a hoze attached to the rear of the carburetor. From what I understand this is a Retard Vacuum line, however the Vacuum diaphram on the distributor only has on nozzle which I assume is the Advance, and I've connected that to a nozzle on the front of the carburetor.

Could anybody advise what this was for, and if I've got my vacuum lines right?

As yet I've got the engine running but haven't really tested it yet.

looks like u were one of the luckier ones
most bugs need major surgery after an engine fire thats if they dont burn to the ground completly

the port on the rear that has the hose on it u need to cap off
the vac advance can needs to be connected to the port on the left side of the carb above the mixture screw
hard to tell from a pic so small but there were to spots for ports on the rear of the carb
one was for retard port on double vac dissys (left side from memory) the otherwas a vac port for semi auto bugs

That still leaves the matter of cleaning out/repainting behind the louvred section above engine lid. So here`s my idea/solution.This will require some cutting and fabricating. From inside the car,check the panel that sits behind the louvres. Peel back the material or carpet. You`ll see that it is one piece of metal from left to right side. Note the slightly raised middle strip. Leave that intact ! From either side of that strip, mark out suitable sections on either side and cut out leaving sufficient material so cover panels can be attatched. Once cut out you`re left with two areas that allow you to get your hand in there to clean and / or prepare not only the raised louvres that sit on the flat but also behind the outside louvres for paint. It is then a matter of fabricating two flat panels either from metal or aluminium which can be fitted into place. Hinged,pop rivetted or self tapped. Replace material/carpet. Once done it allows access any time to that normally inaccessible area.

blasting is thebest way really, my kg conv went up in flames just after i fully painted and detailed the engine bay and chromed the motor, the brass fitting blew out of the fuel pump i will NEVER EVER use one of those pumps again, i was spewing for ages over it

Blasting/beading may help but doesn`t allow to clean behind the valleys/recess of the louvres above engine lid (unless you have a curved nozzle which allows you to slip between the louvres) which in this case would have burnt/peeling paint residue and eventually could peel. Just mho. But good luck to you pmacken01 and hope you sort the problem out. cheers

Quote:

Originally posted by rexy blasting is thebest way really, my kg conv went up in flames just after i fully painted and detailed the engine bay and chromed the motor, the brass fitting blew out of the fuel pump i will NEVER EVER use one of those pumps again, i was spewing for ages over it

The simple answer is soda blast. It is WAY better than sand as it doesn't etch or warp the metal and it can get into the hard to reach spots. The only thing you need to do when your done is wash it down and paint it. You don't even have to take the glass out 'cause it's safe with soda. My mate runs Soda Blast Canberra and would be happy to hear from any Vee Dubbers. He's use to mine so he wont laugh at your for having a girly car (that's what my wife call mine) and has done a few bits and pieces for me which have been great.

Ring 1800-SODABLAST for your nearest blaster. Or go to http://www.sodablast.com.au 

My 2 cents... oh, and I don't get anything for recommending this stuff. It's just good.

Cheers,
J

shit . now i know why i have a kill switch.
i had the same problem but one of the live whires fell on the exsaust and thats what started it .