Project: Heater channel replacement

Okay, this is where things get a little ugly.  The original heater channels are shot.  They were a poor design to start with and a fairly common issue with Volkswagons.  Heater channel replacement parts for a Karmann Ghia run in the area of $300-$350 per side!  So after a lot of internet research and considerable time on thesamba.com we have decided to replace the current channels with 2"x3"x3/16" box channel.  We really are not 100% sure what we are doing but I guess with a plasma cutter and a welder we can fabricate or remove anything we come across.  But if it works, the total cost of the box channel (and the braces needed to reinforce the doors) came to a total of $73.  So, its around 1/10th the price and hopefully be a much stronger fix.

Ugh! this is where we have to start, it's pretty ugly and we are still coming up with a game plan on how we are going to tackle it

Passenger door braced prior to cutting out old heater channel 8/10/13

View of front left wheel well. Note holes where the previous owner just screwed a piece of metal on the existing  wall and then fiberglassed the floor to the body on the inside.  8/14/13

Front left where we need to fabricate some metal and install the new floor pan to body piece.  8/14/13

Existing rusted heater channel on the drivers side door frame.  8/14/13

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8/14/13

8/14/13

Most of the heater channel cut out and part of the rear quarter panel where we removed a portion that was rusted.  8/14/13

8/14/13

8/24/13  Today we finally got the drivers side box channel tack welded in, Since we are basically winging this project there was a lot of idea tossing around.  We finally decided to lower the body back onto the frame so that we could try to line things up.  Pretty happy finally getting this part done so that we can start building around it and getting onto the body panel work