Has anybody here done a pan swap on an air cooled VW Beetle?

I'm replacing the entire pan under my 1972 Super Beetle because the frame head rotted off. The replacement is fairly solid (from AZ), but I'm still planning to install new floor halves.

My big question is: replace the pan halves before dropping the body on the replacement pan or after? I've asked two shops and they disagree, Shop one says floors first, then lower the body onto the pan; shop two says cut away the old floors, drop body onto replacement pan and install floors last, using the heater channels for reference, "otherwise it's impossible to get them to line up properly" What do you guys know?

Step one: Call John at Johns air cooled John's Air-Cooled Auto Phone: (978) 297-7645 John Allmond

He's the man theses days on the east coast.

I wouldn't even consider welding in any floor patch panels purchased in the last 20 years without the body in place. Quality control isn't what it once was, and there is no way that the panels will fit right if you do floors first.

You're not doing all this because I suggested Baja Bug, are you?

In reply to Appleseed:

No worries, it's not because you said Baja bug. The reason is closer to (from the other thread):

bludroptop wrote:

Not crazy at all. I would pay whatever it cost to make it roadworthy - not restored, but safe to drive. Then I would drive it once in a while and smile broadly, knowing they are smiling back. Take your kid for a ride and tell him the story.

Money is just paper.

I built a Manx, so know VW pans pretty well. That said, I bought the chassis with pans already done. One idea is to tack weld the floors in place, test fit the body. Then remove the body and seam weld everything.

Tim Suddard wrote: I built a Manx, so know VW pans pretty well. That said, I bought the chassis with pans already done. One idea is to tack weld the floors in place, test fit the body. Then remove the body and seam weld everything.

This is what I did on mine. Did a pan swap on a 66. Installed an IRS pan and had to replace the floors when I did. Cut out the old floors, tacked in the new floors, put the body on and then finished welding everything. The pan is pretty sturdy even with the floors out, but I didn't want to put all that heat into it without the body to keep it solid. Mine worked out OK.

In reply to 44Dwarf:

THANK YOU!! I just spoke with John and he's going to take on the project

I've had several aircooled VW's and worked on a few for friends. I agree with the others; get the new pan under the body and the replace what you need to.

Sweet. let me know when you head up my house it 1/4 mile from his shop.

In reply to 44Dwarf:

I'll be at his shop around 11am on Saturday.

Dam I'll be at the Tax lady hoping for good news this year...

Don't think I've ever meet John myself yet but seem everyone I've sent there has nothing but good to say and he figured out a friends Karma that had a lot of small problems in no time he had it flying again.

I heard some where that Porsche 924 suspension parts are fairly simialir to Super Bug stuff...

Send a PM to Teamevil on this site. He knows these things inside out. I've helped him with dune buggies, V6 and V8 installs, shortened pans, extended pans, and more. I built a full cage in one of his buddies bugs that was a mostly fiberglass body on a VW platform. Lifted the whole body off and kept lowering it back on as I built the cage to check for clearance issues. He's down here in SE Mass.