Bit of a random one...

Is it just me that thinks it is crazy that no one like Wolf or Steve Hook have tooled up for making 100% correct repro heater channels? Pre67 anyway! :? :wink:

It would only require one basic jig to make as from 40s to 67 they are all basically the same internally! Well, apart from the vents but these could be changed easily depending on that particular customers year of car.

I am sure that people (on this forum anyway) would be more than willing to pay for quality ones as the only other alternatives are:

1) Buy a car with OG ones

2) Find NOS :lol:

3) Buy genuine new ones and cut out half the genuine steel making them correct for pre67

or lastly 4) buy repro black panels and do a lot of swearing and waxoyling!

I just think that there is a huge gap in the market for a panel that is not overly complex! :wink:

If I found a NOS one to go buy I may have a go!

Second thoughts NO ill just keep the NOS one! :lol:


Eeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww! :lol:

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I agree. The other thing I´m surprised that nobody makes are decent sized spare wheel well sides for earlier cars. To replace crash damage that very many early Beetles seem to have.

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Nope, not just you. :d

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I think Gerson is working on it from what I've heard.

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Yes! Mine needs these bits and im going to have to resort to a mixture of fabrication and using bits of mankey black panel im trying to buy for cheap! :roll: :lol:

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Just found this in a Google search, two years on and I'm going to have to use that nasty black repro one I've got sat in the garage. :roll:

Thing that annoys me is that I've already put about four hours into it preparing it for fitting, time I could have spent just welding in a decent one.

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Hang fire Will.

Talk at B.C and on other forums,Gerson is weeks away(last i actually read 60 days).


Also he has purchased a rust free '52 shell and reckons by this time next year,you will be able to buy every panel or indeed a complete shell for a split.

Hooky reckons there is quite some work in producing heater channels,not such a straight forward job.

Interesting, depends on price/time I guess, it's only for the '63 workhorse with the Volvo damage.

Thing is, there's actually not a lot of point welding in a £400 heater channel (which it would be at least I guess) to my car, a fair bit of metal surrounding it has been replaced previously to a not so great standard and there's no sense in welding good to bad.

The car will get done to a good standard when I have time/funds/another car to use, which will be a few years off at least. Hopefully by then there will be a good supply high quality panels to choose from, but I suspect us 60's beetle peasants will have to wait a 'tad longer still.

Hopefully they'll be out when work commences on the Broval. :thumbup:

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I bought one recently from Status VW .Its the closest i have found yet with no hump and the fish grill would be ok for your car.Despite the site claiming that they are german made i can tell you they are not, and are in fact brazilian .I think they forgot to remove the IGP sticker on mine.:evil: Despite this they are still the only ones with the smooth pressing i could find.

https://www.status-vw.co.uk/shop/