Shaving the Handles :

Well, I kicked around the idea for a while of Shaving the door handles on the Super Beetle. Many times dismissing the entire Idea because of the amount of work involved. Then I read an article in the last issue of  VW Trends magazine featuring a ’56 Beetle with shaved handles, I fell in love with the look, and determined that I need to proceed with my afore mentioned plan. At first I called all the people who I knew that work at Body Shops to see if they could offer any insight to what I may be getting myself into. I figured that the process would involve welding, which yes I do have a welder, but I am horrible at it. In speaking with one of my Body man friends he recommended cutting out the handle area, using a Plasma cutter or a cutoff wheel, Create my patch slightly larger that the cut out area, then using Door Skin adhesive to bond the patch to the door itself. Then clean it up with some Dura Glass and some top coat, and paint.  This was and Idea I liked. It did not seem that difficult, and I began the journey of shaving the door handles. 

(Above) First I started out by roughly marking out the area to be cut.

I really did not want to use a cutting wheel, simply because I could not get as clean of a cut. So I elected to find a welding shop with a plasma cutter to do the job.  I found a shop local to my area, took the marked up

doors and dropped them off, 2 days later they were done.

(Above) Cutout’s done by a plasma cutter, courtesy of a local welding shop.

The doors had a semi clean cutout of the door handle, which I was happy with. I did however get the feeling of “Why did I do this to a perfectly good set of Super Beetle doors”, but I knew that if I wanted to achieve the look that I was going for, that this step was essential.  I was able to find all the tools I needed from a local Automotive Finish Store.  I purchased Door Skin Adhesive, as well as the applicator gun for around $110.00, and a pint of Dura-Glass fiberglass filler for the base coat over the handle areas, then a Pint of Top Coat finish, as the next step over the Dura-glass.

A trip to my local Metal store I was able to find a 10’’ x  30’’ piece of 20 gauge steel to create the patch panels, it set me back a whopping $5.00.

The next step will be to remove the glass from the door (This actually should have been the first step!) to avoid accidental breakage.  Once the glass is removed, the area around the cutout needs to be cleaned to ensure proper adhesion between the metals and the epoxy. 

Once the window was removed, I cut the piece of patch steel to the proper size using a Die grinder and a Cutoff wheel.

(Above) Sliding the patch into place, and securing with Door Skin Adhesive.

 I prepared the epoxy for use; test fit the panels and applied the sealer to the inner area around the door using a very generous amount.  Once the panel had been slid into place, I drilled holes through the outer skin of the door into the patch. I secured the patch into place by using small sheet metal screws (About 6 per panel). The sheet metal screws pull the panel flush with the door skin, making for a tighter fit, and less work in the door cleanup later.

(Above) 24 Hours of curing time, wiil bond the patch into place.

(Above) Passenger side, primed and completed.

After 24 hours of curing time, I removed the screws and applied the fiberglass filler.  For the final step I sanded and primered the door.

The next step relating to the door will be installing the door silenoids and wiring from Watsons Street Works.

(Above) Jim’s 1975 Super Beetle now sporting the “Handeless” look.

Thanks !

(-C-) JNM 2006