Getting Started...
I decided to start on the rear of the car. Nothing scientific about that - it just happened to be backed into my garage, so the first thing I saw when walking out into the garage was the rear end. The rear apron was bent, cracked, and damaged. The left rear bumper bracket was rusted, bent, and partially missing. The right rear bumper bracket was not much better. Originally, I had planned on replacing the apron and left rear bumper bracket only, but after looking at it a little more closely, I knew I had to replace the whole rear "clip" area. That is, both bumper brackets, part of the rear body panels underneath the brackets, and the apron itself.
What comes to mind first? The ease of getting parts? How long will the job take? The cost of the parts? Will aftermarket do in this case? I ended up buying the rear clip from BFY Obsolete parts here in California. It was a used, original part from a similar year, and it was in really good condition. (it better have been - for what they got for it.)
The picture to the right really doesn't tell the whole story about my original apron. That is - it's worse than it looks.
Whoa! I just got started on the darn thing, and now look at it... let the games begin!
While removing the rear fenders, I came across a total of 5 broken off fender bolts! 2 on the left and 3 on the right. Yuck. Don't misunderstand, I found them that way. I can at least say that I didn't break any off myself. I was veryconscious of this, and didn't just reach under there and crank on them. I heated them all up with a torch, hit them with a hammer, applied a lubricant, heated them up again, smacked them again with the hammer, applied more lubricant, and then, when cool, carefully turned them out.
Now, according to Murphy's law... the fact that I went to all that trouble in the first place means that all that preparation was not neccessary, and they would have turned right out - probably with my fingers. Oh well, you never know... maybe I did save myself some agony after all. As for the 5 that are still stuck... I have some ideas, but for now I'll leave them for another day.
Here's a couple pictures of the used rear section... check out the side view to see exactly how much will be replaced. Oh, see that "250" marking on the new apron? Yes, the price. We pay the price to get a good fitting VW part, don't we. But in the end, it's worth it.
Continuation of Step one coming soon...