Replacing heater channels cover plate

russell · Post by **russell** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:02 am

Please can someone advise how best to replace the Heater Channel cover plates? I know the answer is going to be to do a complete strip down and thorough repair including replacing the heater channels but....I have very little money to spare at the moment and even less time to do the proper job - and the heater channels themselves are in pretty good shape. However, the cover plates are rusty so I would like to replace just these but how do you get to them? I have removed running boards and removed the bolts that hold the floorpan to the cover plate - what next?

Fusillade · Post by **Fusillade** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:15 pm

Which portion of the heater channel are you talking about? The bottom plate that is flush with the floorpan and is facing the road? The rocker panel that is flush with the bottom of the door and is visible when you open the car door? Or the fastening panel that is flush with the running board that is only visible when the running board is removed?

russell · Post by **russell** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 2:46 am

Its the bottom plate that is flush with the floorpan and is facing the road.

Fusillade · Post by **Fusillade** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 5:13 am

To the best of my knowledge, that panel is spot welded in a hundred places and will require patience to remove the entire piece. I would assume that you need to get the body up far enough from the pan that you can reach all the spot welds to remove. And if you do remove that piece of the heater channel, it still appears to be a structual piece (helps prevent the rest of the channel from flex or twist) and you may still have to brace the body (at the door) of the car. However, please note that I have never done this before and advise from someone who has would be much better.

1969bluebug · Post by **1969bluebug** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 9:05 am

If you have to replace the cover plates your going to have to replace the whole thing and if not ...why not?

You can get full channels cheap and with all the work of cutting out those spot welds just take out the ones from the top and do the whole
channel.

IF they appear to be ok then how would the bottom portion only go bad?
Poke around on them and see whats going on.

If u do the cover plates now then later on have to re-due the channels your best bet is to do it all at once.
http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/majohnson/beetleproject.swf

I did mine with alot of other body work with no prior knowledge in welding
or body work.....