Bob's Bug - Front Clip Replacement, Part 1

The front clip on this car had suffered from 37 years of dents, dings, and amateur "bondo" bodywork. It was in need of replacement, and a replacement section from Denmark was included with the purchase of the car.

After a copious amount of measuring, I cut the front clip off roughly with a reciprocating saw. I purposely left about an inch or more of extra material for fine tuning. Next I fabricated "plugs" - correctly shaped pieces of metal to slide into the rectangular tube on the car and allow it to mate to the replacement front clip. The size was 1" x 1.25" rectangular tubing, which wasn't readily available. I actually purchased a thin-wall tube 1.25 x 1.25 and cut it with my air shears into a U-channel, making it exactly 1" x 1.25".

Next I mocked the front clip up and did another rough trimming of the existing metal. I checked the measurements against the original, then closed the hood and checked for an even gap around the entire hood. When I was satisfied I marked the exact cut, using the front clip as a guide, removed the front clip, and cut along the line with an air cut-off tool.

Next everything was reassembled, double and triple checked for measurement and fit, then tack-welded in place.