'73 Love Bug frame up restoration

[the-one1]

I just picked up a '73 Love Bug that needs a full frame up restoration/rebuild. I'll be taking my time on this one, hopefully getting it camp ready by fall 2025. I have a cargo camper (red one peeking up from behind the truck in one of the pictures) to use so no rush.



It came with everything inside already stripped out, including the ensolite. Cabinet, closet and benches has also been taken out. The floor was also removed. The shell is sitting on a couple 2x4 on top of the frame.


The shell has some spots of rotted fiberglass on the roof that will need to be patched up.


Things I've done so far: Drilled out every rivet that was holding anything and removed them. Removed rusted screws and vents.



Things that needs to be done:
1. Put in new flooring
2. Patch holes in the shell
3. Reinforce rotted fiberglass in the shell
4. Replace axle and reinforce frame and then paint it. Going to find a local welder for this part.
5. Eventually start on the inside. This will include patching large cutouts in the cabinet where the stove used to be. I won't be running a propane stove in this. Fix any cracks in the closet and benches.

Also planning to split the front bench into a dinette and leave the rear area as a full time bed.

Here's some pictures

[the-one1]

All the plexiglass are still good, no cracks but a bit faded. I just have to replace the front window molding and reseal the sides and rear.

[the-one1]

Since there isn't a floor anymore, can anyone with a Lovebug, Boler or Scamp 13 provide me with measurements on the floor between the wheels wells?


I have the front bench to get a measurement for the front floor, just need the wheel well measurements for the middle and that should also line up the rear.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by the-one1

I have the front bench to get a measurement for the front floor, just need the wheel well measurements for the middle and that should also line up the rear.

The front bench and rear bench should be the same.
So with the front bench you should be able to get the the floor under the bench, the rear bed area will be the same as the front bench.
With the front under bench that will give you the kitchen floor at the front which will be the same as the rear.


Keep in mind the floor under the kitchen cabinets is level with the rear floor and the floor bounded by the door, front bench, kitchen cabinet and rear area drops about 6" below that.

[the-one1]

Of course, why didn't I think of that . Thank you.

[the-one1]

Got some time to work on the cabinets and benches. Took a wire wheel to all the holes so I could patch them up and there's a lot of holes. Also removed any rotted wood that was fiberglassed in.
For the kitchen, I'm going to just put a wood countertop instead of patching the missing stove.
I'll do the same for the closet, put a wood face on it and cut out the opening for shelves.

[the-one1]

Trying out fiberglassing for the first time on small hole. I think it turned out pretty good. Made the mistake of not precutting enough fiberglass before hand and had to rush cutting some more so i could get the correct thickness. Also used fiberglass bondo to fill in holes and rough spots.

[the-one1]

This is the inside of one of the cracks I patched from the outside.

[redfishnc]

When patching holes it is a good practice to cut fiberglass patches from small to increasing size pieces to provide overlap/strength for the patch. 1st piece the size of the hole, next piece a 1/2” larger. The hole is usually faired before glassing. You can get some great instruction from Boatworks Today on youtube. This guy is really good. Hope this idea helps and looks like a great project

[the-one1]

Been practicing some more working with fiberglass. This time I cut out enough pieces and from small to large.
Patched a crack at the front top corner and lower by the frame. Also patched in the vent cutout by the kitchenette.

[the-one1]

Spent two hours with the orbital sander. Started with 120 grit, then 80 and then 60. It works well on the bondo but takes forever on the fiberglass.
Only after two hours did I remember I have a belt sander. It only took a few minutes to knock down the high spots on the fiberglass patches and then applied some bondo to smooth it out.

[the-one1]

Just noticed a typo in my thread title 🤣

Been dreading doing the front floor. Was planning to use cardboard to make a template but then saw someone use this method to build a custom kitchenette that followed the contour of the wall. 2x4 with fingers and then traced it onto 5/8" pressure treated plywood. The original floor was 1/2".

The previous owner left one "corner" of the floor by the door intact so I was able to use it as a template for the "corner" curve. It's not perfect but the good thing about a fiberglass camper is there are no corners. Any gaps can be patched with more fiberglass units it looks good enough. 😁
The floor isn't glassed in yet, it's just screwed into the ledge.
Might tackle the rear floor next week or so. Have to go get another sheet of plywood.

[the-one1]

Did the rear floor. Used the same tracing method as the front but didn't come out as good. Have a gap on the right side corner. Glasses it partially in for now.

[the-one1]

After a couple months I'm back at it. Patched and sanded more pinholes in the shell. Add the the door brace made out of 1" square aluminum tubing. I used the closet as a template for the curve.

Cabinets and benches are in to see how they fit. After much thought, I'm going to glass them in and patch the rivet holes. I don't want any holes in the shell, there's already too many.
Also been thinking about how I want to repair the kitchenette. It's got that weird cutout where the stove used to be. I'm thinking of covering the face of the cabinet with plywood and then cut out squares for cabinet doors. The countertop will be wood too.

I might also do the same for the closet. The door cutout is wonky because of an AC one of the previous owners put in. I'll just cover the face of it with wood and cut out the door.

[the-one1]

The shell will never be smooth enough for a nice paint job, I just don't have it in me to make it perfect. So I'm just going to use Grizzly Grip for the top and bottom halves. It should cover up any imperfections and pinholes.

[the-one1]

Removed the windows. Rivets are way too close to the edge. Cracked the fiberglass by removing them. I'll fill in the holes with fiberglass bondo and make up a wooden inner frame and bolt the windows in.

Windows looks good. No cracks in the plexi glass. Glazing is still intact. Seals are rock hard so those will get replaced. One lever/arm that props open the window is missing but shouldn't be too difficult to fab. No tears in the metal screen but they'll have to be reseated into the frame.

[the-one1]

The roof sags a bit around the vent. I put a slight bend onto a flat 2" x 1/8" aluminum bar and fiberglassed it in.
The wheel well on the door side has this extra "skirt" that Bolers and Scamps don't have. It was in three pieces when I got it. I fiberglassed it together and will fill it bondo to smooth it out.

[Iowa Dave]

I admire your determination and innovative work. I’ve only ever worked with fiberglass cloth once many years ago. I think you’ll have a trailer superior to the original. Keep up the good work and the enjoyable photos.
Iowa Dave

[Everett]

I have a 73 Luv Bug and just completed restoration. My plywood floor was in excellent condition but the frame was starting to show its age. No holes or severe rust but it was starting to sag in places. I built a complete new frame out of 1.5" x 3" 12 Ga tubing and installed it directly under the original frame. This raised the trailer 3" above its original height. This also allowed me to install a new axle with electric brakes with the training arms aft rather than forward. I purchased the new 2500 lb axle from Axle Inc in Elkhart IN. The trailing arms going aft creates a smoother ride rather than the arms going forward. Also the rubber in the torque flex axles gets really hard after 50 years creating a really stiff ride. I have installed a inverter and battery with a shore/inverter selector switch and LED 12 volt and LED 120 volt lights. I found a small 120 volt 6000 btu AC that fits in the window over the sink. It will keep it below 60° F when it is 100° F on the outside.

[the-one1]

Worked on the side and rear windows.
On one of the side window and the rear window, the metal piece that ties the halves of the frame together was broken. Had to make a new piece from scratch and rivet them in place.

With the frame taken apart into two halves for the side windows, I removed the rock hard glazing and installed a new one. Also installed a new bubble seal on the outer panes.

The rear window was missing the openable middle window pane. I think the original owner took it out for an AC. I decided to just fill in the middle pane with a sheet of plexi and seal it in with the same glazing strip as the side windows.

Both the side and rear windows got some butyl tape before being bolted into the shell. Decided to not use rivets in case I have to remove them later on for what ever reason. The bolts will be trimmed before I glue up the reflectix on the walls.

Although front window is not perfect and has some uv damage, it's not cracked and I reused it with new beading and locking strip. Hardest part was putting the window into the beading by myself. I would get one side into the bead, the other side would pop out. The locking strip went in without too much hassle but with lots of soapy water and the locking strip tool.

Also refreshed the door window. Took it apart, cleaned and greased it. Of some pictures I was able to find online for this small window, some have glazing on the glass and some didn't. I decided not to install the glazing in mine and just used foam between the glass and the frame. If it doesn't hold up, I'll try to find the glazing strips for it.