The engine compartment of air-cooled Volkswagens is hermetically sealed to prevent the used hot cooling air from being sucked back in.
The sheet metal parts of the engine are hermetically connected to the body, with a rubber seal between the engine and the body.
The bodywork has a lot to endure, as water splashes combined with the engine heat accelerate the formation of corrosion. If rust prevention was not given special attention at the time, you will sooner or later have to deal with excessive rust formation, which will result in holes. It's also possible that a previous owner installed a completely different engine and the sheet metal was removed because it was in the way.
But don't worry, for the Volkswagen Bus and Beetle, the left and right parts of the engine compartment are available as spares and for the Karmann Ghia, the left and rear parts. All these sheet metal parts replace the original parts, simply drill out the spot welds, remove the old sheet metal part and replace it exactly as new.
Note: The sheet metal parts of the VW Beetle and the Karmann Ghia are equipped with the rubber engine guide profile. The height of the profile determines the difference in year of construction for the VW Beetle before 7.1960 and from 8.1960 to 7.1967, after 1967 there is an additional elevation in the profile for the electrical grounding point.
Useful information from Paruzzi magazine and from our YouTube channel :
Look for more technical articles on the page Paruzzi Magazine