Newbie - beetle restoration/etc?

Get books by Keith Seume ( VW performance hand book , aircoolled vw engine interchange manual) there is also How to hot rod VW engines - bill fisher but its starting to be dated now. Also a good workshop manual (bently / Haynes ).

if u r going to do the whole bit and jump in at the deep end - check out what tools you need. I bought a MIG welder and a grinder when i was 18. I still have the same welder and grinder 11 years later , they pay for themselves i've done so many differewnt VW its unreal ! - i just bought a book on how to weld also one of the VW magazines at them time did a full feature on how to mig weld.

In the UK a bare metal re-spray will cost you anything from £1000 - £2000 depending on how much time is spend preping the bodywork, paint used ect...

i've just done a basic 1776cc (80bhp at the wheels) because i did it myself £1500 but if u bought it off the shelf £2000. Then there is the carbs (twins of course ) £500

Step by step instructions ???? its more fun working it out for yourself ( NOT !) again go to a news stand and get a VW magazine (in the U.K we have Volksworld )

Pitfalls - always ask on the newsgroup we all learn from everyone elses experiences

Enjoy !

John

Thanks John. I've already ordered the books you mentioned above.

My biggest fear is not starting the project but getting in over my head since I want a specific look. I'm not so interested in having a

250HP engine in the thing (lol) but a clean solid engine with more horse that they typically carry. A nice quality paint job, clean interior and something that I can enjoy for a long time with regular maintenance.

I'm trying to get a feel for what needs to be done to a car before I start working on it.

My budget including the car is anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000. I dont know how much this will allow me to do.

Thanks again

- What books/manuals would

Haynes and Bentely. You will typically use the Haynes more often as it is quick dirty and cioncise....but when you hit a point where you need in depth technical info the Bentely can't be beat. If you are goign to build your own engine defionitley get Tom Wilson's book: How Tor Rebuild Your VW Engine...also get Bill Fischer's book on hot rodding the VW engine. Keith Seumes Aircooled interchange manual would also be a nice addition. Also I can't reccomend the Bug me video linbe too much....still have and read the manuals, and its likely you will diverge here and there froim their techniques...but it is often invaluable and cionfidence inspiring for a rookie to actually be able to watch a procedure being done before attemopting it.

Time is money...it depends on a LOT of factors...the less prep and body work the shhop has to do the more reasonable the cost. Just remember you *do* get what you pay for...and there is a reason it costs $800-1200 for just the paint supplies necessary to do a high end paint job. If you do as much prep as possible...stripping the body yourself etc.,...and you are smart enough to have purchased a body that requires minimal body works...figure $3k-3500

....buahahahhhhaaahhaa.... a loaded question. Firstly...are you building stock? Mild performance? Highperformance? For stock...just buy a new mexi engine...its cheaper than anything you can properly build. Time....hell....have you built an engine before??? You can concievably slap one together in a couple hours I'd reccommend much longer however. You will find very little that is plug and play. Everything need *some* modification to be optiomized....the more time you take specing ou and blueprinting the better.

...no need to go cookie cutter cal look....go to a few shows...decide what you lieand aqsk car owners questions. Other than the trailer queen idiots who simnply write a check for something they will never drive....*most* vw owners havbe very intimate knowledge of the mods done to their cars, and are very happy to talk yer ear off about them. Its always nice to see a car that combines aspects from several differing styles tastefully...and really thats the nice thing about these cars...they are sop damn easy to personalize. =-)

...hell even the most experienced of us falls into the pitfalls...the biggest thing is buying items two or three times over the course of the project as plkans change. Try and conceptualize what your goal is and plan accordingly....many parts will take a long time to get to you...try and have them ordered in advance. Its safe to assume (for instance)n that you will be assembling the car once its painted. Therefore, before takign the car to the body shop....begin ordering all the rubbler items for it. It is very frustrating to be stopped dead due to not having what you need oj hand. Cry Once....buy the best quality parts you can find.; Some will still be junk....but make the attempt to get parts that will work. Its no bargain iof you cannot use it. When in doubt...ask. Many of us have done this many times.....we can advise when you are about to throw your money out the window (its polite at that point to send the saved money to the RAMVA Rookie Apreciation Fund....you can just forward it to me, and I will see that it gets used to bes benefit this fine group )

...Gareth

Including the car, $8000-$10,000 will get you up to a 2007cc engine with close to 150 BHP, a very decent paintjob and some handling mods! Choose your parts wisely, don't pay more than you have to, but don't buy junk. Junk will come back and bite you in the ass.

~Anthony

Don't forget that you can always do a search on the newsgroup to find information about a particular subject. Even if something you're doing is covered in a service manual you'll often find comments and suggestions from past newsgroup discussion that could save you hours, literally. I agree with the comments about planning what you want to accomplish. Be patient and do lots of research. AND, have fun.