74 beetle ground up restore

Yes, it's a standard. thanks.

I actually have a line on a used chassis, my question was more like is it doable in a lifetime?

Thanks again.

its doable in a weekend if you want it bad enough....i removed the chassis from my 68 and from my 69, and placed the pan from the 69 under the 68 body...redid most of the wiring, rebuilt the front and rear suspension.added solid mounts, undercoated the entire pan(inside and out) and put it all together in less than a week by myself....this was a weekend and a few evenings after work....so it is definitely "doable"....

------------------- Chris Perdue

*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" reply take your PANTS off

Yes,it is very doable.A weekend or 3 days of long days,or a week or two (mostly waiting for paint and POR-15 to dry)yields a very servicable car.It can be a very enjoyable experience.Steve

....................The only other major components of the chassis aside from the floor pans, are the frame head, tunnel and frame horns & torsion tubes in the back. Your mechanic may be talking about the heater channels & inner wheel panels which are structural parts of the body, not the chassis. I'd guess that he's talking about the heater channels and/or the frame head. If it is both, your '74 is not worth fixing.........in my opinion.

if people don't "fix" these "late model" beetles they will be even more rare than the early ones in twenty years...they are all "worth" fixing....the more we junk now the more we will bitch later about the availability and price later....i would expect more from someone in the land of few beetles such as yourself Tim

------------------- Chris Perdue

*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" reply take your PANTS off

I'd really check to see what all he says is gone. Like others have said --- the floor pans rust as do the heater channels. Neither are really structural (ok if completely gone you have a Flintstone mobile and not safe to drive. If major structural damage to pan then I would think the body is gone too. I suspect since you had floor pan replaced its the heater channels. They can be replaced (requires cutting and welding and bracing of the body to replace). There was a good article on doing it in Hot VW or one of the other mags.

.....................I've farted around with enough bugs that have been wasted by terminal rot that I've finally learned my lesson. Traveling away from the wetness of the east coast can reward a potential buyer with the opportunity to obtain an affordable bug (or any other 30+ year old vehicle) that is in no need of major reconstruction...........it's amazing! This is so much better than grinding, sanding, welding, grinding some more, sanding some more, coughing up a bunch of crap that got in your lungs, etc., etc. When I flew out west to buy my '77 sight unseen last year, it was one of the smartest things that I've done in a long time. As I was driving it across Kansas in the middle of the night on my way back to NY, I had this big grin on my face and sometimes I would just start laughing out loud to my self for no apparent reason. It was so cool to be driving a solid running, rust free bug again. 6000 miles later, I've still got a little smile going on every time I drive away from the house.

Tim,

I just a week ago purchased a '71 Super Beetle. (Happens to be the same year and model that was my first car at age 16 ... umm, many years ago!) I live in San Jose, and the vehicle I found has virtually NO rust. Not on the pans, not on the body, not hidden under the back seat. There is (documented):

4,000 miles on the motor, 3,000 on the transaxle, and 1,000 on a complete brake job. I have receipts for all of the work ... done by a local specialty shop.

I got the car for $650!

HOWEVER, I grew up in Cleveland, land of steel mills and road salt. I remember that my uncle had been so proud when he bought a brand new Lincoln in 1972. Everyone had to look at his car! It was truly beautiful ... for a year. Within 2 years, the quarter panels were rusted through.

Larry '71 SB - "Herman"

Now THAT(Tim) sounds like a happy man.Steve

On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 17:48:58 -0500, "Tim Rogers" shared the following:

That little smile would probably be even bigger if you didn't live in that God-forsaken place you do. Those New Yahwkers... :-)

*cues up Hank Jr, chugs a Budweiser, chomps on fried chicken drenched in gravy*

-- Travis

meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.:wq!

"travis" <

I resemble that remark! Cues up some AC DC, Slams an ice cold Genny, dips a hot Buffalo Wing in Blue Cheese.

............................This is why us right coasters hate you guys in the golden state.........lol

........................The seventies was a bad decade for Detroit iron. Whatever it was, there was something about those cars then that wasn't right. I mean, they rusted so fast in the northeast and midwest that you wonder how they did it. Paint might be part of the problem for those cars. Paint chemistry changed more than once over the years and during that time, it didn't take long for moisture to get past the painted barrier and then start destroying metal. I remember that my dad was almost religious about keeping a coat of wax on his car back during the fifties and sixties. Maybe Americans just got lazy and stopped caring about their possessions.

................After choking down that greasy chicken & gravy, you should ignore the subsequent heartburn. Those coronaries are probably as clean as a whistle. Go ahead and keep hand-winching that jeep out of every mudpuddle that blocks your way on the interstate, that shortness of breath and dizziness is perfectly normal.

...........glad I could help!

timmy

.......................Give me some Bob Seeger and a Corona with those wings.

On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 19:51:57 -0500, "Tim Rogers" shared the following:

to keep up, Tim. :-)

-- Travis

meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.:wq!

Can't quite read the flag. "Remove before flight"?

Max

Looks like it says RAMSEY Dan

yep, and since they are still producing them in the "west" i guess there is never a reason to fix one period...blow an engine? crush it....get a dent? shred it.....tire go flat? part it out to those of us that *do* fix them. I'm not saying you are wrong for your thoughts, i am just saying that my idea of "the hobby" is more than just driving the car....remember "getting there is half the journey"

------------------- Chris Perdue

*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" reply take your PANTS off