VW Beetle

[Darkrider]

As i mentioned in the What did you buy thread i got this beetle in a trade. I do not mention the year in the thread simply because it is a rough guess at this point if it is a '72. I will confirm the vin when i get some free time. But for now some pics as we all like pics.


https://i.imgur.com/8dphVTy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZuyWSAN.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/TIyQ0Is.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/O4w7GXG.jpg




The car currently has no engine as the friend i got it from originally bought it as an engine donor for his VW Bus. And well it has a clean interior other then missing the rear seat and half of the passenger side bucket seat. It is still a solid platform to build on.



As i mentioned in the aforementioned WDYB thread the plan is probably going to end up being a mix of Class 11 Baja along with some rat rod and Mad Max. Now if i somehow manage to lay hands on a Bug Eye Baja kit that will change the front end design a bit. But for now i am probably going to end up with more of a home brew "Wide eye" design.



This is a Bug eye
https://i.imgur.com/2qtVfR6.jpg



And this is a wideeye
https://i.imgur.com/M3nSaen.jpg

[JerryHawk250]

just looking at the tail lights i'd say it's a 72. I had the wide eye kit.

[Darkrider]

The home brew idea i have in mind is fabricating fenders similar to the ones on a Bug eye but mounting the headlights to the front bumper similar to the offroad lights on the Wide eye in the pic above. Of course the headlights would be spaced out to clear the stock trunk lid.

[JerryHawk250]

I was just searching kits and parts for the VW. WOW!! that stuff has gotten crazy expensive. lol I remember paying about $60 for the big bore kit. I picked you the dual weber carbs with intake for $150. Was used once on a sand rail. The guy flipped the sand rail over backwards pulling a wheelie so he went back to single carb. Baja kit was $160. Headers, and other misc. part probably another $200-250 bucks. Tires and rims where given to me. I even installed a used after market AC for another $100. There was a VW mechanic shop about 2 blocks from me. Had lots of used beetles and bus to pick parts from. This was in the early to mid 80's. So i'm telling my age. lol

[JerryHawk250]

The fiberglass Baja kits will shave a lot of weight off. The front was so light that I could grab the nerf bar bumper and lift it and slide it sideways. It won't take much more HP to pull wheelies.

[JerryHawk250]

I found one picture before it was completed. I had just painted it a few days before. I know I have more boxed up somewhere. Remember this was before digital cameras. 😆

[Darkrider]

Yea it is insane how much prices have gone up on bug parts. Nice baja Jerry!

So i had a fun lil idea pop up for this. And it will def fit with the mad max idea. The idea itself is simple. Fab up the front fenders out of some aluminum strips and old licence plates. Seen something similar on another baja when i was looking around on google awhile ago.

[Darkrider]

Here is that bug i found on google.

[JerryHawk250]

That's pretty close to how my buddy had his. He painted his a bright orange. He kept the original hood and cut the stock fenders and mounted the head lights in chrome buckets almost in the same location.

[Weldangrind]

I recently saw a build on Youtube where a bug body was dropped onto a Miata chassis. Good use for a Miata, I say.
I'm also intrigued by the number of Subaru swaps into VW's. You suddenly have fuel injection, a cooling system and a decent charging system.

[Darkrider]

I recently saw a build on Youtube where a bug body was dropped onto a Miata chassis. Good use for a Miata, I say.
I'm also intrigued by the number of Subaru swaps into VW's. You suddenly have fuel injection, a cooling system and a decent charging system.


I have given some thought to the idea of a subi swap. Now a new wrinkle has appeared with this project. Seems i may now need to factor in the ability to have a baby seat in it lol

[cheesy]

Now a new wrinkle has appeared with this project. Seems i may now need to factor in the ability to have a baby seat in it lol

Part of me is going to be a smart ass and say, “How did that happen?

Another part will be part fatherly(start practicing)and part Scouting. “Your life will change in ways you didn’t think possible.” And “Be Prepared. There ain’t no RTFM to read.”

[Darkrider]

Part of me is going to be a smart ass and say, “How did that happen?

Another part will be part fatherly(start practicing)and part Scouting. “Your life will change in ways you didn’t think possible.” And “Be Prepared. There ain’t no RTFM to read.”




To answer the smart ass part of this, It was planned so the surprise is more of the "Holy shit it actually is happening" kind of reaction. As for the rest, Oh i am quite sure it will...and as for being prepared...yea..def going to need to work on that... I am still trying to wrap my head around it as it is.

[Weldangrind]

Chris, that is fantastic! Congratulations!

[wheelbender6]

Cool. My dad had a Karmann Ghia for a few years but never had a beetle. The Ghia had no gas gauge, but had a lever to open the reserve fuel, Like a motorcycle.

[herbie]

Boy I like those old bugs, would like to have one again to tinker with. Found a couple of 30 something year old pics of my project.

[herbie]

Another view

[herbie]

Finished it!

[JerryHawk250]

Nice job Herbie. Wait a minute! is that Herbie the Love Bug? :hehe:

[wedooit]

Nice bug! I always wanted to build a grocery getter, out of a bug chassis, some kind of a baja, big bore kit, etc. Pipedream? Yep! I have an old high school friend in southern MN that has some old bugs and has modified them. He is a mad scientist at the mayo clinic.

Nice restoration sir!!!!

[herbie]

Nice job Herbie. Wait a minute! is that Herbie the Love Bug? :hehe:

Thanks, yeah I've heard that a few times! :D I did think about going with the white and number 53 but there was already a bug running around with that and I didn't want to look like a copycat.

[herbie]

Nice bug! I always wanted to build a grocery getter, out of a bug chassis, some kind of a baja, big bore kit, etc. Pipedream? Yep! I have an old high school friend in southern MN that has some old bugs and has modified them. He is a mad scientist at the mayo clinic.

Nice restoration sir!!!!

Thanks, I was surprised I still had pictures of it, a few were on polaroids. Man I'm getting old :hmm:

[JerryHawk250]

Thanks, I was surprised I still had pictures of it, a few were on polaroids. Man I'm getting old :hmm:
Yeah, Take a look at the Ford Granada and Monte Carlo in the back ground of my picture. Those were fairly new. lol I know I have more pictures of mine boxed up somewhere. It's where that's the problem. :ohno:

[herbie]

Yeah, Take a look at the Ford Granada and Monte Carlo in the back ground of my picture. Those were fairly new. lol I know I have more pictures of mine boxed up somewhere. It's where that's the problem. :ohno:

Ha Ha, yeah that was a few years ago I'd say. To tell you the truth I didn't even see the other cars, I was just eyeing the beautiful red bug with 5 spoke Cragers!

[Darkrider]

Chris, that is fantastic! Congratulations!


Thanks Weld, Though i might have spoken too soon as it seems we may have gotten a false positive when it comes to the test. Waiting on the results of her blood test to prove or disprove. Either way if we were fooled this round it is only a minor set back and we continue trying. Who knows...This lil bug may just eventually end up my kids first car at some point. :tup:


Back to the bug itself. It more then likely will become a ratted out wide eye baja as mentioned before. Basically will end up opening up the rear fenders and run flat fenders as mentioned before. The idea i have in my head is to have a set of nerf bars/step boards and have one end of each fender anchor to them then follow the curve of the original fenders. Ending off just ahead of the front beam. I will end up using some street rod style 7" round headlights with LED headlights in them mounted to a front tube bumper. Engine wise...still up in the air at this point.

[JerryHawk250]

Don't worry. It will happen when it happens. We lost our first child 3 months into pregnancy after being married 9 years. Doctor told my wife she will never be able to get pregnant. 2 years later I get home from work and my wife told me she was pregnant. I was like "Yeah Right!" That little girl is now 18 going on 19. We call her the miracle child.

When I first got my bug I thought about doing a truck conversion as I always owned trucks. The local little VW mechanic shop had the baja kit real cheap and being the cheap bastard I am it was kind of hard to pass up. :lmao:
This is similar to what I wanted to build.

https://bangshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/736754-2-large.jpg

[Weldangrind]

Either way if we were fooled this round it is only a minor set back and we continue trying.

It takes lots of practice! :D

[wedooit]

Oh my gosh! That would be a kool build!!!