My Project beetle - wish me luck !

[JonnoDub]

This is going to be my second attempt at a restoration project , first one was unfortunately sold due to money problems. But at least my wife agreed that this one will not be sold and if we run into troubles, well we will deal with that when it comes.

So looking at the VIN it seems to have been first registered in 1976 , still not sure what model it is , but I think it is a 1600S , she needs some work (of course) and luckily Im in no hurry , planning on stripping it right down to the bone . As soon as Im back in South Africa I will start . This was actually my moms but sadly , she needed to get rid of it to buy another vehicle for daily transportation as this one was falling apart and she could not wait for repairs to be done , I still got to pay for it though ! but its already standing in my yard.

Take a look , any suggestions, Ideas will be duly appreciated.

[retrovan]

Welcome, and good luck with your restoration project.

What I find, that when a project could drag on due to finances, Get the car running, and on your name, the Beetle is a wonderful car as it will be a daily driver and still be a project.
Fix as you go, but because you drive it, there will be no need to sell it to pay for an other form of transport.
Anyway the RAT look is in anyway......

Good luck and remember to have fun doing it.....

Herman

[riaanj]

Howzit Jonno
Good luck there with that old tatty looking dub, all I can say is that it's gonna take a lot of elbow-grease, make us proud and bring it back to its former glory!
You can do it!!!

[hitlers revenge]

What ever you do, DO NOT BREAK THE FRONT SCREEN, there are no more available.

Good luck with that, hope we see the finished project in George next year. That should be enough time for you.

[Bushpig]

She is not that bad - get her on the road - enjoy the breeze coming through the holes and restore her as time and finances allow. Good on you for restoring her. Keep us posted...

[vader]

Yip, rust holes are the new bling... Trust me on this one...

[jolas]

Good luck man - I agree with retrovan, don't strip the whole car down, keep it on the road (if it is still licenced and on the road that is .....), do the brakes first, do it properly and that job is done, then tackle the suspension if need be, and carry on until you are ready to do the engine or rust removal and painting - but all the while, drive and enjoy the bug
Hows the pan, door pillars, etc looking ?

[DR WATSON]

Good luck with your resto Buddy, and remember, we all love Pictures

[JonnoDub]

So the Indians gave me a 2week holiday , so I came home thinking that i could at least start with my project. But the wife decided that I needed to spend some quality time with the fam and so the old girl will just have to wait a little bit longer. I at least took some pics and got a car cover so long. I took out the back seats mainly because the Idiot that last installed it didnt even use the right bolts , the 2 that were in there just slided right through. I dont know hey , this car needs a lot of work. I think I maybe slightly in over my head.
Take a look.
Where the battery should be , it was moved to the other side.

The drivers seat was kept in place with rope and planks and stuff , my mom was scared she would fall thru the floor while driving!



some more random headaches , I mean pics lol

[Tony Z]

Big project ahead - good luck.

One thing though. You fuel filter DOES NOT belong where it is. If it cracks, you send fuel all over the spark plug and the hot cylinder head.... think about how all your hard work will look after that happens.
The filter belongs next to the gearbox after the pipe exits the pan.

[Tony Z]

]

What is that thing under the seat?

[Junior]

This is going to be one hell of a job!!! trust me read my thread on scrappy the beetle.
http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopi ... 23&t=18268
Unless your a professional welder with a lot of spare time and money you will really battle to ever be happy with your final product. If you want to have a beetle with no rust in the end you will need to replace the floor pan and body (once you build a car that has been patched together with welds in a back garden, the car will just rust again with in no time), after doing that you have to ask your self, is this a restoration of this car or has the car been used for very little spare parts and you have actually built the car out of 10 other cars like me. In the end If I had just saved up the money that Iv spent on my car over the last year I could Have bought a drive-able, still fully original beetle, with very little rust that would be worth a lot more in the end. Just my 2c take it or leave it.

With that said I agree with Retrovan get her on the road (brakes, suspension and licensed) then I would sort the floor pan and drive her as is

[Hloni]

One thing though. You fuel filter DOES NOT belong where it is. If it cracks, you send fuel all over the spark plug and the hot cylinder head.... think about how all your hard work will look after that happens.
The filter belongs next to the gearbox after the pipe exits the pan.

After you move the petrol filter, change all your flexi fuel hoses. ALL of them. Why? Well, just go check how brittle they be.

If you don't believe me, then


Replace your flexi fuel hoses EVERY year. It's a R130 well spent I tell you.

[buggyfan]

Good luck with the project

Now,realistically if it was mine,i would rather replace that shell with a less rusty 1 instead of trying to replace all that sheet metal

http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopi ... 70#p192870

if this was still available ,i would have followed up on it

[hitlers revenge]

The name "William Wallace" comes to mind.

Good Luck with that