VW Bugs
 

Hi All

I'm looking at maybe getting a old aircooled VW Bug, any advice or info on them would be great.

http://vwvortex.com/

Great Forums...

They are a blast to drive. Parts are plentiful and cheap. You are going to have to tinker with it a lot. Watch out for rust undercar, and just about every where else when buying one. Have fun!

it would be cool to get an old bug or karmann ghia and fix it up....

One the more technical and hot rodding side is http://www.shoptalkforums.com
If you have any specific questions about what years let me know. I have been working on them for 20 years and am on my 3rd ACVW of my own. Currently I am building a '75 Baja Bug. It is a ground up rebuild including a Bug trans conversion. It has taken a year so far and it is almost ready to be put on the road.

I've had six of the little critters and the way gas prices are going I may get a seventh. I never had one I didn't like. If you take care of one it will take care of you. Mud, snow, summer, winter, not a bad little car at all.

Check the heater channels! I repeat: CHECK THE HEATER CHANNELS.

I've got a '71 Bug sitting in the garage, stripped to the bone but because the heater channels have to be replaced the project is probably going to be scrapped.

If you can get one from below the rust belt, I highly suggest you do so.

Great little cars, I've owned 3 of them...we used to call them a "poor man's porsche".

buy one, then drive it till it drops is my only advice...

Yak,
You can get replacment heater channels at your local VW parts house. If they don't have they can order them. Or pick up a copy of Hot VW's. There are many advertisers that carry them.
And a video onhow to do it here: http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...X/appId-311297

I would hate to see you scrap a perfectly repairable car because of rust. I did the entire pan halves on my car. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it knowing that you saved a Bug from the crusher.

The heater channels are sitting under the bug as I type this. We've got most of the body panels that needed replacing but this bug is just out of my dad and I's skill. We're talking rust holes that go _through_ the shell, the channel, and the firewall!

The understanding that we have to weld in a cage to keep the body from warping while accurately cutting out and welding in new channels is just flat out daunting to a couple guys who really haven't done extensive body work before.

We've been thinking about trying to find a donor car from down in the southwest so we can build a Frankenbeetle.

Sorry to hijack... if you think its pertinent ggadgit I can post pics of our project as it stands right now.

They are nice project cars if you know how to do wrench and body work. Parts are plentiful and cheap and there are lots of people that know how to work on them.

hehehehehe.... when i was in highschool i spent a lot of my freshman thru my junior years tryin to get my parents to lemme get a bug to fix up...

and this thread has gotten me wanting to do that again... im spending too much time lookin at the classifieds and forums on thsoe sites... and not enough doin homework...

hehehehe... i cant wait till i get a job and money... then i'll actually be able to do some of this stuff that i want...

Just don't get a New Beetle. Every other one on the road has a headlight out. That's not quality control!

my bf drives a 73 super beetle purchased for 200 bucks from my folks, he loves it although he could use a truck.

I too, had a 73 superbeetle. Yes they are a blast to drive. I would stay away from the 73 model year. It's an in-between years and VERY hard to find parts other than engine parts. When you do find them they are EXPENSIVE. Steering gear-$300.00.
Forget about body parts and tail lights.

My brother-in-law and I did a full blown, body off restoration on a '72 standard beetle. I made some custom aluminum bumpers that are totally slick. I'll put up some pictures in the Photography section if anyone is interested in seeing them. Between us, we have four bugs and a dune-buggy. Two down, three to go.