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Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:26 am

okay first off i'm new to the forum, so hi everyone my names kyle, and i recently bought a 1972 super beetle, actually me and my buddy bought it, we plan on splitting the cost of the build , i should say steal though as it was so cheap :D

first off I know super beetles tend not to be good for baja bugs due to their front suspension, however the price was right and i don't plan on jumping it or going over 30 mph off road, so should survive.

i have a couple questions, one how much can u lift the rear by splines and still be in good angle for cv, and not make the ride solid as a mack dump truck lol i've seen a chart show up to 4in possible in lift but didnt say if that was a possibility for the cv or how it affected the ride.

second how can i beef up the front, for now? i was thinking of putting steel plating in the trunk welding it on and around the strut tower to add some strength. i'm a little cash strapped so at this time i cant swap to a beam suspension yet, but i plan on it when and if the current suspension blows.
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Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:51 am

Welcome Kyle. I am not an expert but I do know you should turn the rear torsion bars one spline for modest lift with decent ride and two notches for more lift with less decent ride. I went two and am happy but mine is a little older and probably more tired that your torsion bars. Front is something I don't know about but have heard there is a brace you run from one strut tower to the other for added strength. I don't see why you couldn't fab something yourself. I have a SB part car and try to keep it going between stealing parts for my Baja. it is really rusted so I slam it hard on trails but no jumping. It hols up just fine. :D

Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:39 am

If you stay with the stock limits on the rear torsion housing (where the spring plate hits the stop when you jack it up off the ground) the CV angles will be fine.

When you plate the top of the strut towers on the front, run a cross brace from one top tower to the other to cut down on flexing. That is about all you can do to the front. I ran a Super off-road for 3 years and did not have any front problems, but I did not jump it or beat the snot out of it.

Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:15 am

yeah i was planning on a bar across and bars following the towers down to the floor of trunk.
how do u post pics? i was trying to but evidently im not smart enough...

Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:20 am

WOOT WOOT i am smart i am! i guess the search forum feature does work :D so anyways, here is the 72 super beetle i picked up for 250$ it needs a passenger side floor panel and motor rebuilt, and that's it.

is it just me or in that last pic,does it look like that rust spot on the hood looks kinda like a peace sign?

Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:22 pm

looks like a fat man sat on the hood and thats his butt inprint.

Fri Mar 12, 2010 1:24 pm

:shock: OMG!! thats where they found uncle ted!!! :shock:

Fri Mar 12, 2010 1:48 pm

Before you get too attached to those struts I would read check out this link:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=200928

Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:41 pm

yeah, i read that before registering to become a member. thanks for pointing that out though, cuz u never know whether i had read that or not. thats why i said i knew the super beetles weren't the best for offroad. i do plan on upgrading the suspension but not till it breaks as my wallet is small, and the wife wants to see this project moving so she knows its not a dead end project lol

Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:47 pm

looks like you might have some cancer issues on the rear quarter

Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:14 pm

I wish I had a Super to play with, I bet you could build a set of drop down brackets for the lower control arms and a set of upper strut spacers and raise a super up about 4" fairly easy, Might take a little work on the steering but that shouldnt be too hard, maybe even do 2 1/2 ID coil-overs and get rid of the stock spring for more tire room.
Hmmm, If we built a giant badger.

Casey

Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:54 am

i was thinking about the brackets but think i'll leave it for now,
actually that cancer is mostly just surface rust, their a small hole but overall the structure is still sound im pulling apart the interior right now to get a good look at the passenger floor, rockers, and anything else that may be lurking be in their. so i'll be posting some more pics soon,
is their a specfic area for build threads or can i turn this into a build thread?

Sat Mar 13, 2010 10:28 am

just edit your first post and rename your title whatever you want it to say...
for example "rusty super baja project" or "My money pit" or whatever you want. Or you could start a new thread or whatever.
seriously though, My buddy had a super that we baja'ed a few years back. didn't do much, didn't even cut the front end. but man we beat the crap out of that car and it held up just fine. so good luck and keep us posted.

Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:42 am

interior this morning, before i started work..

and when i was done...

overall a little worse then i originally thought however, after double checking the rest of the car, it seems this is the worst and only problem rust. the rest of the car is minor surface rust, which i will need to address nonetheless.

Sat Mar 13, 2010 12:42 pm

holy cow!! i thought my rust was bad. lol. good luck, don't know what your plans are for the car, but if were me i would rather find another bug and use this one for parts.

Sat Mar 13, 2010 2:35 pm

Good luck with the project! I didnt see it mentioned, but you have a 1973 Super there. It's a bit different than a 72.
The give away is the curved windshield.

Sat Mar 13, 2010 2:42 pm

Good spot.

Look at the 3rd digit of the VIN number. That is the year.

While you have the rear seat out, it will be right there on top the tunnel where the access for the shift coupler, stamped into the top.
I hope your title matches that number.

Sat Mar 13, 2010 3:04 pm

hmmm have to double check that, though im sure your right its a 73' yeah that rust looks bad but thats' nothing compared to some of the projects me and my dad have done. my dads a professional mechanic, and he's gotten good at custom fabricating pieces out of flat sheet metal. i'm still learning though :D. besides ive already gotten from my dad all the parts for brakes, suspension, trannsmission this ones good though, and i've got half the motor parts already. and my dad gets a discount with this guy who sells vw parts including body panels

Sat Mar 13, 2010 3:09 pm

Something else I just spotted that says it is a 73-74,
The seat tracks.

Sat Mar 13, 2010 3:50 pm

u are right that is a 73' i looked at the vin and the bill of sale again, they say 73 just the guys 3 is all scrunched up looks like a 2 lol good catch. cant wait till tomm, i plan on pulling the motor out if my dad has the garage space for a few hours.
i did momentarily this morning think wow i need to find another one and use this for parts, but i realized it would take at least 2-3 weeks before i found another, in better condition, and id probably wont be able to afford it all at once. and in those 2-3weeks i could already buy piece by piece as budget allows the body parts i need and get it fixed to a point that would be either the same or better condition then what other bug i find. (that and i don't have room for another car).
i plan on fixing the body up enough so its strong enough so when i take it off the pan it don't twist. and ill weld some braces to the pan, so it dont twist, but wait till the bodies off to do the whole pan and floor. i plan on rhino coating the bottom. and if the body needs some more tlc do it when its off.