TheSamba.com :: View topic - converting Baja back to standard beetle, how hard??

Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:29 pm

I am looking for a beetle to build. I am a street style person vs Baja style. I am wondering how hare is it to convert a Baja'd beetle back to a standard street style beetle. I just don't want to pass on a good deal because it is a baja. While there is nothing wrong with a Baja. just not my style.

Tim

Sun Jan 20, 2013 4:45 pm

Unless its a split window, it's more work than its worth, save your money and buy something nice to start with. My .02

Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:34 pm

Very often you end up replacing front aprons, spare tire wells and rear aprons on old Beetles during a restoration, so I wouldn't pass on a good solid Baja. Selling a raised beam, decent Baja exhaust and big, off road wheels and tires isn't tough and can help pay for the stuff you'll need to make it a Bug again.
Personally, I'd try to get all good, used original sheet metal from the year of the car you're building. Probably worth more in the end that way, but if it's going to be a custom, do what you like.

Wed Aug 14, 2013 2:07 pm

timemachine wrote: I am looking for a beetle to build. I am a street style person vs Baja style. I am wondering how hare is it to convert a Baja'd beetle back to a standard street style beetle. I just don't want to pass on a good deal because it is a baja. While there is nothing wrong with a Baja. just not my style.

Tim Any pictures I want to do this with a vert I got

Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:37 pm

I have seen several show winners that had been bajas at one time. Depends on the car year and type.

Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:39 am

'57 baja ragtop waiting to mate with a '56 hardtop.

Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:31 pm

I did it with no experience what's so ever. Bought a cheap mig welder and went to town in the 10 minutes a week i had to work on it. The hardest part was the rear bumper brackets. I welded them on and my fenders didn't fit correct. I Ended up cutting them off and rewelding them. The engine compartment is still open, I am going to leave that, it adds more space for the motor anyway.I also welded up all the dash holes, it was also a mess. Even took the stereo hole out. All done welding and body work now, just need a day for paint.
Point is , don't let anyone say you can't do it. I had a bunch of clowns on here telling me I wouldn't be able to weld thin metal with my crapy welder plus no experience. Thats what drove me to start it. Although its not going to be a show car, its gonna be sweet when its done and I saved a ton of cash.

Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:15 pm

Hard to unring that bell.

Mon Aug 19, 2013 8:27 pm

Kiptere wrote: Hard to unring that bell.
Really!
If more people posted positive feedback about a project instead of whining about how difficult or hard its gonna be, these forums would be worth reading.
I hope my post gives someone confidence in them selves to do it.
I'm gonna paint my bug next week for the first time, can't wait to read all the post saying how hard and crapy it will come out. Lol..... just sayin

Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:29 pm

Lighten up, chief. Not all of us have the skill or equipment to takle a welding job like that or the space in our garage or property to have two non fuctional bugs sit around. You are truely the bug-master. I am not worthy.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:28 am

Kiptere wrote: Lighten up, chief. Not all of us have the skill or equipment to takle a welding job like that or the space in our garage or property to have two non fuctional bugs sit around. You are truely the bug-master. I am not worthy.

I've got a '78 convertible Bug/baja somebody can start on. About not having the equipment...a lot of projects would have been atleast started by me had somebody not stolen my welder. :x. Oh well life goes on. I may get all the pieces together and send it over to the high school. Anybody ever do that? I think they charge like a small fraction of what you'd have to pay someone.... yeah and it's going to be a non collectible hack anyway so why not?

Wed Aug 21, 2013 11:17 am

I guess I should have chosen my words a little better. I did not mean to shed a bad light on the job this guy is doing on his bug. Looks good. Wish I still had my oval window bugs...'55 and a '57.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 11:35 am

Freeflydenny wrote: Kiptere wrote: Hard to unring that bell.
Really!
If more people posted positive feedback about a project instead of whining about how difficult or hard its gonna be, these forums would be worth reading.
I hope my post gives someone confidence in them selves to do it.
I'm gonna paint my bug next week for the first time, can't wait to read all the post saying how hard and crapy it will come out. Lol..... just sayin

It's not that it can't be done, it's just that it is much easier to start with a full car. There are plenty of big window cars out there that haven't been cut up to start out with. If it's an oval or split, ya, it's probably worth it, but not on a 58+. Honestly if I had it to do over again I'd have passed on rebuilding my 58 rag because of just how much rust it has. After everything is said and done I could have found a much cleaner car to start with. And mine wasn't even a baja, just one that had no floors and rotted out heaterchannels.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 12:20 pm

Middle child wrote: Kiptere wrote: Lighten up, chief. Not all of us have the skill or equipment to takle a welding job like that or the space in our garage or property to have two non fuctional bugs sit around. You are truely the bug-master. I am not worthy.

I've got a '78 convertible Bug/baja somebody can start on. About not having the equipment...a lot of projects would have been atleast started by me had somebody not stolen my welder. :x. Oh well life goes on. I may get all the pieces together and send it over to the high school. Anybody ever do that? I think they charge like a small fraction of what you'd have to pay someone.... yeah and it's going to be a non collectible hack anyway so why not?

My son's buddy was the #1 FFA welder in Oregon. He did nice welds on our '67 square in their high school auto shop for 12 packs of Mountain Dew! You supply all the parts/materials and let them rebuild it. :D

Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:21 pm

veedubfreak59 wrote: Freeflydenny wrote: Kiptere wrote: Hard to unring that bell.
Really!
If more people posted positive feedback about a project instead of whining about how difficult or hard its gonna be, these forums would be worth reading.
I hope my post gives someone confidence in them selves to do it.
I'm gonna paint my bug next week for the first time, can't wait to read all the post saying how hard and crapy it will come out. Lol..... just sayin

It's not that it can't be done, it's just that it is much easier to start with a full car. There are plenty of big window cars out there that haven't been cut up to start out with. If it's an oval or split, ya, it's probably worth it, but not on a 58+. Honestly if I had it to do over again I'd have passed on rebuilding my 58 rag because of just how much rust it has. After everything is said and done I could have found a much cleaner car to start with. And mine wasn't even a baja, just one that had no floors and rotted out heaterchannels.

This ones a 56. It seems there is a lot of baja ovals out there. Some one told me its because the ovals weren't as cool in the 70s so they chopped those up more often than the big windows. You can snag one on cl fairly cheap. All the sheet metal was aftermarket from Wolfsburg West. Also got a lot of parts on here.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:57 pm

Go for it. Im in Riverside, never welded before and I have done some things in the past few months that I never thought I could do. A guy here in town did the exact job you have ahead of you. Really not that bad. Hang your fenders and lids. Fit the new parts in and scribe to match current cuts. Clamp, pin, screw it all in place after cutting to fit and start a day of 1000 tack welds. 8)