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Fri May 24, 2013 9:41 pm

Well I've been lurking around here for a while doing some reading. For a long time I've been wanting to get a Baja bug, but my mom was against it (I'm 17.. parents can still veto car purchases :lol: ). I finally was able to buy one, and I trailered it home today. I'm new to volkswagens, but I'm not new to mechanics. I'm elbow deep in a frame off restoration on a '79 F250, and I'm doing it all myself.

Anyway enough of me and onto the bug! I bought a '71 standard beetle with a 1600 dual port out of a later model Mexican Beetle. Here's the rundown of the purchase

-71 standard body
-1600 DP
-Electronic ignition conversion
-Vanilla fiberglass rear fenders
-One piece tilt front
-Fresh powdercoated rear cage and front bumper

And the very long list of parts I got in no particular order..
-Carpet kit
-Headliner kit
-All new window gaskets
-Leather bucket seats
-Grant Steering wheel
-Full aluminum interior panel kit
-Short throw shifter with quick reverse
-Full array of digital gauges
-New wiring harness
-10 gallon spun aluminum fuel tank
-New pop-out window trim
-And much much more in a box that I can't remember this time of night :roll:

Anywho, here's the plan. I'll be getting this car slammed out by the end of summer, and it will become a daily. So that should tell you it's not going to be a crazy build like some of the others. It'll be a mild mannered driver with the toughness to take to the dunes in Eastern Washington if I so desire.

First things first, I'll be pulling the interior out and popping the windows out. I'll be getting in with my sandblaster, and get everything all cleaned up. Prime, paint, add some insulation, then put the interior back in. After that, all bets are off! I hope to get it painted professionally, but we'll see how my funds hold out. I'll need to get some exhaust for it, do some body repair, and a little shaping to the one piece front.

Enough of the ramble. Here are the pics.

I'll post my project here as I go. Expect a lot of pictures, because I take them of everything.

-Jameson

Fri May 24, 2013 10:17 pm

Way to go Jameson! One of these days we will have an FTE meet and we can bring the bugs down and show them off. I actually plan to go tomorrow with mine.

Anyways that looks pretty sweet and with all the parts there it shouldn't be too difficult to get it where you want. Also if you plan to sell any of them fancy parts you know just who to talk to :wink: :wink:

Sat May 25, 2013 1:36 pm

That is going to be a fun car. If it were me (I know, it's not :) ) I would hold off a bit on the body work and focus on getting it to be a dependable daily driver. Some thing that jumps out at me for a possible irritation is the spun aluminum tank. You probably don't have a provision for a fuel gauge. You would probably be happier with a stock fuel tank (you may have to fabricate mounts with it being a one-piece front end) then you'll have a way to run a gauge, and you can even get a 16 gallon tank for more range. My first Baja was in similar condition and I first got the feel for the car, and then when the kinks were pretty much worked out I took it apart and painted it. In retrospect I actually had more fun playing with the car in its multi colored form. After I got it painted it took me 6 months to finally get up the nerve and go out and play with it in the boonies. It has been 26 years later and that car is still giving my son, and I a lot of good times.
You will like this site. It has all the information you need to keep your Baja on the road.

Sat May 25, 2013 5:47 pm

wbrown45 wrote: That is going to be a fun car. If it were me (I know, it's not :) ) I would hold off a bit on the body work and focus on getting it to be a dependable daily driver. Some thing that jumps out at me for a possible irritation is the spun aluminum tank. You probably don't have a provision for a fuel gauge.

Thanks. I was able to keep my DD, so I'm not under any pressure to get it streetable. That's why I'm starting on the interior. Other reason is I want to get the new wiring harness all put in, get all the electrical wired up, etc before I button it all up. I'd rather not be chasing electrical gremlins after everything is back together.

The spun aluminum tank is being a bit of a pain. For starters, I'll have to poke a hole in the top of the front end so I can get to the filler neck. The tank is tall, so when it's turned with the filler up, the front doesn't close all the way.

As far as the gauge goes, Pacific customs makes a weld on flange for fuel sending units. I already plan on using the digital gauge that I got, so wiring in the sender-gauge stuff won't be an issue.
http://www.pacificcustoms.com/tankflange.html

-Jameson
P.s. Dylan, good luck getting any parts out of me :D the whole reason I bought this one was because it has all I need. Now after I'm done and you want some stuff, no problem.

Sun May 26, 2013 10:07 pm

Since the aluminum dash panel that I have is just a sheet of metal where I cut the holes out, I'll have a relativity easy time adding stuff.

Starting out with the gauges, I'll put the tach next to the speedo on the left, like so. I'll trim the factory metal behind it so it'll fit

Then on the right side of the speedo I'll have a fuel level and voltmeter gauge stacked on top of each other. They are 2 1/16, so there is plenty of room. Once again, I'll be cutting.

In the middle, I'm undecided on what to do. I'll be leaving the factory headlight, wiper, and hazard switches in. I'd like to run a switch panel with push button start, and I can get a 5 rocker panel (4 on/off and one momentary) from Moroso that will fit within the rectangular cutout with a little trimming. Only drawback is the panel is just shy of $100.

Opinions?

Thanks
Jameson

Fri May 31, 2013 9:17 pm

Got the bug pushed into my garage today. It's nice having a car that fits inside so I'm not dodging the rain :D

So because the rear apron was cut up too far, the rear fenders stick out past the body. When the cowling is on there, there is a gap in between the fender and cowling. I was considering cutting the fenders back so that they line up with the body, and are less floppy and back heavy. But now that I think about it, if I cut the fenders, the cowling will look funny because it will just be hanging over the back. Any ideas on what I should do? At the very least, I would like to trim the back so that there is less weight back there...

The other thing I noticed, when the front tires are almost at full turn both directions, the tread of the tires catches on the floor pan. I'll get a picture of what it's doing tomorrow. Has anybody else experienced this before? The fronts are 235/75 tires, so I wonder if maybe the backspacing on the wheels isn't enough?

Thanks

Fri May 31, 2013 11:21 pm

While you're getting a picture of the wheels, get a picture of what the back end looks like. That way we can see what exactly you are meaning.

Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:22 pm

So here's what the front tires look like. It's not at full lock, but almost there.

It might be hard to see, but the treads grab that metal lip from this position to full lock.

And here is the back end. If I cut the fenders, the cowling would be hanging down and look funny.

Lastly, anybody know what these two little levers next to the handbrake do? They have cables on them, but nothing happens when I lift them up/push them down. They look worn enough to be factory, but what do I know? :D

-Jameson

Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:51 pm

When sitting in the drivers seat the lever to the far right opens and closes the flaps in the heater boxes turning the heat on and off. The lever on the left opens two flaps under the rear seat turning the foot vents on for passengers in the back seat.

Sun Jun 02, 2013 5:11 pm

Ah I see what you mean now. So for the lock issue, could you trim back that lip a little more?

For the back I really don't know... It appears the rear of the body has been cut or something... Hmm maybe you could trim up the fenders a little? Not all the way to the cowl but a little further down from it?

Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:18 pm

GruesomeJeans wrote: Ah I see what you mean now. So for the lock issue, could you trim back that lip a little more?

For the back I really don't know... It appears the rear of the body has been cut or something... Hmm maybe you could trim up the fenders a little? Not all the way to the cowl but a little further down from it?

There isn't much on the lip to cut back, but it might just be enough.

As far as the rear apron goes, the guy who made the cuts did them too far up. So what I think I'll do it get the cowling mounted where I want it to sit, then cut the fenders back from there. That way the two meet and I won't have the cowling hanging over, but I won't have so much fender hanging off the back.

Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:59 pm

Island Bumpkin wrote: GruesomeJeans wrote: Ah I see what you mean now. So for the lock issue, could you trim back that lip a little more?

For the back I really don't know... It appears the rear of the body has been cut or something... Hmm maybe you could trim up the fenders a little? Not all the way to the cowl but a little further down from it?

There isn't much on the lip to cut back, but it might just be enough.

As far as the rear apron goes, the guy who made the cuts did them too far up. So what I think I'll do it get the cowling mounted where I want it to sit, then cut the fenders back from there. That way the two meet and I won't have the cowling hanging over, but I won't have so much fender hanging off the back.
Sounds like a good plan. The other thing you could do with that lip is just hammer the s**t out of it till it's smooth and doesn't catch on the tread :D I don't know what it will do as the tires tuck up, the tops will tilt inward as the camber changes but you will have to experiment I guess.

The plan for the rear sounds good too. If you kind of slightly round the bottom of the fenders I think it would look pretty good too.

Sun Jun 02, 2013 11:49 pm

GruesomeJeans wrote: Island Bumpkin wrote: GruesomeJeans wrote: Ah I see what you mean now. So for the lock issue, could you trim back that lip a little more?

For the back I really don't know... It appears the rear of the body has been cut or something... Hmm maybe you could trim up the fenders a little? Not all the way to the cowl but a little further down from it?

There isn't much on the lip to cut back, but it might just be enough.

As far as the rear apron goes, the guy who made the cuts did them too far up. So what I think I'll do it get the cowling mounted where I want it to sit, then cut the fenders back from there. That way the two meet and I won't have the cowling hanging over, but I won't have so much fender hanging off the back.
I don't know what it will do as the tires tuck up, the tops will tilt inward as the camber changes but you will have to experiment I guess.

The plan for the rear sounds good too. If you kind of slightly round the bottom of the fenders I think it would look pretty good too.

I'm actually worried about suspension drop because the tire will tuck in. But really I shouldn't worry too much about it, because it's not like I'll be jumping this thing :lol:

There will still be a gap between the cowling and the fenders where the body should be. Hopefully it won't be too noticeable.
----
After doing a little research, I found out that the lights that have been integrated into the cage and bumper are rated as side/clearance markers and not stop/turn/tail lights. So now I'm going to have to figure something out for those lights. Does anybody have some suggestions on lights that are low profile like what is in there now?

Thanks
Jameson

Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:30 pm

Depending on the gap, it probably won't be as noticable once everything is the same color.

Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:41 pm

FYI, those front wheels look to be Mag Industries wheels. There is a guy in Florida selling a set of 4 for $850, because they aren't that common. You may want to consider selling your 2, buy 2 cheaper front wheels, and use the rest to fund the project.

Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:43 pm

Mr. Unpopular wrote: FYI, those front wheels look to be Mag Industries wheels. There is a guy in Florida selling a set of 4 for $850, because they aren't that common. You may want to consider selling your 2, buy 2 cheaper front wheels, and use the rest to fund the project.

I looked around both sides of the wheels, and couldn't see any markings that would indicate the manufacturer. I did a little research in the wheel section, but couldn't really find any solid information

Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:05 pm

Search the classifieds in Florida.

Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:53 pm

[quote="GruesomeJeans"] Island Bumpkin wrote: GruesomeJeans wrote: Ah I see what you mean now. So for the lock issue, could you trim back that lip a little more?

There isn't much on the lip to cut back, but it might just be enough.

i trimmed back and then added a steel plate that curved under the car like the front of a snow ski. it didn't stick under the car very far but gave a smooth surface for the tire to rubbed on it and didn't hang and rip tread off or lock up.

Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:37 am

[quote="pafree"] GruesomeJeans wrote: Island Bumpkin wrote: GruesomeJeans wrote: Ah I see what you mean now. So for the lock issue, could you trim back that lip a little more?

There isn't much on the lip to cut back, but it might just be enough.

i trimmed back and then added a steel plate that curved under the car like the front of a snow ski. it didn't stick under the car very far but gave a smooth surface for the tire to rubbed on it and didn't hang and rip tread off or lock up.

That's a good idea. That way I won't have to worry about damaging the tire

Wed Jun 05, 2013 10:19 pm

So I've determined the back seat won't be happening. For starters, I don't have the bottom of the bench, only the back. The other part of it is the front seats sit back so far, there is virtually no leg room.

Next up on the docker, I'm going to relocate the fuel tank. I'd rather punch a hole in the front end just for the fuel filler neck. So it's going in the back with a side mount fuel door. I have to do some bondo work anyway, so I'll just put it in then.

I'll also be cutting a notch in the bottom of the front end so that when I tilt it up, it won't run into the steering box like it does now.

lastly, it looks like the beam has been cut and turned? I think it is, but I don't know what a stock looks like

--Edit--
I forgot to add, the front shocks are installed upside down. The "this side up" sticker is facing the wrong direction. Anything I should be worried about?

-Jameson