TheSamba.com :: View topic - '65 beetle build

Sat Feb 08, 2014 6:56 pm

i've been lurking for a while in preparation for taking on rebuilding my '65 beetle - which happens to be my first car from high school. i've wanted to do major work on this car ever since i bought it as a 16 year old, but it seems like these projects always require time, money and space. in high school i had no money, in college i had no time or money, just out of school i had no space or time but finally 16 years later i have found myself with all three and an added sense of urgency with my wife and i expecting our first child in the spring.

so first things first, i'm extremely worried that somehow i will never finish this project...so i went ahead and got this KG just in case the beetle project doesn't move along fast enough. i don't want to be ACVW-less.

so with the essentials taken care of, i'm starting with a '65 beetle that spent most of its life in the atlanta area before migrating north. it has a few dings and bumps and was probably repainted at least once in its life although i don't believe it was ever in a serious accident. the pans have a good bit of rust, the bottom of the doors have rust and there may be a bit in the passenger heater channel front. as the body comes apart i'm sure i'll find more. got started at the beginning of january.

did this quick build that i got for christmas

separated for the first time in 50 years

old passenger side repair job...

table o'parts

front beam off

dirty tranny out

cut out the pan halves

the wolfsburg west pans were just about a perfect fit...within a 1/16" with a little tapping.

just have to weld them into place before moving onto cleaning up the rest of the chassis. ironically i took a few shop classes in high school in anticipation of working on this car...the intervening years have robbed me of much of what i learned there so i signed up for an adult vo-tech autobody/welding class that starts this week...hopefully i can get back up to speed in short order.

Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:10 pm

the following is what i'd like to accomplish on this build...

body-
repair all dents and rust
new paint...probably a different color...maybe a 2 tone scheme
new seals all around
new or re-chrome

chassis-
repair all rust
repaint

suspension-
adjustable front beam with drop spindles - probably all new spindle to spindle because i'm keeping the original beam in case i ever decide to go down the true restoration route.
drop the rear a couple of inches
new shocks all around

brakes-
discs all around - haven't settled on a manufacturer and am open to suggestions
upgrade master cylinder

electrical-
i already converted it to 12v in high school although i'm going to completely rewire it with a new harness to clean up some of the wiring i did back then.
dry cell battery

engine-
rebuild/crate/i don't know... i've been kicking this around a lot and i think it will likely be pushed off for a while. i definitely want some more power but reliability for a daily (summer) driver. the idea of a T4 is intriguing but i'm not sure if the wallet can take it or not

transmission-
TBD based on engine decision

interior-
new upholstery throughout
new carpeting
new headliner

Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:14 pm

Been considering doing a body off on my 65 bug now that I've got another vehicle to drive. Looks like you got a good start and a pretty decent body to work with. Good luck, and I'll certainly be watching for updates.

Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:08 pm

You're off to a nice start! I love these threads and look forward to updates.

Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:24 pm

Nice project :o :D

Sun Feb 09, 2014 9:47 pm

Looking forward to seeing and hearing about your progress!

Wed Sep 03, 2014 4:08 pm

progress has been very slow the last several months...we welcomed our first child into the world so that has had a lot to do with it.

i'm hoping now that the baby is sleeping on a pretty regular schedule i'll be able to sneak out and work on the VW for a couple hours each night

edit: hmm seems that i'm having some issues posting images hosted from facebook...

Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:00 pm

slo ride wrote: we welcomed our first child into the world
Congrats on the new edition.

slo ride wrote: i'm hoping now that the baby is sleeping on a pretty regular schedule i'll be able to sneak out and work on the VW for a couple hours each night
I had those same hopes not long ago and they got squashed by pretty fast. Something about a new baby and having extra energy for anything else was a pipe dream. Hopefully you'll have better luck...

Cool project BTW