Need your advice

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Ok here is the deal. I have a running '63 beetle that I recently took off the road to repair near the battery tray. In the process I have found that both heater channels are shot as well as the rear wheel wells and the chassis support panel( thats what the real source calls it anyway, the upright piece that the master cylinder bolts too) is shot on both outer edges. The pans are salvageable.I am thinking about just getting a new chassis and taking the body off, fixing the channels rust etc. and putting it down on the new chassis. Does this sound doable? Or would it be cheaper and easiar just to work with what I have ( replace the channels and patch the wheel wells and chassis support panel)? Any thoughts from anyone who has done this before? If I ended up doing this what year chassis should I look for?

[Trayle D. the real oggfk]

Definitly doable, and if your pan is as bad as you say that may be the way to go, provided you can find a clean pan. Before you get started there are a few things you should do to make it an easier job. a few weeks before you start this job the bolts will need to be lubed up so they dont bread when you try to unbolt the body from the pan. Jack the car up from the back, leaving the front wheels on the ground and at the back of the pan(at the rear of the heater schannels) find a hole to spray WD-40 or some other lube. and drench the insde of the heater channels. It will run down the inside of the channels and out the front of the pan. The bolts should come out easier that way.

As far as what chassic to use, well anything 60-65 will work. 58-59 will work also but the back seat rail is different.