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Maxhouse97 Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2011 Posts: 4 Location: Cincinnati
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 10:11 am Post subject: 1977 Beetle near Cincinnati - need restoration advice/shop |
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Hi everyone,
First post here - need some advice from you smart people on how to proceed. This seems like the VW board to be on! I have a 87 911 so I know how valuable forms can be. I have a 77 Beetle that I inherited from my Father-in-law (FIL). It has sentimental value for my wife (see below).
Here's the problem: while the motor was rebuilt in the last 5 years, and the car looks great, it needs work underneath. My FIL did an amazing job, but we have already dumped $3k into it fixing the old fuel injection, etc. and I don't want to piecemeal another $3k into it getting it running well (it currently won't start/turn-over). And while it was getting a new set of twin carbs, the mechanic said the floor boards had been improperly repaired (by my FIL) ... mentioned that they were pop riveted. He said it was bordering on unsafe to drive. So my thought was to hand it over to an expert and let them go through it - body and mechanical. I don't have the time to work on it myself between my car and two kids under 3.
My goals is to have a solid, safe driving car that I don't have to fix/spend money on every month (at least the big mechanicals). Don't need a show car.
So here are my questions:
1. How much could I get in repair/restoration for a $10k budget? Obviously it won't need paint or engine rebuild, but could need significant under body welding to fix the floor pan. Also may need trans work, starter, alternator, etc. Again I would rather have an expert do a comprehensive mechanical overhaul of all the critical components/preventative maintenance rather than band-aid fixes.
2. What shop would you recommend in the Cincinnati area for a semi-restroation and significant repair (body and mechanical)? I had heard that there was a great shop in the Dayton area (just north) but can't remember the name.
3. How would you proceed? My thought was to take it to at least two shops, get an estimate and compare. Obviously I am sure the sky is the limit in what they will tell me needs done - again I want to prioritize mechanicals and a solid-running car over aesthetics (I think it already looks pretty good). How would you go about avoiding getting swindled?
Thanks for your help.
Tony |
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cp23 Samba Member
Joined: September 27, 2006 Posts: 9 Location: Louisville, KY
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 2:07 pm Post subject: Re: 1977 Beetle near Cincinnati - need restoration advice/shop |
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Did you eventually find a shop near Cincinnati? If so, would you recommend them? I've got a '79 convertible.
I live in Louisville but there's no one around here who can do a restoration.
Thanks |
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mergedown Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2016 Posts: 299 Location: Columbus, OH
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:14 am Post subject: Re: 1977 Beetle near Cincinnati - need restoration advice/shop |
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Maxhouse97 wrote: |
Hi everyone,
First post here - need some advice from you smart people on how to proceed. This seems like the VW board to be on! I have a 87 911 so I know how valuable forms can be. I have a 77 Beetle that I inherited from my Father-in-law (FIL). It has sentimental value for my wife (see below).
Here's the problem: while the motor was rebuilt in the last 5 years, and the car looks great, it needs work underneath. My FIL did an amazing job, but we have already dumped $3k into it fixing the old fuel injection, etc. and I don't want to piecemeal another $3k into it getting it running well (it currently won't start/turn-over). And while it was getting a new set of twin carbs, the mechanic said the floor boards had been improperly repaired (by my FIL) ... mentioned that they were pop riveted. He said it was bordering on unsafe to drive. So my thought was to hand it over to an expert and let them go through it - body and mechanical. I don't have the time to work on it myself between my car and two kids under 3.
My goals is to have a solid, safe driving car that I don't have to fix/spend money on every month (at least the big mechanicals). Don't need a show car.
So here are my questions:
1. How much could I get in repair/restoration for a $10k budget? Obviously it won't need paint or engine rebuild, but could need significant under body welding to fix the floor pan. Also may need trans work, starter, alternator, etc. Again I would rather have an expert do a comprehensive mechanical overhaul of all the critical components/preventative maintenance rather than band-aid fixes.
2. What shop would you recommend in the Cincinnati area for a semi-restroation and significant repair (body and mechanical)? I had heard that there was a great shop in the Dayton area (just north) but can't remember the name.
3. How would you proceed? My thought was to take it to at least two shops, get an estimate and compare. Obviously I am sure the sky is the limit in what they will tell me needs done - again I want to prioritize mechanicals and a solid-running car over aesthetics (I think it already looks pretty good). How would you go about avoiding getting swindled?
Thanks for your help.
Tony |
Theres a shop in Columbus (Powell) called Auto Assets. They specialize in higher end cars, but the owner (Chip) is a huge VW guy. He drives a Thing, used to have a bus, and randomly has Beetles on his lot. No clue what we would charge, as it would depend on the extent of the work that needs to be done, but I'm certain he could help with your Beetle. I ran into him one day when I was driving mine and he asked if he could look at it and offered to work on it any time. Might be worth checking out. _________________ 1978 Convertible Fuel Injected - Blue (originally white...wait...maybe red?) |
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garyt Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2015 Posts: 763 Location: Burgundy
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 2:53 pm Post subject: Re: 1977 Beetle near Cincinnati - need restoration advice/shop |
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Fuel injection and twin carbs? So what does it have?
Floor pan welding is pretty easy from inside the car if you take everything out. |
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davetaylor Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2006 Posts: 218 Location: Hawesville, KY
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:26 pm Post subject: Re: 1977 Beetle near Cincinnati - need restoration advice/shop |
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cp23 wrote: |
I live in Louisville but there's no one around here who can do a restoration.
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That's not entirely true, because Dave Unser is in Louisville and he builds very, very nice VWs. _________________ 1954 3-fold ragtop Beetle project
1969 Porsche 912 (sold)
1979 Beetle triple white German Look convertible
1980 Porsche 911 SC Targa (sold) |
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