1974 Beetle Project...ideas please!

[mechagran]

Hello chaps, ;D

Hope you are all enjoying the "Summer" and looking forward to RRG12.

I have some time over the Summer due to a change in circs so i thought a little project would be a good idea. As such i popped a tentative bid down on a local bug without viewing it (i know, i know) and found out later on that I had won it! Hooray-ish!

Gf was not over the moon shall we say! hehe. No MOT at the moment but she drove back fine save for almost running out of fuel and now I'm having a bit of a dilemma:-

On the basis she passes the MOT (which is not certain) I simply do not know what to do...i really want to slam it, de-bumper it, cal-rat it, (or matte black satin jobbie) and then gradually allow nature to take its course, but on the otherhand she is borderline salvageable for a proper resto project.

Floor pans are solid, but doors are not great, wiring loom will need replacing at front and wipers don't work. Only one key which almost opens the door sometimes and a bit of a dodgy smelling interior with rips and the usual curse word as well as some body rust. Weird she is a '74 but has a flat window and an old style dash...

Unfortunately I have never owned a beetle and I know funk all about them really except for the usual wikipedia basics. I have very limited mechanical skills so other than the very basic stuff and interior I would be paying for welding / spraying etc.

So I'm looking for inspiration / ideas/ do's/ don'ts - feel free to chip in an offer your two penniths nothing will offend! I you are a Beetle expert and live in Devon then there may even be work here for you ;D

Cheers all, and thanks in advance. Pics below



not a happy gf

[Mystery Machine]

My 2 pence worth...

Get it solid, get it working properly, get it MOT'd and on the road before thinking of modding it too much. Step away from the satin black and rid your mind of those rat-look thoughts. While natural patina on Beetles looks cool, personally, forced look doesn't unless you really, really know how to nail it (which only about 1/100 do!).

With a suitable ride height adjustment I'd just roll it as is (once it's all solid and reliable) and attend some shows, pick up ideas about which direction you want to go with it while enjoying it the whole time. There isn't much time to do anything special between now and the Gathering so getting it there under its own steam and possibly some ride height correcting is all I would concentrate on right now. You'll be amazed how much cooler it'll look in its current (genuine) faded red paint, even with blemishes, once you've got it rolling a bit lower....the wheels will work many, many times better too.

[Lawsy]

that looks nice - good luck with getting it sorted and cheering up the GF

[stretch]

sound good plan get it on the road first fella

[mechagran]

In a single flourish you have justified my post - thanks for the comments , I do agree that ride height will make a bigger difference than perhaps I can appreciate right now. TY

[kingsmith]

is that a 1302???

just get it a bit lower than have a look around the shows to see what you like,

but don't mat black it so old now, KEEP IT RED LOOK GOOD..

[Lawsy]

I'd lovea beetle too, simple advice as above would be to MOT and roll, sort the ride height and let it take its own course..

[mrj]

Jun 11, 2012 11:42:42 GMT mechagran said:

not a happy gf

that seems to be an understatement ;D

lower it, MOT it, roll it... i have a similar project coming to me maybe soon, i have some ideas for that, but for the beginning i just want to drive it like it is ... also, when gfs are not happy about a car, it shouldn't be a very big project, it must be a quick project on the road ....

[trg1984]

Try polishing it, might come up really well. But as said, get it roadworthy and through an mot before anything

[waveman1500]

I know that I'm a bit of an odd one out around here, but I'd say that it already looks like the proper ride height for a Beetle, which is the stock height. Polish and touch-up is the way to go. I'd put chrome bumpers on it if you can get some for a decent price, or at least paint them a different colour. A stock Beetle is a marvellous thing, which I think people underestimate.

[alfiejg54]

Drop the front end and get it road worthy and start having fun with it!

[Jizmondo Scrotmondo]

Get it mechanically 100%, get an MOT.

slight drop in the ride height, then I'd have a crack at the paintwork and see if it comes up (nearside quarter needs paint, obviously) if not, respray then fresh chrome bumpers, chrome body trim, crystal headlamps and refurb the wheels.

I love a nice, clean shiny Bug. My old 1303 was in the same sort of condition when I bought it, after some workand fresh paint, I got it to this-

[mechagran]

thanks all, you are gents. Wow that beetle looks stunning, ok I think i will stick to ride height and then some elbow grease. I am tempted to ditch the bumpers alltogether but I think I know the direction I'm heading in! Really appreciate the input thank you!!

[Soopahfly]

Judging by that look, if you rat-look it, it will be no sex for you.

Hell hath no fury like a woman driven round in a car they perceive to be a piece of curse word.

[Deleted]

I'd get some smart satin black on the bumpers, I think that'll look better with that sea of red than chrome. Clean it up, lower the front a smidge but otherwise leave as is until you've got used to it. It looks reasonably honest as it stands.

One of my favourite mods on these has to be putting the bullet type indicators down by the side of the headlights instead of on the wing tops (can't find a picture) but with yours you could easily get away with the in-the-bumper type indicators for a smooth look at minimal expense.

Can't fault the wheel to rubber ratio either, Beetles tend to look better with a bit of sidewall on them.

[MrSpeedy]

If it was me, I'd about with the suspension to increase the arch/tyre interface (yes, raise it up!!), chop it about and build a stonking great Baja bug. But that's me, and I want one!

[ChasR]

I would try and MOT it first. I would not underestimate what could be needed (most of my classics which had an MOT still needed a good chunk of work to get them through.

As the rest have said, get it to some shows and decide what's for you. Whilst the 'rat-look' may look good, unless done right it can look naff in addition to making your car a rot box (ask a couple of members here who left their patina be . A bit of touching up the car should be fine .

I am sure that they only came with one key, which is quite a rare thing! On my Beetle it was only one key for the ignition and door looks (same on my Stag oddly enough bar the boot lock which uses a much smaller key than the rest, even the fuel filler cap).

Me? I quite liked my Beetle the way it was (1200 guise, with a small drop), although I would have preferred some smoothies on it, and a hotter engine (a 1600/1641 was on the cards but before that had the chance to occur I sold it). But what appeals to one man may not appeal to all :




Either way, you will have fun, and meet a good bunch of chaps along the way .

[streetvw]

have a play with this

www.typ-17.de/media/content/bugselecta.htm

one I did but you could easily paint the trim and bumpers satin black and like Volksangyl you could use the later bumpers with integrated indicators on the front and clean up the tops of the wings but it looks like a good starting point

[Deleted]

Get it MOTd and paint it like a ladybird.

(Really? It's a Beetle. Go wild. There are thousands and thousands of them, make it your own).

[mdh]

Throw away that ugly red metal bit and drop a buggy body on it :-D

Instant cool