Looking at buying this Beetle.

[leaky]

Hey guys. Looking at buying this beetle. It needs a fair bit of work. Just wondering if someone on here more in the know could look at the pics and tell me what you think. Worked on plenty on mini in the past but never beetles so no idea what I'm looking at.

























As you can see it does need some work. What sort of price is that worth? It is a 63 so tax free as well.

Thanks.

[tontoe]

It is probably going to need the bottom six inches all round ,heater channels bulkhead repairs rear cross members etc . usual beetle stuff i have about 20 under my belt !! its a small window pre 65 so more desirable but they do command high prices and as always you will need to do something spectacular to stand out from the crowds

[spandelly]

If its complete and you can weld then its a great project. if its a runner then bonus. Check for float in the crank but it is a beetle so easy to work on. Do be prepared for a lot of welding but you can get pretty much all the panels. as for price god knows but if you fancy it looks like a decent project. the one I had was way worse than this. Thats why it ended up a trike.

[waveman1500]

The floorpan itself doesn't actually look that bad, although I'd be checking it carefully with a screwdriver. Also check the front framehead carefully. As others have said, needs new heater channels and repairs to the inner wheelarches and firewall. None of the bits that you will need are hard to get, so if you're happy to do the rust repairs and you want a project, it looks okay.

What is the condition of the bonnet like? Good bonnets are usually hard to find. The engine lid is less rare, but still important, and check the condition of the fenders unless you're happy to replace them.

Personally I would run away from it, but I don't even own a MIG welder so I'm not in a position to do a major rust-repair restoration.

[bl1300]

ooer thats a bit crusty. If you can weld and want to do a fair amount go for it, if you can't start running and don't look back until you've crossed the border ;D

[composimmonite]

Anything is repairable and Beetles are well provided with parts. However the costs soon mount up and you could find that, unless the car is very cheap, buying something in far better condition would probably work out a more sensible option.

Paul h

[mungo]

If it's cheap,your in no rush and you like welding go for it.
...........personally I'd save some more money and buy one that doesn't need so much welding ......but I'm a lazy curse word...

[mudpud]

If you are a masocist buy it if not run away as fast as you can and look for another, because
the rust that you can see is only the beginning of the saga.

[leaky]

I can kinda weld although have never been brave enough to weld on a car. I guess this would be a great time to learn. Well its a 63 so as said more desirable. How much would you pay for this? It does have the bonnet and boot and all the fenders which are in good nic. Rough guess on price?

[Dez]

beetle prices are pretty daft at the mo, id value it at 500 quid-ish but ive a feeling these days it would be more like 800-1k for a complete fat-pillar project.

id expect that to need a grand it panels, it WILL need the majority of the framehead replacing, bulkhead panels and bottom plate at the least, so expect it to have a bit of tunnel bottom plate rot too.

60s cars don't rot as bad as 70s ones, but itll still need pretty much everything replacing, maybe even full rear 1/4s by the time the wingbolt line, body mounts and bumper mounts are shot.
add to that both pans, both channels, front bulkhead, rear heater tube panels, inner rear 1/4s (which you cant get so need to be fabbed), hookys pillar bottoms, front bumpermounts/spare wheel panel, both valances, and that before you find any of the ticky bits of rot like bonnet/bootlid lips, rear end of the gutters, etc.
yeah, all the panels are available, at a price, but they're not renowned for fitting very well, so unless youre a pretty proficient welder-fabricator, id forget about it tbh.

[leaky]

Thanks for all the advice. It has been taken on bored. I think I'll look for something else. Unless I can get this for £500.

Thanks.