New to the Buggy Life

[ameyejesus]

Good morning,
I just bought my very first buggy. I have had it authenticed and now looking for some input in the direction of restoration I should go. The gelcoat is trashed and has several screw holes from a top that id like to get filled in. Is it worth getting repainted or should i just leave it along?
Also the pan needs a new bulkhead and pan. Should I replace it with new part?
Or I found a ready to go berrien nostalgia chassis local to me i could pick up for about the same price as fixing this one.
Id like to keep it looking close to original but would like to update somethings, mostly the gauges, seats and maybe a little bigger engine.

[5150bossman]

Welcome to the insane asylum! You came to the right place for guidance and to ask your questions. You will have years of fun with your buggy no matter how you build it. How do you plan on using it? Mostly street, or off-road?

Yes, you can patch the fiberglass holes and paint it. Ours had a root-beer brown metal-flake gelcoat, and the PO had it painted yellow. We've had it 20 years and the paint still looks good. Is the tunnel rotting/cracked? Or just the floor pan halves? The budget, amount of damage, as well as your individual skill set will dictate which direction you want to go. Have you checked to see if there are any like-minded individuals in your area that would be willing to lend a hand?

With the help of the internet/social media in general, along with a couple of VW books that are still readily available, you can do much of the work yourself. I knew nothing about VW's when we started, but over the last 20 years have been able to do a majority of the work myself with all the resources that are out there. I prefer the Haynes VW Beetle & Karmann Ghia 1954 thru 1979 repair manual (lots of photos to follow along). Others prefer How to Keep your Volkswagen Alive... for the Complete Idiot (yes, that's part of the name of the manual ). There are also many parts houses on the internet that cater to older VW parts too (CIP1, Airhead Parts etc.).

Post some pictures when you get a chance. We would love to see it!

[stevemac]

Welcome, I am new to the buggy life as well. I bought mine about a month ago and have been having fun fixing up some of the mechanical things that the PO neglected.

Good luck with your new buggy
Steve

[ameyejesus]

The pan itself isn't that bad the worst part is the front edge were the pan meets the head. its rusted all the way across and underneath the head is completely gone.
I just figured Id replace all of it while it was out. But someone local to me has a berrien frame they are selling. I would consider buying that but mostly concerned about the fiberglass floor.
Most of my use with it will be just street driving but would like to take it to the dunes and maybe some off roading. I use to have a 74 I daily drove for a few years so I'm familiar mechanically with them. Mostly just don't want to do anything stupid and ruin the value. As this will be a fun car for me to use and fix up but then evenly will be selling it.

[5150bossman]

Also welcome to Steve. Where are you out of?

We'd love to see the progress of the work on both your buggies. So long as you are making progress, the work doesn't have to be pretty. If it snows where you live, use that time to put together your plan of what you want to do, and get some of those projects done. Just don't get wrapped up in trying to make it perfect before getting it out on the road either. Get it running and get out and enjoy it . You can then make small upgrades every now and again to keep the project manageable. Post some pics so we can see.

[stevemac]

Thanks 5150Bossman. Some of the work has been mechanical - bled and adjusted brakes, transmission fluid drained and refilled, oil changed, new plugs and wires, new speedo (old one didn't work)
but some of the work has been on the exterior
Old Exhaust
New Exhaust
Old front bumper
New front bumper
Old wheels and tires
New wheels and tires

More changes to come....

Steve

[5150bossman]

Cool ride!

[manxvair]

The pan itself isn't that bad the worst part is the front edge were the pan meets the head. its rusted all the way across and underneath the head is completely gone.
I just figured Id replace all of it while it was out. But someone local to me has a berrien frame they are selling. I would consider buying that but mostly concerned about the fiberglass floor.
Most of my use with it will be just street driving but would like to take it to the dunes and maybe some off roading. I use to have a 74 I daily drove for a few years so I'm familiar mechanically with them. Mostly just don't want to do anything stupid and ruin the value. As this will be a fun car for me to use and fix up but then evenly will be selling it.

Realistically in my opinion the value is in the memories you have in the buggy, like any other vehicle you will probably never fully recoup the money you invest in it, but if repairs are done properly and you don't reduce the integrity of the structure you will be in the best possible place for a good return, IMHO get the buggy going, and enjoy it.

[ameyejesus]

Awesome guys thanks for all the info. I ended up just buying a complete other clone buggy that had the whole chassis and motor redone so im just going to swap over the body and parts i want. After looking at parts and labor this was my best option.

[ameyejesus]

Is there anyway to get the roll bar off without cutting it or the body? Im not sure if this is normal or not but my roll bar has a U-bolt holding it to the body from the inside but the outside where the nuts would be are glassed over. Also the plates that bolt to chassis at the bottom are welded on it isnt the type that slides down over.

[manxvair]

Is there anyway to get the roll bar off without cutting it or the body? Im not sure if this is normal or not but my roll bar has a U-bolt holding it to the body from the inside but the outside where the nuts would be are glassed over. Also the plates that bolt to chassis at the bottom are welded on it isnt the type that slides down over.

Maybe if you could post some pictures it would help, what your describing isn't what is usually done.

[ameyejesus]

I dont know how to post pictures. Don't I have to post them photobucket then link them here? Either way im just going to cut the ubolt mounts off for now, i need the bar out of the way. The other problem im having now is i have a new chassis and the body doesnt sit all the way down on the back and front. The back has about an inch gap and the front about the same. The sides sit nice a flush. Any suggestions to get it all the way down?

[GotManx]

You can add your pictures to the gallery on this site. Instructions are here:
http://www.manxclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=3419

[abgiles]

You're not going to hurt the value by changing it out to the Berrien Chassis. Maybe only an absolute purist wouldn't see how much better the Berrien chassis is over the stock shortened beetle chassis, and there have been zero issues with the fiberglass floors. Lots of folks use them. John Mickle and his crew at ACME/Berrien are a great group, and are always there to help talk you through issues you may encounter with other aspects of your build.

If you've found a good deal on one, I'd snag it up, provided it's for the application you want. There are 2 types of VW front ends used, balljoint and kingpin/linkpin. And two types of rear suspensions: Swingaxle and IRS (both are truly a form of independent rear suspensions, but that's how they're termed/differentiated). Without a body lift, a Manx II has plenty of room to use the IRS rear, but a Manx (Manx 1 so to say, but they were not called that) must use a 3" lift to utilize the IRS rear. So make sure you're asking the questions about the front and rear portions of what the chassis is, and it will work for you. If it does, go for it! If not, share it here, so somebody else that could use it may be helped out.

[ameyejesus]

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This isnthe issue im having. The body is sitting down all the way on the edges. But along the back there is a significant gap. I can fit my fingers in there with space to wiggle them.