My neighbor and I have been talking about getting a project car for awhile now. It'd be mine, I'd pay for it, as well as pay for all the supplies needed to get it up to par. He'd just contribute the work. It was sorta his idea, I think it's a good thing for me to do as well.


I've always love Beetles. I learned how to drive one when I was 8 years old on a deer lease and have loved them ever since. Just wondering how the aftermarket is for them on parts and if this is a semi-good idea or not.


A big concern is that it's hot as hell down here. I know they make aftermarket AC's for these cars but I have no idea if they are viable.


Right now me and him are working on a motorcycle. If that goes well I'll probably take this more seriously. I just see a ton of bugs for sale around my area and they can't be asking too much for them, plus I have a soft spot for them.

old bugs make great projects

but depends on what you want to , baja , cal style , or stocker , all can get really spendy

Absolutely. Beetles are some of the best cars to tinker with. There's a huge aftermarket support, tons of junkyard parts and they're loads of fun to drive.

In fact, I'd bet that every town in America has at least 2 Beetles parked in someone's backyard. That's how popular this car was.

Hell. I'm not even sure what I'd want to do with it. I live very close to the beach, so probably something along the lines of a Baja would be good. I'd just like to have the stock look...clean and plain.

My main concern is the heat. It gets in the triple digits here very frequently. I know heat has been here forever, lol. But I'm a wuss when it comes to high heat.

I dont have any knowledge of the aftermarket AC for them, but they are great learning cars, and fun to beat around.

my friends old boss had an air conditioner in his wifes vehicle. it was one of those that were placed on the passenger window. Didnt ask too much about it cause i had no interest in that car when he had 2 69 camaros sittin there too

a couple of good bug forums are www.thesamba.com and www.superbeetlesonly.com Both sites have info about AC systems, there are a couple of different ones ranging from about 1100 to 1500.

i like the lowered clean look.

Go baja! That's what I wanna do! Strip out all the interior, lift it, roll cage, the works!





"You can only feed them semen for so long before their legs fall off."

I did a quick look into the AC's and it looks like it's not a good idea. Sucks away a lot of hp from a car that already makes very little. How difficult would it be to cut up the top of the car to allow some better airflow..I'm thinking something like a moon roof, but made of cloth instead of glass. Surely they sell kits for that.

That yellow bug looks disgustingly hot. I'd do things to that car that shouldn't be done to cars...fur realz

chop the top and put in a sliding rag top.

I'll have to get some pics up of my cousin's bagged, shaved, suicided 75 super beetle.

im seriously gonna do up one beetle one day. almost bought a 69 - oval window..

idk...

they make awsome projects, here's my dad's VW

believe it or not the beetles came with a/c and power windows , lmao

granted they were sold in mexico , since they were made long after they stopped selling them in the US

i had a friend with a long travel suspension baja , and he had a/c , he never had any power issues , of course his had 2.2l motor and a 5spd trans-axle , nice thing with the baja his condenser was mounted up high and got alot of air flow

Dont they make a giant air scoop/box that fits into the window?

When you get moving, the air is pushed through the scoop, into a box with ice, and is cooled and directed into the cab. Call me crazy, but I swear I've seen this a few times.


00 cavalier (5 speed, 2200) 84 chevy c-10 (v-8, 700r4) 64 volvo 122 ( everything......)

old bug yes, new beetle.... gayer then Richard Simmons in a thong

I've had a few air cooled vw's over the years and let me tell you they are the easiest cars to work on. Everything is really simple on them and the cost to buy one is still pretty low. Restoration parts are pretty cheap compared to many other old cars. I replaced the entire interior in my 59 beetle a few years ago -carpet, headliner, seat covers, door panels, etc and it all cost about $300. The only advice I'd give for beetles is look for a solid one- the heater channels rust out and the older the better when it comes to air cooled vw's. The older cars will always be worth more and have a much larger sales market IMO, so stay away from the 70's models especially the super beetles.

drop in on the ground and make it drag


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i would check around some forums first to see if this some thing you want to do. remeber a factory motor i think at most had 50 hp
bugs have many varitions some Irrs some had IFS some had niether. Bugs are prone to rusting because of there age. I would check around forums
and see what to look for in a Sound bug. also crate motor wise bugs are expensive

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/

I've found a couple in my area. Again..I'm not really serious about buying one right now. The idea came to me because I had been seeing them for sale quite a bit recently. The first one I looked at was a '74. The hood, driver door, and trunk were all different colors. The right side of the body..the lower portion had rusted away. Price was 2700.

Second one was 2300 in about the same shape. No year on that one. Both of the interiors were trashed.

I'd say this idea is going to die. No way in hell am I spending that much money on a Bug in that sort of shape. Only reason I was considering it was because of my history with them and the recent abundance of them around here.

There's still good deals out there and since you're in texas it should be pretty easy to find one with minimal rust for a decent price. That 74 sounds high and the 73+ bugs are worth way less than the earlier models. You can replace the entire interior in a bug dirt cheap and remember these cars are 30+ years old and they're going to need some things.

2010 Subaru Impreza WRX Limited
1999 Cavalier Z24 Supercharged
1999 Grand AM SE (Beater Car)
1997 GMC Sierra
2007 Honda CBR 600RR
2005 Honda TRX450R

Here's my cousin's (I haven't had a chance to do a real shoot with it so a pic from my phone will have to do):