In this part of the world the 67 beetle was still a wide-five swing axle beast until 68-69 so this car probably looks like an older beetle to you northern hemisphere guys. I bought the donor beetle three or four years ago from a local guy who had done the rust repairs then run out of steam. It has the heater channels and all the other rust work down plus he overhauled the 1300 gearbox which was a bonus as he is a diesel mechanic and reckoned it was dead easy.
The car had had some front impact damaged repaired at some time and still has a few signs on the front apron of the repair so it's a good candidate for a baja. So basically it's a rust-free beetle ready for the chop, just want I wanted.
I picked up the one-piece front end kit a year ago from a mate in Christchurch who is also building a baja and had scored the moulds. I also have all the fixings to do an IRS conversion on the rear end but I might end up leaving it swing-axle if it sits alright on the road. I have already spoken to my certification guy and he has agreed to do the cert on the wheels, motor and body changes and says he will do it all at the end now that he has seen the car and knows my plans for it. In this country a car has to pass a rigorous inspection every six months to remain road-worthy plus certification if anything is altered lik in this car.
The story so far then, I brought the car home from where I have had it stored for the last few years in my workshop in Richmond, South of Nelson. And first up I cut the front apron off and trimmed the one-piece nose to fit the body. It took all day to trim the nose as it is hard to measure and you can only cut bits off - any cock-ups and you're buggered basically. But it got there eventually and sits pretty well on the body. I will trim it slightly more when I have made up the hinge unit for the tilt-front.
I also started on the rear guards and will cut the back off tomorrow unless something else distracts me from doing it.
The Cal-look Lounge
Author
