84 daily driver project

[Steve67]

Hey everybody.
I really like build threads, so it's time to start another one.
I've been thinking about a beetle as daily driver for some time as I remember the good old times with the trusty shit box I had before I bought my 67. Earlier this year I took the chance. A friend of mine searched for a beetle to replace a very rusty body on a customer's car but plans changed and suddenly there was the opportunity for me to buy it for a very good price.
After a quick call with my wife, I gave it a go.
It's an 84 Mexican beetle which is more or less complete apart from a missing engine. The body has rust in the usual areas but is very solid in general. It has never been welded or involved in an accident. The previous owner started to work on the car but stopped for some reason.
This is the way it looked when I got it.
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Plan is to build a low budget car that will be driven daily from April to October.
Of course, it will have some Callook tweaks regarding tire choice and stance and other details. And for sure the engine will not be the standard 1200…
I think I will go for black trim and no chrome as this really fits well to the green color. Maybe somehting like this:
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After disassembly it became obvious that the frame head has some serious rust issues, I guess that's why the project was stopped before. Luckily the frame head can be saved.
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So, I started to take care of the crusty areas, I will try to update this thread frequently.

Cheers Stefan

[Steve67]

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[richie]

Always good to see someone saving a crusty one and doing it right, keep up the good work 

cheers Richie

[Steve67]

thanks Richie
In the meantime the welding fun started. I am by no means a professional, but at least I have some good advise from a friend...
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[Steve67]

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[BossHogg76]

Brilliant to see another build thread on the go. Looks like an indepth project as well. 

[Steve67]

yes, like on most projects there was more rust than you would have thought initially 
The front had holes in the typical areas, after test fitting the new parts I welded in the right side front section. Next job is to weld in the repaired bumper brackets again and than the front apron and spare wheel well.
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[Vincent_91]

Nice to see this build, keep up the good work!

[BossHogg76]

That's beyond my skillset and very impressive to see.

[Steve67]

thanks guys :-)

Yesterday I prepared some more sheet metal, hopefully I will find time to weld the patches in next week. The body is getting closer to the finish line. Doors and two of the fenders still need atention though
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[Steve67]

I finished the A-pillars on both sides, repaired the original bumper brackets, welded them back in and also welded the spare wheel well in.
Now only the front apron is missing on the body  
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[j-f]

Nice work
And great to see a Mexican bug saved 

[Steve67]

Yeehaa. The body is nearly finished, yesterday I welded a patch in the rear apron and put the front apron in place. I was lucky to borrow a spot welder from a friend for this task
All fenders are repaired as well.
I only need to add brackets for the removable rear apron and finish some details before I can start to prepare the body for paint. 

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