check out: http://www.thesamba.com/VW
Join their forum and start asking questions. I am not sure what year VW started the shaft mounted ignition switch.
My VW based car had a plain column with the blinkers and ignition switch mounted on the dash.
There are companies like Flaming River and IDIDIT that would probably have a column that would work great too.

I agree…these are no better than a set of tall jack stands. Most end up not being used.

I can’t see that 30 inches off the ground to be a benifit.That’s about waist high.Not high enough to walk under,unless you are vertically challenged.You will still have to roll around on a creeper,but now you will have a platform and mechanicals of the lift in the way.This would be a handy lift for paint and body work,but thats about it.
My 2…[Read more]

Ed,
I can get PDFs made. And Frank (our founder) can post them in the manuals section. If you’re willing to send me good quality copies of the manual, send me a private message and I’ll send you my address.PMOSSBERG40133.3079282407

I have a BCW (V-dub) assembly manual. It’s 125 pages plus appendix and patterns. I’ll make it available if I can find a way to scan it & convert to pdf–that is, if you’d want to post it.

Thanks Dan…I might have to go this route if it doesn’t polish out. I haven’t done anything yet except a spot test using a light rubbing compound on one of the white spots. The roughness is gone but surface is lightly scratched. Next step will try to machine buff this area and apply polish. Will let you know how it turns out.

 Ed, Check out these previous posts on the e- brake question.
 VW based seat adjustment
 General Discussion   E-brake & shifter swap
 these posts show some options
 The ”cut and bend the handle ” method is the easiest and it worked for me.

Thanks, James, Paul & Larry. I’ll keep everyone apprised of whatever I do. First will be the brakes and, if the front suspension is as usual, the swap-out for an adjustable unit. She rides a tad rough and stops pretty slow, so I figure these are advisable no matter what (if anything) comes after. And speaking of stopping, here’s a noob question…[Read more]

winnipaw  A wood dashboard is easily refinished ,once it is removed from the car, that is the hard part !! remember to tag all wires as to where they go. one gauge at a time..to strip the old finish off , there are many finish remover products  out there,  I like minwax products on all wood projects. it’s not hard  to do [just time.. ]A GOOD WINTE…[Read more]

Thanks, Larry, for the info and direction to the thread on polishing. I’ll try a marine product approach first and let all know what works best. This little cars finish has some issues.

 Winnipaw, Look under General Discussion, on page 7 there is an inquiry ”polish or wax” which gives some suggestions for bringing back the shine on gelcoat.I have used the Mquiers products with good results but much hard work.It sounds like your dash may have a problem with the clear coat peeling [if it is clear coated] and if that is the…[Read more]

 Hi Ed, Thanks for the pictures. That is a GREAT LOOKING car and it looks to have been taken care of. I like the color combination. It’s also good that you have the top and sidecurtains since that means you can extend your driving season. I’ve got a feeling that the more you drive it the more the desire to convert will fade away.Looks to me that…[Read more]

Hey Ed,Click on the registry link in my signature and post a note with the info we request. Thanks!

Man, that is a sweet looking car Ed.The BCW is a great kit.

Very nice replica . I had investigated an electric conversion, but then figured that I would have to add a recording of the sports car engine sounds that I love to hear. I have driven an electric and was extremely impressed with the instant performance, but I was bothered by the total silence when stopped and the whine upon giving it the gas…[Read more]

BTW, sorry about the triple post. I get an error message every time I post & so I didn’t realize it was actually working.

The Photo section has been broken for a very long time now … I tried
several times to delete some of my photos and to add more .. never could
get results..I suppose frank is the only one that can fix it..

Yeah, I’m getting a script error too://Function to check form is filled in correctly before submitting
function CheckForm () {

var errorMsg = “”;

//Check for message
if (document.frmUpload.file.value==””){
errorMsg += “nt
Microsoft VBScript runtime error ‘800a01f4’

Variable is undefined:…[Read more]

Thanks, guys. It DOES seem to be an expensive project–maybe $8k to complete. I was planning on keeping the original VW stuff just in case, and doing no cutting on the kit components. Figured I’d switch out the old H-beam to an adjustable (or stock) unit, maybe a couple coil-overs for the extra weight, and disc brakes in front. The brakes and…[Read more]