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Wow Paul…you’re an old fart now! Have you been getting AARP stuff in the mail yet? Seriously, thanks for compliments.
Joe, most retired age people need more “clearance”, so join the club. My first TD was made to fit me and no one else could see over the dashboard. I’m not retired yet, but wish I was.
I’m at the NJ Shore, just south of Sandy Hook/Sea Bright area in Monmouth County. Paul is farther north, off I-78 in New Providence…where in LI are you?
If your TD’s body and interior are in good shape, you are just working on a VW Beetle. How many lug nut are on your wheels? This will tell us what series your donor was. I am going to suggested a VW manual by Robert Bentley, but depending on the series you have, the books are different. One is the “Red Book” and the other is “Blue Book”.
4 lug wheels are 1968 and up with Independent Rear Suspension (IRS). They are all 12 volt and 1600cc engines single or dual port. The front end has ball joints.
“wide-5” lugs are swing axle rear suspension and king-pin front end. Most were 6 volt cars, except for the 1967 Beetle, it being the first 12 volt Beetle. Engines could be 1200-1500cc’s all single port.
Some FiberFab/CMC TD kits were based on the VW Super Beetle. They required a special adapter bulkhead to put the “regular” Beetle twin beam axle on the floor pan. Super Beetle based cars are all IRS rear suspension. Hopefully the builders used a ball joint front beam too.