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I have an complete kit that has never been built. I have a 69 VW with a very nice chassis.. I was wondering if anyone has tried building one of these on a newer VW chassis.. I know the wheel base is a few inches longer… I’m capable of shortening if needed… are there any other issues ?
Phil
What do you mean by issues? With shortening of the pan the following are also shortened
Shift rod
Fuel line
Brake lines
If manual transmission the clutch cable is affected
Likewise for the throttle cable
If reusing the VW wiring harnesses that will be slack created in wires to rear lights, coil, generator light, etcDavid B Dixon
Port Perry ON CA
SabineWhat do you mean by “newer?” As far as I know, the VW Beetle’s chassis (aka pan) kept the same wheelbase from the 1940s through the end of production circa 1979, and the later Mexican/Brazilian cars were also the same: 94.5 inches. They’re not a few inches longer and don’t need to be cut to work with a TD kit.
The Superbeetle with MacPherson struts had the same wheelbase as well (maybe like 3/4-inch longer?), but the front suspension system won’t work with our kits and would have to be replaced with a twin beam, which would require some cutting and welding and would best be done by a professional with the correct jig(s) in order to keep all the wheels pointed in the same direction and parallel with the frame. It can be done but there’s no point in trying unless you’re aiming to make a business of it.
As for the “new Beetle” (1998-2011): that can’t work for our application, and not just because the New Beetle had a 99 inch wheelbase. That car is a unibody structure totally unlike the modular Type 1.
Hope this helps.
Thank you for this detail… I was looking at a 2001… I have a very nice 1969 that I can use !
Glad I could help. Mine’s on a ’69 and that’s a really good pan for these conversions. Independent (double jointed) rear suspension and ball joint front beam works well.
If you’re just starting a build, do yourself a favor and don’t cut the front beam and weld it back together twisted to “soften” the front suspension as the kit instructions will advise. It’s easier and better to remove all or most of the smaller leaves that make up the torsion spring packs, and reassemble the beam without them. That gets you the ride height you want and—crucially—lowers the spring rate to something closer to what it should be to handle the reduced weight over your front wheels. Makes a big difference in ride quality and handling.
Please start a build thread so folks here can cheer you on.
listen to Ed the hard work has already been done . look into the history & the library and see how to do it . learn from the trial & error everybody else has done in the past
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