canned4thgen

im looking into a 66 bug and i was just wondering what i should look out for on it. like what goes bad in them and what not. thanks any help would be appreciated

Fritz The Cat

One major thing to look for, crawl under the car and check the mounts where the motor bolts to the frame for rust.

__________________
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
If it wasn't for FORD,
All my tools would rust.


Fritz

Axman

The rear engine bugs don't bolt the engine to the frame. You probably mean the transaxle mounts. Depending on the state in which the car came from those mount bolts could be okay. One thing to make sure of is the front trunk lid. The only way to release these is with a cable inside the glove box. If the cable is broke there is no safe way to open it without damaging the lid. Make sure the cable works and if it does, check the condition of the cable.

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1973 VW Beetle, 1600 engine with all of 57 hp.
1992 Mustang LX convertible, 2.3L engine with 165 hp. Thanks to Racer Walsh!
1979 Chevy Malibu Station Wagon. 305/350th 250 hp and planning more.
1983 Chevy S-10, 2.8L V6, hp unkown, my daily driver.

jambottle20

The most common thing to go on beetles are the heater channels. these are like sills and provide the body with rigidity. Open the doors and peel back the carpet and see how much metal you have. Replacing the heater channels is a pretty big job because you must not let the body move, otherwise it will not re-bolt to the chassis.

you never really know what you have with a beetle until you strip it down, there could be a lot of hidden rot. The front beam should be solid.
Look for seal retainers on the bonnet, they are very difficult to replace. Most beetle engines last for ever and would be the least of your worries, they bolt onto the gearbox with 4 bolts and there is unlikely to be a problem there.

Best bet is to buy a recentlty restored bug where you can see photos of what has been done, good luck!

bedlamite

Body mounts above the rear shocks can be welded.
Floor pans are probably gone, they can be replaced fairly easily.
Heater channels are tough to replace, but not impossible. It's easier to do without removing the body from the pan.
Rust holes in the pan head behind the front axle beams? keep looking for one that only takes a lot of work.

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If you can make black marks from the apex of one turn to the braking point of the next, you may have enough horsepower.