Hey guys I've come to a bit of a cross roads with my project. I've got a 75 L series (super) beetle and I don't know whether to make the Baja chop or go down a resto cal look. Are they any good off road because of the strut front end? Are engineers still passing these mods? Are the 4 stud pattern strong enough for offroading? Are the fibreglass kits readily available for them? Still eligible for historic registration?
I'd love a few people's opinions might help me make up my bloody mind!!!

Simple way to put it is. The supers are crap as baja's. You have to add more weight to the front end then its worth for added strength for offroad use. Just restore it as a beetle or sell and buy a beetle with a beam front.

Cheers mate thanks for the honesty

4 stud wheels, discs and drums isn't a problem.
Kits for super bugs would be far and few between (if even existant) due to the different 'fat chick' front nose geometry.

strut front isn't as optimal as torsion bar in stock from. This is both in strength and the torsion bar having the upper hand of 'rolling' over bumps. however, 4wd's have struts (some also have front end torsion bars too! lol). You'd need to strengthen the struts and the mounts/towers significantly.

if you mod it as much as a baja, it won't qualify for historic rego, but it will qualify for club rego .

the body kit doesn't need engineers approval. It doesn't need blue plate approval either as teh panels you replace are not structural members. However the QLD main roads say it has to be an 'approved' manufacturer's body kit to comply, or else it is put through a destructive tensile and torsional testing at a registered NATA testing facility. Pain in the arse to have the paper work to prove a 40 year old body kit was compliant, so most fit the baja kit and go about their day (I for one). Being fibreglass they require it to be tested to give a stamp of approval, but if you mod the existing steel panels it should be beyond a doubt strong enough to resist (in their words) extensive damage when hitting a pedestrian.

Another big issue is that a 75 model is NOT pre-ADR's meaning that it must comply to certain restrictions as per the ADR requirements then.

Think ill stick to my original plans of a resto rat style keep it clean and simple with less headaches thanks heaps...

75L's make the best German lookers

Lower it and a set of Porsche Boxsters
Cheap as chips

I can appreciate the German look but I'm not really a fan it'll get lowered with white walls classic old school look influenced by the Kustom culture of the 50s but in a vw way hahaha that made sense in my head.

Quote:

Originally posted by nedsta I can appreciate the German look but I'm not really a fan it'll get lowered with white walls classic old school look influenced by the Kustom culture of the 50s but in a vw way hahaha that made sense in my head.