Hi all ...

i am really looking for some advice from "the experts" on here ...

I am interested in buying/building a beetle that is as close to a modern car in "drivability" as possible ...so that I can basically use it as an everyday driver. And to complicate matters, I would like to use an early oval body (pre 55 hopefully) so that it looks "old school" but drives as close to "normal" as possible.

do you think thats possible, and what major systems would I need to upgrade. To be honest, my main concern is that I live in quite a hilly area. I have a stock 58, and driving it in my local area is awful ... you need almost 10 minutes notice to apply the brakes ...and relying on the handbake on a hill start is just plain scary

from reading on here, I know that its possible to put disc brakes all round on a beetle, I also know that the suspension can be improved by putting in the suspension from a very late model 70's beetle (I think thats called irs) ....I think that you can put in electronic ignition ...is there anything else that can make a huge difference ...

and what about that handbrake for the hill starts, is there anyway that can be improved ... or is that as good as it gets ...

how do i get decent windscreen wipers

i do totally understand that a 50 year old car is a 50 year old car, and not likely to drive like a modern one.

but what mods can i do to get it so that its a safer and more comfortable daily driver

My budget is around $30k and I need to get it done by a professional restorer as I am fairly useless at this sort of stuff.

Do you think thats a reasonable budget..

and can i still keep the original pre 55 body and pan, or do I basically need to put an old model body on a late model pan..

sorry about all the questions...any help or suggestions are very appreciated

For daily driving a wise upgrade would be dual circuit brake system of 68+ Beetles.
4 wheels discs are nice but not essential, the rear drums are very capable when everything is in good order and adjusted right.
Same with stock handbrake, works very well when adjusted right.

You can leave the stock link pin front end and convert to IRS and still get a good handler with some wider wheels and a sensible drop.

Engine wise you don't need to go OTT for a punchy daily but I would definitely recommend fuel injection.
A lot of people will say just go Subaru for the ultimate daily driver engine but its a shame to early cars fitted with them.

Have you just got a stock 6 volt single speed wiper motor?
best upgrade is later 2 speed 12 volt one.
You can even fit variable delay intermittent if you if fit a later steering column with the stalk style wiper switch.

Do not fall into the trap of buying a set of wheels that do not fit and narrow the front end to suit, this will cause all types of issues with the handling and accelerate the wear on the front end, There is nothing wrong with the link pin front end, my early Ghia has a link pin/ IRS set up and converting the early pan to IRS is advisable, if you use a later pan with the IRS rear end you pick up the disc brakes, engine depends on were your loyalty lies, Subaru if you just want to drive the car with minimum maintenance of a vw because it is in keeping with the car, just requires a bit more care, just as reliable if built correctly, I am not a fan of drum brakes so I would recommend four wheel disc brakes, be aware that any modification like the brake conversion will require engineering, same with a engine capacity increase or Subaru conversion, do not let people tell you these are not required, check with an engineer before you do any mods, a narrowed beam cannot be approved as any narrowing of the track is illegal, making your car uninsurable and technically unregistable.

Rod

Where are you located first of all

I suggest that you go to a VW shop and have a talk to them some of the shops do this conversion regularly

The best option would be to upgrade the chassis to a ball front end with a IRS rear end from a semi auto car disc brakes front and dual brake circuit and make it 12V

I would get a 76 pan and swap over
You will have a 76 with a 55 body - not a 55

But you will have
12 Volts
disc brakes
drums that work
ball joints IRS
collapsible steering
high back seats
seat belt mounting points
etc etc.... the list goes on

all with out expensive add ons

a disc brake kit installed will cost almost as much as a pan swap

Put the pan etc away for "one day"

Consider a 56 - 57 oval as well

54 ribbed doors are bloody expensive and hard to get parts for

The only problem with using a 76 pan is when you go get it engineered it is going to have to meet 1976 ADRs which means padded dash, 2 speed fresh air fan for windscreen, charcoal canister for the fuel tank and meet the 73+ noise level which from memory when I had mine done (74 model so same ADR) is max of 94db at 3/4 peak power.

1976 The only problem is you still have a car that drives like a 38 year old 1976 VW .
I WOULD recommend going for a drive in someone's restored VW Before you do your cash. Ask around the vw car scene , There will be lots of people willing to show you and take you for a spin in their VW .
There not a nice summer time car if you have been spoilt by driving a Air/con car already.
if your got $30000 and your set on a beetle.
I would not recommend doing one up.
I have owned 30 VW and never restored one, I just buy them at a really good price maybe 1/4 of what the person has spent doing them up and
once people have spent years doing them up.
just buy this one and there's no time wasted in doing one up.
I think this one covers all the list and them some.
A show winner.
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Volkswagen-Beetle-1955/SSE-AD-2702...

$30,000 can buy you a whole lot of new VWs , beetles ,golf etc my choice for a daily drive
.
http://www.carsales.com.au/new-cars/details.aspx?R=660252&__Qpb=1&Ver...

Just baja it , makes the ultimate daily driver as traffic islands, square gutters and carpark concrete blocks become mere 'bumps' in the road.

Why, is there some thing incorrect in my statement. I thought this was a forum.

Yup , you're all over the place.

There's nothing incorrect in your statement, its just that you're sounding like a broken record.........you have made the same point upteen times all over the forum, move on.

Considering the original post doesn't say anything about using a narrowed beam, nor does any other post after, why would you raise the same monotonous argument.

Maybe just give some positive ideas on building a good daily driver

Anything to add to the post for aussietanker

Thanks for agreeing my post is correct, aussietanker ask for advice and that what my reply is.

Its probably worth a mention that just ensuring all 'wear and tear' items and adjustments are up to scratch is the cheapest and probably most affective course of action, as these certainly make a difference with the driveability. Try driving a car with dodgey engine mounts, sloppy 'sail around the world' shifter with worn synchros and wheels out of alignment. Eep!

A well maintained vehicle will make good of the factory capability, which 'typically' should be drivable for the supposed little old lady that owned the car prior (as most dub owner history seems to stem from). If the driveability seems out of reach for a little old lady, you know that the full capability / capacity of the stock car isn't being utilised. Question yourself, will the little old lady be able to drive this? (i say that in my baja, and its often a no lol - work in progress).

Things like proper brake adjustments, good condtion shoes/drums, non-frayed / cracked brake lines, clean brake fluid, good shocks / bushes, non-perished engine/transmission mounts, proper adjusted clutch / bowdentube / clutch pedal, strong healthy transmission, properly adjusted shifter, shift rod coupler and bushes, steering damper, wheel bearings, wheels aligned & balanced, non-stupidly wide tyres (my personal issue) and a strong healthy engine.

We are talking a daily, not some track day car your after. I guess the only concern i'd have personally is brake fade on 4-wheel drums if your drives involve coming down steep long ranges. a pair of disk brakes as the front will sort that out , and as mentioned dual circuit master cylinder / reservoir for added security, and swap in a later collapsible steering column. Otherwise keep it simple.

I agree with ian.mezz.

Buy a car that someone else has already put the money into and make their loss your gain. As long as you buy a well looked after car and keep it well maintained you won't have massive dramas with it.

Change out the front brakes for discs as has already been mentioned, dual circuit M/C, new brake lines while you're in there, GOOD tyres (not cheap Ling Longs or similar), Make sure all the steering and suspension components are as good as new, and then practie your hill starts. Like Joel says, if your brakes are setup and adjusted properly then it shoudn't be an issue. If you can't rely on your handbrake for a hill start, FIX IT! I never use my handbrake for a hill start in my 74 (or any car for that matter) and I never have had a drama.

Joel also hit the nail on the head for wipers. Also make sure your windscreens are always covered inside and out with RAIN-X or similar and you won't have any problems with visibility on wet days

You don't NEED aircon, or half the other modcons. But three safety ones I would suggest are:

- A cupholder of some sort, just so if you do happen to have a bottle of drink or something in the car it NEVER finds it's way to the floor causing you to rifle around for it instead of paying attention to the road, and so it can never wind up under your pedals or feet by accident.
- A fire extinguisher. Let's face it. They are old engine, they have magnesium in the case and if it goes up, it's going up fast. If you can prevent a massive disaster by having a $30 extinguisher in the car then great. If you never ever need to use it, then that's even better. Replace it whenever the use by date passes, and it's one of the cheapest insurance policies you can get.
- 12V port so you can keep your phone charged just in case you ever get stuck and need help. The last thing you want is a battery sitting on 12% when you need it in an emergency.

One other thing I would look at, but it's up to you. Is upgrading your lights. Make yourself more visible to others, and create better visibility for yourself. I am going to be upgrading all of the lights on my 74 soon just for that added peace of mind.

I hope something here has helped

sorry for not replying earlier guys, i really do appreciate all the answers ...

unfortunately i have come down with a really bad bug (the nasty kind! ... not the vw kind) and have been out of action since posting this question ... i am still off work, but am improving ... hopefully i will get to look thru all the replies tomorrow ... i may then have more specific questions ...

there are lots of things to consider here ... thank you to everyone who has contributed so far ,,,

regards
rod

Rod

Where are you located first of all

I suggest that you go to a VW shop and have a talk to them some of the shops do this conversion regularly

I am in Sydney vw54.

I thought it was in my Sig, it's not ...I will try to change that ...

Are ppl able to name actual shops n businesses on here ?

Try Vintage Vee Dubs

Beat you to it?

Vintage Vee Dub Supplies
Harp St Campsie
9789 1777

Speak to Boris

Its best off talking with people who have done this job many times before and know what parts work with what and which are best

No good spending money on shinny junk items that do not fit ( theres a lot of crap out there )

Make a list of what you think you would like to have done or can do yourself

also a list of parts if you have got any or would like to have something special like Porsche Fuchs wheels or some other brand or type

and the biggest Question is to know what your expense limits are and try to stick to them

nothing wrong with swing axle for a daily either.