I've been looking for my next project for awhile, and here she is... My son wanted a VW bus, but I didn't, so we got a 71 VW standard instead. The plan is to build it into a rallycross car along the lines of a Class 11 VW. Now granted we are in TN so there aren't many (or maybe any) Class 11s near us, but we figured we'd give it a go. Purchase price we are still under $2021, but we have to sort through everything to see what we are missing.
We borrowed a tow bar from a local air cooled VW member and had a slow trip home.
The backstory is the guy we bought it from has multiple projects including another VW. He took the body off to repair the pans, then decided to paint it. Well it ended up getting pushed aside for other projects, and he put it up for sale.
Inventory
some of the parts that came with it
Engine
A 1971 standard should have a 60hp 1600. According to the engine number, and my Google fu, it looks to be what we have. I still need to verify that to be sure. Story from the PO was that the engine ran fine, but he pulled while doing the pan and body work and bought a reseal kit because it was leaking. Reseal kit was included so that could be the case.
Paint and body
I've never painted a car before, and since we are trying to do this on the cheap, and since it will be used as rallycross toy, paint doesn't have to be perfect. I've been reading up on home spraying, roller painting, and all other cheap paint ideas.
Here are the pics of the body panels, and the products the PO used. I don't know if any of the products used are good or not.
In reply to octavious :
Love it, will be following.
Haven't seen two beetles in one garage in a long time. 
In reply to Slippery :
Yeah I wanted both a 6cyl and 4cyl version. I did pick a VW because they are very similar to the 911, that lots of things just make sense.
I'm going to try and keep posting as we do things, and hopefully I remember to take pics as we go along. This is more about my son learning to do stuff than me, and with school starting it means there might be some gaps between updates.
The body is resting on, but not mounted to the pan. I think the plan is to pull it back off, check the pan to make sure and work on it without the body in the way. Then address the body and paint. However plans change.
Now for my first question:
1. The cleaner looking spot in the roof is from when the ratchet strapped rubbed. It obviously has sat for some time and has dirt on the roof, front cowl and rear apron. Can I wash the dirt off without messing up the primer? Or is there a special method I need to use for that?
find a used copy of 'how to keep your Volkswagen alive for the complete idiot"
and the "orange" Bentley repair manual,
have fun with it
You can wash the primed surfaces without damaging the primer assuming it was applied correctly and is not flaking off already. I would use a diluted dish washing soap to ensure grease and oil removal to keep it from affecting next application of primer or paint.
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Thanks. I know I've owned that "keep it alive" book at some point in my life. But I may have passed it to a buddy when he was building a VW.
Along those lines is there a good engine rebuild book?
In reply to wawazat :
Not flaking and seems solid. Thanks. It will get washed soon then.
octavious said:
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Thanks. I know I've owned that "keep it alive" book at some point in my life. But I may have passed it to a Buddy when he was building a VW.
Along those lines is there a good engine rebuild book?
The keep your VW alive book is the best manual for everything. The Bentley is the best business like manual
Today's progress with both 2.0s helping included:
A wash
Headliner removal (which included sun visors and rear mirror)
Sound pad removal (which weighed more than I thought, so it should be faster lol) and I guess the OG color was green
And a trunk clean out
octavious said:
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Thanks. I know I've owned that "keep it alive" book at some point in my life. But I may have passed it to a Buddy when he was building a VW.
Along those lines is there a good engine rebuild book?
the old How to Hot Rod your VW engine by Bill Fisher from the 1970s is good for a simple motor,
all these books you get from your library, they can order most books from inter library loan,
plus you can always call me :}
Immediately before color painting you need to re-wash and lightly wet sand this primer with 400 grit. This is recommended, but kinda optional with freshly sprayed primer. It is necessary when the primer has been allowed to age more than a few days.
californiamilleghia said:
find a used copy of 'how to keep your Volkswagen alive for the complete idiot"
and the "orange" Bentley repair manual,
have fun with it
Idiot book is free for an online copy. Just use the Google. If you cannot find it I will attempt to send it to you when I get back to NH.
And if you like the artwork from Peter Aschwanden you owe it to yourself to check out "The Septic system's Owners Manual; Subterranean Mysteries Revealed "....
My niece used one of our copies of the Idiot book as a coloring book.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
Thanks. The doors, hood, fenders and deck lid were all stored off the car and are really smooth to the touch. The roof is the worst spot, it is kind of rough not quite sandpaper-ish, but not as smooth as the other parts. I have some 400, 800, and 1500 grit from something I did in the past.
For a dumb question, is there a special sanding block to use?
I also may have a window or two for you. I am not sure the years, but I know I have at least one rear pop-out window. NH to TN by Unobtainiuminc if he is on this board or I can find him on another. He has a camp up in NH but lives in TN. Gratis from me if you need it.
In reply to octavious :
I use a 3M brand rubber sanding block that uses 1/4 sheets. Do not go any finer than 400 on the primer sanding. Finer reduces the adhesion of the color coat. The coarse texture on the roof is likely from a short painter's arm. The best painter I have ever known is 6' 4" with 40" arms. That coarse texture will cut right down with 400. So quickly that you need to be very cautious! This effect is amplified by the high crown on Bug roofs and fenders. Oh, and by the way "Blue Goose" is (or was?) a local to me hillclimb car with a Devin body on a Chevrolet chassis. I last saw it in 1969, driven by a Dale Jaffe, but I heard that it was still in the area about 1995.
The Blue Goose special. Hobo Hill 1968
In reply to TurnerX19 :
Thanks man. I appreciate the tips.
When I was a kid my grandfather had a blue Mercury Grand Marquis with blue velour interior. At the time it felt like it was 100' long and 10' wide. I had to take my driving test in it, and the only thing I'd driven previously was a 73 VW bug. He called that Grand Marquis the Blue Goose. My daughter wanted the car to be blue and I told her we would call it the Blue Goose and she loved it.
You might look at the paints that summit racing sells, they sell urethane in quart size, so you can buy a quart and do a little work at a time. Can work great, if you are not to picky about color choice, they have a good selection of colors, but they don't do custom or mix to a color code.
