GermanLook Forums - Dave's Proper German Look Build

Alrighty…the is going to be long. (lol, when am I never not?!)

I’m hesitant to post this since the deal technically isn’t finished, and the seller could change their mind at anytime, but I’ve made an agreement to buy a 1973 Beetle project. Since buying the house two years ago, the German Look project honestly hasn’t been high on my list of things to accomplish. I do look at every 1973 Beetle that comes up for sale in B.C. though, and that’s been pretty easy to keep me from buying anything with which to start the project. Everything is rusty.

Now, to be fair, I’ve reached the point where I think that if you’re going to buy a 1973 Super Beetle to cut up for a German Look project, it’s going to be rusty. The question is how much? Ultimately, I could go out and buy a $12-15k “restored” car, and cut that up, but I think you’re still going to find surprises…especially when you split the body from the pan. I want a car with minimal welding. I don’t want to be doing heater channels. I know I’m going to have to do the C-Pillars in anything I buy, but I really want a car that (like the rally bug) I can look the other way and pretend it’s going to be “okay” because the C-Pillars are so solid.

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Four or five weeks ago, a stalled “German Look Project” came up online for $8k, and I spoke to the owner a few times over the phone and via email. The car was presented as “rust free”, but I could see some areas of concern in the photos. There also wasn’t a whole lot of car to consider. The bulk of what you’d be buying is the Porsche brakes and toppling suspension, much of which I am not going to use. The car was also out in the middle of nowhere, six hours plus from my house. I decided to pass.

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Two weeks ago while I was in the U.K. a fully restored, Marathon edition, ’75 Beetle came up in town for $7k. and the photos made it look absolutely perfect. More than a few of my buddies sent me the link as “the car” I needed to pickup.

Now, I have owned over 50 cars in my life, and I’ve only ever spent more than $6k on a car once…and that was my 1958 Beetle. My next most expensive purchase is my truck, at $4k. I’ve never spent above $2k on anything else I’ve purchased. Spending $7k on a car I’m going to strip and cut up is not something I am particularly interested in. But alas, you start thinking about the possibilities, and how much further ahead you could be if the shell was rust free…and suddenly you find yourself calling a buddy and asking him to go and look/buy the car on your behalf. Life is pretty good when you have friend’s who will go and risk $7k on a promise that you’ll pay them back!

Sadly, that car didn’t work out. The visible parts of the shell were almost perfect, with the exception of seam sealer used in the front quarter seam (where the trim sits) and at the rear apron area. Despite it being a colour I love, the various patches underneath were not up to my standards. I can accept bumper mount areas patched, front quarters patched, but not when it’s steel cut into rectangles and just welded in and not cleaned up. Use factory-style repair panels or clean up your welds and hide that stuff! But it did get me thinking…

I was willing to spend $7k on a car that could be rust free. What am I willing to spend on a car that is almost rust free, or at least one I can see everything? I emailed Chris with the stalled project as I flew back from the U.K, and we started talking about the car again.

I stopped in on my road trip home, and had a good look at what he’s got. The shell is excellent in some areas…For instance, every bolt came out of the heater channels and fenders without problems, and there is zero rust visible around 95% of the welded in nuts. Every piece of sheet metal is factory, with the exception of the driver’s side floor pan. Shockingly, the car still has the factory passenger floor panel.

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On the bad side, it’s had an engine fire…so the vent area is a problem. It’s had three patches hacked into the car. and I mean HACKED. There are some areas of rust to contend with, none bigger than a square-inch, maybe two. (or, Toonie-sized if you’re Canadian). Chris lifted the body off the pan while I looked under the heater channels and such.

Dealing with Chris was quite refreshing. He mentioned he had googled me before I arrived, and “realized you’re a perfectionist.” I was very careful to make sure he wouldn’t feel insulted when I pointed out the flaws in the body for my purposes, but he listened to each of them and took it very well. We knew, standing there, that we both valued the car at very different points on the economic scale. Over the next few days we emailed back and forth. He was willing to come down on his valuation on the car, and I was willing to come up. He sent me an Excel sheet which was the inventory of every part he has for the car, including what rubbermaid bin I would find it in.

I’ve emailed him this morning to say I would agree to his last price offer…and I’m going to go and pick this thing up before the end of the month.

- It has Topline Maxx struts, but not the extreme struts that I would have selected.
- It has Porsche big brakes and alloy callipers on all four corners, not sure if its 911 or 944 bits…but if I’m 100% honest I’ll probably put the porsche stuff aside for a future project.
- It has 944 rear arms on it, but the steel units not alloy.
- Porsche Twists…though they have some curb rash.

Other than that, it’s a bare shell with some issues…sitting on a restored pan…with boxes and boxes of parts.

I am tapped out on the dollar spend though. This will not be a fast project to finish, limited strictly by the free dollars I have to spend on it. Whereas the Rally Bug was built in 8 months, I suspect this build will probably be closer to 3 years before it’s finished. So, hopefully by posting this I haven't jinxed it, and I'll be towing it home before the end of the month.

-Dave