And so it begins

[oasis]

I am located near Baltimore, Md. My first order of business is to buy the 1302 or 1303 as my basis. I want it to be structurally sound. Engine and transmission is not important as I will want to upgrade them anyway.

I don't want to spend a lot on the platform unless I can sell the unwanted extras. (Example, if I pay extra because it has a 1600 in good condition, I would want to be able to recoup some money by selling that engine. Another example, I don't want to spend extra dollars on someone else's paint job and other modifications when I probably would delete them anyway.) Buying an abandoned project would not be out of the question.

I am prepared to travel to get the project started, as finding good examples near here is frustrating. Once that first hurdle is cleared, I need to find a reliable shop specializing in air-cooled VWs near Baltimore, Washington, Northern Virginia, or Southern Pennsylvania. I have a great mechanic I have been seeing for the past 14 years for maintenance and repairs.

After that, the project should motor along quite rapidly as I have a clear vision of what I want as the final result.

Thanks for all of the input (here and elsewhere),
René