# '70 Notch



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

*Project Tetanus: 1970 Notchback*

I have a thread on Samba, but what I'm doing is frowned on a bit over there. So here's the list of what I'm doing.
Mods:
- 1.8L 8v from an '84 Rabbit GTI
- ABT Intake manifold
- 45mm Weber DCOE carbs
- Autotech adjustable cam
- Porsche 901 5 spd trans
- 944 Turbo rear aluminum trailing arms
- 944 Turbo discs all around
- Porsche 924 seats
- remove torsion bars in favour of coilovers
- custom spring plates
- shave engine bay
- squareback fenders with vents
- shave gas fill door
- Punch Drunk customs 3" narrowed air beam
Resto:
- replace both floor pans
- replace rockers, A pillars inner quarter panels
- replace front apron
- straigten out rear apron
- lots more rust repair patching
- replace fenders
There's a lot more to be done obviously... off the top of my head that's what I've got planned. Interior and paint are yet to be sorted... haven't decided on wheels either.
The car had been sitting since '92. After a few weeks of research and ball gathering I scooped it up.
























Surveying the damage.
















































































































Rust repair begins.








Will be making some big progress within the next couple weeks when I get my repair sections/pans/fenders.


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## ANSAracingb (Aug 16, 2005)

*Re: '70 Notch (shaunl)*

Looks like a very interesting project. That body has a lot of rust! But from the last pic it's easy to see you are confident in fixing it; and a good job done at that. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
How will you mount the h2o engine? Laying at an angle, or vertical like it would be in the MkI? I was just wondering if you will encounter clearance issues.
I can't wait to see more pics as your project progresses!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

*Re: '70 Notch (ANSAracingb)*

Thanks. This is my first project car, so I've learned an awful lot already. Hoping to do most of the work myself, including paint.
The 8v will be mounted pretty much like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrcm4drZxo0


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## KIDVersion1 (May 10, 2009)

*Re: '70 Notch (shaunl)*

Pans look fine to me...just needs a wash and wax!







Looks like quite the project, but sounds like it will be cool when it's done. Even though I'd like to see it stay aircooled, the idea of what you're doing is cool. Good luck. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## dublifer (Mar 19, 2004)

*Re: '70 Notch (KIDVersion1)*

well, that tire looks pretty bad...


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## ANSAracingb (Aug 16, 2005)

*Re: '70 Notch (shaunl)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shaunl* »_
The 8v will be mounted pretty much like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrcm4drZxo0

^^Nice. For some reason I was picturing the engine laying more on its side, with a custom oil sump or dry sump setup. But that looks like it fits well.
Are you also going to run a MkIII serpentine belt setup? And where are you planning on putting a radiator?


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## MarsRedScirocco16v (Sep 3, 2009)

You should put this up on the Samba if you haven't allready. Theose guys will give you a lot of advice.


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## tachy's tech (Jul 17, 2003)

*Re: (MarsRedScirocco16v)*

what a shame...!!! all that rust... I cant wait to see the finished product.


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## Scrappy1 (Mar 25, 2009)

*Re: (tachy's tech)*

Big up's 4 savin' her. Miss my notches, shuda kept em.


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## iDubber.com (Nov 3, 2008)

*FV-QR*

wow... GL with her


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Made some room. I finished seam welding all the edges last night.








Rotten rockers are gone and doors are off, bracing installed.








I'm planning on going with a rear mounted rad. My theory is that there will be more than enough air routed back there through the existing cooling ductwork. I'm also going to run Squareback fenders (with Notchback top edge grafted on) with the vents for a bit of a different look and a little extra air flow.
As for the engine mounts I'll be using the old motor mounts with a frame made up to bolt up to the 8v. Figure that out once I have the engine rebuilt.


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## ANSAracingb (Aug 16, 2005)

*Re: (shaunl)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shaunl* »_

















Looking good! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

_Quote, originally posted by *shaunl* »_I'm planning on going with a rear mounted rad. My theory is that there will be more than enough air routed back there through the existing cooling ductwork.

If you need to, you could also mount a nice slimline electric fan with thermostat in case you end up in traffic or are idling in a drive thru and the family ahead of you just ordered two of everything from the menu, lol. That way you still get some airflow when you're not moving forward.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

I neglected to mention that, yes that is the plan.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Decided to do some paint stripping tonight. Found a few more set backs in the parcel tray area. I've got some more patching to do around the rear window as well. :|


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Cut out some cancer today and started sandblasting. I now hate sandblasting with a passion.
















First coat of Por15 applied to the right rear fender area. Will be following up with a second coat of Por, seam sealer over the welds/seams, then a third coat of Por over everything.


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## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (shaunl)*

I would think you would be more tired of rust and welding thin sheetmetal







Rust bullet is a much better product than POR-15. I personally won't ever use it again. Looks like things are coming along well. Have fun with your swap. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif BTW if you need a heater/rocker panel, I have a used one from a 70 fastback. I will have to look and see which side it is if you need it.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

I'm not tired of welding sheet metal yet. I need to go grab a third roll of welding wire though. haha
Made a bit more progress yesterday. Ground down all my welds on the left rear fender, soon ready for Por on that side. I seam sealed the right rear fender and laid down the final coat of Por. Got started on the parcel tray as well. I will have to take my time and do some careful metal work around the rear window.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Three coats of Por15, and seam sealed. **** off rust.








The other side, almost ready for Por15.








On both sides you can see there is some unfinished areas toward the bottom... the repair sections I'm getting will come up to somewhere in that area, so I'm just leaving it for now.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

So this is the direction I'm heading. Wheels may change.... Pretty set on the white wall tires.








On to the progress....
Left rear fender








Glad to get some Por on this area. Still a bit more cutting and welding to do, but I've got to keep the rust at bay while I'm working.








Crawled under and removed 40 year old undercoating. Joy of joys. Happy to say that there is zero rust perforation under here!








Been putting this off. 
cut out the swiss cheese








welded in flat piece and ground down all welds








window seal flange welded in and ground down








It will require a slight bit of fill, but I'm happy with it.


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## 7JAD3 (Jan 13, 2007)

*Re: (shaunl)*









But really, nice job. Many would not tackle this much rust work on a late model. Props http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks. If anything I think the late models deserve more love! A late Notch is a rare thing in North America.


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## 7JAD3 (Jan 13, 2007)

*Re: (shaunl)*

True. I rarely if ever seen a late notch.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

The carbs and head I picked up were a bit of a mystery.... the seller didn't have much info other than the cam wasn't stock and the head was ported. I managed to track down the original owner and this is what he had to say.

_Quote »_
The head was pretty nice. All ported out and had solid lifter buckets and lash caps that it on top of the valve stems. The cam was massive. almost too big for a street car. The head had to be modified to allow clearance for the lobes. It's a Shrick cam, I can't remember the exact specs, but its not the typical 286 you normally see. It's closer to 300+ and has a lift nearing .470 I think. It'll start coming on cam around 4500rpm and wind out to 7500-8000. Pretty trick setup. In the Rocco with the intakes pointed back to the firewall, it would resonate so loud through the interior. Awesome sound!
The carbs were badass, and made great power. They were a handful though, and with the limited selection of jets that I had, i could never get the tuning precise. They are on the big side for a 1.8L. which contributed to getting a handle on them. My biggest issue was getting it to idle properly. I could tune for WOT and have it working great, but didn't have the selection for the idle circuit. Also they are super sensitive to changes in temp and humidity.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

*Re: (shaunl)*

I don't have much in the way of pics, but I finished off the last of the rust repair on the rear window seal and the parcel tray. 
After much ado I finally received the shipment of body metal which included floor pans... which I'm working on right now. The pans are not perfect by any means, but they will have to do. 
Once I get the pan back together I'll bolt the rocker sections on and tack on the front apron, then work towards mating everything back together.


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## x43x (Mar 22, 2010)

*Re: (shaunl)*

Looking good! Mine wasn't nearly as rusty as yours, but I did have to cut out the heater channels. (Well, the body shop did anyway). I paid a whole lot of money for those channels too. They were repo's from a place in the UK, but they fit really well. I did POR15 the **** out of my car too.
Before








After









Good luck with the rest of your restoration. It is a glorious day when its all finished.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Oh I can't wait for the day.... maybe next summer, we'll see how all of this goes.
I have the same set of repo rocker panels you used, I got them from cip1.ca. The rocker sections that I have include the front inner fenders, A pillars, part of the B pillars right back to the rear inner fenders. They're off a '71 Square and to make them fit I will have to do a fair amount of cutting (the seller gave me lots of extra metal to work with). In any case I'm not using the heater channels, so I may just cut off the old rockers, Por15 the hell out of the heater channels and put on the new repo's.
Lofty goals, I know... but as this is my first project car I'd like to do it right the first time.


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## zuhaelter_82 (Oct 30, 2003)

Do a VR6!


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## acetate909 (Jul 2, 2006)

*Re: (zuhaelter_82)*

awesome find and great work http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
Love the direction, late Notches make me drool








http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif for getting an ACVW on the road
keep us posted over here....screw the purists


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## carsluTT (Dec 31, 2004)

*FV-QR*

great work


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## dasdachshund (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: '70 Notch (shaunl)*

Holy Guacamole, is that thing crusty. I commend you for your effort in the resurrection. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
But the one thing that really is a head scratcher is.....What was the PO thinking?!?!?! How the heck does one get tires to be that bald and still drive on them in the first pictures you posted?







(That's a rhetorical question, no answer needed







)

_Quote, originally posted by *shaunl* »_











-dasdachshund



_Modified by dasdachshund at 6:49 AM 4-1-2010_


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

After two previous owners who had plans to resurrect it and it not being on the road since 1992... well, you see the results. Couple that with the salt content in the air here and the salt used on the roads.... ugh. Nova Scotia is murder on cars.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

I forgot to thank you guys for the comments. Thank you! Been doing a bit more thinking about the colour and I'm set on a flat powder blue. Very similar to the original colour, but in a satin finish. I'll also try to fit a Mk1 duck bill front splitter to the apron.
I've been working hard on the pan, made lots of progress on the driver's side.
time lapse of the cleaning and cutting of the tunnel edges/pans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p-XBMNkEMM
first test fit:








(scuse the ****ty pics)
driver's side welded in solid:








After I finished seam welding both sides I went to work on the pinholes. There was at least a dozen in the donor pan. ugh
Por action:








Got por15 on both sides and seam sealer on the top. I'll be doing the entire underside with bedliner when I get the other pan half in place. I also dealt with all but one soft spot on the frame head.


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## acetate909 (Jul 2, 2006)

*Re: (shaunl)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## ANSAracingb (Aug 16, 2005)

*Re: (shaunl)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shaunl* »_Por action:








Got por15 on both sides and seam sealer on the top. I'll be doing the entire underside with bedliner when I get the other pan half in place. I also dealt with all but one soft spot on the frame head.

LOOKIN' GOOD!
Wish I could see the time lapse YouTube vid at work







I'll have to check it out at home.
Keep us updated! And that paint choice sounds good BTW http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## wolfewerx (Jul 1, 2005)

You pull that out of the Basin? You are doing an awesome job and those notches are worth it. I'm through Dartmouth a few times a year and I hope I get to see your car.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

*Re: (wolfewerx)*

In the Basin. hahaha I found the car here:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=...,4.16
Which certainly isn't far from the ocean. I'm not entirely sure how long it sat there.... The most I know is that it parted ways with the original owner in 1992 who lived in Lunenburg, again right by the ocean.
Thanks, I like to think I'm doing this the right way. By all means, next time you are in the area, send me a message and you can come out to the shop!


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## ninjapants (Mar 2, 2007)

*FV-QR*

dayum.... and i thought I had some work on my hands http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## chencho (Apr 23, 2009)

*Re: FV-QR (ninjapants)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (chencho)*

Thanks fellars.
ugh. three steps backwards... this is what I'm dealing with on the donor passenger side pan. Seriously considering tossing it and ordering a new pan from Klassic Fab, they have JUST become available.








Better shots of the pan progress. (and I cleaned up the garage)
















Passenger side is just sitting in place, checking the fitment.


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## StevenHenriksen (Feb 13, 2009)

nice job, car is looking great. i am jealous of your welding/fab skill


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thank you. But keep in mind that I could NOT weld last year. 
Some of the first welding I did on the car was a sloppy mess, but it all grinds down with a bit of patience and sometimes a little re-welding.
I'm also using a $200 welder, with gas mind you. It has it's 'moments' where it just does not want to cooperate. My welding improved ten fold once I picked up an auto darkening mask, highly recommend them to anyone!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

just a snap of the shop. sharing the garage with a lovely mk1.


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## Blu_Hare (Mar 13, 2007)

*FV-QR*

this thing looks awesome! I'm in

__
Image uploading. Refresh page to view


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

By chance I stumbled onto some rims last week. Had to buy them. 










They are 16x7 front, 16x8 rear. I think the rear are ET11, can't remember what the front are. I'll more than likely end up narrowing 
the rear end to tuck them under the fenders.


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## .:Hinrichs:. (Apr 26, 2010)

some amazing progress so far, keep up the good work


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Picked up the wheels tonight. I am PUMPED


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## arc9 (Mar 18, 2003)

subscribed :thumb:


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Tossed a wheel under the rear end today, just to see where it will sit... give or take a half inch or so. Be a while before I'm actually ready for this step... but sometimes you need a little extra motivation... I know I do anyway.


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## VDUBIN (Jun 28, 2001)

encouragement... here. you are doing a great job saving the life of a fun car and your plans are exciting!! keep it up!!!

btw... subscribed.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks! I haven't made much progress lately as I have decided to toss the donor pan and just order a new one now that they have become available. I should have the new passenger side pan within the next couple of weeks. Then I can focus on getting the whole pan back together and start looking at how much I need to take out of the rear end to make the 944 turbo trailing arms and the 8x16 wheels fit under the fenders. Recently I have also decided to put the car on bags.... more on that later, I still need to do a **** load of research in this area. Wide open to any suggestions!


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## dasdachshund (Jan 3, 2006)

I love how this car is so swiss cheesed, that you can actually get a pic like this. 
Keep at it, man.

-dasdachshund


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Actually that left rear fender is only nasty along the bottom... I had the camera looking through where the tail light mounts.


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

I'm really curious to see how much fabrication you will need to do in order to fit those wheels in the rear. 

I put on the same size wheels on my square last year and the only reason it worked was because of the high offset. I think it will certainly help that you've decided to go with bags, assuming you are planning adding that "step" to your spring plates so they look like a flattened S facing away the outside of the fender.










Combination of that, rear brake swap to accept the bolt pattern (didn't read closely enough to see the wheel's bolt pattern) and shortening the length between the CV joints should get you all the room you need.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Yeah the rears should fit, once I narrow the mounting points. The wheels are 5x130, direct fit to the 944 turbo hubs. My original plan was to ditch the torsion bars and switch it over to coil overs. If I put it on bags would I need a backup shock to take some of the load off the deflated airbag when it's at full down? As for the spring plates, I had found these guys... which is a cheap option.

http://www.eagleperformance.com/CoilOverKits.html


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

I like those! Now you have ME thinking.


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## sk8ordie (Jan 15, 2004)

damn. thought my caddy had a little rust.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Yeah it's pretty bad. I'd never do this again... but I'm glad that my first project car is this bad. I figure if I can put this thing back together the next (rust free) car I build will be a joy. 

I'm about to get started on one of the rocker sections... to say it's daunting is an understatement. I wish I had a plasma cutter, but an angle grinder and cutting wheel will have to do.


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## a1rabbitsauce (Dec 16, 2009)

I'll definitely be watching this whole build, in the next year I plan on building a super beetle with a watercooled 1.8l 8v. Do you plan on running the radiator in the back or front?


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

The rad will be rear mounted, right where the old air intake was for the air cooled motor. I widened the opening quite a bit and plan on using a Scirocco rad with dual fans. I figure between the old air cooled duct work and the dual rad fans it SHOULD be ok. We shall see. I really want to avoid having the rad up front if at all possible.


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## a1rabbitsauce (Dec 16, 2009)

Maybe try a low temp thermostat in combo with the 'rocco dual fans? I was thinking with mine to use a combination of a low temp thermostat, big radiator, dual fans, and some sort of non-stock (to the motor) oil cooler.. maybe like a Volvo one, or I could probably use a bugpack oil cooler kit for aircooleds and use some nice AN fittings to retrofit it. The problem with a beetle though is running out of room for it all. Are you going to keep everything about the tranny stock?


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Not exactly.  I'm putting in a Porsche 901 5 speed. More on that later.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Last week I tracked down some Porsche 924 buckets locally. Tossed one on the driver's side for a feel of what it will be like. I cut out the old seat rails and will just need to build a simple frame for the sliders.


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## dexterrorist (May 5, 2005)

watching!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

oh god, floor pans. I just found this on samba, they're not mine. Still waiting for my passenger side.










I did however order a front apron from ISP West. Stoked.

That's all I've got, no other progress. /debbie downer


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

I saw the guy who sells these at a show out in PA. The pieces look real nice. :thumbup:


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

I wish I could have made it to a show this summer... not in the cards this year. Good to hear they are quality pieces! I can't wait to get back at the Notch.


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## skates (Mar 30, 2007)

im interested to see how you'r engine will mount


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

skates said:


> im interested to see how you'r engine will mount


I'll use the old body mounts for the flat four, make a subframe that I can bolt up to them and use the stock 8v motor mounts.



VWracer45 said:


> bravo! you really such an expert! update us with the outcome


I'm far from an expert... but I will keep you updated.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Look what arrived today! (not the cat)


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

woo hoo!!!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Spent the evening cutting, fitting, cutting, fitting, measuring, cutting fitting. It's ready to weld in.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

PROGRESS 

Seam welded on the bottom, the reinforcement bar is all drilled for 'spot' welding.  I'm going to remove the rest of the funky green primer, etch it with metal prep and probably scuff it up a bit then hit it with more Por 15.



















Feels really good to get back to work on the car.


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## Warhorse (Jun 26, 2010)

Wow! I'm impressed, especially since you say this is your first project? I wish I had you talent!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks man. First project, yes... but also my first Volkswagen.

I needed donor inner front fenders on both sides, but the front apron that came along with
that metal is beyond my repair capabilities.... 

But look what arrived yesterday, a nice rust free, straight, front apron from ISP West.










Words can't describe how pumped I am to get this car back together.


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## Festlund (Aug 25, 2008)

Will def. follow this one, nice project! Good thing you'r saving it too, it deserves a better life and it looks like your giving it just that! 

Keep it up!


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## 4 N Rust (Dec 19, 2009)

NICE job. Cant waite to see your Notch on the road.. Ive got a 64 in the back of my garage. Dont worrie what the others say on the SAMBA.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks guys. Yeah I'm not too concerned about the Samba crowd. Little too stock oriented over there for my taste. 

I finished welding the underside of the passenger floor pan, going to work on the top side tonight and see if I can bolt up my rocker assemblies and make sure they are straight... brace them, then work on getting them onto the body. Fun times ahead! :beer:


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## teammonster (Jul 20, 2007)

So far I like what you've done. Nice work really want to see more when you get further in the project keep us posted.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

I started cutting out the right front inner fender/A pillar on Saturday. There is not much left of the poor thing right now. I still have to trim down the donor rocker panel/A pillar/inner fender... so in preparation for that I started cleaning it up. Imagine my delight when my wire wheel sunk 1/4" into the rocker and spewed bondo dust EVERYWHERE. Somebody did a SLOPPY repair on a section of the rocker about 16" in length. It's a damn good thing I had already picked up rocker skins. 

I didn't bother with pics cause I was pissed. :banghead:


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## chan marshall (Jul 26, 2009)

subscribed :thumbup:


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Right, so I did some chopping lately. 



















As you can see in the lower right I will have to do some fabbing. No biggie.

I've got the passenger side rocker assembly trimmed to within about 1" of where I need it and got it bolted onto the floor pan to make sure it's straight. I ran out of time tonight, but I'll be bracing it to ensure it stays straight after I take it off the pan.




























and a shot of the speed holes... the only bad part on the rocker assembly.


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## FreshToTheGame (Feb 5, 2010)

Woow awesome job honestly i just claped at my computer screan :sly: lol keap it up man


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## VolksAddict (Aug 9, 2004)

Great work :thumbup:


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## CostcoPizza (Jan 20, 2008)

Soo rad!

That's awesome your saving such a rusty example.


GL!
:beer::beer:


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks for the encouragement gents. :beer: 

Got the other rocker/A pillar in place and have decided to mate the two donor sections to the Notch body at the same time. Should make things a bit more difficult, however everything will be easier to check for alignment and fitment. 










The front apron is a mess, however the apron in the background is as straight as they come. Will be chopping out the old one and straightening everything out once I finish welding the front section in place. It's just tacked right now. 










I'll do away with the tie down straps in favour of some bracing asap.


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

Holy crap! 

You have no idea how much credit you get just for taking on such a project!


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## uncle waldo (Jun 6, 2010)

Wow is all I can say!!! I just perused the saga of your project and I must say I am impressed. There's some major dedication happening in your garage. 

I'm rebuilding my car, a '68 sedan and was whining about the minor rust damage (2 quarter sized holes in the front wheel wells) it had accumulated over the years. I'll never snivel again... 

Looking forward to watching your ride progress... a big thumbs up :thumbup:


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## boosted corrado_91 (Feb 17, 2009)

awesome work so far :thumbup: i cant wait to see it done


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks for the encouragement. Going hard at it lately. 

Today I tore out that nasty front apron to find it had been riveted and welded on in a ****ty fashion. The good news is that it's gone... bad news is that the left front inner fender isn't perfectly straight. I beat on it today and got it close. I'll take a hammer and dolly to it to take care of the rest. 

I also nabbed a right front fender recently... I've shaved the fuel fill and took some time to 'massage' the fuel door into a patch, with just a bit of trimming it will be ready to tack in place.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

and..... 

I found an early Notch to nab some parts off. 














































Those are Type 3 fenders inside the Beetle.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Happy to say my metal 'massaging' skills are improving. A while back I cut off the bottom of the rear apron due to the kink on the right side. 










Today I thought I'd give it a few whacks with the hammer and dolly (an hour of hammer time) and it's now back on the car. Welded up a few pinholes in it as well.


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## uncle waldo (Jun 6, 2010)

Everytime I check in on your progress, I'm more impressed and amazed. You're not rebuilding a car, you're essentially building one from scratch! The hard way... piece by piece.

Whenever I become fed-up with my project, I check the status of yours...


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks dude! :beer:

Today I got these lovely fenders cleaned up thanks to a friend. I just sandblasted the most difficult areas, I'll strip them down the rest of the way with the grinder and wire wheel. The yellow fender is just loaded with undercoat...(blah) while the other one just has primer and paint from the factory.

(before)








No, I'm not going with the tribal theme.

progress on the front apron removal









and the rear apron welded back in place, few little areas to tweak, but it's pretty close.


----------



## 4 N Rust (Dec 19, 2009)

WOW. I always Look to see where you are on this Project.. Great Job...Make me want to start Mine... Need to Clear a spot in the garage...


----------



## spdfrek (Feb 28, 2002)

I love notches and its awesome you are saving one that I would have said was way too far gone. :thumbup:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks again guys! :beer:

You should have seen the grin on my face today. 




























and the reason this thing needs to be on bags....









I am pretty damn happy with how everything lined up on the front end. It couldn't have gone smoother.


----------



## STDClayton (Jul 20, 2009)

I don't venture into the aircooled section too often, but am very glad I did. I'm looking very forward to seeing your end result!


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

As am I. 

My original goal was to have it ready for next summer... I can't really see that happening now, but I will try my best. I'm trying to plan ahead and have started figuring out the air ride... I am fairly certain one of these will go under the front end.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Tires and air ride not included, some tubbing may be required.  



















I'm going to finish off the welding of the gas door next time I'm out, grind it and it will be ready for leading. :beer:


----------



## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

You may want to roll those fenders while you have clear access to everything. 

I think you may also need to think about tire sizing that will get you some stretch in order to clear everything, specially with the air ride.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Yes, I will definitely be rolling the fenders once the front end is in place. I spoke with Matt at Punch Drunk Customs and he figures 175 50R16s will not rub and will not require tubbing. I'll really have to wait to see what it all looks like with the beam under it.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

The headlight bucket was toast on this fender, so I cut it out, rebuilt the inner flange, cut the donor bucket out of an early T3 fender and now it's ready to go in place once I do a bit more grinding. 










and an overall shot of my backwards pile


----------



## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

If I had the buckets all cut out, I'd be so tempted to do some kind of custom lighting (HID or similar).


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Hmmmm, well I hadn't given that any thought at all. I'm trying to keep the exterior looking very original looking. Did you have any specific suggestions? Link to an hid conversion?


----------



## chemicalbro13 (Nov 21, 2007)

or get some projectors and retrofit them in their well you have it out


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Did a bit of research on hid and I think I'll just go original. I've already picked up new headlight buckets from cip1.ca


----------



## 6T1 (Jan 28, 2002)

Great work man.. keep an eye out on this forum for a Type3 punch Drunk project coming soon.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

I'll be looking forward to that! Thanks.

Last night I got a 1/2 ton chain hoist installed and lifted the body off the saw horses, spun both the pan and upper section around and brought the two to within a few inches of each other. IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A WHOLE CAR AGAIN! I was all smiles. :beer: Still got quite a bit of detailed cutting to do, test fitting and measuring but it's looking good!


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

:beer:


----------



## Curt_pnw (Nov 27, 2005)

Amazing work and all man, you have really come a long way. I look forward to future progress. 




6T1 said:


> Great work man.. keep an eye out on this forum for a Type3 punch Drunk project coming soon.


I'm looking forward to that Rene. :thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Green Hare (Oct 21, 2003)

shaunl said:


> Look what arrived today! (not the cat)


Gorgeous cat! What breed is that? It almost looks like a Singapura... 

Sorry, back OT... build is amazing... I wish I had the (time/space/money/patience) to tackle this, I think the only thing I might do different is convert it to RHD just for the hell of it


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Now we're down to splitting hairs. :laugh:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Sieben TDI said:


> Gorgeous cat! What breed is that? It almost looks like a Singapura...
> 
> Sorry, back OT... build is amazing... I wish I had the (time/space/money/patience) to tackle this, I think the only thing I might do different is convert it to RHD just for the hell of it


That's Nigel, he's an Abyssinian. He's 5 months old and is a crazy little guy.

Thanks, with all I have on my plate just getting the body back together and a few things shaved is more than enough for me. Remember I still have to fab up trans mounts, tackle the shift linkage and figure out the rear air ride.

Right, well I'm going at this thing pretty hard lately... got things lined up today to where I could start thinking about fitting the hood and fenders, just to see how things are shaping up. I have a bit more work to do on the passenger side, you can see the excessive gap in the hood. 



















I ran out of cutting wheels today (I'm doing all the cutting with an angle grinder :|) so I did some sand blasting, shaved the front license plate mount and welded up some cracked door hinge mounts.

There will be more progress tomorrow. :beer:


----------



## Green Hare (Oct 21, 2003)

shaunl said:


> That's Nigel, he's an Abyssinian. He's 5 months old and is a crazy little guy.
> 
> Thanks, with all I have on my plate just getting the body back together and a few things shaved is more than enough for me. Remember I still have to fab up trans mounts, tackle the shift linkage and figure out the rear air ride.
> 
> Right, well I'm going at this thing pretty hard lately... got things lined up today to where I could start thinking about fitting the hood and fenders, just to see how things are shaping up. I have a bit more work to do on the passenger side, you can see the excessive gap in the hood.


Nice... that's one of the breeds that the Singapura was developed from, IIRC... great looking cat. 

Project is coming along nicely, looking forward to the end result


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Seeing the Notch basically in one piece today made the last ten months all worth while. We were all smiles at the garage.  



















There is still a ton of work required to mate the two halves of the body permanently, but everything is lining up as expected. :beer:


----------



## Rabid Irish (Nov 15, 2002)

Incredible.......


----------



## ZG86 (Sep 17, 2006)

unbelievable work..


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Rabid Irish said:


> Incredible.......


Thanks. I like to think it will all be worth it when it fires for the first time and I drive it out of the garage....sideways. 



GTI0518T32 said:


> unbelievable work..


Thanks dude. I like to look at the car and think about how easy my next project will be. haha

I don't have any new photos... but things are progressing nicely. I need to trim another 1/4 inch out of the body in two spots to get things to line up nearly perfectly. Both doors now fit well, although I need to swap out the Squareback two bolt A pillars for my Notchback three bolt A pillars. 
Cut the rot out of the left rear fender and cut repair sections out of a Squareback fender.. I'll weld it up when I'm positive that the body is where it should be. 

Decided to take a look at the rust on the trunk.... started sandblasting and to my dismay I found 65 pinholes! Some of which were hidden under the paint. I welded all of that up and had to rebuild part of the bottom edge of the trunk as well. I layed on the Por15 really thick in the cavities where the pinholes formed... hopefully I never have to deal with that again. 

:beer:


----------



## 2slo2drag (Oct 5, 2009)

That is absolutely incredible. As said before, with all the patching done over the course of the project, you essentially built it from scratch. I wonder how much raw weight you cut away for replacement. 

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

I kind of had a rough template and some pictures to go by I guess. haha. Thanks. I may have cut away some weight, but most of it is going back in with the donor sections. I lightened the engine bay a little and the Type 1 conversion air beam will be significantly lighter. There is however, A LOT of scrap metal laying around the garage!

Anyway, still going. The body is so close to lining up now... almost ready to weld. I'm being super anal about checking the fitment, taking it apart, trimming, lining it back up again and refitting all the panels. I want the gaps to look good!

This past week the heat has kept me away from progress a bit... it's been around 33-36C all week.
Today I worked on the hood, sand blasted all the rust spots and sanded it down with 400 grit. I also primed the bare spots, but don't have any shots.



















Welded up the original badge holes, cleaned up the welds and drilled new
holes for the early VW badge I got off the '62 Notchback.



















I just couldn't pass up using this early badge, it's so cool! :beer: As you can see I have some pitting to deal with, I'm hopeful that the Por 15 tie coat high build primer will take care of most of that.


----------



## Little Byron (Nov 10, 2002)

I just finished reading the entire thread and i must say, you do some awesome work! I'm pumped to see this finished!! :thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## "Red_Beard" (Sep 23, 2005)

Awesome work... makes me optimistic about my own projects. Good luck on finishing it! :thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## RIPJETTAGL (Apr 7, 2010)

The Notch is my favorite old VW and this is gonna be fun to watch good luck man:thumbup: 
opcorn: 
Subscribed.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I really appreciate it. :beer: Progress is fairly steady lately and I'm getting closer to making that fateful weld to finally mate the two body sections. 

Good bye tribal fender art. :screwy: 

There was a nasty dent in the edge of the headlight bucket on this fender, I managed to beat most of it out and fitted the headlight and trim ring to check my work. It needs a little more hammer and dolly action and a tiny bit of fill. 









trunk primed 









hood primed and Por'd inside the edges where the sun don't shine 


















I LOVE the early vw badge... looks so good against a solid colour.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thought it was time I took a look at the right rear 'shroom' fender. I had saved the upper portion of my old Notch fender to graft onto the top of this Squareback fender. 










mocked up in place, looking lovely. Without these nifty welding clamps this would have been a bitch. 


















and finally tacked in place. I was sure to weld, dab, weld dab with a wet rag to keep the warpage to an absolute minimum. 










The red portion is off an early Squareback fender, just sitting in place roughly, I didn't have time to finish it off today.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Clearly I must be insane. I spent the entire day welding, grinding and stripping this fender...and it's still not done. At the end of the day I needed some eye candy. 





































fenders will be rolled, I can gain quite a bit of room here 









the garage, in all it's filthy glory.


----------



## kustomizingkid (Aug 4, 2010)

Awesome build!!!


----------



## 631 Corrado (Jan 14, 2003)

love it


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## boosted corrado_91 (Feb 17, 2009)

keep it up man :thumbup:


----------



## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

how wide are those wheels out back?

I wonder if you can get the tire combination to stretch em on. hmmm


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

RafCarre12 said:


> how wide are those wheels out back?
> 
> I wonder if you can get the tire combination to stretch em on. hmmm


They are 8x16, I was thinking 215 45R 16s and 185 40R 16 up front. I'm not after any
super agressive stretch, just kind of mild.


----------



## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

Thats the stretch on 215/50-16x8's. I recommend you go with 205's. Thats what I'd do if I had to do it all over again.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Hmmmm. Yeah I think you're right... little bit more stretch would be fine.


----------



## vento86 (Oct 13, 2008)

amazing!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Since the front air ride is pretty well all sorted out I decided to take a look at the rear end subframe and see what it all might look like. Got the torsion bars pulled out, turned out to be much easier than I thought to remove them I just needed a bigger hammer. This is all very roughly placed at his point, just for a rough idea. So the trailing arms are 944 turbo, the subframe is off my car and the trans is a Porsche 901 5 speed. Wheels are 8x16. The trans will sit a bit lower and further back... obviously.

Looks like I will need to narrow the rear end by moving the trailing arm mounting points inwards a good 1.5" on each side... give or take a bit.


----------



## freedo84gti (Sep 26, 2010)

wow! your good


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## VDUBIN (Jun 28, 2001)

some inspiration for you man...
not my cars.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Good lord, that vr6 looks right at home in there. I wonder how low the oil pan sits... Thanks for posting those! I really appreciate it!


----------



## clauberto (Mar 28, 2010)

good wheel choice:thumbup:


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## dish90 (Aug 22, 2009)

THis is coming on so well, it will be a real credit to you when finished. The work is unbelievable!  That VR6 looks so good in there!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

dish90 said:


> THis is coming on so well, it will be a real credit to you when finished. The work is unbelievable!  That VR6 looks so good in there!


Thanks man. Yeah the vr does look good in there... however I am positive that I could not get the car low enough with it in there.

After much ado, the two body 'halves' are now ready to weld together. 
Had the car pretty much in one piece (for the first time) So I took one shot, then we dismantled it in preparation for welding. I kind of ****ed up the driver's side A pillar, so that's gotta come off and get repositioned and welded back in place to make sure my door gaps are bang on. 










In other news my air beam is still not here... but when it does arrive it will be complete with rebuilt spindles and a lovely paint job.


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Few more pics.




























The left rear fender needs A LOT of work... I need to source a donor section.


----------



## niterider03 (Apr 19, 2004)

*WOW...*

I'm definitely inspired by all of this.


----------



## benjaminobscene (Aug 24, 2008)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Big day today. Got the body off the hoist and back into one piece. There's still a fair bit of welding required to fully mate the two halves of the body, but it's tacked very solidly together now.


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## bkschott (Jun 11, 2006)

wowzers man, nice job. I just read the whole thing, I was hoping to see a finished car at the end. Let's get a move on, shall we? :laugh: :laugh:


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## acetate909 (Jul 2, 2006)

AND you have a mkI project in the garage????? man! I'm jealous 

been a while since I've checked in, great progress....comin along nicely :thumbup:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

bkschott said:


> wowzers man, nice job. I just read the whole thing, I was hoping to see a finished car at the end. Let's get a move on, shall we? :laugh: :laugh:


Good things take time. I'm not slowing down, it's just that the body welding is kind of tedious right now. Fear not, I have great patience. :beer:



acetate909 said:


> AND you have a mkI project in the garage????? man! I'm jealous
> 
> been a while since I've checked in, great progress....comin along nicely :thumbup:


Thanks! That is a VR6 Rabbit with a Berg Cup fender kit. 

Closed up the last of the seam on the passenger side A pillar/dash area this afternoon. Lots of grinding to do.










Also got started on the front 'firewall'. Started stripping it down to see how bad the rust is... it's bad. Certainly repairable though. While I'm working on this panel I'll be welding up the right hand drive column hole and the two center drain holes... they drain the air box under the dash. I'll have to relocate the drain line somewhere else.


----------



## Green Hare (Oct 21, 2003)

shaunl said:


> Also got started on the front 'firewall'. Started stripping it down to see how bad the rust is... it's bad. Certainly repairable though. While I'm working on this panel I'll be welding up the right hand drive column hole


Yeah, I still would do the swap... weld up the LHD column hole instead


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Crack free RHD Type 3 dashpads are like hen's teeth... they don't exist.


----------



## Green Hare (Oct 21, 2003)

shaunl said:


> Crack free RHD Type 3 dashpads are like hen's teeth... they don't exist.


Judging from the incredible work you've done thus far, you couldn't fabricate a clean dash? Just saying...


----------



## Spencahh. (May 7, 2009)

updates?


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Not really. Other than this sucker being done:


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

Shaun, someone ****ed up your beam and painted it pink.


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## Grig85 (Feb 11, 2006)

amaizing


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## [email protected] (Feb 20, 2004)

So sick! Nice work!! :beer:


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## VDUBIN (Jun 28, 2001)

any updates? I know 'tis the season to stop projects, I just thought I would ask.


----------



## Gregor413 (Feb 12, 2002)

Shaun you have given me some much needed inspiration as im about to undertake a similar rebuild on my '74 Thing. Just got my inner and outer rockers from ups yesterday.


----------



## Air23h20 (Nov 18, 2004)

*Best build on the TEX!*

Cheese and Rice! Do you have skills!:beer::thumbup:


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Beautiful, beautiful build. Top notch documentation too :thumbup:

I'm curious what you're using for a spray setup... ?


----------



## jake legend (Aug 10, 2010)

:thumbup:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

:beer:

Fallen off the map lately. The Notch is moving to a new garage... that on top of the holidays has kept me away from the poor thing.



Gregor413 said:


> Shaun you have given me some much needed inspiration as im about to undertake a similar rebuild on my '74 Thing. Just got my inner and outer rockers from ups yesterday.


Good to hear man, it's all just metal and it can all be replaced!



Air23h20 said:


> Cheese and Rice! Do you have skills!:beer::thumbup:


I didn't when I started this project. No better way to learn than by doing.



tip said:


> Beautiful, beautiful build. Top notch documentation too :thumbup:
> 
> I'm curious what you're using for a spray setup... ?


Thanks! I'm a photographer, so I tend to keep a camera close by.  Any spraying I've done at this point is just rattle can to cover bare metal and keep the rust at bay. Once the new garage is up and running we will do a full spray with proper gear.



VDUBIN said:


> any updates? I know 'tis the season to stop projects, I just thought I would ask.


See pics below for the only significant update. 



RafCarre12 said:


> Shaun, someone ****ed up your beam and painted it pink.


Yeah **** you should see this thing in person. 




























Nigel loves it


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## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)

are you doing the welding?...what's your set up?

those beads work but need more penetration...


liking the air ride..s--ts gonna lay frame!!!

not trying to tear you up just curious on your plan of filling the spots up or cleaning it up..


----------



## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)

bw...you should be patted frimly on the back for taking on such a huge project!!!


----------



## mad caddy16v (Jan 22, 2004)

damn, thats allot of work for a notch! you are quite the worker!:thumbup::beer:..... got a similar build in the works over here on a 64...... where did you score that air beam? seems kcw is done??? and any reason you are going back to kingpin?


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Schell R32 said:


> are you doing the welding?...what's your set up?
> 
> those beads work but need more penetration...
> 
> ...


The beam is not my handiwork. Got it from Matt Watts at Punch Drunk Customs in San Ramon, CA. With the quanitity and variety of beams that Matt is pumping out I am quite confident in his work.



Schell R32 said:


> bw...you should be patted frimly on the back for taking on such a huge project!!!


Cheers, man. :beer:



mad caddy16v said:


> damn, thats allot of work for a notch! you are quite the worker!:thumbup::beer:..... got a similar build in the works over here on a 64...... where did you score that air beam? seems kcw is done??? and any reason you are going back to kingpin?


Went with a Type 1 conversion mainly so that I can actually find replacement parts easily, and adapting the 944 turbo hubs to type 1 spindles is fairly well documented... as opposed to Type 3.


----------



## sk8ordie (Jan 15, 2004)

Nigel is a bada$$. my girl had me save that last pic. notch is looking good too.


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## mad caddy16v (Jan 22, 2004)

shaunl said:


> Went with a Type 1 conversion mainly so that I can actually find replacement parts easily, and adapting the 944 turbo hubs to type 1 spindles is fairly well documented... as opposed to Type 3.


i am aware of doing the type 1 front end swap, because of cheaper/easier parts availiblty, and more options, i was wondering why kingpin, and not ball joint?


----------



## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)

the beam looks great, i was talking about the front spare tire section in the pic..was that a before or an after?..wasn't sure.

still though that thing is a crazy amount of work..if you had to pay for that or I had to do that for a customer i would scrap the project and get him directed into another car...it's cool you can hash on it yourself and enjoy the process!!

the hrs involved in fab are one thing...then you gotta factor in paint time,then assembly...in the high thousands for sure!!


----------



## Fuzz VW (Sep 15, 2005)

Schell R32 said:


> the beam looks great, i was talking about the front spare tire section in the pic..was that a before or an after?..wasn't sure.
> 
> still though that thing is a crazy amount of work..if you had to pay for that or I had to do that for a customer i would scrap the project and get him directed into another car...it's cool you can hash on it yourself and enjoy the process!!
> 
> the hrs involved in fab are one thing...then you gotta factor in paint time,then assembly...in the high thousands for sure!!


Ah! Don't listen to this guy ^ (Schell). This guy in little Rhode Island doesn't know much about this stuff. :laugh:


----------



## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)

yeah I'm a noob..these vw's are new to me!!

they are such a cute car!


this dudes notch is cool as s--t!! he's more tha man than most for doing this project!!!:thumbup:


----------



## Fuzz VW (Sep 15, 2005)

Schell R32 said:


> yeah I'm a noob..these vw's are new to me!!
> 
> they are such a cute car!
> 
> ...


:laugh: Yes, these little Herbie cars are sooo adorable aren't they?


----------



## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)




----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

mad caddy16v said:


> i am aware of doing the type 1 front end swap, because of cheaper/easier parts availiblty, and more options, i was wondering why kingpin, and not ball joint?


Honestly I have zero experience with these cars. I just knew that I wanted to lay it out with air bags... saw Matt's air beam and was sold. 



Schell R32 said:


> the beam looks great, i was talking about the front spare tire section in the pic..was that a before or an after?..wasn't sure.
> 
> still though that thing is a crazy amount of work..if you had to pay for that or I had to do that for a customer i would scrap the project and get him directed into another car...it's cool you can hash on it yourself and enjoy the process!!
> 
> the hrs involved in fab are one thing...then you gotta factor in paint time,then assembly...in the high thousands for sure!!


Oh yeah, well into the thousands at this point. I spent damn near the whole summer working on it 3-5 days a week.


----------



## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)

alot of work and keep it up...when you spend the money and you also do the work...the money end doesn't seem so bad!

it's when that is sourced out you'd be cussin' for sure


----------



## vwcivkilr (Nov 30, 2003)

any updates??? im saving for the same beam for my bug looks lovely!


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Nothing new. Haven't touched the car in months. That is all about to change as my buddy's Rabbit and the Notch find a new home in a much better outfitted garage in his backyard.  Will post some pics when we get both cars situated and get back to work.


----------



## DUBZnHONDA (Jan 7, 2011)

just went thru this whole thread...:what::thumbup::beer:


----------



## 246617 (Jan 19, 2006)

I love this. Wish there was someone like yourself that lived near me. We could build some silly ish together. :thumbup:

Subscribedopcorn:

How narrow did you go with the front beam?


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

It's narrowed 3". :beer:


----------



## Fattmatt (Apr 11, 2009)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: looks awesome! the wheels are rad :beer:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks. Yeah I am really stoked on the wheels. We got both our cars into the new garage tonight. Exhausted and happy. :beer:


----------



## DUBZnHONDA (Jan 7, 2011)

awesome man looks like a good new place to work on it! congrats!


----------



## vento86 (Oct 13, 2008)

moar of the mkjuan plzzz


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

vento86 said:


> moar of the mkjuan plzzz


Berg cup fenders (nos!)









synchro tunnel









the VR









His first project car as well. We don't eff around up here. :beer:


----------



## vento86 (Oct 13, 2008)

:thumbup::laugh:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

No progress to speak of other than slowly getting the garage up and running. :beer:


----------



## cooleddub (Jul 7, 2010)

His first project car as well. We don't eff around up here. :beer:[/QUOTE]

Apparently not, that looks bada** :thumbup: :beer:


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

The airbeam went on the car tonight.  Pretty simple affair really, the fit was damn good. I am so happy I went with the beam from Matt at Punchdrunk. Give or take a bit it looks like this is the ride height at full drop. Yes, it's early to be mounting this up, but I wanted to see what cutting I have to do... which is not a lot, it's mostly just the bottom of the old beam brackets that hang down and maybe the crash boxes inside the fender wells... will know more once I get a set of tires mounted.


----------



## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

very nice!

its nice to see those things tucked under the fender!

What size tires are you going to need?


----------



## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks! Yeah they sit in there pretty nice eh? I'll likely still end up rolling the fenders... as I'm going to need to run a disc conversion with 5x130 pattern. My understanding is that it will push things out another inch or so... which I can deal with. I've been looking at what cip1 had for offerings. I had originally been looking at 944 turbo hubs/rotors/calipers... but the costs are high, there's machining required and I would like to stay with stock parts that bolt on to be honest.

Anyway, tires. I'm thinking a fairly mild stretch.. so maybe 175 45R16's up front. What were you running with your 7's up front? 

Your 7's in the back and 6's up front are the perfect fit for your car man. Love it.


----------



## max and tiny (Apr 27, 2010)

i love you beam set up. just awesome. i cant wait to get back to the states and build me another air cooled.


----------



## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

The tires I had on the 7's while in front were 205/40s. The profile was really straight up and down.

I actually kept the same wheels for the 6's.

Take a pic of your current setup from underneath if you can. I'd like to see where the wheel currently sits in respects to the fender curvature


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

Dayo shaun  (Hi! Raffe :beer:  ),
Just a thought shaun  ,_looks_ like in this pic:








that the wheel is still sitting a _little_ back of centered in the wheel well opening _even though_ the suspension is fully compressed which _should_ move it frontward(maybe an illusion  ),but,if so,what's the chances of throwing in a few caster shims:
http://www.chircoestore.com/catalog...im&osCsid=jc5hujkg225fgdeallt9rfkc85&x=20&y=8 -_top & bottom_  -on the beam to better center it for a more concentric profile look,_maybe_ even clean up what _might_ look like a possible clearance problem in the wheel well behind the tire?
Like said,just a thought  .


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

thats a thought. I was more worried about clearance on against the body (vs. the fender).


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## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)

...and the back side of the fenderwell...lock to lock


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Yeah I had wondered what exactly to do about that. Maybe tonight I can take some measurements and see just what exactly it needs to get the wheel centered. Get a photo as well at full height for you fellars. Thanks guys.


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## Schell R32 (May 31, 2007)

,,,,the lower the car the more the frame head needs an angle..i pie cut mine and went back 4degrees and also used a 4 degree shim behind. for a total of 8. once those torsions go past level they tend to give you a lean back on the beam and also give crazy bumpsteer...you might need to look into flipping you tie rods and notching the gas tank


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Chopped the lower beam mounts off yesterday. 










Then I mounted up the beam again to check everything over, so this is at full drop. Barrel of the rim seems to be slightly higher than the floor pan. 










the view through the signal light hole, we figure the fender should be rolled just a bit around the very center of the arch, maybe about a 12-14" section for clearance at full lock.










with the 944 turbo hub sitting in place... I still have to track down somebody to do the machining on them to fit the type 1 spindles.


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## zzzdanz (Feb 2, 2011)

Shaun,

Take a seat, drink a few of these :beer: and pat yaself on the back man.Out F'n standing work bro!


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

zzzdanz said:


> Shaun,
> 
> Take a seat, drink a few of these :beer: and pat yaself on the back man.Out F'n standing work bro!


F that.

Keep working! There is no patting on the back until this thing is MOT'd!


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks dude. I've had enough beers for the time being, getting back to work on her on a regular basis now that the garage is situated and fairly organized. :beer:


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Raf, you were right... these wheels won't work on the rear end.

At first I considered narrowing the rear end... but the offset would be too much for the spring plate.

7s on the back, the 8s have mad poke.


















8 up front with some fool









So I am faced with machining the 8s to get them to fit or just track down new wheels.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Got the stock bushings out of the 944 turbo trailing arms and with some elbow grease we got the Type 3 bushings and sleeves in place and bolted the arms to my rear subframe.


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

shaunl said:


> Raf, you were right... these wheels won't work on the rear end.
> 
> So I am faced with machining the 8s to get them to fit or just track down new wheels.


Shaun, what if... behind the rear fenders... you weld in a wedge to the body that pushes the fender out slightly?

Fenders are fairly light and, with rolled lips, I think you'll be able to fit the wheels nicely. This way, it will still look very stock. 

Here you go. This is what I had in mind. I know I've seen it before and it worked really subtly and well. 










You may not even need to machine the wheels. I hope this helps.


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## 246617 (Jan 19, 2006)

shaunl said:


> Raf, you were right... these wheels won't work on the rear end.
> 
> At first I considered narrowing the rear end... but the offset would be too much for the spring plate.
> 
> ...


Airbags out back? You could eliminate torsion bar and run heim joints on custom spring plates. This way you'd have a little room to work with if you wanted to bring the center mounts in... Not sure how much you need to squeeze out narrow wise. If you were running swing axle it would be a different story, you'd be able to make up the room no problem.....


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Raf, that would work very well... but the pictures above are showing the 7x16s in place... the 8s are poking a good 1.5" past the fenders (I didn't take any pictures cause I was bummed out) lol
When we got the 7" wheel in place we figured we might be able to do as you suggested, we have access to a fender roller/puller from our local club. Again, running the 7s out back and 8s up front is less than ideal, but I still wouldn't rule it out.

Beans, yes that is exactly the plan. I got a great price on a set of spring plates and heim joints from Matt at Punchdrunk Customs. There's no sense in narrowing the rear end, because I can only gain 1/2" on each side before the 944 turbo spring plate mounting points would come up against the torsion housing.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

With some elbow grease I tucked the rear last night. I'll be getting a loan of a fender roller to get the rest of the clearance I need. I am thinking that the front is going to tuck as well, but I need the weight of the car to compress the airbag and twist the torsion packs in the air beam. A jack under one side isn't enough at this point.























































The wheels are 7x16 et23 and 8x16 et30... and I may get **** on a bit for this... but I am going all backwards and running the 8's up front with a well stretched tire and the 7's out back with beefier rubber.


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## w00ht (Mar 25, 2004)

Bummer about the wheels man, I know that was one of your goals with this from the start.

Good work though, I'm glad your still moving forward.


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Gonna make them work, like I said... 7's in the back and 8's up front. If the 8's prove to be too wide and I find other issues in clearance and steering then I'll get them taken down to 6's. I just have to have those wheels... I can't find anything else locally that even comes close to them.


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## zcxerxes (Nov 13, 2005)

Good work! I feel bad going the direction with my notch that I am after seeing all the work you have done to yours...


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## arc9 (Mar 18, 2003)

shaunl said:


>


oh snap 

rolling the fenders sounds like a good idea 

nice work!


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## Tricha02 (Jan 8, 2011)

yo im about where you are with my 1969 bmw 1602, probably a little less rust, learning as i go, thanks for the inspiration keep up the good work


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## Padfan1 (May 15, 2001)

ttt


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## shaunl (Apr 11, 2005)

Still plugging away, haven't bothered with too many more photos... also been helping my buddy with the roll cage on his VR6 mk1 Rabbit. :beer:


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## [email protected] (Feb 20, 2004)

shaunl said:


> haven't bothered with too many more photos.....


NEED MORE PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ic:ic:ic:ic:ic:ic:ic:ic:ic:ic:


 Please... that is..


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## Jacob Matthew (Sep 27, 2009)

Gonna be such a dope little car.


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## Smooremin (Jan 11, 2006)

Free bump for all of your unbelievable work!!:beer:


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## VDUBIN (Jun 28, 2001)

Bump... Any progress updates?


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## VDUBIN (Jun 28, 2001)

givin' a bump... how about an update?


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## zcxerxes (Nov 13, 2005)

Yeah since I can't work on mine you should show you working on yours ....
please and thank you


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## 63slammed (Feb 23, 2011)

awesome build so far!


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## dish90 (Aug 22, 2009)

Any updates Shaun?


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## RafCarre12 (May 7, 2003)

Shaun is summering. I wouldn't count on an update til its cold out. (Although it would be a nice surprise)


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## [email protected] (Feb 20, 2004)

this build still alive? :beer:


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## Tricha02 (Jan 8, 2011)

what happened to this, i would love to see some pics ic:ic:ic:


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## madster (Dec 27, 2006)

I heard tht it was sold on the Ebay,
:banghead::banghead:


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## chrisgilmour (Jul 8, 2009)

was NOT sold on ebay. 

shaun is a local here, and between getting busy, and having other priorities along with a move its been on the back burner. 
there was a bunch of trying to find where to put it for awhile as garages were switched and built and stuff. I know shaun loves this car and has put soooooooooooo much work into it. it'll be a alive eventually.


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## Curt_pnw (Nov 27, 2005)

bump. I love this build. Any progress?


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## ctk9000 (Feb 11, 2011)

what type of rims are those home brah, those are sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.


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## VDUBIN (Jun 28, 2001)

updates?... your fans are waiting intently. class A metal work and inspiration.


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## chrisgilmour (Jul 8, 2009)

last i heard from the local guys was that the car's been at a stand still due to a lack of place to work on it. which is sad because this is one of my favorite builds. I know shauns a photographer full time and i'm pretty sure he's been focusing alot on that these days.


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## Pingar (Feb 26, 2009)

Wow. Amazing work. Can't wait to see this finished.


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## XzxBATTxzX (Jul 8, 2012)

*Picture/Design*

Did you make that design?


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## absentee (Jun 26, 2010)

so awesome, following this!


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## chrisgilmour (Jul 8, 2009)

its been almost a year since its been touched. =[


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## benjaminobscene (Aug 24, 2008)

From a while back: http://www.build-threads.com/build-threads/forgotten-builds-70-vw-notch/

Hope he gets a space and time soon


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