VW Beetle Wizard Roadster
If you are interested in VW Beetles in any way you will want to take a look at this page. There are loads of pictures of the build of my Wizard Roadster. For those who don't know the wizard roadster is a soft top conversion for the standard Beetle. Read on for lots more information. This is one of the cars that originally inspired me to have a go at building my own. Not entirely convinced about the colour but what a fantastic car! Ok, Lets get started. My Beetle came from a farmers field and cost me nothing. Well I had to pay to rent a truck to collect it and bring it back to my garage, but I split that cost with my Brother-in-Law who was taking his '65 to be sprayed. Anyway this is how it looked when it finally ended up in the garage at the bottom of my parents garden. Notice the bent front beam, damaged front end wheels way out of alignment.
Distinct lack of other panels, wings, doors etc. The best part of the car was the roof which was going to be binned. Also note lack of glass (not a problem). Is it going to be worth the effort? If you need some inspiration for your project or are just a fan who likes browsing, this book has loads of pictures for you to look at. How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot Buy Now Another view of the front end. Damage was due to a front end bump. Check out these titles for the manual you need. Volkswagen Official Service Manual Super Beetle, Beetle and Karmann Ghia 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 Buy Now Another picture of the front end damage. Note the bent metal, all that is going to have to come off and be replaced.
No room left for a spare wheel! Not a great picture, but you can make out the damage to the rear quarter panel. This will be repaired when the major work is done. Right what is it like inside? Well the floorpan has loads of holes. When this was being done (late 1980s) replacement panels were available but not cheap and budget was non existant so repairs will be done in the best most economical way possible. Just like to point out that this was being done whilst I was a student and did not have any cash to throw around. Looking back, why did I decide to build a Wizard at that time. Another view of the inside. Notice the lack of good metal in the floor. Why the trolley jack? That was need to try to extract it from the farmers field. Right, Off with the roof. No Wizard kit yet, but can't wait to make a start.
Any way the body is lighter without all that metal in the roof. Amazing what you come up with when you've got no spare cash. Another view just to show I am not kidding. Need to get to the floorpan somehow.. No it is not a buried Beetle and I am not trying to grow a new one! This is roof out of the way in the back garden. Bent front beam comes off. Probably only fit for the scrapyard. You can see the damage to the front end. Apart from this the body was in quite good condition. Not a great deal of rust. Pity the same can not be said about the floorpan! Floorpan needs some work next. Cut out all the rot and weld in new sheet. The body has been completely removed. Fortunately there is just enough room in the garage to keep both under cover. The rear of the drivers side has been cut out and most of the passenger side will follow. Unfortunately lack of photos means I can't show you everything.
