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Kubalwagon build


pflaming

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Since I have rebuilt a Plymouth and a Dodge,  to transfer what I have learned to a neutral vehicle and one that my grandkids will rebuild seems appropriate in the "off topic" forum.

 

Yesterday I hauled the body home. All I know at this movement can be found in these pictures.  Tip will not work on this until my Suburban is sold, but I will start looking for parts. It needs the engine, transmission, transaxle, minimum. I have bucket seats, fuel tank, rims and street tires, all kinds of electrical switches, lights so there you have it.

(to be continued)

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Edited by pflaming
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Engine and transmission/transaxle are easy to find.  (Some folks get picky and insist it's a transaxle, no transmission.)  Year of pan will dictate whether you need to look for a "swing arm" or IRS transaxle, but still readily available either way.  Prices vary based on what you want to do with the engine, stock up to hot rod.  And best part - it's really easy to work on, an excellent project to do with young'uns.  You just have to get your head around the air cooled thing.  I just had the engine out, replaced the release bearing, and engine back in my '70 Beetle in an afternoon after work yesterday.  Your going to have a blast with it, especially with the G-kids helping. 

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Dan, TKS for your insights into the axle/transmission components. I have purchased a running engine and a 2nd non running one w/o the tin so that is covered I will need to determine what pan this "custom " Buggy is built on so will not get that axle component just yet.  I purchased a 1970 VW new. A great car. 

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Today I found a stash of parts just a short mile from my house. In this stash of parts is enough parts to build two Buggies. One bug is complete sans the glass, the other a complete pan sans the engine, then boxes of parts. All this was the inventory of a teenager, the stash left with his father years ago. Dad now is in his late 80's and was relocating to a retirement village. I paid $75.00 for the total. The Bugs are '63 models.  Cool 

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careful, it is a known fact that bugs multiply...

 

was at a bug-a-thon yesterday..the handful of folks started tear down on a VW Beetle at 4PM Friday. I was there at 11AM Saturday to snag some parts and the had the pans rebuilt and painted, rear suspension and transaxle back on...engine was complete on the bench...the body had been sprayed two tone and they were working brake lines and front suspension on the chassis and installing interior stuff to the shell.  Aim, shell back on by 2PM..they scheduled a 24 hour work event.  

 

 

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When I refer to this project as an Empi Kit Buggy, no one has a clue, yet when I clarify it is akin to the Thing or Kubalwagon they then tune in. So that the community remains "pure" I will clarify in the future. I have looked at hundreds of Empi Kit pictures and have yet to find one like this. So there may have been Empi spinoffs as well or one could select parts and assemble it. What ever, it should be fun to disassemble, clean and repair parts,  and then build this frame into a street legal vehicle. 

 

My thanks to to those who helped "identify" it. 

 

PS:  so far, including fuel to get it, the frame cost me $125, this stash cost me $75, so this may be a low investment project. We will see. 

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VW of the early years...simplicity for sure.....if you have metric wrenches and hopefully a decent tap and die to chase threads it is very easy stuff to work on...parts...dirt cheap and plentiful.....

 

not like it's cousin...today I assembled two rear calipers....each caliper in made up of 61 parts....

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Well, Paul,, Whatever you decide to call your project, (things being what they are these days), I'm sure someone will take offense...and that's all I got to say about that.LOL

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A couple of articles on the Kubelwagen for those who are not sure what it was. It is VW based as is Paul's vehicle but the similarity ends there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Kübelwagen

http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/VW_type-82_Kuebelwagen.php

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  • 5 weeks later...

I brought my VW parts stash home, now I'm sorting per engines so I can store them. It appears I have parts for three engines. Some parts are new, still in the box. Since I have scaled way back on my work load,reorganization of shop and inventory is taking place. We will be in Maine June 19 thru July 12.

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Paul - your trip to Maine would be a good chance to visit Ian Pottle at The Bug Shop in Belfast.  Glenn probably knows where it is, and I bet you've driven past it a few times.  It's on US1 just west of town.  Ian is a good dude and a wealth of air-cooled VW knowledge.  As you'll see if you go to his shop.  He could help you make sense of your parts collage.

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27 minutes ago, Dan Hiebert said:

Paul - your trip to Maine would be a good chance to visit Ian Pottle at The Bug Shop in Belfast.  Glenn probably knows where it is, and I bet you've driven past it a few times.  It's on US1 just west of town.  Ian is a good dude and a wealth of air-cooled VW knowledge.  As you'll see if you go to his shop.  He could help you make sense of your parts collage.

 

Dan; Do you live close to this BUG SHOP? I had a good friend in the army named Allen Herbert Pottle who was into VW"s. I wonder if he is the one who founded this shop? The picture below is he and I in Vietnam.P5260002_01.jpg

 

 

 

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Don - double checked my memory, its The Beetle Shop.  It was started by an Allen Pottle in 1977, so, could be!  Ian took it over from his dad.  I'm about three hours away, close by some standards, not so much by others - in my book, that's "sorta close".  I have to be in Portland for work at least once a month, and will be there the 20th.  Belfast is close enough to "along the way" that I'll stop by on occasion for parts and advise.  I'd be happy to stop by and make some queries.  That way Paul and I can double team him...maybe I'll finally get to bump into Paul, too!     

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5 minutes ago, Dan Hiebert said:

Don - double checked my memory, its The Beetle Shop.  It was started by an Allen Pottle in 1977, so, could be!  Ian took it over from his dad.  I'm about three hours away, close by some standards, not so much by others - in my book, that's "sorta close".  I have to be in Portland for work at least once a month, and will be there the 20th.  Belfast is close enough to "along the way" that I'll stop by on occasion for parts and advise.  I'd be happy to stop by and make some queries.  That way Paul and I can double team him...maybe I'll finally get to bump into Paul, too!     

Thanks Dan. Allen and I both got out of the army about the same time April 1968. Allen at the time living in Keene NH. I was living in Ohio in May 1969 and Allen drove a VW to Ohio and we went to the Indy 500. At the time Allen said he was working at a VW dealer in the shop. He went back home and we lost contact with each other. After your posting I did a search and found a few things about the Beetle Shop. Ian made a comment on this webpage saying his dad Allen started the business in 1977 and ran it until his son took it over. 

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Don - that's fitting into what I know about Ian and The Beetle Shop.  His dad worked for a local VW dealership, then branched out on his own.  

Paul - I'd certainly like to meet up as well, I'm relatively free the last two weeks of June.

I'll be in touch.

 

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