Aircooled VW South Africa

Hi Gents

Currently at the crossroad to decide if I want to restore or do a rat rod on my vdub. Are there perhaps any threads of guys who have attempted this locally? I have searched and can only see Barry's thread. Perhaps one of you can point me n the right direction?

Hey Bryan - just to clarify: Rat and Volksrod are not the same thing. You could do a ratty Volksrod for sure. And rat a standard Beetle (or anything else)
Personally I have some issues with the whole 'rat' thing as mostly it is done for shock value or just because someone is too lazy to do it right. If that is your thing all good, but I think anyone should think really carefully about what you want a car to be/do for YOU. In the end that is all that counts. But tatty, overly dropped (or whatever else) can get old really quickly - not to mention the whole safety aspect (which should never be compromised)

Your car and you can do what you want, but talking with the VW guru's here and looking at the local VW scene it seems like the fad of both of those are fading. I see more restored Bugs and that is what the Gurus say, they have more requests for resto parts than before. So think long and hard what is going to be the best, a resto that will keep it's value and appeal to many or a 'rat' or volksrod that have a small following and that is fading. Just my 2 cents

If it is fading in the US, we still have about 15-20 years to go.......LOL

Hi Barry

Thank you for educating me. I did not know the difference. I fully agree with your opinion. I don't like the raw look of some of the rats I have seen on the web. Is there perhaps anybody who attempted a project like this?

I would like to do something in the line of this;

http://www.tamparacing.com/forums/attac ... nt-001.jpg

If its fading bring it back

Working om it...watch this space.

A good friend of mine is building one for a customer. I'm doing the mechanical ill post some pics of it

Not the best pic will take a better one when I get a chance, he has swopped the doors around so they open like suicide style

Oh my.........


Sorry dude but that is UGLY as....


Proportion is everything, and it is a LOT harder to get right than you would think. Not only does each part need to be right, it needs to work with everything else to make the whole greater than the sum.

The idea behind one of these is to remove things that don't need to be there. This, together with the extended wheelbase should result in a more pared down, svelte, businesslike appearance. One of the biggest visual challenges with a Volksrod is how to handle the valance and the front of the bonnet. (Hint: adding material there is not the answer.....)

Sorry to say Snoeckie, but I have to unfortunately agree with Barry here. But each to his own....

Yeah no offense to me I didn't build it I'm just getting the motor started etc. it is a kak photo tho and far from finished, I know it's not everyone cup of tea so to speak, but is different and I admire the effort and work he has put into it, there's a feature of a really nice baby blue one in a south African hot rod magazine

if you are talking about the one I think you are talking about Snoeckie, then that baby blue one would be the very one our man BARRY - see above, built with his own two hands

So you are in good company if looking for volksrod advice....

Thanks Karma, but I think Snoeckie is talking about another one - on the cover of the latest SAHR if I am not mistaken.

http://sahotrods.com/wp/edition-34-on-s ... on34-indd/

I love this. If I could say one thing about it, maybe the back of the tub could have been lowered a little (but I have only seen this angle). Otherwise pretty much perfect!

Yep that Rod is nice, he won best of show last year at our Bug Jam 2012. Owned by Mark, and built by one of my mates in Wynberg, Cape Town.

Muds