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Volkswagen Beetle: How to Build & Modify
Build and modify your VW Beetle using today’s greatest aftermarket parts while implementing historic and modern modifications!
If ever a car rolled off the factory floor in the form of a blank slate, the VW Beetle is it. In fact, after taking delivery of their beloved Bug, many owners began modifications and customizations to personalize their favorite German compact.
Perhaps the most charismatic automobile ever, the Volkswagen Beetle was the longest-running, most-manufactured automobile on a single platform in automotive history. From 1938 to 2003, more than 21.5 million Bugs were assembled, distributed, and sold on nearly every continent in the world. If there’s a component that owners can modify, they’ll do it, and each custom touch makes them love their Beetle even more.
Airkooled Kustoms, a Volkswagen restoration and modification shop in Hazel Green, Alabama, has served all kinds of classic Volkswagen owners. For those who venture into the world of customization, no modern or historic trend is off-limits. These Volkswagen experts introduce and walk you through some of the most glorious customizations that Beetle owners can make to their rides. You’ll find inspiration, instruction, and more modifications than most owners could ever tackle in a lifetime.
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Paul Cave
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Before We Get Rolling
Buy Once, Cry Once
Check for Rust
Check the Engine
Stopping and Going Are Equally Important
Check the Suspension
Inspect the Wiring
Now, About that Rust
Finish Metalwork
Filler
Safety
Chapter 2: Custom Wheels
Simple Swaps and Styles
Not-so-Simple Options
Bolt Patterns
Width, Offset, and Backspacing
Popular Wheel Selections
Chapter 3: Brakes
Why Upgrade Your Brakes?
The One Instance to Keep the Original Drums
Beetle Brake Options
Brake Fluid Safety
Stock Drum Brakes
Varga Disc Brakes
EMPI or Scat Brakes
Wilwood or CSP Brakes
Bleeding Brake Lines
Brake Component Life Span
Chapter 4: Suspension
Front Beam Narrowing
Airbags, Hydraulics, and Racing Suspension
Ball Joint Kit
Air Shocks
Independent Rear Suspension Kit
Air Management Kit
Hydraulics
Performance Suspension
Chapter 5: Underhood Customization
Turbocharging
Supercharging
Ways to Upgrade
Horsepower
Electronic Ignition
Fuel System
Fire Suppression
Ratio Rockers
Chapter 6: Interior
Customization
Design Principles
Fabric
Seat Recovering
Comfort (Up and Down)
Comfort (Side to Side)
Shifter
Steering Wheel
Lighting
Gauges
Chapter 7: Body and Paint
Old-Fashioned Body Modifications
Expert-Level Metal Shaping
Just Add Color
Major Custom Paint Upgrades
Chapter 8: Trim
Chrome Restoration102Crotch Coolers
Semaphores
Australian Trim
Roof and Decklid Racks
Bumpers111Two More Shiny Bits
Low Chrome or No Chrome
Fix the Holes
Chapter 9: Weird Bug Bodies
Suicide Doors
Baja Beetles
Rat Rods
VW Rails
Beetle Dune Buggies
Chopped Bugs
Chapter 10: Electrical and Lighting
Batteries
Lighting
Beep Beep!
Generator to Alternator Upgrade
Electric Conversions
Chapter 11: Ragtop Conversions
Demand Grows
DIY versus Outsourcing
Why Mess with Perfection?
Headliner
Customize Your Bug with a Ragtop
Ragtop Installation
Ragtop Maintenance
Chapter 12: Miscellaneous Modifications
Air-Conditioning
Windshield Wipers
Wiper Mechanism Restoration
Safari Windows
Sound System
Shifter
Window Tint
Build and modify your VW Beetle using today’s greatest aftermarket parts while implementing historic and modern modifications!
If ever a car rolled off the factory floor in the form of a blank slate, the VW Beetle is it. In fact, after taking delivery of their beloved Bug, many owners began modifications and customizations to personalize their favorite German compact.
Perhaps the most charismatic automobile ever, the Volkswagen Beetle was the longest-running, most-manufactured automobile on a single platform in automotive history. From 1938 to 2003, more than 21.5 million Bugs were assembled, distributed, and sold on nearly every continent in the world. If there’s a component that owners can modify, they’ll do it, and each custom touch makes them love their Beetle even more.
Airkooled Kustoms, a Volkswagen restoration and modification shop in Hazel Green, Alabama, has served all kinds of classic Volkswagen owners. For those who venture into the world of customization, no modern or historic trend is off-limits. These Volkswagen experts introduce and walk you through some of the most glorious customizations that Beetle owners can make to their rides. You’ll find inspiration, instruction, and more modifications than most owners could ever tackle in a lifetime.
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Paul Cave
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Before We Get Rolling
Buy Once, Cry Once
Check for Rust
Check the Engine
Stopping and Going Are Equally Important
Check the Suspension
Inspect the Wiring
Now, About that Rust
Finish Metalwork
Filler
Safety
Chapter 2: Custom Wheels
Simple Swaps and Styles
Not-so-Simple Options
Bolt Patterns
Width, Offset, and Backspacing
Popular Wheel Selections
Chapter 3: Brakes
Why Upgrade Your Brakes?
The One Instance to Keep the Original Drums
Beetle Brake Options
Brake Fluid Safety
Stock Drum Brakes
Varga Disc Brakes
EMPI or Scat Brakes
Wilwood or CSP Brakes
Bleeding Brake Lines
Brake Component Life Span
Chapter 4: Suspension
Front Beam Narrowing
Airbags, Hydraulics, and Racing Suspension
Ball Joint Kit
Air Shocks
Independent Rear Suspension Kit
Air Management Kit
Hydraulics
Performance Suspension
Chapter 5: Underhood Customization
Turbocharging
Supercharging
Ways to Upgrade
Horsepower
Electronic Ignition
Fuel System
Fire Suppression
Ratio Rockers
Chapter 6: Interior
Customization
Design Principles
Fabric
Seat Recovering
Comfort (Up and Down)
Comfort (Side to Side)
Shifter
Steering Wheel
Lighting
Gauges
Chapter 7: Body and Paint
Old-Fashioned Body Modifications
Expert-Level Metal Shaping
Just Add Color
Major Custom Paint Upgrades
Chapter 8: Trim
Chrome Restoration102Crotch Coolers
Semaphores
Australian Trim
Roof and Decklid Racks
Bumpers111Two More Shiny Bits
Low Chrome or No Chrome
Fix the Holes
Chapter 9: Weird Bug Bodies
Suicide Doors
Baja Beetles
Rat Rods
VW Rails
Beetle Dune Buggies
Chopped Bugs
Chapter 10: Electrical and Lighting
Batteries
Lighting
Beep Beep!
Generator to Alternator Upgrade
Electric Conversions
Chapter 11: Ragtop Conversions
Demand Grows
DIY versus Outsourcing
Why Mess with Perfection?
Headliner
Customize Your Bug with a Ragtop
Ragtop Installation
Ragtop Maintenance
Chapter 12: Miscellaneous Modifications
Air-Conditioning
Windshield Wipers
Wiper Mechanism Restoration
Safari Windows
Sound System
Shifter
Window Tint
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