Looks like I just purchased a 356 Speedster replica that was manufactured in Mexico. It has some trim and most of the interior from what I can see. Looking for a good resource on the build as it did not come with a construction manual. Also, I live in Cool, CA (near Auburn) and would be very interested in getting together with anyone else involved with a similar project.
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Photos will help in getting you in the right direction ~
Hey Bob, I'm located in Auburn. Owner for 15 years. There are several of us around here and you have a very kowledgeable mechanic right down the hill from you on Borland Ave. @Anthony Anthony Merjano at Anthony's Classic Autowerks handles everything VW, Porsche and replicas.
Becoming a donating member here buys you the build manuals from CMC.
Welcome to the madness is the conventional greeting. You'll understand it's meaning in time...
I have a buddy who lives in Cool! He's up by the third gate Auburn Lake Trails (ALT).
Go see Anthony.
Ted
Hey Bob, I live in Shingle Springs and I built mine from nothing but the fiberglass body shell and shortened pan. You can message me and I can help you out, I even have a CMC build manual, (although I didn't really follow it much!). 
I can help labor wise,Im in Hangtown towards U, I try to take one of my brit bikes out every Sunday early AM thru the back roads into Georgetown, over to 49 at cool and then head back..im a halfass mechanic but i had 2 speedies and am used to "fixin" things.
Terry Nuckels posted:Hey Bob, I'm located in Auburn. Owner for 15 years. There are several of us around here and you have a very kowledgeable mechanic right down the hill from you on Borland Ave. @Anthony Anthony Merjano at Anthony's Classic Autowerks handles everything VW, Porsche and replicas.
Becoming a donating member here buys you the build manuals from CMC.
Welcome to the madness is the conventional greeting. You'll understand it's meaning in time...
Thanks for the info Terry, I will become a contributing member and get in touch with you after I have procured my donor VW. Looking for a 69 or 70 per Anthony's advise. He is a great guy and quite knowledgeable.
Great seeing you today @Bob Z. Looking forward to following your build and helping out if I can.
Looking for a 69 or 70 per Anthony's advise.
Curious, did he give you a reason? '69 is first year for IRS but still a single port engine with single oil pressure relief. I would have picked the 71 and up. Dual port, dual oil pressure system plus dog house cooler and wider cooling fan. Many T1's 73 up had the more desirable 3.875 R&P transaxle. A similar year Karman Ghia would have OEM front disk brakes and the 3.89 RP - but you'd have to change/cut front portion of the floor pan. (Look for trans code of AN/AO/AR-AU for the 3.88). You could even go with a Super Beetle pan (usually available for cheap) and replace front bits with the Mendeola front end or convert to std T1 front end (both require cutting and welding).
OK, so now I am looking for a 71, 72. Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
When you get into years 71 and up, you also might run into a "Super Beetle" donor car, which means you may find it has a MacPherson Strut (MS) front end (that was part of an option package on Beetles from '71 - '75). Those are incompatible with a speedster body, as alluded to by Wolfgang, and must be swapped out with chassis alignment and welding involved.
'69 and '70 year models had all of the better IRS suspension in the rear, without yet having the MS front end so there is a lot less to worry about in turning it into a Speedster - remove the old front suspension and bolt on a new one.
99% of us on here abandoned the donor engine and transaxle in favor of new-built ones to get exactly what we wanted so I wouldn't worry too much about what's in the donor unless you need to retain the original engine serial number - all you really want is the basic pan backbone, then replace the front and rear suspension, as needed, with new stuff, new floors (they always need new floors), new brakes (even if the donor had original disks in front, they'll be pretty worn out by now, so go with new for safety) and on and on. Anthony knows all about this and will be a great guide and resource, I'm sure.
Welcome to the start of a new adventure in car building!
Thanks Gordon, the useful information keeps piling up. Great.
Hey @Bob Z, here's a guy you might want to contact. He's in Colfax:
Terry -Good lead! There is a chance a '74 might have the 3.88 R&P. I had to look up PNO title - planned non-operational. Is a title needed for registration in CA or like in a few states (AL) is a Bill of Sale sufficient? You need steering column too - many prefer the older ones where key is not on the column.
Thanks guys.
