Mexican made 356 kit using Super Beetle chassis

CMC made an optional kit that bolted/welded on to the front to replace the MacPherson bits. 

As an alternative, you can buy the front pan sheet metal pieces and have them accurately welded on and add the std VW H-Beam front suspension.  Here's the part that gets welded on to convert to a std bug pan.

It is in one of the CMC build manuals available here in Resources Library for Donating members. It probably will help with most aspects of the build.

I doubt that an unmodified Super Beetle chassis would work as I suspect the strut towers would stick out through the bodywork. 

IIRC, (help me with the dates, Wolfgang), the Superbeetle MacPherson Strut (MS) front end was an option from 1970 to 1974, after which all Beetles delivered in the US had the MS suspension.  The last speedster kit I built was on a 1971 Super Beetle pan that came with the normal front beam suspension so, yes, the Mexican speedster could be sitting on an unmodified Super Beetle pan with a beam front.

That same kit was ordered with the front end conversion kit from CMC before I bought it.  I sold the conversion kit to someone in Florida on the Samba.  They were really rugged.

As to Lane's comment, I too believe that the strut towers would be too high to fit under the speedster body, hence the conversion kit.

Thanks guys, as I somewhat suspected.  Also, anyone familiar with a Mexican built 356 kit ?  The gentleman I am haggling with claims the kit to have come from Mexico City but does not have the construction manual or name of the manufacturer.  Are the build instructions fairly generic or kit specific for the 356 kits ?

Well, that's a tougher question.  Whatever body you have needs to mate up with the corners of the VW pan, so measuring both the body and pan at the corners of the cockpit, where it bolts to the pan, should tell you how much the pan needs to be shortened to fit.   CMCs were shortened 11.81", per their instructions, to fit their bodies - other bodies might be slightly different.  Beyond that, once you get the pan shortened I would think that a CMC/Fiberfab manual (use the later dated one on here) would be adequate to finish the kit, along with help from the Peanut Gallery on here to answer questions.

Wasn't the guy in Mexico City named Juan or something?  I think he was doing a Mercedes Gull Wing 300SL, too, and maybe others.  Someone in the States used to get bodies from him and build them up, way back in time, but I can't remember who.

Lastly, just be forewarned that building up a speedster kit from scratch, regardless of how much stuff is "included" in the kit, takes years, not months.  The fastest complete build I've seen was Dr. Clock and even he took darn close to a year or so.  Regardless of who built the body, nothing fits the first time and everything becomes custom as you go along.  My first kit took several years.  The second one would have been a couple of years but I reorganized my life and sold it before it was finished.  I bought it for around $2500, put another grand into it to make the pan/suspension new again and sold it to break even.

Rafael is the guy in Mexico.

Rafael is the guy in Mexico (ralbiter@hotmail.com).  There are a few bodies in US although at one time a US manufacturer had their bodies made in Mexico. Rafael made an interesting scissors folding top that was advertised on eBay for around $500.  A year or so a guy in TX imported a car and was working on it (it might have gone up for sale not completed though). I've seen a coupe from MX that simply had wrong proportions - maybe too tall.

I'd want a blazing hot deal on a MX replica if it is not completely together (running is easy part since its VW).  I'd check to see if it has the inner perimeter strengthening frame - and avoid it if it does not. I assume the pan has a valid US title?  You can often find a rundown FiberFab/CMC for $6k or so.  It will need floor pans, a new interior, and other work but it may be a better investment.  (Here's a running one in AZ for $12k - https://www.thesamba.com/vw/cl...etail.php?id=2164116).  I won't mention "build time" as I measure time not in biblical terms but in eons.

Here's typical perimeter frame from a burned CMC Speedster.  It is a must for a car that won't flex.

Like I said the MacPherson strut front end won't work but throw $ at it and it can be converted - or when shortening the pan, the rear SB part with matching VIN/title can be used and the std bug front piece spliced in (as the tunnel section is identical.  Shortening the chassis/pan is covered in the CMC build manual.

Most fiberglass bodies are taken from an original so are all close.  A story is that early replicas were from a Speedster with the right front fender damaged and that oddity was carried on to replicas for years.  That said some do alter things like the headlight placement or door handle mechanism/latching.

Post a photo of what's included and we can tell you what's missing and the cost.  The CMC build manual also has a detailed parts list.  Missing parts will add up quickly - a windshield with frame is over $600 plus shipping. A convertible top, header and frame is another $800.

As you can read here,  this build is not for the timid.

An all ready completed speedster, still provides many owners the  mechanical challenges one needs to fulfill their  "I did it file."

Art

Ahhhhh.....   The thrill of building your own Speedster.   Couldn't more than a few weeks, right?  shorten the pan, slap on a new front beam and disk brakes:

Throw on some new, shortened floor pans

Find a good place to store the body while working on the pan:

Almost forgot - all new brake stuff, new pedal cluster (the donor one rotted out) and, in this case, a new headset and Napolean Hat bulkhead because the donor pan had rotted out (No, I did not do those welds, Chris did):

A pair of Porsche 924 trailing arms thanks to Woolsey's junk yard on Lady's Island, SC and new Urethane bushings:

And eventually, you get to about here (Lane!  Recognize that poster on the door?):

Oh!  And you'll need this (full size) to locate the holes for your windshield corner mounts - The coffee stains are free:

"Lane!  Recognize that poster on the door?"

Yup!

I regret to inform you that those aren't coffee stains - We had a cat that used to hang out in the garage.  The papers still have a unique odor to them.  You should see how cat's spraying affected the chrome Mangles that were on the car.  Did keep away the mice though.

Speedster should be quiet with all that insulation!

WOLFGANG posted:

"There are a few bodies in US although at one time a US manufacturer had their bodies made in Mexico." 

 It wasn't just at one time.  All Vintage Speedsters bodies were made in Mexico. And, JPS bought their bodies from Vintage so theirs were from Mexico too. 

Here's the thread on the Mexican built coupe -

https://www.speedsterowners.co...56-continental-coupe

Again, thank you Wolfgang.  Great information, greatly appreciated.

I like that coupe, except for the color: baby-poop brown. It's all the rage these days LOL!