'72 German Look

[p4ch00]

New project just under way. I am going to do a '72 "German Look" Super. Need to start researching parts and Information.

Kinda sure that the car is going to have New Beetle wheels. Anybody have a set of "take offs"... looking for 98-04, 5 on 100mm, 16 inch? San Deigo?

Need to find a source for wide fenders (prefer steel), smooth running boards (prefer steel), lowering options (front and rear), wheel bolt pattern change options, and Mexican Beetle front and rear bumpers (chrome if possible)?

Any advice or tips would get the ball rolling.

Thanx in advance ... Pachoo

[oasis]

Originally Posted by p4ch00

New project just under way. I am going to do a '72 "German Look" Super. Need to start researching parts and Information.

Welcome.

Originally Posted by p4ch00

Kinda sure that the car is going to have New Beetle wheels. Anybody have a set of "take offs"... looking for 98-04, 5 on 100mm, 16 inch? San Deigo?

I just bought 16-inch VW wheels recently. Here are the best sources I have found:
(1) VW Vortex. Go to vortex forums, then Volkswagen Classifieds, then Wheels and Tires Classifieds. That's where I eventually got mine. You being in San Diego might make it easier.
(2) The Samba. This link will take you to the classifieds. There's more air-cooled stuff there than water-cooled, but the possibilities will be there.
(3) eBay. I didn't supply the link because my search parameters were probably slightly different than yours. For example, fourth generation Golfs and Jettas also use the same 5-100 bolt pattern. Also, VW has special edition wheels and wheels which are available from their parts bin. I wasn't specifically looking at New Beetle wheels only.
(4) Tire Rack. I didn't try this first hand because it would always slip my mind when I had the time to do this. But their ads in the water-cooled mags said (or used to say) they accepted trade-ins. That implies to me they must accept these for some reason, and the only conclusion I can draw is they must turn these back around.

Originally Posted by p4ch00

Need to find a source for wide fenders (prefer steel), smooth running boards (prefer steel), lowering options (front and rear), wheel bolt pattern change options, and Mexican Beetle front and rear bumpers (chrome if possible)?

I can't help with wide fenders or running boards in steel.

Your two best bets for lowering the front are MaXX struts from TopLine or Kerscher struts. The former will be half the cost of the latter if coming from the UK. There are other sources for Kerscher, but it's still coming from Europe. There are other methods of lowering a Super, but these two are the most friendly given the wheels you desire.

Lowering the rear requires removing splines or installing adjuster spring plates. There may be other options but those two are what I hear the most. The former requires technique -- something I am short on -- and the latter requires a fair amount of money. I was told the adjuster spring plates are overrated as well. You may have to do more searching here and elsewhere on this one.

There are companies which sell the bumpers you want. I'll let someone else jump in with suggestions here. I will offer one word of caution, though. My brother-in-law bought a "new" Mexican Beetle a few years back -- you know, one of those conversion deals. Well, anyway, it arrived with tarnished chrome bumpers. Supposedly, the chroming process is more bio-friendly but less durable than the oldtime bumpers in chrome. I found this out with aftermarket headlamp rings as well, so I don't think this is confined to Mexican products. Again, a search may be in order.

Originally Posted by p4ch00

Any advice or tips would get the ball rolling.

Yeah, keep coming back here and also check out SuperBeetles Only! These two sites have been an absolute joy. (And absolute joy is not exactly a phrase I use often or lightly. I'm even inclined to use the most overused word of the 21st Century: Amazing.)

Good luck.