Best Pan for a Speedster Conversion

[RES94025]

I'm in the beginning stages of considering a replica speedster build and have questions about the best donor pan for this project. I'm not interested in pushing crazy power or having the latest and greatest suspension technology - I have cars that I can drive when I need performance. This goal for this tub is to be a bare bones driving experience similar to an original. To that end I am looking for a pre-64 pan with the accommodation for the "knob" style heat control.

Here is my primary question regarding the best donor pan - sedan or convertible?

I haven't found any real mention of the benefits of using a convertible pan and most folks seem to use the sedan pans as a foundation. But - if the completed car isn't going to have the strength of a roof it seems to make sense that the pan should have the additional reinforcement designed for a convertible.

I do see that replacement supports are available aftermarket - so if I do start with a sedan pan it seems that it would make sense to reinforce with these supports as a way to make the pan as strong as possible.

Of course - maybe the reduced weight of a speedster replica body makes all of this a moot point?

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions are much appreciated!

[Marc]

Since the first thing you'll need to do is whack about a foot out of the pan to achieve the Speedster's shorter wheelbase, I don't see the presence of the convertible stiffeners to be much of an advantage - I like the idea of incorporating them (they'll help the doors to open & close when you're parked on uneven terrain) but you'd probably be better off with shortened repro parts than with sectioned original ones...or just fabricate your own from angle-iron/aluminum since there's no need to retain stock appearance. You probably won't want to use a stock jack on this vehicle anyway - a scissors jack would suffice for tire changes with less potential for damage - so the VW jack "ports" aren't really needed.

The Sedan pan wins when it comes to cost and availability (and the likelihood of the floorboards not being rusted out).
Be advised that 1960 had a one-year-only front transaxle mount which'll need to be cut off and replaced with either a pre`60 or `61-up part...if you use the latter it'll accept any `61-up transaxle; the early mount necessitates the use of a nosecone and hockey stick from a splitty Bus.

[Dale M.]

Ultimate donner chassis if you search it out, would probably be 69 or later (not super beetle) because with BJ front and IRS rear, you would have the best handling characteristics already on chassis without doing a lot of suspension mods... Other than lowering and shocks and other normal stuff... Had later chassis under auto-x race car and everybody who drive it that had (or familiar with) earlier K&L and SA though it handled better, and yes I have had two manx style buggy and feel BJ and IRS is superior and each car has different chassis so I have experienced both.. ...

Dale

[Hebster]

Sedan and Convertible pans are identical.. There are no stiffeners in the pan on a convertible. All strenght is built into the bolt-on body... Only difference is that the convertible pan doesn't have the jackmounts...

[Ol'fogasaurus]

deleted as it wasn't appropriate information

Lee

[Hebster]

The speedster bodykits include a full steel construction for the body where as the buggies don't...

[Hebster]

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Hebster, are all of them like that? I've seen a couple on line that sure didn't show that much structure. If so I will delete my text as it will just confuse people.

Lee

[Hebster]

All of the kits I have seen nowadays have a similar structure. Some as separate parts as in the picture, others as a molded unit with the body.

An other example the Intermeccanica speedsters..
http://intermeccanica.com/athird.net/media

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Thanks, I will delete my post.

Lee

[Hebster]

In my own case the coupe is a scratchbuilt car with an empty body shell and pan has a full cage added to it. Still working with the frontend and rest of structure as it is a 1302S with Mcpherson front suspension.

http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewto ... 15&t=44762

[Marc]

Sedan and Convertible pans are identical.. There are no stiffeners in the pan on a convertible. All strenght is built into the bolt-on body... Only difference is that the convertible pan doesn't have the jackmounts...

Yes, to clarify - the stiffeners on a stock convertible are welded to the body, not the pan...the point I was trying to make above was that by the time you modified the stock parts to attach at the pan bolts on a shortened chassis, you may as well have built them from scratch.

http://www.chucksconvertibleparts.com/v ... ifferences

Google 151 801 131 and 151 801 132. Note that the reinforcement channels house the jack ports.

[madmike]

Ghia

[wolfgang]

A Ghia pan will work BUT the floor pan itself is too wide for available Speedster fiberglass bodies - mainly in the front foot wells on either side. The Ghia chassis does have stock disc brakes, a disc brake master cylinder and often a 3.88 R&P as past of the chassis.

[dustymojave]

For clarity and verification: (I just went and looked to be certain my memory wasn't tricking me)
My '58 convert has stiffener rails welded to the underside of the body shell and NOT the pan. They are outboard of the channel in the outside edge of the pan where the body mount bolts live. The pan itself is the same as my 58 Sedan pan.

But it MIGHT be wise to add some square or rectangular tube in the bolt channels of the pan for extra rigidity.