Mr. Kris, It is true that it can get discouraging especially when you are getting the evil eye from the misses. We all started out about the same. My first buggy was a real JYD with parts scavenged from my fathers spare parts and a wrecked VW bug in much worse shape than the one you bought. The guy said the engine was toast but for $75 I figured I would get a trans and at least one spare spindle. Turns out when I pulled the valve covers off that the head bolts were lose, I mean finger tight. Tightened them up and it ran for the next three years. It was a single port 36 hp but it got me around the woods.

I would suggest a service manuel, or the keeping your bug alive book. These things are simple but the issues can take a bit of trouble shooting to fix.

That is always why this forum is so helpful.

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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)

I'm going to try to hang in there. It's mostly just being a little discouraged because I was told all of things about what condition it was in, and it is turning out that everything was pretty much a lie and I got ripped off because I didn't know what I was looking at or looking for. But I'm into it for too much now to even attempt to get my money back the way it is now.

I'm going to attempt to get the engine back off today and see what's going on in there with the trans/clutch. I say attempt, because I have a ton of stuff to get done this weekend. I am starting classes next week working toward my electrical engineer/computer hardware engineer degree. It's been forever since I have had school of any kind, so it's quite intimidating, especially with most of the classes I have to take over the next few years.

On a positive note, I have a guy coming tomorrow to get the beetle body. Plus, I now have a decent pan, already pulled quite a few parts to use on the buggy, and still have a lot I can use. It's not a lot of high dollar stuff, but it's the nickle and dime stuff that adds up in a hurry.

No change in the buggy build so far. No spare time with working full time and going to school full time. This may be a "between semesters" project.

School is going great, not too much dust on the brain. This is good, because I have a long way to go and a lot harder classes before I get my degree. Electrical/Computer Engineering.

That's a good trans you got from me. So idk if that's what your referring to or not. I also told you if you had any problems let me know. I'll be glad to swap it for another good one or money back. Just bring the buggy up and we'll have it goin before you leave. Just don't want any hard feelings

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IF YA CAN'T RUN WITH IT....RUN FROM IT

Not saying anything is wrong with it at all. I know you would make it right if it was. I think I may have missed something in the assembly or didn't do something right. Or like hpfreak said, it may just be enough friction to turn the flanges when the axles aren't installed. I just haven't had the time to take it all apart and check it. Or just mount the axles and put it on stands in the back and see if it turns the tires.

Well, I decided to let the buggy go to a new owner. I just don't have time to tinker on it right now between work and school. I needed something I could drive and work on at the same time, so I picked up a 92 Jeep Wrangler project. I hadn't touched the buggy since the Christmas break, and it was depressing just to see it sitting there.

I'm not gone for good, just going to be looking for something a little more road ready for now. If anybody knows of a street legal one that somebody wants to move fairly cheap, keep me in mind.