hello all, i am new to the site, and to aircooled vw engines. i just bought an old rail with what i think is pretty much a stock engine. the engine does not have a thermostat or cooling flaps in the shroud,should i be looking into finding these parts to restore the cooling system to original, or not worry about it ? any input will be helpful. also, the buggy is street legal and will mostly be driven on back country roads as i dont know of any places to legaly ride offroad nearby. thanks.

You dont need those parts they are for when the engine is enclosed in the stock compartment and its hard to get air,being in an open buggy its gets plenty of cooling.You still need the fan shroud.

aaron

Don't worry about that stuff. Just make sure you let the motor warm up before you ride it hard.