[Wanted: Car] Wizard
- Thread starter robert
- Start date
robert, are you sure you want one? Like "have to satisfy a life-long burning desire" levels of want?
I had brief contact with a Wizard that I broke up for its suspension. It was the most horrid pile of crap I have ever laid eyes on or had the misfortune to cross the path of. And I've owned, driven and worked on a lot of horrid piles of scrap in my time. It has balls of filler as big as your fist where there should have been metal, bits "glassed" together where they should have been welded, cracks all over the shop from body flex. It wasn't a patch on an original full-roofed beetle. I was happy that the only place it went after my yard was the scrap heap. I brought it there myself just to be sure!! For example, the "shoulder" seatbelt point in the car looked like it was a solid part of the structure of the car but as I tore it apart, it became obvious that the entire pillar that the seatbelt anchored to was in fact fixed to the rest of the car by way of two big wood screws and a dose of fibreglass. If the car was in a head-on, the driver may as well not have been wearing a belt for all the use it was.
I'm not a purist at all, far from it. Just I think you'll have a very hard time finding a good one that's been built responsibly with structural integrity and safety in mind. You may end up spending the price of a good steel beetle on a tarted up heap of dung.
Beware...
I had brief contact with a Wizard that I broke up for its suspension. It was the most horrid pile of crap I have ever laid eyes on or had the misfortune to cross the path of. And I've owned, driven and worked on a lot of horrid piles of scrap in my time. It has balls of filler as big as your fist where there should have been metal, bits "glassed" together where they should have been welded, cracks all over the shop from body flex. It wasn't a patch on an original full-roofed beetle. I was happy that the only place it went after my yard was the scrap heap. I brought it there myself just to be sure!! For example, the "shoulder" seatbelt point in the car looked like it was a solid part of the structure of the car but as I tore it apart, it became obvious that the entire pillar that the seatbelt anchored to was in fact fixed to the rest of the car by way of two big wood screws and a dose of fibreglass. If the car was in a head-on, the driver may as well not have been wearing a belt for all the use it was.
I'm not a purist at all, far from it. Just I think you'll have a very hard time finding a good one that's been built responsibly with structural integrity and safety in mind. You may end up spending the price of a good steel beetle on a tarted up heap of dung.
Beware...
just trying to point out that they were often the focus of dreadful bodging efforts. Even moreso than regular beetles. If someone was to go looking at some possible candidates to spend a few grand on, they'd want to be VERY careful inspecting it for integrity, safety, build quality etc. The old magnet trick isn't going to work on one of these!!
Thanks for the input / advise guys. I suppose with any car that has had modifications, you don't know the quality of work that has gone into it unless you know the guy that has done the actual work. I've been googling and ebaying for months now trying to find a kit to use for a build but they're impossible to come by. I have a ghia coupe being worked on at the moment so am looking for a new project and have always liked these 2 seaters.
by way of reparation for any damage done by my last post I saw this and thought of you, Robert
if you're dead set on having a Wizard, then the only way you're going to be 100% sure what's underneath the surface is if you do it yourself:
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showpost.php?p=13410690&postcount=8
I think they do. There is also a German company making tasty Hebmuller panels - http://www.blech-manufaktur.de/40597/home.html
Looking at that I think you would be able to get everything as I have seen someone offering complete Hebmuller convertible frame, wood and glass.
Looking at that I think you would be able to get everything as I have seen someone offering complete Hebmuller convertible frame, wood and glass.
Jesus lads, hope i'm not being compared with this poor Dillon guy! Anyhow nice to get abit of banter and info on the wizard, not to most peoples tastes from what I can gather. The hebmullers are class, didn't even know you could get replica panels for them so of course I've spent a few hours on the net now looking more into that option....but it's not really an option, serious money needed for them.
I think you are quite rite to point out to any perspective buyer how bad these kits can be and just how dangerous and badly put together most of them are
Its one of the good things about being in a club using other peoples knowledge and experience to help make an informed decision .
I know exactly what is in the car that I posted the pic of because I rebuilt it for my mate .
