Hello...I'm James and new to this forum. Anyway, I own a '65 Beetle with a great interior (probably redone at some point) and barely any rust on its body. Its appearance is quite striking. However, the floor pans have a lot of surface rust which annoys me to no end, though my trusted mechanic seems unconcerned about them for the moment. Plus, he said that its cam is on its way to getting bad (There is a loud knock when idling.) and will therefore require an engine rebuild at some point, costing $1,600 according to him; however he vaguely said that a lot of Bugs are running around with bad cams. Now I have a few questions: 1) At what point do the floor pans really need replacing (obviously before a hole breaks through!)? 2) What is the cost of replacing them? 3) Is $1,600 a fair price for a rebuild of a 1500cc? 4) Should I just get rid of the car while I'm still ahead? Thanks!

 

You posted in April and no one has replied? My opinion is that if you're asking the question, you should sell it. $1,600 is just for starters. If the floor pan is rusted and you suspect it will break through, you're running into some serious money to replace/repair the pan. It all depends on what you want to do with the car. If it is for daily transportation, sell it. If it is a hobby car, learn how to rebuild the motor and repair the pan.