Summer chop-top car... - Page 2

Royal Tiger · #16 03-03-2005, 01:22 PM

Here is my $ .02 First cutting the roof off a non-convertible will not pass a state inspection if your state has one, and probably no insurance company will write a policy on it. If you lie to the insurance company it's called fraud and is a felony just about everywhere. In PA you would need a remanufactured title to put a plate on it and would have to be safety inspected. As for removing the doors on a passenger car, it's illegal in PA and NJ. I'm sure in others but I know those two for sure. Jeeps get by because the doors are not load bearing structural support as designed by the manufactor. Your are WAY better off finding a POS convertible for cheap like a VW Rabbit or that Mercury thing from the late 80's, XR2 or something like that.

Rotorflyr · #17 03-04-2005, 02:17 AM

Here ya go: Linky

CigarJohnny · #18 03-04-2005, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rotorflyr
Here ya go: Linky

Cool! A Volkswagon "Thing"! I haven't seen one of them in a long time. I'll have to check the link to see how much they want for it.

Johnny

CigarJohnny · #19 03-04-2005, 04:52 AM

Man, that thing's rough (no pun intended). The body looks like just some surface rust more than rot. Might be nice for someone looking for a solid base for a good custom car.

SilverSpear · #20 03-04-2005, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rotorflyr
Here ya go: Linky

actually we have some over here, one is white, excellent condition, and.... with a Porsche engine and tranny !!! really cool. I will see if the guy allows me to take some pics of it

CigarJohnny · #21 03-04-2005, 09:44 AM

There are los of people that fully restore them but make them look like Nazi SS military cars.

CigarJohnny · #22 03-04-2005, 09:47 AM

I think this Baja version is pretty cool.

Johnny

Rotorflyr · #23 03-04-2005, 09:08 PM

I always wanted a VW Thing, there is just something about them that is cool!
Shame most are either rust-buckets like the one I posted, or restored and selling for 10k+

Subafreak · #24 03-05-2005, 07:45 AM

Cool BAJA version! I don't think the Thing was ever a Nazi military vehicle, that would be the Kubelwagon. Close but very different.

And if I had a link or pic I would have put it here.

UberRoo · #25 03-05-2005, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Subafreak
I saw an old (70's) Subaru wagon with the top cut off...

I saw a late 80's Subaru GL 3-door that someone had attempted to convert into a Brat. I saw it in a wrecking yard, and from a distance, it actually looked like a Brat. Up close it was a pretty crude hack-job.

What PA_SVX says probably has a lot of merit. Legally I'm not sure how the State Patrol could object, but I've little doubt that they would anyway. The way I see it, you pop the doors off and bang, you've got a custom car. People build custom cars all the time. Sure, removing the doors makes it weaker, but I'm not aware of any laws that specify how strong the car must be. Drilling a hole in the roof for a sunroof or even an antenna would also make the car weaker. If someone's going to draw the line somewhere, it's not up to the road police - it's gotta be written it the law. I think a judge would toss it out, but you'd probably be visiting the courtroom regularly to have new citations dismissed.

I met a fellow who built a street-legal car that very strongly resembled a Formula-One car. He tried to register it as a homebuilt car. The Washington State Patrol repeatedly rejected it for all sorts of crazy reasons. Finally he hired a lawyer. There was a bit of noise and smoke behind closed doors, but what do you know, the next time he attempted to register it, he was successful. He told me he doesn't drive it very often because every-other-time he drives it, he gets stopped by an officer who isn't familiar with the history behind the car's registration. Each time he gets stopped costs him a day in court to have it dismissed. It's too much hassle.

Earlier I had talked to someone at the state patrol about building such a car. He told me flat out, it could not be done; it wouldn't be legal. I objected and said that it must be possible because I had seen one driving around. (This was before I'd met the owner.) Suddenly the trooper's demeanor changed, he told me it was a fluke accident that it slipped by, and it'd never happen again. He wouldn't explain any further and became very short with me. I think that car has chapped a lot of hides. I've since asked two other troopers about the car, and they both seemed to have some bitter feelings toward it and it's owner.

The guy who owns the car is a bit of a hero to me for having persevered. It's a shame that he can't enjoy his car. He followed the law getting it built and registered, yet the people in charge of enforcing the law don't seem to want to obey it themselves. Our "protectors" can't resist harassing law-abiding citizens. ...and people wonder why there is so much animosity towards law officers.

Rotorflyr · #26 03-06-2005, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Subafreak
the Thing was never a Nazi military vehicle, that would be the Kubelwagon. Close but very different.
And if I had a link or pic I would have put it here.

You mean like this?

Or this?

Jessie is right, they are similar but they aren't the same vehicle

immortal_suby · #27 03-06-2005, 06:42 AM

CigarJohnny · #28 03-06-2005, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Subafreak
Cool BAJA version! I don't think the Thing was ever a Nazi military vehicle, that would be the Kubelwagon. Close but very different.

And if I had a link or pic I would have put it here.

True. It was never a Nazi vehicle. I htink they only started production of the Thing in 1973 and ended in 1980. However, since it looks so much like the Kubelwagon, they paint them and accessorize them to look pretty much like them.

Johnny

Royal Tiger · #29 03-06-2005, 12:12 PM

It IS against the law to drive on a roadway in PA with the doors removed from a passenger vehicle. Jeep is the only exception I know of. It can be found in Title 67. Don't have the subsection on me, but I can look it up.

alex_umn · #30 03-07-2005, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by immortal_suby

Awesome! Then again, that looks like that is a dedicated off-road course, where insurance may not be required...

Anywho, I think my rationale about wanting a sedan or coupe is that overall I will get more for my money than I would with a car that started life as a convertible. The idea is to have a cheap project that epitomizes wrongness on many levels.

However, I do want to do this within the lines of the law. In Minnesota, one must have insurance on their car to drive legally, and I think this will be the biggest possible issue.

I'm wrapping up a week of much-deserved vacation right now, so I won't have a ton of time to play with this convertible idea for a while, but we'll see I guess...