So it begins.

Breaking a VW bug down to the pan (frame of the car) is a pretty easy task. All you should need is any decent VW manual and access to the web to find what you need. It seems German engineers like four. Four bolts hold the engine on. Four bolts hold the front axle on. Four bolts hold the wheels on (I started with a '68 which has four lug bolts) and so on and so fourth.

The hardest thing about taking the car apart was actually lifting the body off the pan which required two 2x4s about six feet long with me and three friends. I ran one piece of wood under the rear apron and the other through the front between the pan and the trunk. With my three helpers we lifted the body off without much effort. One thing to note is that I worked the body loose before I tried to lift it. There is a seal that fits all around the pan and on a thirty seven year old car this thing requires a little motivation because it doesn't want to let go. So before my friends got there I wiggled everything loose with my four foot pipe. Everyone who works on VWs should have a four foot pipe to use as a pry bar in order remove the nuts on the rear axles of the car. Over all, things went pretty well.

My advise, after taking the thing apart, make sure you do two things. First, get some plastic baggies/trash bags and label them as you take pieces off the car. I did it and it's helped tremendously in putting the car back together. Make sure you label everything as detailed as possible. Second, DON"T throw anything away. Even the lowliest nut or bolt can put a complete halt on your rebuild. There have been several times I've needed that one little part I thought was so insignificant at the time and realized it would've come in real handy later. Even if it was just to match up with the new part I just bought it was would've been worth it. You should even save those parts you don't need to put back on the car. I saved a bunch of stuff and selling it on ebay has helped off set the build costs. Even little things you would think nobody wants like a voltage regulator or the support bar that holds the back seat in place. I stripped the car almost bare but there were still a few things I would've liked to have either to sell or to keep.