Washburnsmetal

Chassis Work

Are you in need of having your Volkswagen chassis restored and not sure where to start?

Our chassis shop has spent years removing the guesswork for the customer. Simply just drop off the stripped down chassis and let us give you back a beautiful, functioning foundation for your project that’s built to suit your needs. We’ve developed a process that will make you feel comfortable that the foundation to your restoration is in the right hands, and is of the highest quality every single step of the way. Our goal is to not only produce a chassis that looks beautiful, but functions as it should and beyond all, safe. With our experience, collection of fixtures & machines we work very hard to provide high quality chassis work that is not only affordable but delivered with great customer service and lighting fast turn around times. We have been featured multiple times in Hot VW’s & VW Trends for our chassis work and look forward to helping new clients with their projects.

What do We Work On?

When we’re talking about VW chassis, there’s many different types we specialize in, and many different upgrades that can be performed whether it’s for safety or performance. Factory stock (Type1/Type 3/Ghia/Thing) Street car builds, Drag chassis builds, Shortened chassis for Manx/Dune buggy & 356 kit car applications are some of the builds we offer.

With chassis work there is no wait time to drop off and we are accepting drop offs at any time Monday-Friday 9am–6pm & Saturdays with appointments. Any chassis build, or repair whether it’s small or large can be accommodated. Turn around time on stock chassis is typically two weeks or less but may vary as chassis are built in the order in which they are received.

Chassis Price Estimate Type 3

Chassis Pricing Estimates

These estimates are intended to give you a close idea of the cost related to restoring your chassis. These are flat rate prices and include the following tasks within the flare rate price.

Chassis Pricing Estimates Type 1

-Remove & Reinstall pan halves via spot welder like factory|
-Install seat rails, jack points, battery hold downs, Seat belt provisions (Depending on year)
-Inspect & clean throttle tube & clutch tubes
-Pressurize & leak down test fuel line
-Chase threads of all mounting holes on chassis
-Cosmetic detail of chassis top & bottom

All additional damage or repairs not included in the flat rate labor repair scope will be additional. Common examples include, if you have damage to your tunnel, need tubes, fuel line replaced or rust damage.

1955 & Earlier Type 1

$250 Blasting
$710 Parts
$1800 Labor
$450 Powdercoating (Optional Add On)

1955-1972 (Pre Super Beetle) Type 1

$250 Blasting

$525  Parts

$1500 Labor

$450 Powdercoating (Optional Add-On)

1973-1979 (Super Beetle) Type 1

$250 Blasting
$550 Parts
$1800 Labor
$450 Powder Coating (Optional Add On)

Chassis Price Estimate Type 3

-Remove & Reinstall pan halves via spot welder
-Install seat rails, jack points, battery hold downs, four rear subframe nut plates, battery ground strap weld nut, seat belt provisions (Depending on year)
-Inspect & clean throttle tube & clutch tubes
-Pressurize & leak down test fuel line
-Chase threads of all mounting holes on chassis
-Cosmetic detail of chassis top & bottom

1961-1973 Type 3

$250 Blasting

$650 Parts

$1800 Labor

$450 Powdercoating (Optional Add On)

All additional damage or repairs not included in the flat rate labor repair scope will be additional. Common examples include, if you have damage to your tunnel, need tubes, fuel line replaced or rust damage.

Chassis Price Estimate Ghia/Thing

-Remove & install pan halves via spot welder
-Install seat rails, jack points, battery hold downs, battery ground strap weld nut, seat belt provisions (Depending on year)
-Inspect & clean throttle tube & clutch tubes
-Pressurize & leak down test fuel line
-Chase threads of all mounting holes on chassis
-Cosmetic detail of chassis top & bottom

Ghia/Thing All Years

$250 Blasting
$650 Parts
$2000 Labor
$450 Powdercoating (Optional Add On)

All additional damage or repairs not included in the flat rate labor repair scope will be additional. Common examples include, if you have damage to your tunnel, need tubes, fuel line replaced or rust damage.

Chassis Price Estimate Manx/356/Kit Car

-Chassis are stripped down, bolted to the chassis fixture table to check straightness.
-The appropriate distance is removed from the chassis depending on manufactures specifications.
-The two chassis halves are sent out to be degreased, chemical dipped, then media blasters.
-Upon receiving the chassis back from the blaster the two halves are then bolted back to the chassis table. Two halves are welded together and when finished it’s seamless.
-Internal tubes are then installed, internal bracing installed for structural integrity and shortened pan halves are spot welded on for a factory finish.

Shortened Chassis (Manx/356/Kit Car)

$250 Blasting

$850 Parts

$2500 Labor Only

$450 Powdercoating (Optional Add On)

Donor chassis supplied by customer or ask us about the many builder chassis we have available for purchase.

All additional damage or repairs not included in the flat rate labor repair scope will be additional. Common examples include, if you have damage to your tunnel, need tubes, fuel line replaced or rust damage.

If you do not wish to run heater provisions they are removed and our Simple Emergency bracket is installed for a classic and timeless look. These are definitely beautiful chassis when finished and something that is worthy of any Dune buggy or Kit car that is going on top of them.

Chassis FAQS

“I’m out of state but would like to have you restore my chassis, how do I get it to you?”

It’s not uncommon that we have chassis shipped to us for restoration. If you are unable to deliver the chassis then having a transportation company pick it up and bring it to us is your best bet. After we finish our part, and the chassis build/repairs are completed we will prep the chassis to be shipped back to you in the same manner it was delivered. For shipping we recommend starting with http://www.U-ship.com to see if there are any transport companies able to assist you with delivering your chassis to us.

“Do I need an appointment to drop my chassis off?”

No, you do not. On chassis work we accept chassis without appointment and we build them in the order in which they are received. Average turnaround time on stock chassis restorations are less than two weeks from drop off.

“When I drop the chassis off to you, do I need to have all the parts?”

Although you can drop the parts off with the chassis if you’d like, No we do not need anything but the bare bones chassis. We will order all necessary parts and handle everything. We only use the best parts available to build our chassis.

“What is required of me when i drop the chassis off to your shop for restoration?”

Depending on the year of your chassis, and the extent of the build we are going with we will need a deposit before beginning the work. If your chassis falls into the flat rate build category, we will take the flat rate labor cost, blasting and parts cost upfront before beginning any work.

“Should i remove my rusty pans prior to drop off”

No, please do not start removing your pan halves. We have a quick and effective system to remove them and prefer to do it ourselves. Oftentimes customers have attempted to remove pan halves in the past and actually added more work for us.

“How should I prepare my chassis prior to drop off”

To keep the cost down and qualify for the flat rate labor cost we suggest you remove all bolt on components prior to drop off. Example, no suspension, no brake lines, no shift rod etc. Do not worry about cleaning grease or sludge off the chassis as that is included in the blasting/cleaning fee.

"Do you do pickup and deliveries?"

We will drop off and pick up your chassis from the media blaster/powder coater free of charge. Home pick up & drop off is available for local customers for an additional charge.

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