u/LumpyAardvark819

I have posted over in r/dunebuggy because I purchased a 1971 Dune Buggy that ended up being more work than I thought due mostly to my own ignorance. I couldn't post more pictures over there but am kind of looking to gauge how big of an issue I have with the pan. I erroneously saw that the inside looked good and only glanced at the underside when purchasing. Of course when I got home I almost had a mini heart attack over some of what I found. Pictures underneath aren't the best...but kind of wondering how much needs to be completely replaced versus how much I can potentially triage myself with an angle grinder.

Hello, I have been finding myself getting into cars and was looking for projects to get into to increase my skills and get into the hobby. I found myself interested in air cooled VW's due to their customization options and stayed simplicity to work on.

I found myself itching for a project and may have gotten myself into one that is way above what I am capable of accomplishing. I found myself rushed into buying it and probably overlooked some issues I should have taken into consideration more. I had to travel a good distance for the buggy and saying no seemed like more of a waste of time and resources at that point.

Then I got it home and did a bit more of a deep dive and found myself wishing it was a dream. The frame may be more rusted than I initially thought and there appears to be more of an oil leak and possibly a transaxle leak than I initially figured. The fuel tank in the rear seat seems to have some sort of leak from the top somehow. I feel stupid to say that I haven't learned stick yet and had the seller drive me around and everything seemed good. I noticed a good bit of slop on the stick when I got it home. And finally there appears to be an oil leak around the base of the cylinder head. There seems to be some cork like material flaking off around the head that is not present on the other side.

I know this whole post makes me sound absolutely stupid, but I am looking for an honest assessment of how screwed I am versus how much I can actually fix things as I learn/go. I'm already losing sleep over this one and wondering if I need to be appealing to the sellers good graces.