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Got a '73 Super Beetle donor CHEAP!
Has a Title, set of eight spoke wheels and a 1600 DP engine that will have to be rebuilt.
Putting a CMC '35 Bugatti kit on the pan.

This creates an issue for the front suspension as CMC intended the kit to use a beam type front.
There are expensive conversion kits available, costing more than just buying an earlier IRS rear beam front axle type pan.
Problem is that it seems few such pans come with clean title at a reasonable price.
I think I can find a junk beam axle pan and cut the strut front off mine, then weld a beam type front on.
Seems like a lot of work just to preserve having a title and not improve the front suspension.

I'm wondering about modifying the strut suspension to work.
The lower edge of the pan has to be reinforced anyway once the Bug body is removed.
Why not add a hoop for upper support to each side and a cross-brace side to side with slotted strut mounts for camber adjustment?
The finished car will be VERY light so the load is not an issue.

Seems it might even be possible to convert to a shorter strut?
Surprisingly the SAMBA forums seem to have no discussion of this concept.
Those who break new ground often go broke, so what am I missing here?

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Sounds like a fun project. You should be able to easily build a frame work to hold the top of the struts and reinforce the pan to make it work.
When it comes to extremely modified VWs I avoid the samba, since they seem to take it very personally when people modify them beyond the norm. I got crucified when I asked for thoughts on my ideas for my 66 type 3 fastback.
I prefer http://shoptalkforums.com/ for anything VW related.
The Euro Look Forum has quite a bit on the Super Beatles, you should be able to find what shortened strut inserts work (I think early rabbit but could be wrong) and what they use for coil-overs.

Looked at a lot of SB front suspension related post at several bug forums.
I get the impression that they do not think as creatively as folk here since they are mostly restricted by the need to fit the stock VW body.

Saw nothing like what I have in mind except some pics of very expen$ive and bulky double A arm conversions.

From what I can glean I will want to eliminate the factory sway bar for a trailing arm with proper pivot points and true trailing arms to improve lower geometry.
Then add an adjustable sway bar that does not need to work as the trailing arm.
Not too hard so far.

I'm hoping to also swap in a different front strut, hopefully much shorter and less visible behind the wheel.
Need to get my bug body off so I can see what I'm working with better.

Since I'm also tossing about half the original weight I should also be able to go to softer and shorter springs.
Hopefully I can do this in a way that also makes the springs less visible, inboard cantilever if necessary, but that probably kills the intended "Budget" and simple aspects.

This is not my main priority build, just looking to figure it out so that I can grab parts as they become available on the cheap.

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If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!

You're asking *here*? A forum full of 'enablers'?

option 1: scrounge a beam front end, lop off any interfering bits on the pan, weld on some new supports to hold the beam on. There are only four attachment points; the steering box bolts to the beam. You don't care if your homebuilt attachment structure looks like a stock VW arrangement or fits a VW body. Sell the leftover strut bits. I think the steering boxes are odd and valuable.

option 2: weld up an A-arm front end. If you don't care to do your own, you can use the Gibbs (Ford Sierra upright) or KB58 (Miata upright) designs, which come with drawings for the mount locations, A-arms, etc.

Now thinking that the simplest fix may be to create an upper cross-tube type support that works as the upper strut mount using much shorter and smaller diameter struts and springs.
I may be able to replace the kits original light mounting bar with the new upper strut support.
That would help to retain the original look while keeping true IFS.

Get rid of the stock sway bar trailing arm combination and put in an adjustable rear lower trailing arm.
Give the sway bar a decent connection so that it can actually work as just a sway bar.
Will probably fabricate a more serious lower arm too.
May as well ad R&P steering while I'm at it.

Fiberglass bodied VW's tend to be light in the front anyway and with this kit's minimal fiberglass shell the front will be very light.
I once had a tube-frame buggy that was so light in the front that I had to hit the brakes before starting turns.
If I did not load the front end by braking it had genuinely "terminal" under-steer.
Don't want that here so the battery goes up front and a little extra sprung weight for the front will not really hurt.

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If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!