Vintage VW restoration to DD, advice please VW experts.
 

Edit: have not see vehicle and getting info second hand from non-car guys so some data is needs to be confirmed:

My good friends flaky brother parked his 1972 (approx) VW bug in their moms garage 10-15 years ago and it hasn't moved.

Mom want to rent house so VW has to go.

My brother had a VW and we used to work on it together so I am not afraid, pretty easy to work on as I remember.

They dropped a battery in it and the engine turns but didn't start (remember, non-car guys so it may just need gas.

So I am looking at tires, battery, full tune-up, etc.

Questions:

My friend does not have a key and the steering wheel is locked, they are going to drill it out... good/bad idea?

One of the guys said "it has been hot rodded" as I remember it had a stinger exhaust... someone thinks it has dual carburetors.
Since this would be my wifes DD where can I get stock exhaust, intake, carbs? How much money for that?

Also my brother has "the VW book", hope I can find it online ... any other books or online resources you can point me at please (I know about samba)?

Also, what is a ballpark figure on a decent (not show quality, say a ten footer) paint job be?

Thanks in advance!

Also factor in couples counseling.... that will be $125 per hour, once a week.

Thesamba is your friend. Avoid thier OT it is like our PARF.

Putting your wife in a 1972 Beetle as a daily driver? This should end well.......

LOL, what could go wrong?

You might want to rethink this.

I had a 1972 Super beetle for a first car.... I removed the steering wheel and was able to then disable the steering wheel lock function somehow without damaging the ignition switch (don't remember details as it was in 1982 or 1983). I then made a simple jumper wire that plugged into the unplugged ignition switch harness igniton switch. I simply jumped power to ignition then had a loose extra teed into that loop that I would touch to the starter terminal of the switch plug to start. I used this set-up every time my parent s grounded me from driving when they were not home. They never were the wiser and my ignition switch remined functional minus the steering wheel locking function.

New, this stuff would probably cost around $300. All of the necessary parts (with the possible exception of the muffler) can easily be found used for a lot less at a VW swap meet or in the classifieds at The Samba.

The "blue" Bentley manual for that year car will be very useful. It's available from any of the popular VW parts suppliers, as well as from Amazon.

If you remove the bumpers, lights, trim, etc., you should be able to get the car painted for less than $3k...and that should include some minor body work too. If you go to some discount place, like Earl Schieb, it should be quite a bit less. Do as much of the prep as you can to get the lowest price.

Aircooled.net is a great place to buy whatever you need for the car...lots of good advice on their site too. VW Parts Aircooled.Net - VW Bug. Bus, Ghia, Thing, Type 3, Type 4VW Parts and VW Tech from Aircooled.Net

If you lived up here, we could do everything in my shop, as soon as I finish my '69 'vert, which has been disassembled for over a year......

Parts are everywhere and are cheap. If you get it, replace all the fuel lines immediately.

Why not fix your 944 and have her use that?

This has been considered... however even after getting the 944 running it will be much more expensive to maintain... add to that working on an old aircooled VW is exponentially easier than working on a 944.

For you nay sayers... wife has always wanted and been bugging (no pun interned) for an old bug... I have not told her about this car, however waiting until I look it over myself then get an idea of how much $$ to get it running.

Bottom line... to get the 944 running (and that is just running) around $2000... that amount of money will go alot farther on a VW (probably get a entire good running engine and drop it in the VW in an afternoon).

When I met my wife her DD was a 90's Nissan pickup with a mashed front fender... she is by no means a car snob.

If your wife is cool with an old Beetle that is awesome. Most women like the little things like A/C and a car that will start every time.;)

This is SoCal... we don't need no A/C or heater!

Yes she is very much the pioneer woman (why I married her)

I asked her last night,

Me: "you are always going on about getting a bug (every time we drive by one she oooh and ahhhhs) have you ever driven one? They are very crude, no heat, little or no insulation, they are noisy, rattley, bouncy, are you sure you would like driving one?

Her: "My friend in high school had one and I drove it all the time and loved it!"

So Books: John Muir/Tosh Gregg? (I think my brother had that one)
What about the Tom Wilson book?

Thanks again

PS: Wife last night "How about I get a scooter?"
Me "Uh, NO!"

Can this be done with generic gas line and clamps?

If they drill out the steering wheel lock (wheels are turned, no key, need to get it out of the garage) how expensive is that to fix? I see everything from $140 for a matching set of door handles and ignition to $12 for an new ignition switch.

As far as the steering wheel lock, I wouldn't let them drill it. I seem to remember taking the vin number to the VW dealer and getting a set of keys made for my old bug.

As for the hot rod parts, leave them on (except the stinger.) They didn't have much power to begin with and every little bit helps. There are some mods that really improve performance and reliability and duals are one of them.

Drop the front end, put on some nice panasports with 145's in the front and 165's in the rear, a slider top conversion, one piece windows with all new rubber, and you (your wife) will have a nice daily driver.

As for paint in SoCal, no clue.

Everything is easy to do - including replacing fuel lines.

Drilling out the wheel lock seems extreme. I have taken my ignition apart a few times but can't remember if I needed a key.

IIRC (and it's been 35 years) there's a small metal pin that holds that lock assembly in.
A sheet metal screw on the end of a slide hammer will have that lock assy out in two, maybe three wacks.

Bentley is the bible for those things. Is it a super or a standard? superbeetles.com and superbeetlesonly.com have a wealth of info.

If you do get her the car, do the front disc brake conversion and put a little wider wheel and tire setup on it.

If you have a spare rear suspension for a 944, it will pretty much bolt on there.

Since your wife is cool with having a bug, I say get to work.

A question I have is, can't you find a really nice beetle in Socal relatively inexpensively?

Dean

As I stated earlier, I think you can disable the steering lock without drilling.