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Mon Jun 30, 2014 10:10 pm

Acquired my 73 Swamp Thing last Summer. A little rough around the edges. Has correct engine case number for vehicle. Pretty much stock except for exhaust and air fliter. I have some plans in the works, want to keep it looking like the Military type 181 it was meant to be. This year however, just to get him running good and brakes working good..body work, paint, and new floor pans hopefully next year...

Sat Jul 19, 2014 9:56 am

My Type 181's name is Hubert, I've had him since high school (late 90's). I've grown my family over the last 10 years and haven't had funds or time to help him get back on his feet until now. So I will hopefully find some great information on these forums to help me with this project. I've already refreshed some of my memory of motor rebuild. I rebuilt the motor in my '71 Super Beetle back in '99, but I did it in a very tight budget high school way.

Hubert has been an awesome part of my life, can't wait to get it up and going. I have not yet matched the motor number with the vin, I will be getting the birth certificate form Germany soon.

http://mytype181.blogspot.com/

I hope I'm posting this right as I am somewhat a newb with this forum.

The help I would love to find from this forum is the specifics of the car. Perhaps someone owned one new off the lot back in the day and can help me with paint scheme, any good tips and tricks of motor rebuild.

First is simple, when the cars were new, what in the engine were painted and left raw? I'm curious about engine tin mounting screws, were they back as well? Engine case? Should I avoid powder coating?

Anyway, huge VW fan here, especially air cooled, I used to know every fact about them, almost like a religion.

Thanks for including me!

~James

Sat Jul 19, 2014 10:23 am

Welcome to the group James. You have a lot a questions and there are just as many answers to them.

You may want to explore this site a bit. There a wealth of info here. Look through the technical section of the site and download the electrical and parts manual at the very least.

The answers to your question really depend on what you want to do with your 181. Some of us prefer stock, others want full custom. Some want to go trail bashing, other are happy to stay on the road and cruise to the nearest Sonic.

Fri Aug 15, 2014 7:23 am

I am a Thing 181 - 74 owner since 2001.
Still have my thing.
I have a 2270cc engine by Jake Raby , Aircooled technologies. R.A.T hence my name and the name of my Thing "Z RAT THING"
I actually repainted it a flat black like the rat rods out there in the world with the V-8 engines.
I even had the rims painted RED.
Just tuned up and now in search of a complete wire Harness. Engine, front lights and rear lights.
Anyone out there know of any available?

Thanks
ZRATTHING 8)

Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:48 pm

Hello, my name is Danny. Before joining the military I was a mechanic for a few years. I've always loved cars but never really had the money to do anything cool with one until recently. My all time favorite vehicle is the DMC Delorean, but a close second is the Thing. I currently live on Oahu and decided that the first time a Delorean or a Thing popped up it was mine. this is my 74 Thing. I bought it recently, not running with some serious side damage. It currently runs but doesn't stop very well... I'm working on it. When I get back from my next deployment I plan on doing a full restore. This site has already helped me a lot and I've bought a few things from the classifieds as things seem to break on the Thing every time I touch it :cry: but its been fun so far and I cant wait to finish it. I look forward to posting and in turn read all of your guy's stuff. Until then, I'll leave you with a view of her good side.

Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:50 pm

Mine's a 74. :lol:

Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:10 pm

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Im new owner 1973 from San Jose, ca

Sun Dec 28, 2014 1:45 pm

Got this gem yesterday and have been in love since I saw it. Can't wait to do some work to it. It's home is Charlotte, NC...

Things I would like to do...and I know some some are tougher than others...

-Rear bumper
-Glovebox door
-Has new soft top but an older frame that could use replacement
-Fix some rust issues
-Get some new rear lights
-Put in better audio, currently has marine deck and speakers, just not loud enough

Can't wait to dive into this site!

-Greg

Sun Dec 28, 2014 7:55 pm

Nice!! She's a looker for sure...

Congrats and welcome to the forums!!

Lots of great folks in here, with great info to share!!

Sun Feb 22, 2015 10:17 am

I found this one advertised for sale last Thursday and picked it up the next day. It's beat up and in need of much love but there aren't very many on this rock so I can't be picky.

Wish me luck,

rob

Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:32 am

G'day to all Samba's Type 181 diehards. My interest in VWs began when I was on active duty in the USAF, starting with my first 'serious' automobile, a 1962 blue (USAF, natch) Type 1 VW convertible (its name was 'Heine', after the German poet) and it saw me through two cold winters at Minot AFB, where it performed flawlessly at 40 below.

After mustering out of the AF, I returned to Berkeley (CA) where I acquired a series of V-Dubs, including a new 1969 Type 1 Sedan, a Ken Kesey type 1955 'Double barn-door Type 4 delivery van (named 'URGE'), and a few others.

From there I progressed to several VolksPorsches (914-4) and later still to a 1972 914-6. A number of years passed by that saw me working overseas for protracted periods, so my VW associations went on hold (I then owned a new 1983 Lada Niva that I used extensively in Saudi Arabia) until recently, when I acquired a pristine 1974 SuperB and most recently a 1973 VW Type 181.

My Thing has an interesting story behind it, formerly belonging to an ex-Army vet who used it in Baja California as his personal transportation while at their Mexican vacation home. When I obtained it, it was already painted pretty much as you see it, in an approximation of something Rommel would have used in North Africa in the early 40s desert campaign.

That fact suited me just fine, since I have German ancestry (Bavarian, actually) and belong to an organisation known as LARA (Luftwaffe Aircrew Reenactor Association) that specialises in living history impressions of a WW2 Luftwaffe flying unit (we fly Fieseler Fi156 'Storchs') at airshows, etc.

The vehicle is named 'OTTO' (but not after Hans Joachim Marsalles' famed DAK Kubelwagen of the same name) and although it has been provided with an expensively rebuilt engine/trans (the stock & original 1973 powerplant/trans were rebuilt) and running gear, externally it reflects a sort of 'believably' rugged desert appearance that one might expect to see on a wartime Kubel. Since it is a Thing that wishes it were a Type 82, I call it a 'KubelThing' and in addition to serving as a sort of 'staff car' for my LARA Luftwaffe reenactment group, it's just a sheer blast to drive around for the fun of it.

Just in case anyone is wondering, there are no swastikas on it, since we don't wish to offend anyone unnecessarily, but the markings are otherwise reasonably authentic and the Saudi license plate on the front is my old one from KSA (I was there for about 15 years, working as an NBC/CBW consultant and medical person).

It would be lovely to also have a Type 82 replica to add to my personal motor pool, but that's a lot of money and I have just as much fun with OTTO. I'm sure that my Irish & my German ancestors would highly approve and certainly I've never made any pretensions of being politically correct throughout my life.

Grüße an alle, die die Volkswagen schätzen und die beide seine historische Rolle in Deutschland und seine Bedeutung als wichtiger Teil der in Deutschland der Nachkriegswiederherstellung zu schätzen!

You can view some good images of OTTO here:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/115527042925440858961/albums/6126892822499659665

Hals und Beinbracht!

Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:00 pm

OTTO is a looker for sure!! Great find on that KubelThing!

I hope to a KubelThing to my stable, one day... You have a fine example! Not overdone, just simple.... Like the Kubel!

Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:16 am

GI Joe wrote: OTTO is a looker for sure!! Great find on that KubelThing!

I hope to a KubelThing to my stable, one day... You have a fine example! Not overdone, just simple.... Like the Kubel!

Thanks. Us Thingers gots to stick together, that's the main thing (pun intended). BTW, happy Saint Paddy's Day. I haven't yet managed to convert my fuel system to run on green beer, but I'm working on it (save's having to visit an Irish pub), LoL. :D Sláinte mhaith

Sat Apr 11, 2015 8:54 pm

Been lurking for a while, finally registered. Ive had a 56 bug for a dozen years but recently got my first thing. I love it, it is a 72 safari from mexico and my souveneir from a year living in austin texas.[img][/img]

Sun Apr 12, 2015 4:25 am

lostarter wrote: Been lurking for a while, finally registered. Ive had a 56 bug for a dozen years but recently got my first thing. I love it, it is a 72 safari from mexico and my souveneir from a year living in austin texas.[img][/img]

Welcome to the family. Don't wory, you'll get this "forum" thing down in no time. In the meantime. Here's lostarter's safari

Thu Apr 23, 2015 6:40 pm

I bought my second old car yesterday. I'm guessing the car is one of the lowest mileage stock original surviving '74 'Things' in the United States.

- 00674.9 miles.
- registered from June 1975 until January 1982.
- upon original owner's passing his wife parked it in a closed garage where it stayed continuously until yesterday

Many thanks to Joseph Burgess of the Piedmont Classic Chevy Club who referred me to this once in a lifetime find.

Thu Apr 23, 2015 7:12 pm

Oh my!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

What a find there, Tarpheel!! Welcome to Thingdom...

Once in a lifetime is right... :wink:

Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:54 pm

GI Joe wrote: What a find there, Tarpheel!!
I will second that, very, very nice !! It has the original tires as well !!

Fri Apr 24, 2015 9:17 am

i just bought three 74 things. dont have any pics on my computer yet to post but one was being restored when i bought them. plan to finish it and then take the other two and complete another one.

Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:01 am

terpheel wrote: I bought my second old car yesterday. I'm guessing the car is one of the lowest mileage stock original surviving '74 'Things' in the United States.

- 00674.9 miles.
- registered from June 1975 until January 1982.
- upon original owner's passing his wife parked it in a closed garage where it stayed continuously until yesterday

Many thanks to Joseph Burgess of the Piedmont Classic Chevy Club who referred me to this once in a lifetime find.

Wow! You may want to check, VW may want to buy that back from you for a museum piece. Talk about ultimate barn find!