1972 Super Vert - NEWBIE

[JamieLuisi]

Hey guys,
First time posting anything on here. I've mostly lurked to help fix issues on my mom's '73.

I had a '70 Beetle as my first car back in high school. I loved it but then watercooled caught my eye. Whoops. Live and learn I guess.

I was talking with my mom a while back and mentioned that I had the itch to get back into aircooled and she lovingly offered to give me her '72 Vert which was sitting in a friend's backyard for about a year or so. It hasn't ran in about 8 years, give or take. So, I jumped on that offer and now I have a project.

For now, it'll just be things I can access easily until I can convince my wife to bring it to the house and make the garage it's home.

Here it is after I removed the tarp, tadaa:

Yes, as you can see I have some work to do. I checked the boards and they seem to be in great shape, surprisingly. Not sure if they were replaced at any point in time.

I wan't able to get under the car yet - I need to get it on something sturdy (read: garage floor) to jack it upand see what's going on under there.

Now, I noticed there was no peddle assembly in the car BUT there was one in a box.

Funny thing is that my mom vaguely remembers it being an automatic but as you can see there's a clutch. I would actually prefer a manual trans but my question is: How can I tell if it's a manual or automatic without looking at the assembly?

Here's some more pics. If there is anything that catches you eye and jumps off the page, please let me know. I know a little about cars (i am mechanically inclined) but I have never dipped into something like this before. I do have the Bentlys and such.

Exterior Pics
*seems there is something going on with the rear window, or is it me?

Interior Pics

Engine Pics

Yes, I will be moving the fuel filter.

And there's no gas tank:

Today I went to go take a look at her and clean some stuff up. I took the rubble out of the trunk, and misc pieces which were in the back of the seats.

I'm just looking to get it running for now, and save the cosmetic work for later. Everything SEEMS sturdy for the most part. Surface rust and such but nothing crazy. I'll get to the brakes and engine when I get her in the garage.

If I could pick the brains of the knowledgable Samba members, I would greatly appreciate it.

thanks Jamie

[Dwayne1m]

Wow. That's a ton of work there but a good starting point from what the pictures show. As far as the transmission, it was/is an autoshift. Since the pedal assembly is not in the surest way is to look at the tranny itself. I would say to look for a clutch cable in the hole for the pedal assembly but that might be missing too. I'm not familiar with autoshifts but I believe the fill for the autotranny is on the right inside fender in the engine compartment. See if that container for the tranny fluid is still hooked up.

I know many frown upon autoshifts but I know quite a few people who would love an old Beetle convertible with an autoshift b/c they can't drive stick.

[Weezle]

On the left side of the engine bay you can see the Autostick valve thingy But that doesn't mean it still has that tranny in it.
_________________
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more beetles!

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604918&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=759868&highlight=

[JamieLuisi]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the help!

Looks like I have to find a pedal assembly!

[JamieLuisi]

So just from looking at my engine, is there anything that looks off besides it missing the oil bath & replacing the hose (on the left) to the heat?

Also wanted to add that this won't be a daily driver. I just want to get it running, fix the body issues, and drive it down the beach on the weekends. A couple years down the road, I'd like to do a complete resto (when I have the time + $$), but for now it's going to be a "fun" car.

Thanks for any info you guys might have for me. I do appreciate it.
_________________
1972 VERT
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=628038

[JamieLuisi]

This was on the door. Born in Nov '71.

How can I tell what color the OG paint is? because this is definitely a respray.
_________________
1972 VERT
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=628038

[Chochobeef]

Looks like Texas Yellow. L10B I do believe since that is the same color as mine from Aug 71 (72 model year).

We never found our sticker in the front, but there is supposed to be one with the paint code and other information in the trunk area. Best of luck and take all the nuts and bolts slow with lots of penetrating oil. Looks like lots of fun.

[JamieLuisi]

Thanks Chocho!

There's a lot of body that has to happen before I worry about paint, but it was something that made me curious. And yes, I bought 2 cans of penetrating oil.

Right now, this is my to-do list:
1. CLEAN THE CRAP OUT OF IT
2. Determine what i need to replace / install (like the peddle assembly).
3. Get those fenders off and see what's going on with them.
4. Check brakes
5. Revive that engine.

Then all the other little things can start after that.
_________________
1972 VERT
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=628038

[green1303]

You should also replace your rubber fuel lines before you try to start the engine.
_________________
1973 green Super Beetle

[JamieLuisi]

[JamieLuisi]

Hey guys,

Haven't posted in a while. Issues came up but I think I'm back on track.

I found a steering wheel for my '72 which I'll use to replace the Grant wheel. I'd love to restore the wheel but I've searched the interwebs and found nothing on the newer steering wheels. This one seems like it's not made of the hard plastic like my '70 had. It feels like a "softer" plastic but not spongy like a rubber.

Does anyone know if I can use epoxy putty to fill in the gaps, sand down, and respray the steering wheel?

This is the before:

The after (got the grime off):

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

thank you.
_________________
1972 VERT
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=628038

[Dwayne1m]

Maybe this will help you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEQ-WBHfuwU

[JamieLuisi]

Thanks for the link, Dwayne! I've seen tutorials like that one. Unfortunately those are for early year steering wheels which are made of a hard plastic, which you'd be able to sand and paint.
The material this one is made from seems like a "softer" compound. Almost like a hard rubber if you will.
I'm going to bring some sandpaper to work and see if I can sand done it tomorrow during my lunch break. If it sands decently then I'll try the method in the video in the link.
Thanks again man, I appreciate the help.
_________________
1972 VERT
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=628038

[JamieLuisi]

Hey guys, with the nice weather here, I finally was able to do more research on what needs to be done on the bug.

In my previous post I got the correct steering wheel for the 72 and started to restore it. I used epoxy putty and filled in the cracks and a nasty divot from what looks like a round cigarette lighter.

Next I sanded it all down

I also used a finer putty to smooth out the grain on the front piece of the wheel

I shot a lacquer primer then black lacquer paint and finally a lacquer clear (keep it in the family!)

I just realized that I didn't take a photo of the steering wheel. I'll do that today. But heres the front plate finished:

Don't mind the compound residue in the Wolfsburg logo - I have since cleaned that up.

Also, while digging around the trunk I noticed that some of the horrible paint came off easily on the hinge. This was definitely Texas Yellow, and I never realized how "mustardly" that color was! I am going to attempt to take off the respray and see what I have here.

Finally, I'd also like to start getting this running and my mother had mentioned it was parked with a "carb issue". What exactly? No idea.

I have an extra carb I found. It's an OG Solex 34 PICT-3. Will this fit in this car? I ttok a photo of the engine # which looks to be AH372075. After poking around the Samba it looks to be a 1600CC? Image below..

That's all I have for now. I'll be on vacation in July and I'm going to try and make some big progress here. The kids want this thing on the road!
_________________
1972 VERT
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=628038