Fellow german here. Most of the beetles were built in Wolfsburg, now main location for Volkgswagen AG (AG means Aktiengruppe - Joint-stock company). Only from '74 onwards they were build in different places until '78 due to the start of the Golf I production. After that they were only build in Brazil and Mexico. The convertibles were built by Karmann in a smaller town. Those were the guys that build the famous Karmann-Ghia until 1980. If you didn't already know :D
After the german vw´s the best quality was from the factory in Ireland and Mexico, the Brazilian fuscas really dont have the "charm" as the German and Mexican bugs...maybe because Dutch and Mexican bugs shared the same euro design.
Hate these thumbs down people who probably judge other ways of doing anything.....while they sit there huffing paint from Dollar General.I always give ya a thumbs up because even this 58 yr. old dog learns new tricks.Great vids Darren.......and show more Farnicastaff how to's
Wow, that tire changer brought back a bunch of memories. One of my first jobs was tire installation at a Sears Auto Center in the middle 80's. I could do a complete 4 tire change with balancing in about 20 minutes!
You Sir represent old school class and hands-on know-how. Watching your videos reminds me of watching Bob Ross paint. It's so pleasant and satisfying. Thank you for all your efforts, both on and off camera.
hi my names paul from the uk im suffering at the mo from a broken leg and house bound anyway i want to thank you for your videos your so interesting,kept me busy for weeks i enjoy every minute many thanks
My uncle drove VWs in the 70s. He was a plumber for the city of Chicago parks dept. He installed Good Humor bells behind the front bumper. He used them if he had to go on one of the Lake Michigan beaches. People didn't pay attention to the horn but they would for Good Humor 😋
I Love watching your videos. They are all good. I took small engine repair in high school, and watching you repair riding mowers, well, Once I graduated, i worked on push lawn mowers as well as riding. Watching you work on those types of repairs, brings back what I learned. I have a couple lawn mowers here to work on, I am disabled, my wife is not in good shape, we need a riding mower really bad. We are struggling, so that might not happen any time soon. Our back yard is bad, really bad. But we will try our best to take care of that. It would be cool to get a Riding mower from someone.
I'm 58 years old and I wish I could still work on cars, but rolling around on a creeper on busted up driveway has ended my days of wrenching. I managed to replace the brake lines on the front of my truck, but the rear anti-lock brakes have a factory pressed fitting that would require replacing the entire rear lines. An engineer should do this work and you would see a much better design afterward.
I have a new BFF ! I love your channel, if you can make a part why buy it. I`ve owned a 66 bug, 70 bug, 75 bug, & a home made rail buggy. VW is in my blood. I`m 57 now crippled with arthritis, but your videos help me forget the pain for awhile. For my last toy, I want a VW, whether it be a bug, a Baja, or a buggy. Thank You for sharing your videos. ATB
71's were super-beetles. I got my 70 vert from the 4th owner. He picked it up in 81 and drove it about 5,000 in 17 years. I now have it for 19 years and added another 17,000 miles for a total of 115,000. Not bad for 47 years
As a 68 Beetle convertible owner first congrats on a great find! Second, my pet peeve, you put the top down wrong. When the top is straight up, hold it there and pull the top material, padding and the headliner on both sides of the car towards the rear of the car. When you do it that way the top lays down almost flat, you'll then find the built-in hooks that hold it flat in place plus you be able to see out the back with the rearview mirror. You can thank me later. I've changed peoples lives and put huge smiles on their faces with that tidbit of accurate information. LOL!
Darren looking forward to more new video's. Keep up the great video's and work. Can't wait to see more double cab repair video's along with the vw bug. And good luck with the three motorcycles.
So lucky to find one with the folding roof in good condition. My dad had the next generation 1302s Cabriolet, bought it new from the dealer and out of interest we found out that a replacement roof cost more than half of the new car price!
Blabber on! You blabber good sense! Thanks for doing the videos you do, been enjoying them! That little bug just keeps getting better. It's in reasonable condition all round.
Looks like a good restoration project to me. You can tell which people are from the west coast when they see a bit of rust like this and their first instinct is to scrap it. For us east coasters that would be a great find.
You're right about the rust. I'm from Chicago and I would restore anything. This I moved to Phoenix in 1985. Now I will only restoremArizona desert cars. The bodies are beyond belief. Ya, I'm spoiled.
it's strangely enjoyable to watch you go through it. Another VW for your collection... I tend to do the same thing - these old VWs follow me home like mangy dogs!
This car should be pretty solid as long as it has been garaged. It is amazing that they kept it inside that long as they put their newer more expensive vehicles outside.
I bet I mounted 10,000 tires on a Coats 10-10 until the tire shop upgraded to a 20-20, which I hated because it seemed so slow. I did like the "air blaster" however because some of those bias-belted tires were hard to seat on the 10-10. Thanks, Mustie.
i love your channel mustie,you are always into aircooled,just seeing that cabriolet makes me feel sorry for my self that i brought rotted out 96 jetta to the junkyard,it was reliable but the rot was so severe that it was not fixable,i will get another one sometime though.
I had those same Michelins on my 1968 Cougar that sat in a barn for 20 years and they looked just as good and were still holding 45 psi in them after all those years. I got about 700 miles out of them before one exploded on the highway. Only one i kept is the spare.
That must be a common red in paint shops. I had a 65 bug and it was repainted with the same red as that one. I hated that color red and would of much rather had the original red.
Damn, I woulda never thought of beating the tire to submission for stop a leak. Your King of Getting it done with nothing (of course adding your time, knowledge, and forethought to have 90% of the parts within an arms reach from hoarding the right things! Your stash is ridiculous.
I used to watch rpeek, but got tired of watching him plow snow with his jeep. I watch 63impala2dr and his dogaliac project, and elderlyiron, on very rare occasions mrhevychvy and a few others. I been watching you for the last few months - the motorcycle projects have been enlightening. :)
Its new england, yall get snow up there and with snow comes sand and bug rust, your lucky you cant see the driveway from the drivers seat straight down. But u already dboubled your money. A running 70/71 convertable with the Karman Gia badge still on it. awsome.
Mustie1, its allways enjoyable to watch you tinker with things :-D. You have lots of skills and your able to find ways to make anything work. With your humor and relaxed presenting style, you have made a great channel to learn things from too. Also you dont seem to mind silly comments/thoughts from a daft bugger like me LOL :-D. Im supprised you dont get stressed out by presenting your diy/hobby, cant be easy. The beetle looks good and bad, im not sure if its going to become a long term repair or your just thinking about fixing the bad stuff and passing it on to someone else to do. I suppose it depends on how much your interested in doing all that work. I would be running away screaming with my hands up in the air LOL, but thats me :-D.
I believe in 1971 all convertible bugs were super beetles, this one is obviously not a super, also back in those days VW didn't release the next model year until Jan. I'm a VW nut since 1958!
08/70 is the date it was made. August 1970. It says it on the stamp. "This vehicle conforms to all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards in effect on THE DATE MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE. "
Dry rot in my experience only happens according to most tire manufacturers when the tires are stored in direct sunlight. If it's been stored like the seller said in a garage for 30 odd years there shouldn't be any dry rot and if there isn't any they would be safe to drive on.
Looks like New Hampshire to me bud. 10 years of salty winter roads will rot out even the newest of cars. But that Beetle doesn't look too bad. Nothing a little grease of the elbow can't ifx. Subbed BTW. I plan on making some new vids soon myself. Cheers :)
I wonder if that damage at the front is from the same crash that put it off the road, the hit up the back and then pushed into the back of the car in front as it looks like the bonnet/hood and handle and the front bumper are damaged and one overrider is missing too. If my memory serves me right all the Beetle/Bug cabriolet bodies were built by Karmann so the shell would have been built in Osnabruck and the whole car assembled in Wolfsburg...
I'm not sure if this applies to the convertibles as well, but as far as hardtop Beetles in North America went, taillight reflectors definitely came into effect for the 1970 model year. The taillights then retained the same shape and design but increased slightly in size for the 1971 and 1972 Super Beetles, and then got switched over completely to the big round tri-color taillights in 1973. www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/78whatyearisit.php
Nope, the first year for the reflectors is 1970, and it's the last year for Beetle convertible. From 1971-on, they're all Super Beetles. The engine lid is incorrect, though, that was first used in 1972 in North America.
***** You're correct. Judging by the heavy neglect of the original owner, I wouldn't be surprised if the smashed decklid was actually a replacement too.
On the coats tire machine, it works better if you put some soap under the bead breaker and push it right up against the rim. Grab that handle and pull towards the center of the wheel while it compresses. My 30-30 had a hook that grabs the lip of the rim to get the breaker to slip un against the bead.
Also, sometimes the underside breaker gets caught up on the lip of the rim and stops the breaker from completely compressing. I usually use an iron to guide it away from the rim. My air-blast only works for blowing old rust into my eyes.
Despite the thinking of 8/70 possibly being a 1971, it's 3rd digit of the VIN that makes it a 1970 model. The 1st digit was the base type (type 1 = bug, type 2= bus, type 3 = squareback / fastback, etc) 2nd digit was the subcategory. I've forgotten all the variations but that covers cloth sunroof, steel sunroof, convertible, base or deluxe trim in later years, and the super beetle.. Of course every VW person knows the vin with number 8 in the second position is a Thing. One thing I did notice in the video is the floor pan reinforcement (convertible only) is basically missing / rotted away. This makes the floor more rigid due to the lack of roof steel. IOW, helps keep the floor from sagging when you open the doors. Probably best to totally remove the body and work your way up doing the floors, heater channels, and other structural members first. The other thing I caught was a welded repair on the front suspension, which was fine back in the day for a short term repair, but rust there will travel further. A whole front end beam is cheap and you can swap all of your parts over an afternoon, especially if the body is off already. BTW, not sure on the side reflectors but with several fenders replaced due to collision work, they may not be original. IOW, junk yard parts from another year
Comment to Stubbi: Thse convertibles were build at Hemueller (until the factory burned down. I think that happend late 50's) and Karmann at Osnabrueck. All convertibles were after the Hebmueller desaster made at Karmann and they only used german/european parts. Last convertibles were built and delivered to the buyer in Germany until June 1979 and for export until december 1979. The one here with the standing spare wheel is form 1969, 1970 as begining from 1970 (I think) they changed first the hard top model to the 1302 with the lying down wheel. This baby here looks laike a lot of work, but surely there are rougher one's on the market. I will be glad to see the rest of the restoration. And the parts with corrotion here are the normal parts.......
I have a 74 convertible that needs work. I found your channel looking for tips. I would love to see a restoration video on this one to help me sort mine. There are differences I know but they are close enough that I could follow along.
Another comment as I read differently below. Convertibles were never produced in Mexico. If you have one from there, hmmm strange. Check: all VIN Numbers from a real convertible, I say built in the original factory should commence with 15. If it is not like that, means it is rebuilt with another chassis. And by the way, mine is one of the last ones delivered in Germany, as I received it on the 12.05.1979 from Karmann, however had ordered it at our local dealership in august or september 1978. It did cost 14.750,-- Deutschmarks plus delivery fee. Just for those who have interest.
Coats 4040SA is still a really good machine... I use one almost everyday at work... Mostly 16" rims on ambulances..... bought ours for $200 near Manchester about 5 years ago.... faster than a "modern" rim clamp machine...18's are a stretch on it and yep it can be hard on the rims.... great machine though.
The serial number determines the year. The third digit of "0" tells me it's a 1970. Also 1971 was the first year of dual port heads and this looks like single port heads.
Going under a car with just floor jack in place with stands, never recommended. A friend of mine got killed that way. Brace the car, you only get one life.
Those old tires from back in the day used real rubber in them,or more actual rubber whereas todays tires use mostly petroleum products which they can control its life;cracking,weathering,wear,etc...Sooner it cracks the sooner you will usually replace them with more expensive tires which net them even more profit...
Don't EVER let go of that tire tool that is rotating to mount the tire. It will knock a hole in you head. I've run these old Coats machines. They work great on old steel rims. Not today's rims. I have never seen anyone use rubber cement on the bead of a tubeless tire. If it doesn't seal there is a flaw that will come to light at high speed. Good luck with that.
Oddly enough the first thing ANY tire shop does in my area? Whip out the Bead Seal (Rubber Cement-tar) and coat EVERYTHING-regardless if it's a steel rim or a "Mag" type. Need to live and work in the Rust Belt! Where everything turns to crust and the only thing holding the tire and wheel together? Will be the Bead Sealer.
Like everything else yup that is very true they don't want things to last especially tires. It just goes to show you how the that old 34 yr old tire would out last any new tire today.
As much as I like your Beetle projects, I'd suggest that you flip this one. Would much rather see you put your time, money and effort going into the Double Cab and the Road Runner...But as always, it's a pleasure watching your vids!
I understand. It's got some great parts for sure. Looking forward to seeing your next vid...maybe the motorcycle or a Tundra update. You sure know how to keep your fans in suspense! Fair play to you!
Yeah.... those tires were special lol. I only use Michelin tires, plenty of little cracks beginning after about 3 years. They were Pilot Super Sports though so I more than used up their rated lifespan of 30,000 miles. Anyways if I had put Super Sports on a car and locked it in a garage I can't believe in 10 years those tires wouldn't have cracks if my daily driver's did after 3 years. The Super Sports are pretty classy tires compound wise, I believe my set was made in the USA.
Well yes and no, they weren't above shipping some that shouldn't exist and selling them as long as the regs didn't change year to year. Our VW dealer in Michigan got their last type one convertible in in January of 1980 and it was titled as an 1980 model, I was trying to buy it but it was a little bit to expensive for a broke college kid. Ford also had some Mercury Grand Marquis that were a year newer as they didn't get them ooff the assembly line at St Thomas before Christmas and ran them out after New Years so they had to title them a year newer that they wanted
Volkswagen AG is the company name in terms of what you by stock in. Aktiengesellschaft (German pronunciation: [ˈaktsiənɡəzɛlʃaft]; abbreviated AG) is a German word for a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e., owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. Aktien means shares, and gesellschaft mean society or company. Only Volkswagen Group refers to the car and truck division of the whole Volkswagen AG company.
Fellow german here. Most of the beetles were built in Wolfsburg, now main location for Volkgswagen AG (AG means Aktiengruppe - Joint-stock company). Only from '74 onwards they were build in different places until '78 due to the start of the Golf I production. After that they were only build in Brazil and Mexico. The convertibles were built by Karmann in a smaller town. Those were the guys that build the famous Karmann-Ghia until 1980.
If you didn't already know :D
61gisele I don't care if it's the one or the other - both are literally the same.
The first location that vw's were built outside of Germany was Dublin, 🇮🇪
After the german vw´s the best quality was from the factory in Ireland and Mexico, the Brazilian fuscas really dont have the "charm" as the German and Mexican bugs...maybe because Dutch and Mexican bugs shared the same euro design.
stubbi yes indeed. Dublin, Ireland was the first site for production of vw's outside of Germany.
stubbi y
Hate these thumbs down people who probably judge other ways of doing anything.....while they sit there huffing paint from Dollar General.I always give ya a thumbs up because even this 58 yr. old dog learns new tricks.Great vids Darren.......and show more Farnicastaff how to's
Thank you for documenting so much in your kind, clear, practical, sensible, warm ways.
No stupid music, no stupid editing. I like your videos. Subscribed 👍🏽
Awesome! Thank you!
Enjoyed watching you bring these Beatles back to life. You sure know engines well.
It's not John and George.They are BEETLES
Wow, that tire changer brought back a bunch of memories. One of my first jobs was tire installation at a Sears Auto Center in the middle 80's. I could do a complete 4 tire change with balancing in about 20 minutes!
Michelins are the best tires that I ever owned. I had a set on my 1987 Volvo 240 Wagon.. That car ran like a dream...
You Sir represent old school class and hands-on know-how. Watching your videos reminds me of watching Bob Ross paint. It's so pleasant and satisfying. Thank you for all your efforts, both on and off camera.
I'm with your humble opinion about the long lasting tyers...Always good to see what's going on in your part of the planet Darren.
hi my names paul from the uk im suffering at the mo from a broken leg and house bound anyway i want to thank you for your videos your so interesting,kept me busy for weeks i enjoy every minute many thanks
thanks for that paul
My uncle drove VWs in the 70s. He was a plumber for the city of Chicago parks dept. He installed Good Humor bells behind the front bumper. He used them if he had to go on one of the Lake Michigan beaches. People didn't pay attention to the horn but they would for Good Humor 😋
Enjoyed the show. Thanks for sharing.
I Love watching your videos. They are all good. I took small engine repair in high school, and watching you repair riding mowers, well, Once I graduated, i worked on push lawn mowers as well as riding. Watching you work on those types of repairs, brings back what I learned. I have a couple lawn mowers here to work on, I am disabled, my wife is not in good shape, we need a riding mower really bad. We are struggling, so that might not happen any time soon. Our back yard is bad, really bad. But we will try our best to take care of that. It would be cool to get a Riding mower from someone.
I'm 58 years old and I wish I could still work on cars, but rolling around on a creeper on busted up driveway has ended my days of wrenching. I managed to replace the brake lines on the front of my truck, but the rear anti-lock brakes have a factory pressed fitting that would require replacing the entire rear lines. An engineer should do this work and you would see a much better design afterward.
Those old Michelin tyres were excellent had some on an ancient 2CV - 30 years old no cracking.
I have a new BFF ! I love your channel, if you can make a part why buy it. I`ve owned a 66 bug, 70 bug, 75 bug, & a home made rail buggy. VW is in my blood. I`m 57 now crippled with arthritis, but your videos help me forget the pain for awhile. For my last toy, I want a VW, whether it be a bug, a Baja, or a buggy. Thank You for sharing your videos. ATB
It's a very late '70. Last VIN for a 1970 Vert was 150 3100 000
I always learn something new from your videos, keep em coming.
71's were super-beetles.
I got my 70 vert from the 4th owner. He picked it up in 81 and drove it about 5,000 in 17 years. I now have it for 19 years and added another 17,000 miles for a total of 115,000. Not bad for 47 years
As a 68 Beetle convertible owner first congrats on a great find! Second, my pet peeve, you put the top down wrong. When the top is straight up, hold it there and pull the top material, padding and the headliner on both sides of the car towards the rear of the car. When you do it that way the top lays down almost flat, you'll then find the built-in hooks that hold it flat in place plus you be able to see out the back with the rearview mirror. You can thank me later. I've changed peoples lives and put huge smiles on their faces with that tidbit of accurate information. LOL!
l will try it next time
Darren looking forward to more new video's. Keep up the great video's and work. Can't wait to see more double cab repair video's along with the vw bug. And good luck with the three motorcycles.
Gotta love the VW wireing... Looks like a mess but it works!
So lucky to find one with the folding roof in good condition. My dad had the next generation 1302s Cabriolet, bought it new from the dealer and out of interest we found out that a replacement roof cost more than half of the new car price!
This is whaty the "AG" means on that description Aktiengesellschaft. Great episode. Thanks very much.
Blabber on! You blabber good sense! Thanks for doing the videos you do, been enjoying them! That little bug just keeps getting better. It's in reasonable condition all round.
You got lucky there Bro, really nice Barn find indeed ! Looks like quite a straight body too.
My third trip to this video THAAAAANKS SO MUCH !!!!!
all I can say is you work hard and like to. I use to own 1968 bug brings back memories. It was perfect condition.....
Great vid Mustie! That 71 don't look to bad, Man Bob's bug is sharp. Makes me want an oval badddd.! Have a great day!
Looks like a good restoration project to me. You can tell which people are from the west coast when they see a bit of rust like this and their first instinct is to scrap it. For us east coasters that would be a great find.
so true
Just look at the projects some people post on www.thesamba.com/vw/
You're right about the rust. I'm from Chicago and I would restore anything. This I moved to Phoenix in 1985. Now I will only restoremArizona desert cars. The bodies are beyond belief. Ya, I'm spoiled.
it's strangely enjoyable to watch you go through it. Another VW for your collection... I tend to do the same thing - these old VWs follow me home like mangy dogs!
malkucken g
I've had several beetles and I never liked the bit where we had to use an inner tube...I like your videos very much, chuck :)
Mustie1 I love Bob the bug I'm a sucker for a black car that's a cool looking bug.
Wow...I'm very envious of your find. We had a 62 Beetle when I was a kid. What a fun car that was!
there still out there
It was nice to sit here and watch you tinkering around, commenting stuff you find. Keep uploading man, good stuff :)
those old michelins were great tires. The car looks like a nice project for somebody. Thanks for the videos!
This car should be pretty solid as long as it has been garaged. It is amazing that they kept it inside that long as they put their newer more expensive vehicles outside.
I bet I mounted 10,000 tires on a Coats 10-10 until the tire shop upgraded to a 20-20, which I hated because it seemed so slow. I did like the "air blaster" however because some of those bias-belted tires were hard to seat on the 10-10. Thanks, Mustie.
Cool little rig. Bob all the fenders and make it a Baja Buggy, just like the 80s, and that way all you need is the top half of the engine cover too!
i love your channel mustie,you are always into aircooled,just seeing that cabriolet makes me feel sorry for my self that i brought rotted out 96 jetta to the junkyard,it was reliable but the rot was so severe that it was not fixable,i will get another one sometime though.
On video the paint looked reasonable when wet, thats why you should never buy a car in the rain or if the dealer has gone over it with a damp cloth ;)
Looks like a cool project, I can't wait to see it running on the road.
I had those same Michelins on my 1968 Cougar that sat in a barn for 20 years and they looked just as good and were still holding 45 psi in them after all those years. I got about 700 miles out of them before one exploded on the highway. Only one i kept is the spare.
l would think these would be pretty flat spotted
That must be a common red in paint shops. I had a 65 bug and it was repainted with the same red as that one. I hated that color red and would of much rather had the original red.
roomba I had a '63 which someone painted with '84 Toutta Supra red. I loved my bug but the color would turn orange at nite.. Volks Life!
Damn, I woulda never thought of beating the tire to submission for stop a leak. Your King of Getting it done with nothing (of course adding your time, knowledge, and forethought to have 90% of the parts within an arms reach from hoarding the right things! Your stash is ridiculous.
I used to watch rpeek, but got tired of watching him plow snow with his jeep. I watch 63impala2dr and his dogaliac project, and elderlyiron, on very rare occasions mrhevychvy and a few others. I been watching you for the last few months - the motorcycle projects have been enlightening. :)
thanks man
Elderlyiron's Crusty old grand dad project is my truck - been a long haul getting all the pieces together because what we started with was junk :D
Took me back to my teen years, I was the fastest tire changer in town-(or so I thought)! With just a few smashed fingers-thanks for the video!
I want to say that I so enjoy your videos and the way you conduct them. Carry on!
I've had really good luck with that bead sealer glue stuff.
makes good candles too
Great show!! Just found you yesterday. Subscribed of course. Keep them coming!
Not too shabby for a car of that vintage! but you turned it into a jewel!
Its new england, yall get snow up there and with snow comes sand and bug rust, your lucky you cant see the driveway from the drivers seat straight down. But u already dboubled your money. A running 70/71 convertable with the Karman Gia badge still on it. awsome.
Mustie1, its allways enjoyable to watch you tinker with things :-D.
You have lots of skills and your able to find ways to make anything work.
With your humor and relaxed presenting style, you have made a great channel to learn things from too.
Also you dont seem to mind silly comments/thoughts from a daft bugger like me LOL :-D.
Im supprised you dont get stressed out by presenting your diy/hobby, cant be easy.
The beetle looks good and bad, im not sure if its going to become a long term repair or your just thinking about fixing the bad stuff and passing it on to someone else to do.
I suppose it depends on how much your interested in doing all that work.
I would be running away screaming with my hands up in the air LOL, but thats me :-D.
its been fun for me to do, wrenching on stuff relaxes me for the most part.
Really enjoy watching your adventures....keep them air pushers alive man!
Great video . Keep them coming! Thank you
thats a beautiful looking bug....a bit of T-cut and a polish should bring that paintwork up better.
Chevy tags off the car that hit the back!!
good point
When we pick cars up at a wrecker, we don't care who gets the parts, we just want to clean the road and get gone as fast as possible.
Chevy? Where??
Restoring Vintage. must be a FUN, Good Hobby.
It has to be a '70 because '71 convertibles were super beetles only. Besides it has a 1970 vin number. Good luck.
I believe in 1971 all convertible bugs were super beetles, this one is obviously not a super, also back in those days VW didn't release the next model year until Jan. I'm a VW nut since 1958!
What a great find! Love the commentary!!!
GREAT FIND WISH I WAS YOUNGER AND COULD DO A PROJECT MISSED MY TURN..
08/70 is the date it was made. August 1970. It says it on the stamp. "This vehicle conforms to all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards in effect on THE DATE MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE. "
Dry rot in my experience only happens according to most tire manufacturers when the tires are stored in direct sunlight. If it's been stored like the seller said in a garage for 30 odd years there shouldn't be any dry rot and if there isn't any they would be safe to drive on.
That black, gummy paint under the rear arches is called 'schutz' or 'protection'...
And it's done it's job!
Looks like New Hampshire to me bud. 10 years of salty winter roads will rot out even the newest of cars. But that Beetle doesn't look too bad. Nothing a little grease of the elbow can't ifx. Subbed BTW. I plan on making some new vids soon myself. Cheers :)
Definitely a 1970, not a 71. The third digit in the serial number is a "0" which would indicate 1970.
Great to see the old girl come back to life 😀
I wonder if that damage at the front is from the same crash that put it off the road, the hit up the back and then pushed into the back of the car in front as it looks like the bonnet/hood and handle and the front bumper are damaged and one overrider is missing too. If my memory serves me right all the Beetle/Bug cabriolet bodies were built by Karmann so the shell would have been built in Osnabruck and the whole car assembled in Wolfsburg...
Tires now days are cheaply made so we have to buy them more often.
reflectors on the tail light sides would indicate 71. Never seen them on 70s. at least none I have owned.
I'm not sure if this applies to the convertibles as well, but as far as hardtop Beetles in North America went, taillight reflectors definitely came into effect for the 1970 model year. The taillights then retained the same shape and design but increased slightly in size for the 1971 and 1972 Super Beetles, and then got switched over completely to the big round tri-color taillights in 1973. www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/78whatyearisit.php
Nope, the first year for the reflectors is 1970, and it's the last year for Beetle convertible. From 1971-on, they're all Super Beetles. The engine lid is incorrect, though, that was first used in 1972 in North America.
***** You're correct. Judging by the heavy neglect of the original owner, I wouldn't be surprised if the smashed decklid was actually a replacement too.
I have owned several 70 bugs, several 71s also. Never had a 70 with reflectors, I've had early 71s without them also.
I have owned several 70 bugs, several 71s also. Never had a 70 with reflectors, I've had early 71s without them also.
got to know those vwdubs back in the 80s very well friend was making a call bug
On the coats tire machine, it works better if you put some soap under the bead breaker and push it right up against the rim. Grab that handle and pull towards the center of the wheel while it compresses. My 30-30 had a hook that grabs the lip of the rim to get the breaker to slip un against the bead.
Also, sometimes the underside breaker gets caught up on the lip of the rim and stops the breaker from completely compressing. I usually use an iron to guide it away from the rim. My air-blast only works for blowing old rust into my eyes.
true, ive seen that happen, l did pick up an arm from a 10 10 with the hook that grabs the rim but havent changed it yet
Despite the thinking of 8/70 possibly being a 1971, it's 3rd digit of the VIN that makes it a 1970 model. The 1st digit was the base type (type 1 = bug, type 2= bus, type 3 = squareback / fastback, etc) 2nd digit was the subcategory. I've forgotten all the variations but that covers cloth sunroof, steel sunroof, convertible, base or deluxe trim in later years, and the super beetle.. Of course every VW person knows the vin with number 8 in the second position is a Thing.
One thing I did notice in the video is the floor pan reinforcement (convertible only) is basically missing / rotted away. This makes the floor more rigid due to the lack of roof steel. IOW, helps keep the floor from sagging when you open the doors. Probably best to totally remove the body and work your way up doing the floors, heater channels, and other structural members first. The other thing I caught was a welded repair on the front suspension, which was fine back in the day for a short term repair, but rust there will travel further. A whole front end beam is cheap and you can swap all of your parts over an afternoon, especially if the body is off already.
BTW, not sure on the side reflectors but with several fenders replaced due to collision work, they may not be original. IOW, junk yard parts from another year
just found your channel. love the content and your delivery. subbed
Comment to Stubbi: Thse convertibles were build at Hemueller (until the factory burned down. I think that happend late 50's) and Karmann at Osnabrueck. All convertibles were after the Hebmueller desaster made at Karmann and they only used german/european parts. Last convertibles were built and delivered to the buyer in Germany until June 1979 and for export until december 1979. The one here with the standing spare wheel is form 1969, 1970 as begining from 1970 (I think) they changed first the hard top model to the 1302 with the lying down wheel.
This baby here looks laike a lot of work, but surely there are rougher one's on the market. I will be glad to see the rest of the restoration. And the parts with corrotion here are the normal parts.......
You just brought home the 1970 two-tone red rear end hit beetle
I have a 74 convertible that needs work. I found your channel looking for tips. I would love to see a restoration video on this one to help me sort mine. There are differences I know but they are close enough that I could follow along.
Another comment as I read differently below. Convertibles were never produced in Mexico. If you have one from there, hmmm strange. Check: all VIN Numbers from a real convertible, I say built in the original factory should commence with 15. If it is not like that, means it is rebuilt with another chassis. And by the way, mine is one of the last ones delivered in Germany, as I received it on the 12.05.1979 from Karmann, however had ordered it at our local dealership in august or september 1978. It did cost 14.750,-- Deutschmarks plus delivery fee. Just for those who have interest.
Coats 4040SA is still a really good machine... I use one almost everyday at work... Mostly 16" rims on ambulances..... bought ours for $200 near Manchester about 5 years ago.... faster than a "modern" rim clamp machine...18's are a stretch on it and yep it can be hard on the rims.... great machine though.
Oops.... I made that comment before I finished it is a 2020... I dont know the specific differences.
Looks like you have spent time working the Coates 10-10 and 10-20.... Good machines but a lot for a home shop.. congrats
Ha! Its still got the yellow 'Make it in Massachusetts' inspection sticker from 1981. Very nice ;)
That Honda should start rite up! lol
The serial number determines the year. The third digit of "0" tells me it's a 1970. Also 1971 was the first year of dual port heads and this looks like single port heads.
being that it is from 8/70- it must be one of the last standard Beetle convertibles built.
Got this video on one tab, Craigslist on the other. I miss my old Bug!
Thanks for the video. Are you adding the commercials or is youtube?
Good to see the old garage
Going under a car with just floor jack in place with stands, never recommended. A friend of mine got killed that way. Brace the car, you only get one life.
Those old tires from back in the day used real rubber in them,or more actual rubber whereas todays tires use mostly petroleum products which they can control its life;cracking,weathering,wear,etc...Sooner it cracks the sooner you will usually replace them with more expensive tires which net them even more profit...
so true
Don't EVER let go of that tire tool that is rotating to mount the tire. It will knock a hole in you head. I've run these old Coats machines. They work great on old steel rims. Not today's rims.
I have never seen anyone use rubber cement on the bead of a tubeless tire. If it doesn't seal there is a flaw that will come to light at high speed. Good luck with that.
it is just too keep the tires up while yard driving
Oddly enough the first thing ANY tire shop does in my area? Whip out the Bead Seal (Rubber Cement-tar) and coat EVERYTHING-regardless if it's a steel rim or a "Mag" type. Need to live and work in the Rust Belt! Where everything turns to crust and the only thing holding the tire and wheel together? Will be the Bead Sealer.
Like everything else yup that is very true they don't want things to last especially tires. It just goes to show you how the that old 34 yr old tire would out last any new tire today.
"No roaches" cracked us up.
Hi I am from Brazil.Good job this is a wonderful car!
thanks
Absolutely beautiful! Good shot!
As much as I like your Beetle projects, I'd suggest that you flip this one. Would much rather see you put your time, money and effort going into the Double Cab and the Road Runner...But as always, it's a pleasure watching your vids!
l just got this one due to its price
I understand. It's got some great parts for sure. Looking forward to seeing your next vid...maybe the motorcycle or a Tundra update. You sure know how to keep your fans in suspense! Fair play to you!
Cool, love your videos man. Keep them coming
Yeah.... those tires were special lol. I only use Michelin tires, plenty of little cracks beginning after about 3 years. They were Pilot Super Sports though so I more than used up their rated lifespan of 30,000 miles. Anyways if I had put Super Sports on a car and locked it in a garage I can't believe in 10 years those tires wouldn't have cracks if my daily driver's did after 3 years. The Super Sports are pretty classy tires compound wise, I believe my set was made in the USA.
Cool car man! I dont know when the last time I saw an old bug convertible on the road. They are getting hard to find.
They're still wide spread in Germany, but most of them are 1303 with the rounded windscreen, produced until 1980.
i love your videos so much...i learn so much....Thanks for sharing...;-p
It might be a late 1970 Beetle, because there's no such thing as a 1971 Beetle convertible, they're all Super Beetles from 1971-on.
its one of the last 10 beetle convertibles made (standard beetle)
Well yes and no, they weren't above shipping some that shouldn't exist and selling them as long as the regs didn't change year to year. Our VW dealer in Michigan got their last type one convertible in in January of 1980 and it was titled as an 1980 model, I was trying to buy it but it was a little bit to expensive for a broke college kid. Ford also had some Mercury Grand Marquis that were a year newer as they didn't get them ooff the assembly line at St Thomas before Christmas and ran them out after New Years so they had to title them a year newer that they wanted
Héctor TV
Normal TV
Ghost adventures
Volkswagen AG is the company name in terms of what you by stock in.
Aktiengesellschaft (German pronunciation: [ˈaktsiənɡəzɛlʃaft]; abbreviated AG) is a German word for a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e., owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. Aktien means shares, and gesellschaft mean society or company. Only Volkswagen Group refers to the car and truck division of the whole Volkswagen AG company.