Lbug?

Hi all, at the risk of sounding like the utter noobie that i am, i have some questions for you.

i have just purchased what i believe to be a 72/73 superbug, i am told it is an L bug. it does have strut front end, and irs rear. i am told it had a 1600 (no engine now though), it has the padded dash with binnacle speedo, and looks to have been a 4 spoke padded steering wheel.

it does have external filler flap (forgot to look for internal release handle), and the quater vent cresents, and 4 stack engine cover vents, i did notice the rear guards had more of a peak in them (when viewed from behind) than the wifes 68.

so my questions are thus-
what is the difference between L and S bugs?
are there any easy external identifiers to tell the difference?
the padded dash is cracked- is it the same old dash underneath ie- can i do away with the padding or do i need to have the padding fitted?

i will endevour to upload the pictures i have to help with the identification, otherwise i will put up better ones when i pick it up in 2 weeks




more photos and chassis number to follow when i bring it home, until then thanks for any input guys and gals.

I would say it is a '73 model. It should have a MPH speedo.
'S' bug has a flat windscreen, yours has the curved.

late 73 id say.
as for the padded dash, no you cant just remove it, its a safety item and needs to be there.

You can't really just remove the padded dash - there is not much there without it.

This is what it looks like with everything removed. As you can see, there is nothing to hold anything.


There is air ducting behind the dash -



and then the dash pad goes on to hold everything.


I hope this is of some help.

It's a 73 that's been in a front ender at some point and repaired with 74+ front guards and a 75 hood.

This will help you learn all the differences.

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=97238

Thanks for the info guys pics are awesome too. it was listed as '72, but from what I've read it looked more like a '73. I was hoping there would be the old style dash hidden under the dash pad- ohwell, I'll just have to get creative :-) this one will get started after the wife's 68. although this ones rough, but I wanted a late model, and it was almost a give away :-)