1973 Type 3 Squareback

Hey all,

My wife and I were finding our 67' Beetle a bit pokey for daily use, and were thinking about a bus, when a nice type 3 squareback came up.

We decided to check it out and once we drove it we decided a type 3 would fit the bill just nicely.

It's been looked after nicely, has a full service history and manuals, has had the paint touched up and is generally straight and mostly rust free (front left inner fender and the cover on the firewall for the fan unit has some small holes, and there's a bubble under the windscreen).

The interior is neat except for the front seat trims which I'm sourcing at the moment to be retrimmed.

It's wearing a set of Cheviots at the moment, though I'd like some standard wheels and hubcaps.

It suffered an engine fire a while back and was repaired properly, though the engine bay still looks awful.

After finding the carbs were stuffed John at the vee dub centre supplied a good used set of German Solex 32PDSIT's for a reasonable price and I rebuilt them, and had a friend help me tune the car.

I also replaced all the fuel lines and filter, did an oil change and tappets, some wiring repairs and a tie rod end.

So far so good .. it runs great!

Needs lots more cleaning, finishing the refurbishment of the interior and I will have those rust area's addressed soon.

This weekend I'm popping a new exhaust on (dual quiet muffler system) and doing the shifter rod bushing/coupler.

Here's some pics!

Very nice clean looking Square there!
Post more pics please! 🙂 👍

Thanks mate!

I will post some more after this weekend once I finish replacing the awful "GT" 4 tip exhaust on it at the moment .. I'll give it a tub and a polish and take some pics.

Wouldn't idle this morning so I think I'll be re-wiring/checking the idle jet solenoids this afternoon. I have four of them to choose from so at least I have spares.

Very nice 👍
You need to update your signature too!

Welcome to the Type 3 club lunar_c.
Nice looking Square. 👍
You'll have plenty of room in that wagon area at the back. Storage up front is brilliant, we fit 2 weeks shopping in there plus grog supplies with ours!

Yeah I'm really impressed with how practical it is so far. And just how much nicer it is to drive than an early swing axle beetle, or even my old super beetle.

Sorted out the idle problems - I checked the chokes and idle jet solenoids were getting 12v with the ignition on - yes, but the wiring was a bit crackly so I made a new loom for them.

So 12v, check! And they click with ignition on .. Check .. But still no idle .. So I swap the left one out for a spare I had, and hey presto a perfect idle.

So the old dogma of "if it clicks it works" may not be true ..

So that's fixed! But now my wipers aren't working .. Ahh, gotta love old cars 😉

Got the exhaust changed over today .. It's better but I'm not 100% happy with it. It's still quite loud (sounds like a nice dub, but writing cheques it can't cash as it's still so slow!)

I might make a new muffler section from the collector back with a single outlet on the left with the biggest muffler I can fit under there. Going to put some more sound deadener in the back to see if that helps.

Tomorrow gear shift gets fixed and some more cleaning and repairs.

Nice looking car.

Chalee

Yesterday I took a little side track .. trying to improve the comfort side of things, I decided to fit some sound deadener as the tar board in the rear foot wells had been removed, and then fit the carpets properly (it's a new set but they weren't glued in and they've been cut improperly). It all went well, and there's no rust anywhere! Just lots of seam sealer and old carpet glue.

I used response sound deadener. Seems like a good product (about 3mm foiled backed butyl rubber) and went on easily (I used a paint roller cage). I did the rear foot wells, under the back seat, the inner front wheel arches and along the front bulkhead (don't have many pics because it got so dark so quickly, damn winter) I then glued the carpets down as best I could.

Today I'm going to buy a few more rolls, and do the entire rear end (behind all the trim panels) and re-do my engine hatch lid. I like a quiet car!

Very NICE Square...........Mind if i ask how much you paid for it ?????
Looks to be in great shape

Thanks mate.

So I finished sound deadening the rear end of the car (not under the headliner though) .. though waiting on a sheet of thick dynamat to redo the engine hatch lid with. The cardboard/rubbery original deadener on the top and rear cargo area is in great shape so I've left that and focused on deadening behind the trim on either side of the cargo area and in the tail gate. Relayed the carpet and I'm mostly happy with the interior but for the front door cards (wavy and likely water damaged, will make new backings and attempt to reuse the original vinyl covering as they're in good shape) and I will add sound deadener to inside the front doors while I'm in there in anticipation of adding a simple sound system.

It's made a big difference, though one of the best additions was a thick rubber mat from Clark rubber that I trimmed to fit the cargo area. Then there's just the front seats to retrim and the dash pad to repair and I'll be happy. Here's a few more pics. It's quiet enough for the dog to sleep in now ..

The dog seems to like it. Nice job.

Chalee

Yeah he loves old dubs!

I have now ordered everything to reupholster the front seats and a big sheet of dynamat to re do the engine lid. Will be very excited to finish the interior off properly!

Looks good👍

Cheers.

It's getting decent economy too after its second tank it's averaging 9.64l/100km in purely city driving with some 80 zone cruising.

Not happy with how it's running though - it feels like the ignition isn't advancing fast enough and it feels strangled until mid throttle, I'm going to investigate that today. Any thoughts on the 009 dizzy vs SVDA on the type 3 1600 TP with twin solexes? I've read it was only an issue with the 34 PICT.

Generally i thought Vacuum advance worked better on the stock engines.. i have a 1776, i'm running 009 with no vacuum...

Redid the sound deadening on the engine lid ..

Original material after the engine bay fire was pretty trashed ..



There were a few spots of surface rust and wrinkled paint from the fire, so I resprayed the lot in VHT paint left over from painting the exhaust.



Which left me a nice clean surface to cover in dynamat .. and a little bit of response butyl rubber deadener I had left over from the floor pans.



Quite a satisfying half a morning job.. and it's a little quieter now (not as big an effect as I thought) but fixing the exhaust leaks made a big difference .. the seals included with the exhaust blew out in half a week so it was leaking from the heads and the collector flange. Fixed that with decent steel crush gaskets now, and made a support bracket for the mufflers.

I also added an electric wash wipe in the original location (mine was missing altogether) and popped a new spray nozzle and line in. What a prick of a job that was. All done now.. two speed wipers and wash wipe, positively modern!

Redid all the heater hoses with 2l Kombi blower fan hose which is the right size (about 63mm) and much tougher than the usual paper/foil stuff. Working heaters are great.

Still having annoying occasional idle issues which I'm still trying to chase down. It'll idle great one day, rock steady .. and then the next, it will run fine but as soon as the revs drop around the idle circuit it runs a bit funny and won't idle. I've checked the chokes and idle solenoids to no avail. Hmm...

Still thinking about putting an SVDA electronic dizzy on it also but waiting until the bank balance recovers from the big seat refurbishing order I did. I love driving this thing though.

Neat work, it looks like you enjoy keeping busy.

I'm a nurse, I don't know what to do with spare time 😉 having two old dubs tends to keep that in check..

I'm wondering whether I should put two new idle solenoids on and see if that cures the inconsistent idle.

lunar_c wrote:.......... and see if that cures the inconsistent idle.

Sometimes caused by the screen in the fuel pump getting dirty (clean it), a few flakes of crap in the tank and lines and T-piece (blow the lines out with air), and gum/varnish from newer fuels slowly getting through the system after having sat for a while (a bottle of F-10).

I loved my old Square, cool rides. 😎

Hey that's a great suggestion I didn't think of (just changed my filter under the car) .. I'll check that tomorrow when I check the plugs. Legend!

We had issues on the way home on Sunday, can't remember the last time I saw a fuel filter so full of crap. Changed it over, runs great again. 9.6l/100km is about right. We've been getting anywhere from 8.4l/100km higway running back from qld, through to 9.7 around town. Thats with an auto too.
Can you add a photo of the electric washer bottle you've put in. Our original has no lid and I want to change it asap.

Here's a pic of how I popped an electric wash wipe in the factory location. If you search "washer bottle" or "wash wipe kit" you'll find a few different kits, this was from a seller in Victoria and cost me all of $12, make sure you order a vertical bottle if you want to put it in the factory spot. I slightly enlarged the filler cap hole in the sheet metal but 2-3mm with a large half round file so the cap would fit through and make a bracket to bolt the bottle in to one of the fender bolts and it was done.



I'm not sure if yours will stay have the one way valves and stuff .. I replaced all the tubing on mine and when I did this on my beetle I found it wouldn't work with the original valves in place for the pneumatic system.

Very neat!

P.S > you will have to update your signature!

Thanks.
I finally updated my signature :P

Still plagued by inconsistent running despite swapping all the usual things.

Pondering starting fresh with a 1776/1835/1915 .. Want something with a bit more power and torque and has to be reliable and low maintenance.. Anyone have any suggestions?

lunar_c wrote:Still plagued by inconsistent running despite swapping all the usual things.

Pondering starting fresh with a 1776/1835/1915 ..

It would be a shame having bought the car and invested time and care to get peeved at it, rebuild it, only to find something simple like a sticky breaker plate in the dizzy is still making it hesitate and cough a bit.
Maybe go see Kurt, Gerry or John for a 2nd opinion?


Want something with a bit more power and torque.........

(heads)

and has to be reliable and low maintenance........

(Engine capacity, not revs)

Anyone have any suggestions?

They can be bloody frustrating little things sometimes can't they?
🤪

After mucking around a lot more, I have it running nicely now but still thinking about something bigger as it's still pretty sluggish!

There's a bewildering array of options, and some say my (insert capacity here) has 100k miles on it and never uses a drop of oil, others say I'd never build another (insert capacity here) as the cylinder walls are too thin and they split if left in the sun too long!

Turbo. Leave the motor standard. Just add an oil cooler and some efi. Lots of usable torque. 👍

^ 👍

Check this fastback out:

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=108806&page=1

About 3/4 of the page down :😵

How is your compression pressure? Should be less than 10 psi difference per cylinder.

Chalee

Got it running perfectly now.. I think it may have been a bad earth causing the ignition issues.

Motor runs nicely but I think it's getting a little tired. Uses a little bit more oil than I'd like but nothing extreme yet.

Unfortunately, anything aircooled is expensive to build these days. I had a pretty basic 1600 build recently and didn't get any change from $4k. Your other option is a type 4 out of a later kombi. However, rebuilding one is exy compared to rebuilding what you have, finding one in good nic is pretty difficult too. A Subaru ej22 or 25 is a nice easy way of getting up to speed with modern traffic while still being reversible later.

Actually, I've always wanted to put a late golf turbo diesel/fwd trans in a type 3 wagon. That would involve more surgery than a Subaru, but would be pretty cool.

I ponder the subi option occasionally but there's a fair bit of fabrication involved to get one in a type 3 under the engine lid and I just don't know that I can bring myself to cut the front up for a radiator.

I did a 1600 TP about 18 months to 2 years ago with full machining new pots and Pistons etc and doing absolutely everything myself I think I spent about $3400 on the engine which was ostensibly standard with some slightly better heads and a very mild cam.

I am looking into my options now..

I think a 1776cc rebuild with some decent heads with slightly larger ports, a mild cam, balanced bottom end set up with an enlarged sump and proper oil filter will suit my needs for modest power improvement, more torque and longevity and smooth running. Also thinking a rev limit of around 5000rpm to avoid breaking things.

I am thinking my AS41 block should be okay once align bored and machined, new barrels and Pistons obviously, bearings and sundry components.. I think my existing 1&3/8" extractor exhaust, rebuilt 32 PDSIT carbs and 009 distributor should suffice with re-jetting for this mild build?

Would anyone recommend any particular changes to encourage longevity? What about an external oil cooler? Should I have the case full flowed and such? I hear that is tricky with a type 3 because of the engine crossmember. I definitely want proper engine oil filtration and extended capacity to encourage long life.

My EMPI mufflers have already blown out at the seams from one backfire while it wasn't running right so I'm going to make a new exhaust from the collector backward with a single large muffler and single tailpipe exiting in the standard left location soon.

First up, I love air-cooled motors. There are lots of cool things about them and by and large they're pretty good for what they are. What they don't provide a lot is of bang for buck. My figures for my recent 1600 were pretty much the same as your's only I had a local engine guru build mine. Even he was horrified by the cost of machining.

You want torque. Right?

If I were you, I'd be building a turbo setup (for your 1600) or buying subaru motor. If you're building a new exhaust you're halfway to a turbo setup any. Been done lots of times. Factory EFI manifolds + jap turbo + water-air intercooler.

Price that.

But also, price a 2nd hand EJ22-25/adapter/sump/loom/radiator. I think you might find they'll be much the same and still cheaper than 1776. If you still want to oversize bores just build a 1916 and yes, put an oil cooler on it.

If you already have a rebuilt nice running 1600 in Type 3 spec, with a cheap and cheerful 4-1, then you're probably at about 50HP or so (really rough guess).

Ask Rod Penrose to get in a set of AA thick wall 88s in for you when he returns from the US, a quick guesstimate based on his website prices would be $300 or so? 1679cc is 6% more, and better cooling not worse (they are 5mm thick). Take off your heads, flycut for the bigger 88/90.5 barrels, then add new stainless swirl valves (I have got some AA valves in the shed which actually look quite nice, otherwise SI is my favourite, CB will do) to new 3-angle seats, and the two alone is worth usually a whole 20% more flow, which is another 10% more HP, and I rekn $500 (ALL the power is in the heads). Add 1.4:1 rockers in a $200 kit to get the lift up to 0.400" so you can now use the extra flow, that's another 3%. No, you don't NEED HD springs, just keep the revs under 5000. Hhmmmm, now you're up to 60HP, which doesn't sound like much at all, but that will knock nearly 2 whole seconds off your 0-100kph time, make it zippy, and will have you jumping off the lights all day with wild abandon and shouts of "YEEHAH!!!!" (your experience may differ slightly.........😁 ). It's a very simple recipe that has been used for decades, and it works. No, it's not 60% or 100% like a turbo would give, but it's also piss-easy and you don't need to split the case, drill holes, all bolt-on at your leisure in whatever order you want (I'd pick the heads first..........).

Filtering? I'll get flamed for this for sure, but a bypass filter set-up comes off your oil pressure sender outlet (no machining at all) and will filter microns WAY down past any spin-on. It will not clean the oil before it gets to the bearings, no, but it will ensure cleaner oil than anything in the sump before any start up, and for a car that does long trips can prove just as effective at adding longevity. They run to about $200 for a kit, add at your leisure.

Cooling? Don't drive at 70mph everywhere when it's over 40*C, keep all your tin fit good, and run 15W40 or thinner oil.

Have fun. 👍

I dropped in to my local vee dub shop to discuss building a 1776cc motor with some modest improvements.

I already have a healthy 1600 DP with a reconditioned 009 and freshly rebuilt 32PDSIT carbs and linkage, merged collector 1&3/8" headers etc I will reuse. Clutch is also nearly brand new but I will probably replace it anyway to be sure, as are all the ancillaries.

Fly cutting the heads and the general machining isn't going to cost me more than $300, and parts like the larger cylinders, reground crank, cam, rods and bearings/seals/pushrod tubes etc will add up to around $1700-1800 so the 1776 is going to happen later on in the year.

Also planning on giving my heads a little bit of a clean up if they are in good condition or replacing them, adding a small cam like an engle W110 and lifters, large capacity sump and careful balance and assembly. Cleaning and repainting the tins and detailing the engine bay and adding more sound deadener will happen at the same time.

I can't wait.. In the meantime I'm wrapping my headers and have ordered an 18" long offset 2" glass pack red back muffler and enough mandrel bends to make an "over the top" system from my collector back with a single tip exiting from the standard location, I'll start making that next weekend.

😀

And my seat trim stuff has just shipped from the U.S.!

Buy this and put it in!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153433439131350&set=gm.996817383682754&type=1&theater

Sold on building my own 1776 now..

Changed the gear shift bushing today and added a short shift kit - I think that should be the first thing anybody does to their new aircooled find. It's much easier on a type 3 I found today .. The 67' was a nightmare!

Here's a picture of the type of exhaust I'm going to build. I found it on thesamba forum.



It's an "over the top" style system with a 90 degree from the collector, into a smooth 180 into an oval muffler then a 90 degree into a single tip in the standard rear valance cut out.


So far my muffler has arrived and it looks fit for purpose, it's a redback megaflow 18" long by 8x4" with offset 2" in/out. Should be pretty quiet.



I have also ordered a 90 and a 180 in 2" mandrel bent mild steel, I will cannibalise the 90 degree into flared 2" tip from one of my leaky EMPI mufflers.

I have also wrapped my extractors in 2" black heat wrap because it looks bad ass, and I don't want my exhaust to continue ruining my heater pipes. Took 14 metres to wrap them to the collector.

Those chambered mufflers sound nice and deep too, lovely tone out the back.
Sounds like a good plan. Half the fun is in the building of it. 🙂

Thanks man 🙂

Just waiting on an extra mandrel bend to get here and I can finally buzz the new exhaust together with my shiny new MIG welder.

In a complete 180 degree turn .. My wife and I can't bear to part with the 67' beetle deluxe we bought the type 3 to replace and now I ride my bike everywhere we've decided to put the type 3 on the market ..

Any interested parties contact me via PM or email ben. salleo @ gmail . com (remove the gaps, I'm trying to stop the spam bots)

Sold this one, just didn't bond with the type 3 like we did the beetle. Ended up holding onto the 67' .. But have now bought a 66' with nice paint and interior. Some mechanical work (and upgrades) to do, but very pleased.