Hi all,

I am very new to the VW scene. In fact I have purchased my very first 1970 VW Beetle Type 1 the other day - for my wife.

Bit of a sad story. My wife has a non-curable cancer so I have purchased the car for her - as a surprise. When she was 16 she liked VW Beetles. I drew her a pink VW Beetle which she has kept for all of these years - she is now 41.

The car needs a bit of work and that's where I need your help/advice.

I am after:

- a good engine person that I can take it to - to go over the engine - maybe do some performance upgrades

- Where is the best place to source parts (some guards and a right hand side door)? eBay, Gumtree or is there some place that I can drive to?

I am from Melton, Victoria - but am not afraid to drive a couple of hours.

Is someone (in the know) able to come out and view the car and provide some advice?

I am off work at the moment (due to my wifes condition) I am available to meet most days.

Thanks

Jason
0404 48 58 98 (Anytime)

Hi Jason
Welcome to the world of VWs -aircooled that is..
Your Beetle is a bit of a mixed bag..
Early type beetle front guards with early model headlamps..
I think those were called AERO guards made of fibreglass.
The front bumper looks really HUGE in the pic....
there were beetle bumpers with blinkers in them in 1976... which were nearly straight.. but the curve on Yours looks too large, like a rear bumper...
Is the spare wheel laying flat or upright?
It is probably upright which means it is a NON SUPER beetle with torsion bar front suspension.

If the spare wheel lays flat then its a SUPER Beetle... with front coil springs and McPherson strut suspension

Could you post more pics please? engine - rear - inside front boot etc..

The main problem will be finding the correct parts for this car which has been modified - bodywise at least...
You must remember Jason that these cars are VERY OLD....
and parts can now be hard to find or VERY EXPENSIVE to Buy..
The major problem for Newcomers to the VW Scene is cheap nasty parts that don't fit properly or work at all... usually made in China ..
Mexican parts can be very poor quality even if they are genuine VW ..
Brazillian parts can be OK or poor quality also...
There are VW parts shops in most capital cities that sell most of the common parts.... some sell genuine German parts that are very expensive....
I wouldn't worry about performance upgrades as they can be very expensive too... and you need a good VW Mechanic as You said.
Sorry to hear of Your Wife's condition , Jason.

Lee located in Scone in northern NSW

There is VolksHome in Thomastown (in Commercial Drive); also Rundel Motors (a.k.a. "VW's keep Running") in Ardeer (just off Ballarat Rd.).
Either should be able to do check over; do body and/or mechanical work, and arrange RW if needed.

G'Day Jason,

I noticed some of your guards are damaged. They are indeed Aero Guards, made of fiberglass by Vintage Veedub in Campsie Sydney and they cost about $325.00 each. Just a heads up because you would expect to pay around $75 for a good straight stock guard and I imagine cost is a consideration to you. Also be aware there are now imitation/copies of theses guards available, some of which will not exactly match yours.

Lee: I wasn't expecting to hear that parts are expensive as the VW is so popular. I have seen some stuff on eBay and GumTree which seem reasonable.
I will be repairing the guards that can be repaired but I will need to purchase some.
I hate the bumpers.. and will be removing them.
The car isn't a superbug as the spare is mounted upright and not laying down.
I have attached more photos. I don't have a photo of the engine bay yet - the photos provided are from the seller.
From the engine number (AD...) the engine is a 1600cc.

ACE76: I might check out the place in Ardeer - so close.
I can do the body work but as I have no experience with VW engines I would rather get someone who has experience to go over it.

Birdman: Thanks for the information. I have been trying to find the same guards.
I like the look of them and wouldn't mind paying the $325 for them.


Is there a good online Aussie store?

Lee: Apparently I need to post 5 times before I can reply to a PM.

Thank you for the information. I will try and track down a front and rear guard... else I will fix what I have.

4

5 - I should be able to PM now

guess it will all depend upon how much $$$$ you are willing to part with and what condition you want it in when you are done.
looks like a good project tho. good luck with it.

I am very happy with it.

I only have a few little bits to get now..... and then the work begins.

=)

I am still waiting for the key to be cut - hopefully that will come tomorrow.

Jason