Found on our street five blocks away last night. It’s going to be for sale soon. I can have first crack at it. Those of you who have been around for a while know that I have a very special relationship with VWs, going back to my very first memory. This may just be the way to rekindle that relationship and make some new memories. Or not.
It’s a ’63, and is an Oregon car. Which means a bit of surface rust, but presumably nothing more than a coat of “patina” on the underside, except for the battery box floor, which is getting replaced shortly. I will take a closer look and have a drive today.
I had a ’63 and a ’64 back in the day, both of which were essentially my home on wheels during my free-wheeling younger days. I’ve been obsessed with Ferdinand Porsche’s creation for a very long time. After I wrote that post the other day about which car best reflects your personality, I realized I had muffed it. The VW Beetle combines elements of both the 300E and the F100 in one, as odd as that may seem. So it really is my automotive alter-ego. Fine German engineering and go-anywhere ruggedness, all rolled into one cute little ball.
The owner, who saw me shooting it and came out of his house, just finished rebuilding the engine. He seemes to know his stuff, as he’s building up a basketcase Porsche 912. He said the case is from a ’66 1300, but it has 1500 or 1600 cc cylinders (I forgot which), single port heads, Solex 30-series carb, and an alternator. He says it runs (and pulls) well, but he hasn’t pushed it past 60 yet as it’s still very fresh and not really broken in yet.
That’s almost exactly as I would have built one myself. A stock 40 horse 1200 (34 net hp) is just too slow for me, but I don’t need (or want) a “hot” engine either. This one should have a healthy dose of torque, which is low-speed VW engines are mostly about. I wonder about the gearing; if it’s the original gearbox, the gearing will be pretty low for a 1500/1600. Good for the mountains and the stop-light drag races; not so good for the freeway, where I don’t intend to spend much time with it.
He’s replaced window rubber and other important functional items, but the interior is still very much original. One of the reasons I like VWs is that they fit me surprisingly well. They’re tall and narrow, like me. Plenty of headroom.
All which is actually a good thing, as I don’t intend to restore this car if I buy it, but will make some strategic “improvements/redecorating”, to the interior, which may not necessarily be stock. No, it’s not going to be broughamtastic crushed velour.
I’m drawn to this car specifically because it’s not pristine, but in good mechanical condition, because I don’t want a “Sunday driver”, but a car I can use for running local errands and take down rough gravel forest roads to distant trail heads. I drive my cars pretty hard, and therefore a pristine vintage car is just not in the equation. It just doesn’t fit into my lifestyle, which I’m not about to change.
There’s so much history in the VW, the most important and influential car since Henry’s T. It’s a baby Tatra 87. And one that’s perfectly usable today, and parts are of course highly available and reasonable.
The patina is just about perfect. The two right side fenders are in primer, but there’s ways to get them to match reasonably well.
I’ve not bought an old car since my ’66 F100 back in 1987 (well, I guess the ’77 Dodge Chinook qualifies), and I’ve resisted numerous attractions. But this one talked to me the instant I saw it on the street last night on our walk.
Let’s see if it’s still talking to me later today, through those quad-tipped exhausts.
When I saw the title, I immediately thought you’d found either a 300E or a mint 404.
Bet the Beetle makes a nice couple with the F100… Go ahead!
Both very appealing. But a W124 doesn’t fit into my current lifestyle very much. A 404 would be sweet. Since I’m obviously recapitulating my younger automotive days, a 404 is still a little ways off. 🙂
Anyway, the Beetle will be in good hands if you pull the trigger.
BTW, in the writeup, where it reads “1500 or 1600 cylinders”, shouldn’t it be “1600 cc”?
Yes.
No thanks, I don’t want a 1500 cylinder VW. Too many valves to adjust. 🙁
Look for an original air cleaner. Those open ones don’t help it run any better.
Perhaps you could jet the carb so it can run on E-85. VW Brazil made alcohol powered bugs for years. They have higher compression ratios, too. I think you have to jet the carb about 35-40% richer. You’ll have a much cooler and cleaner engine.
Yes.
I knew you’d relate. And DougD. We’ll have to have a VW get-together. Of course that would mean some serious driving.
Keep an eye on the oil pressure idiot light.
I’m up for it! Just have to put one together… but a CCVW road trip would be a *really* good incentive. (c:
Of course you should buy it! If you saw it, liked it, and can afford it, there’s really nothing else to consider. 🙂
You’re the ultimate enabler. 🙂
I’m going to have to convert my double garage back to their original purpose though.
Frank Lloyd Wright said cars don’t need garages anymore.
Sounds as though you’ve made up your mind, what’s the downside?
Got a place to park it? That would be my problem…
That’s getting to be my problem with my CC, since no one who lives here wants to park under the spruce that pisses sap everywhere.
Perfect! CC has long needed an Official Staff Car, and now you have it. A couple of magnetic signs for the doors and there you are. Better than business cards, and deductible, too. 🙂
Kerbside Kommandeurwagen?
A vanity plate reading “EUGN MBL” (Eugene Mobile) wouldn’t look out of place… Perhaps a QOTD in whether should Paul slap a vanity plate on it or not should answer that…
Do plates stay with the car or the owner in Oregon? If it’s the former it’d be cool but not worth giving up the period-looking ones on it now.
I’m pretty sure that the plates still stay with the car and yeah it would be a crime, in my opinion, to replace those era proper plates with a personalized plate.
Plates do stay with the car in Oregon and there has no been a plate recall since 1956. When surfing Craigslist it is always a plus to buy a vehicle with as much of the two year registration left as possible.
You’re right. I only realized it had those plates after saying that. Yes, modern plates won’t look nowhere near as good as those do…
Absotively (or is that “posilutely”) YES!
You already know what to do with her, and you are already getting good vibes. In fact I think you’d regret it if you didn’t!
Rusted heater channels are a dealbreaker. Get under there and look for rust like you were looking for gold flakes in Alaska.
If Stephanie is on board (and I cannot imagine her not being, as she seems pretty supportive about such things), you should go for it.
Driving this will also help save miles, thus extending the life of, your x-box. And the Acura. Your F-100 will outlive all of us, so that’s not an issue.
Truly, what is the downside?
Uh, yeah, do it! Haven’t had a Bug myself yet but I do find myself looking at them regularly…My biggest hangup is probably which year/era I prefer, you already know which one’s for you and here it is.
No need for a garage space, won’t Eugene’s healing rains clean up the surface rust and put color back on the fenders? (especially if you park it with the fenders facing North).
’68 is supposedly the best year since it’s the first that has both 12 volt electrics and a proper swing axle, but VW hadn’t started decontenting the quality yet with plastics everywhere. No emissions to really deal with, either.
But I wouldn’t kick this one to the curb, either. Especially if it checks out okay.
The best year(s) were ’58 thru ’63 Ghia’s and Beetles. Past that point, VW lost its way (12V, A/C systems for cars with little power to start with, semi-automatic transmissions, Super Beetles, etc).
Stick with the 1200 cc 40 HP engine, 6 volt system, and vacuum tube radios and you can’t go wrong!!!
Vehicles with 6 volt electrics should not be permitted on public roads except in daylight hours under any circumstances.
That’s why I said 12V, it’s a PITA finding a 6V battery on short notice, not to mention bulbs and other assorted electronics.
For US spec models, it is ’67. ’68 brought emissions equipment and lots of black plastic inside. Some rudimentary safety equipment was included, but strangely, NOT safety tubeless tire rims.
I had a ’67 German model that was still 6v, which I easily converted to 12v. It also had front disc brakes and four bolt rims, still without safety lips. Tube type Pirelli Cinturado’s is what I ran.
When I see a tall man with a Beetle, I think of this scene from the Simpsons:
https://youtu.be/xWct_KYGRQo
To answer your question though: why not? So long as Stephanie doesn’t mind having an extra car sitting around, you should go ahead! The only danger is to your free time, should something break or need modification.
Then again, it’s not an Espada or something exotic and high maintenance.
It’s a VW bug. Things will break or need modification. But those things will be, first, things that announce themselves over a period of time rather than bang, you’re immobile, and second, things that Paul is perfectly capable of doing and even enjoying.
Sorry, but I just don’t share the love. I might tolerate the motor being in the wrong place in a 911, but that is as far as I go. Don’t compare it with a Tatra – that wasn’t a copy of anything.
I assume the VW would take the place of the XB in your fleet. The annual mileage total on that is low so a classic may make sense.
I can picture the Xbox seeing the VW and singing that old song, (Anything you can do I can do better….)
And the VW answers, yea depreciate.
No, it will not. I need a dead-reliable daily driver with lots of interior room. The VW would be a “hobby car” and get used as the mood strikes.
Just got done taking a closer look and driving it. The engine does run well, except for a brief flat spot when first accelerating, supposedly due to it having an all-mechanical 009 Bosch distributor. It does have the original 1200 cc transmission, which means it’s geared low for a 1600. Meaning: relatively brisk acceleration for an old VW, but not freeway-friendly. Great for the mountains, though.
Lots of surface rust everywhere. On both sides of the floorpans, but they feel reasonably solid enough. He is in the process of welding in the section in the rear where the battery lives, an almost inevitable rust spot, from the battery acid.
It is converted to 12 volt. Wiper motor not currently functional; same for the radio.
The brakes have been completely re-done, new lines, cylinders, linings etc. but they feel like they could uses some tweaking. pedal not as high and firm as I remember. But then I spent a good amount of time under mine adjusting brakes to get them right.
There’s play in the front wheels, on the vertical axis. That almost inevitably means new king pins. He said he would help me re-do them.
The heater cables are not currently operative. Hmmm.
It’s got good qualities, but there’s plenty to do too.
Now for the decision…
Paul, it would be easy to prep the car for a quick respray if you had the gumption to do it, and your garage would be a perfect work shop. In fact, wrenching on rusty old cars is exactly how I would want to spend my precious free time.
Well, no it isn’t.
Whenever I get on to buying something like this, I ask myself “How often are you going to use it, and how much bother is it going to cost me?”
Answers will vary, of course.
For some people there is some therapeutic value in working on a rusty old car when it is not something that you rely on for your daily transportation.
With this if the purchase price is around current market value you can’t really loose money if its condition is maintained or improved. I just don’t see classic VW prices dropping anytime soon. So if after a year or two if it doesn’t get used enough Paul can almost certainly get his money back or maybe even come out ahead.
He also lives in a great place to enjoy a car like this when it strikes his fancy. Perfect for running to the store or just a put around town on a nice spring, summer or fall day when getting out on the freeway or slogging through rush hour traffic isn’t required.
If the rust isn’t too much, this is just one of the last perfect Bugs and deserves a proper CC home. Sand off the worst and clearcoat the rest; swap in a better trans. Too bad abt the kingpins. Is that a deal breaker?
As long as the front door posts are sound and the heater channels intact it looks good to go, the paint is fine, paint is overrated anyway I painted my Hillman but its been rejecting it ever since cheap thinners being the problem but its getting a nice coat of surface rust on the roof so all good, its a driving car not a show car. Buy it Paul you know you need it. Front end kits are readily available I helped my English VW nutter friend do his Kombi front axle up a couple of years ago his has an old style single lowering clamp in it which needed fettling too if this ones stock and it looks like it is its a simple fix.
And when is this chance going to come by again in the next twenty years?
If you don’t buy it, you’re kidding yourself. And regret is the nastiest emotion of all.
I think you’re right.
If the budget fits…..I think you’ll go for it. Having some work to do on a hobby car is part of the hobby, after all.
+1. There have been cars that I have passed up in the past twenty years, and never mind being overly priced, they just plain don’t exist here anymore. The pangs of regret over those are particularly strong. I know I am not unique in that respect.
Nice looking beetle! Just my style not too far gone but nice enough that it should get you where you are going. You don’t have to lose sleep about parking it at the grocery store and having someone scratch the paint. I would like a 67 with a dual port 1600 (or bigger) with a single Webber carb, 009 distributor and performance exhaust.
I hope you get it and have some adventures in it!
I had 60 and 63 Beetles in high school and a new 69 in undergraduate days. I was thinking the other day how much fun it would be to drive one again. If you buy it we can live vicariously through your updates. I would install seat belts (my 63, bought in 67, had them – I think they had been installed at an upholstery shop before I got it) and get rid of the double pipes as otherwise the car has a great original look. The heater cables rusted out on all three of my cars, including the 69 at three years of age (major salt on IN roads). Nice to have 12 vote conversion – I remember the dim headlights, esp at idle, on the first two cars. I suppose a major consideration is do you have time for another project…
Wonder if it’s still running the 6v wiper motor and 6v starter. I converted my old ’66 Bus to 12v with an alternator, also ran twin 1bbl type 3 Solex carbs with single port manifolds by reversing them and running the stock type 3 linkage rods in front of the fan housing, requiring a hammer clearance on the fan shroud. Also needed 12v electric choke elements for carbs, along with 12v coil. Looked nice with twin long air intake hoses and small chrome paper element air filters on top, and made the engine run quite a bit stronger as well. I ran the vacuum advance distributor. Today these carbs, manifold and linkage would be pretty hard to find, the stock Solex carb it has now will be just fine.
If you want to run a 12v starter and it hasn’t already been done, a 12v flywheel and adapter bushing will be needed.
The 6v starter worked fine on 12v, really spun fast! They tend to last for quite a while run this way. A variable speed resistor type wiper switch allowed me to keep the 6v wiper motor. Final part needed was a 12v flasher relay, which was complicated on a ’66 with it’s special one year only multiple pin relay. There was a work around using two standard 3 pin flashers. The 63 will only require a single 3 pin 12v flasher. All the other switches will work fine on 6v.
My second VW was a ’63 Beetle after I totaled my ’66 1300. I installed the transaxle and engine from the ’66 into the ’63. When I bought the ’63, it had an earlier non syncro 1st gear trans in it. Ran much better after the switch.
If you want to install 3 point belts the b pillar and frame tunnel mounts are there, you will need to drill the floor to mount the 3rd point for the lap belt. Also will need reducer adaptors for the large factory belt mounts for standard mounting bolts. Back in the day I found them in the junkyard, not sure if they are still made by some company today.
Check for rust in the heater channels in the body. I doubt any of this is new to you, Paul since you have VW’s back in the day. Would be a great hobby car, and it wouldn’t hurt the current paint much to leave it out in the rain.
I say go for it if the car is solid and if the pricing seems fair.
Maybe I missed it, but what’s he asking?
Concerning the flat spot. Check to see if fuel is squirting out of the brass dump tube nozzle by looking down the top of the carb while pulling the throttle lever. I’ve seen instances where the tube falls out and gets sucked into the engine, or the accelerator pump diaphragm could be bad so the fuel just dribbles out through the tube. Common problem.
Great patina on this one. I see no reason not to buy it. If you get bored of it I am sure you could flip it easily enough down the road.
I love old bugs because they fulfill every absolute minimum requirement for transportation and they are infinitely repairable. You need this car, Paul….
Great looking car indeed and the plates look great! Another bonus is that there are still about 2 years left on the registration.
I contemplated a Beetle when looking for a car to practice stick shift on, but I am not terribly mechanically inclined and was looking for something safer. I could not find a decently to well running Beetle for under a grand so I bought a 1st gen Camry instead which obviously is not as iconic.
Shortly after you buy this a sweet Peoguet will come up for sale right by you.
Sounds to me, like you’ve already decided that this will be your next ride.
Congratulations. I like it. But then the Busman likes anything VW related.
I like it in Aqua. If that be the closest you come to an aqua Mark V, like the many we’ve seen on these pages, good enough for me :).
My Buick was a lot like what you describe. Other than a fresh coat of paint it was far from pristine but that lent itself to little worry. I kept it in top mechanical shape and didn’t flip out about a ding like I would with the Olds. I decided to pare down the fleet to save money, because who really needs a car 24-7 in NYC, but I’d enjoy having another “solid-but-not perfect” oldie for using however and whenever.
Ours was this colour. Geddit.
I appreciate patina, but the very nice chrome on this car along with the wonderful period color really screams for a full respray – it will be the most cheerful car on the block.
The interior also screams to remain predominantly white – what a bright and cheerful contrast with that aqua color!
I may be biased, our neighbors had a nearly primer color VW for many years, and fitted on various body parts as needed that never got beyond primer stage. I’ve had my fill of Bug patina.
Paint, and white walls?
I occasionally have a longing for my lost youth of VW ownership. I found this one at an estate sale the other day.
Paul, if you do decide to go for the real thing (and I really want you to, so I can live vicariously through your adventure), heed the words of the master, “Come kindly to terms with your Ass, for it bears you.”
I have an Olds 98 & a Chrysler 300, and even I find this VW appealing.
Assuming that the price is reasonable, this seems really hard to pass up.
Go for it Paul! You only live once 🙂
This is a beautiful little Beetle. It’s in the condition I just love to see. They’re just so endearing when they’re just worn and weathered enough.
Of course my overall love for these cars is no question. I say go for it.
Btw, a 15/1600 with a 40hp era tunnel case gearbox isn’t a terrible combo. I actually prefer it to the later ones with such an awkward 3rd to 4th gap.
Paul, you could travel over half the country and not find one that fits your wants/needs/plans as well as this one. And the owner lives nearby, to help you work on it if you should find yourself out of your depth.
I say go for it.
Looks to be a complete and straight survivor car. If the price is right I say go for it! If nothing else, you can always kick it down the road later on and put some coin in your pocket. In the meantime, enjoy the hell out of it!
Just do it, assuming the price is reasonable, you will kick yourself later if you don’t pick it up. If you don’t use it as much as you imagined you can always sell it later and potentially at a profit rather than a loss.
Pins and needles, here, Paul!
(c:
GO FOR IT Paul!!!
the f100 needs a little brother paul!
go for it!
Please buy this, Paul!!
Ditto to the heater channels and door hinges-about anything else can be fixed, so I have read. And that steering wheel! And the chrome bumpers! And the glass covered headlights! And the intact boot! This car is speaking to you, Paul. We are still mad that the father of a wonderful young girl on my sister’s block made her sell her beloved Super Beetle for college money. She had kept it running by keeping the books for the mechanic who fixed it for her through high school. We should have bought it and stored it for her. You can help us with our guilt, and give us hope by buying this car!
I’m going to be a partial enabler here, sounds like a fantastic idea Paul, it looks great and I’m particularly envious of the deck lid and rebuilt engine. Uncut dash, good bumpers, wow! Also, if you live the dream for a year or two you will have an easy time selling it with no depreciation.
A three way 1963 VW meetup is possible, not sure exactly where Ed lives but the midpoint between Dundas and Eugene is close to the Crazy Horse monument. Could be the Crazy Forty Horse group.
On the other hand, you’ve been there done that. Something like a 62 Plymouth is a car you’ve admired but never owned.
Yes, but would the Plymouth put a grin on his face like the Bug will? I think not!
True dat. Hey Ed, you probably know where you live. What’s the midpoint of your place, Dundas Ontario and Eugene Oregon?
If you come around the South end of Lake Michigan, you might as well stop by my farm and we’ll caravan from there. I’m near Peoria, IL. Emailed a shop in Ottawa, IL today to get a price on prepping and painting both body shells… (c: We’ll see!
Wow. The company I contacted quoted $8,000, per vehicle to prep and paint. That’s for a concours-level paint job, it appears (and I’m sure it’s worth every penny!), but not what I need for my cars!
Paul ;
You’ve _gotta_ buy this one ! .
Fresh air heating (first year) , ‘big block’ single port , 12 volts , good looking body etc….
That nasty 009 dizzy is the flat spot culprit ~ it’s a 40hp dizzy with too little advance curve ~ you can set it for off idle or full chat but not both…
A good dizzy and a # 130 main jet , proper full advance timing and it’ll e good to go & you’ll love it .
The wobbly front end may well be just link pins , they’re greasable and adjustable and no one ever does either…
The wipers are dead simple t make 12 volts , one cheap part , no foolish resistors etc.
If you don’t grab this , consider letting me, I’d like to have one last old Beetle before I go, a stockish one , not the usual kiddie trash ruined thing .
-Nate
Holding my breath here.
I’m feeling tense about this, he may just be pulling our collective legs here.
I took a better look at the photos, very nicely worn in exterior (the word patina makes me cringe) but the interior definitely needs work. The headliner kit is reasonably priced but requires many hours of frustrating glue sniffing work to install.
And do I see no hose clamps on the pressurized fuel hose? Yikes!
A baby Tatra 87 is exactly what your family needs, Paul.
Nothing beats the looks and the sound of a classic Kaefer. Don’t restore it. Just give it a bit of TLC and a good clean. That’s all this VW needs. And a VW is all you need, perhaps, too…
OK, Paul, you do realize that if you buy this VW, you’ll have to purchase new or used, a certain type of sport coat with elbow patches?
A used jacket would fit in quite nicely – more points given if it shows a few signs of wear!
Anyway, that’s what I would do, just for the fun of it – oh wait – I already own a tweed jacket with elbow patches… complete with tweed fedora!
I wear them, too…
Mmm, pretty quiet…
“baby Tatra 87”
I take that to mean 1987 model year? Amazing, as
it shows relatively how little of the overall exterior
design/profile changed since just after the war.
You’re kidding, right?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_87
“kidding”?
I was stone cold serious when I asked
that. I did research confirming the Old
Beetle continued in production as late
as 1990. Look at the context:
“…There’s so much history in the VW, the most important and influential car since Henry’s T. It’s a baby Tatra 87. And one that’s perfectly usable today, and parts are of course highly available and reasonable.”
I can read.
Perhaps you should Google “Tatra 87” though…
Ok, Got it – it’s a completely different car.
But in the context Paul mentioned it –
square in the middle of an article about
a VW BEETLE! – it was easy for me to
make the inference that it was a special
’87 edition of the Beetle.
Well, it’s not that different, that’s Paul’s point. Think of the Tatra as the Beetle’s illegitimate father. It has an air-cooled V8 in the tail and two extra doors, but it’s the same concept and overall shape.
The VW’s ‘legitimate’ fathers, Dr F. Porsche and some guy with a Charlie Chaplin mustache, made no secret of using the Czech car for “inspiration”…
Tatra successfully sued VW in West Germany after the war for those infringements on their intellectual propriety.
This is part of the VW’s very shady origins, which is known to several lovers of the Bug (said origins being no slight on the VW as a car icon or the company itself!)