Look at what I found on the web!

Gotta love German construction!

Monocoque, right?

National Lampoon 1972

They got sued for it!

A little piece of history in the print biz.

J

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my first car was a '67 bug with sunroof and rear pop out windows...
my second car was a brand new '71 Super in lite blue with sunroof...
my third VW was another '67 bug that I completely restored....
this is the car my wife learned to drive in....belonged to her dad, when he was done with it he gave it to us and I restored it....actually did a resto-mod...

My first car was also a VW. it was a 6 volt 1965 Type 3 variant S Squareback.

My grandfather used to skip his Type 3 Squareback across a pond back in the day! I wish I would have been there to see it.

My Red Ghia was a 6 volt 64! I smashed her up good.

Then I had a 72 Red Bug in 79. Gave that to my youngest brother. What a dumb move.

He sold it in a month.

Then I had a 66 puke green bug with a rollback roof. Sold that to a girlfriend.

Another dumbass move. I could be rich off any of the 3 of them. I tend to keep cars nicer than my relationships!

John

Nice car! Thats my preferable year. I probably have a car and a half of 67 parts at my pops house in San Jose. My friends used to send people my way whenever they needed 67 parts. I really need to find a VW to use those parts.

the green '67 was my daily driver for about 5 years after I restored it...
drove it everywhere....showed it a couple of times and did very well.
Wish I had kept it...motor compartment was done nicely...Chrome fan shroud, tin painted to match car, dual snorkel air cleaner painted to match car, and the rest of the stuff under the hood was chrome....
redid the interior in factory beige color vinyl, Hurst shifter
5.5" chromies with Pirelli in 185s....

66 notch....was my first
bought it with my first
had a whole lotta fun!

My first car was also a VW, but a later vintage. I did not own a car until I was 21, and I got a VW Golf. Loved it and owned it for 7 years before trading it for my Subaru.

I had a '78 Diesel Rabbit....great mileage...back when you could buy diesel for about $.45/gallon.

Ah bug beginnings...
My first car was a '56 356 with right hand drive... but that was another story.
Second car was a '66 1300 wreck that we rebuilt. Sold it and bought it again a few years later! Then had a Meyers on a bug chassis, a '67 fast back and then a souped up '59 with a hot rod 1300.
Then.... I got hooked on the teeners....

Kinda long, so hit the "back" button if you don't wanna know my life story...

VWs are in my blood. When I was born in 1966, my folks couldn't afford the hospital bill -- they didn't even tell their parents / my grandparents that I was on my way into the world; they met me on the day my Pops graduated from Yale! The car they sold: a 1955 Euro Bug with oval rear window and semaphores.

My first car was a '64 VW sunroof Bug that I bought in 1981. I bumped the engine from 1200cc to 1385cc and put in an Engle cam, installed a lowering sway bar (preload anyone?), ran one-piece Cal-Look windows, and cleaned the tar off it... I bought it from a high school classmate, after a roofing tar trailer broke loose from the truck and nailed it on the driver's side rear. I bought a '67 VW bug parts car to help put the '64 back together. What a POS that car was, but it was fun. It got stolen from in front of my house and SFPD "lost it" in their computer. The dumbasses who stole it ran it out of gas and left it in the middle of an intersection; of course the cops had it towed the same night it was stolen. It racked up too much $$ in towing company storage fees over the next few weeks and I couldn't afford to pay the ransom, so I had to let it go.

My second car was a '66 VW bus that I bought in 1983, complete with a wooden front bumper with "Betsy" engraved in it, as well as mushroom curtains and a gutted interior. It popped outta four gear on deceleration, so I hooked up a bungee cord to keep it in gear. 'Nother POS, but it was even funner than the bug, 'specially after I built in a bed and cabinets. I bought a rusty '67 VW bus (parked by Ocean Beach in SF for too many years!) for parts; it was a 21-window and would be worth restoring in today's market. I blew the engine and let the SF Public Works folks tow it away.

My third car was a fiberglass dune buggy on a shortened '59 VW pan. I bumped up the displacement to 1641cc, ran dual Kadron carbs and an Engle cam. A high school classmate and I painted it Corvette Yellow in my garage; my mother is still mad at me for the smells that wafted into the house. It would pull wheelies in first gear, but I blew the transmission screwing around with my buddies, and I ended up selling it for basically nothing.

My fourth car was a '66 VW Fastback. I bought it from my step-father's ex-wife in 1985 after she got it in the divorce. She hated that car, since it was their first new car that they bought together, and she let her cats live in it. I never fully got the cat-piss smell out of it. It was a faded black color, so one night a few buddies and I got drunk and painted a white stripe down it. We called it Pepe LePew. I drove it my first coupla years of college until it was stolen in Davis in 1986.

I then bought my step-Dad's '75 VW van cause it was smoking too much (valve guides in the 1.8 were trashed). I completed rebuilt the engine and used it for the last two years of college. I sold it to buy a Eurrail pass after graduation, and never looked back.

The next few cars over the ensuring eight years were either Japanese or 'merican... nothing noteworthy.

My next VW was a watercooler -- a '96 VW Passat TDI that my wife and I bought in 1998. Loved that engine, but the trim and interior parts were made of powdered shit. When we moved to Tahoe and I got sick of chaining it up, we sold it for the same price we bought it for -- even though we put 80k miles on it over four years.

The next VW was an '81 VW Vanagon diesel-powered Westfalia that I bought sight-unseen on Ebay two states over in 1999. What a powerless engine! I got passed by 18-wheelers on any slight hill, but it got me back home 18 hours later. Turns out the fuel lines were plugged, but I had already swapped in a 1985 Golf engine. Great setup, but fourth gear was a stump-puller (not too good on the freeway). Took that van to Burning Man in 2000. I sold it about a month after we sold the Passat -- hated chaining it up, too.

The final (so far!) VW was an '86 Vanagon Westy Syncro that we bought in 2003. It was a cherry, but terribly underpowered -- even though the engine was completely rebuilt. So I swapped in a Subaru EJ22 engine, and we put a lot of joyful miles on that sucker. When we moved to the Sacramento Valley a couple years later, we decided to sell it because I didn't want to retrofit an AC system. Kinda regret that decision today...

My wife's co-worker has a 1969 VW Squareback that she bought new in New Mexico. Been sitting in her garage for almost 15 years because the fuel injection gave up. When the 'teener is completed, I'm gonna pressure her to sell it to me so's I can swap something fun into it!!!

Here is my first one... I traded a Snapper riding mower for it when I was 8.
I still have it, I refuse to get rid of it!

My first was a 1960 bug. It was a slide back sun roof and still had the semaphore turn signal sticks (disconnected) 'cause it wasn't made for export to the US. Dark blue. 36 horsepower on a good day. 1968 Driving into Rapid City So. Dak. from Ellsworth AFB and some old guy in his 80's in one of them 6000lb Chrysler "tanks" did a "U" turn in front of me and I hit him so hard it broke the torque tube mounts off the chassis. Bye, bye, bug. If I handn't wrecked it, I would probably still have it. The next bug I bought, I owned for 16 years.

Cheers, Elliot
PS Still looking for a good '67 bug to buy.

Drove my parents '69 Squareback to Fort Knox outa college in '72. Gave it back when I was stationed in FRG. Came back and bought their 71 Super Beetle until it got totaled. Bought a '72 bus; drove x-country on vacation, '78 Westphalia, '81 Vanagon, then on to 914's...

We had a '58 beetle that was passed around the family. My dad recently sold it. Would you believe i once drove it withOUT the carbeurator installed? Dad had removed it to rebuild it and hadn't told me. i jumped in to drive to work and it ran like sh.. the look on his face when i mentioned I'd tried to use it was priceless.

First car was a '72 MGB GT - so that doesn't count.
Then came the air cooled and V-dubs:
'73 914, '67 Bug, '73 914, '74 Bumble Bee, '85 Rabbit Convertible, '90 Corrado G60 (new), '81 Rabbit Convertible X2, another '90 G60, '85 Westy Weekender, '84 Vanagon, '91 Westy Weekender, '83 944, '75 914, '74 Creamsicle

How many 914 guys are '67 bug freaks????

Here's why I've been MIA.....I've got to get this shitter back on the pan to get it the fuch out of the way

My first real car was a 69 Fastback, man I loved that car, I was the first guy in our "crowd" that had radial tires! It died on the Trans Canada Highway in 1973 and the VW dealer in the small town it got towed to wanted way more money than I could afford to repair it ( I was just a poor dumb Private back then!) So I left it there and hitchiked to Nova Scotia, those were the days when people would stop and pick you up. I understand they are a desireable car now.

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

Something odd about the shifter mount????

Oh well.... I'll figure it out

My daily (summer) driver...getting the fathers day treatment from the family

BTW....it's a '67 as well

My 1st car was a 66 VW Bus

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Of course that was just the start of things to come
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And it went on
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And the Water Pumpers are another story

I'm much older than the rest of you guys because my Dad gave me a 55 cabriolet in 1962 while I was in College. When I graduated he gave me his old 1962 Volvo. My Brother got the VW and his Fraternity made a float out of it. If I can borrow a scanner I'll send some pics. In those days if you had a car at school you were special, The cab with the top down allowed me to carry 3 surf boards to the beach so although I couldn't afford a board, I had access to one because I drove. The picture below is of my future wife with her 1962 356B cab. Note the snow tires.

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73 beetle, turned into a Baja bug after I got out of high school. Also my first show car and the list goes on....and on.... and on .....

1961 bug, was delivered from the hospital in it day i was born, learned to drvie in it, learned to rebuild a tranny and engine in it, still drive it to this day! 330K miles on it between me and dad (I put most miles on it!)

rumor has it i was conceved in it?????

nice fun cars. the bug, my bus, my ghia all great cars and still practical fifty years later!!!! boy did my dad get his money worth out of that little bug. he still smiles when he sees me in it

Where are the pix, a story like that has to have pictures!!!

The last Bug I had...
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My first was a 75 Beetle, then a 69, 63, 74, 65 and 74 convertible also owned a 69 camper, 84 and 91 Vanagons

The first 74 was a complete frame off restoration, 1776 Berg heads and double barrel 42 mm Webers, the front was eventually lowered, new interior...

That is one of the coolest stories. You have to have a pic or two.

Hey John & you other fellow old farts out there old enough to remember - wasn't it the movie "Dirty Dozen" where part of the dozen made their escape floating a VW down the river powered by wheels?

My first was a 68 fire engine red 2 dr. notchback Opel Kadett B 1100cc 4 speed stick - not VW, but German!
.... looked like this but red with plain silver steel wheels -
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After that a 69 Pontiac Ventura 4 dr which I bought off my Dad when the Opel blew it's engine (I wonder why ) during college & they were moving from San Diego to Indy. "The Boat" as my buddies called it!
.... Looked like this same paint color, but a 4 dr with gold leatherette interior -
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Since then - all German, but a mix - 73 914-2.0, 85 BMW 325e, 88 VW Westy!
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The 88 Honda Civic Hatchback we inherited from my wife's brother & my son & I refurb'ed/repainted for he & his sister to use as DD. - pic is before MAACO -
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That's all in 43 years of driving - I just keep 'em mostly!

we must all be from the same gene pool. 1st car 61 beetle in 69, 64 mgb 2nd, 3rd car a 62 black beetle that i paid $20 dollars for and drove i bet 25,000 with out any work that did not involve a junk yard. and yes i'd love a 67 cab.

My first car was a 1973 Ghia vert. It's still in the garage...somewhere behind a 914.

In response to Mark's question about 1967 Beetle nuts. I have one in the garage that I plan to repaint. One that I'm parting out. And a 20 year old collection of '67 parts that I have been whittling away at for a long time. ...anyone need a NOS '67 rear apron?

Pic is circa 1986. My dad bought it from the original owner in 1985.
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IIRC - it was up to 1967 that they weren't burdened by the initial round of smog control devices - at least our Calif. cars.

So anything you have 67 & pre is "golden"!

I remember that my 68 Opel had the air injection tubes into the top of the exhaust headers to help burn off the remant petro fumes, but it also had the effect of burning up my vavles early because they hadn't quite perfected the system yet!

You ARE getting rid of it...just very slowly.

First car was a '65 Beetle which I rolled over. When it rolled I grabbed the vent window with my left hand and still have a gnarly finger to prove it. Then a '62 Beetle, and a '56 Beet;e which I put on a '62 pan because the '56 was rusted too badly. Had a '66 deluxe Micro bus with all the windows (21?). Also had a few Ghias. Then bought a new 1971 Baja Edition (silver blue) Super Beetle. Moved on to a 510 Datsun and a million other cars, until I bought a 914 about 15 years ago. Now...my beloved '70 914

My oldest son is 42. He has his second 72 super beetle. He rolled the first one in about 85. I took the second one away and put it up in 86 cause he was drinking too much. We just redid the second one a coupla years ago but it set in my shop for a year till he got in his new to him new place. I still have a 58 folding sunroof sedan that my parents got me in college in about 65. I wrecked it in 68 and it got a 64 front end from the windshield posts forward. In 68 I also made it into a pickup. Really I just cut the rear of the top off and welded in the back of a dodge pickup cab to the back of the b pillar and down the inside of the door post. I put a floor over the tunnel back to the rear seat floor, the battery still goes in it's origiinal place under the floor which is now the floor of the bed. It has a shortened folding roof. In 71 I put a isky hyd lifter cam in the 67 1500 that had been in it since about late 68 and converted it to 12v and put a 64 ac in it also converted to 12v. It uses a rejetted chev two barrel and a header. In 70 I totaled a 69 mach 1 so the wheels are on the bug. I also had headrest on the stock 58 seats in 68. It's all done on my mothers sewing machine in blue pleated marine naugahide. Chrome pedals and emergency brake handle with mahogany doorpanel inserts and steering wheel. Blue cadillac firemist laquer. It's resting under a shed awning waiting on me, lace paint in the hood panels and back of the cab and all. My first wife was pregnant with my now 42 year old son while I built that bug in 68.

Two of my friends also had bugs and I have a backyard and shed full of bug parts still. dune buggys, a baha, and a few parts t1's. I am also storing a bunch of t3's and early bug stuff for a friend.

Heh, Charlie, your son and I are the same age. (Well, I did turn 43 last week...)

First car was Amurrican - a '57 Bel Air. My cousins still have it somewhere. It had a monstrous rear end gear and got about 3 mpg (but what fun in a straight line!). We moved out to the country and even in the cheap gas 80's I was losing my shirt so I bought a '75 Sun Bug. Fun car. Managed to total it in a driving rainstorm on a twisty road (the Memorial Day floods of 1984 in Tulsa) and started driving my mom's '73 914, which sits in my garage right now.

We'll forgive you for a 57 Chevy Bel Aire!

You're probably talking about a 4:11 posi-traction rear end on it then (as opposed to the stock 3:57 non-LSD). That set-up was fine in the 50's & 60's when gas was +/- 25-30 cents a gallon, but the 70's two oil crises ended that.

I remember sitting in lines on even & odd days for gas rationing in "the boat" 69 Pontiac Ventura, & hoping I could make it to my assigned "gas day" (last no. on plate even or odd), then to afford the gas while working my way through college. That's partly why I got rid of it in 75 for the 914 at 25-30 mpg!

My 66. I painted this car 15 years ago. Cali car with zero rust. ZERO!

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With my friend's 62. I painted his car about 5 years ago.

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Lets see, I have had a few!

1. 1968 VW bug, pan off 3 cars made into one!
2. 1974 VW pop top camper that I drove through Mexico
3. 1962 VW bug that I put a 912 motor in
4. Started with the 914's
5. 1971 VW Karman Gia
6. 1974 VW Thing
7. 1967 VW Bug that my grandfather bought new in Germany and I got when he died

The rest are 914's & 911's!

Everybody has a 67 bug and I don't! I've been looking for one but I can't find one at a reasonable price. All the VW freaks on The Samba want an arm and a leg. It's only a VW!!!!

Rant over.

Feel better now.

I had a 67 convert when my oldest son was a baby. 23 years ago..

I wish it was that efficient! It was a 5:13 posi rear. When we bought it, the car had an overbored 454 in it. Sold the motor for over half what I bought the car for and built a nice 283 for it, but probably shoulda swapped rears. It was real quick between stoplights tho!

Here's my 72' Super Beetle that led me down the path to Teeners.
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Next VW will be a Baja with a Suby Powered AWD Monster!

My first car was a 71 SB the same colour.

Your Baja idea....look into a GM Ecotec engine (all aluminum, 250lbs, running engine super cheap at u-pull-it, go fast parts available) and instead of AWD spend all that coin on the roll cage, A-arm suspension and a bus tranny.

I've built a couple over the years

My 1st car was same as yours. It's a 55 oval but with a metal top on it. I got it in 1996. I always carried 2 surf boards on top to go to Waikiki beach. My 2nd car was same as your wife's. Its' a 62 B T-6 but sill with a metal top on it. My 3rd finally got a convertible top. Its' the 914(see my avatar). Click to view attachment