TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:09 pm

I need your help. I have a '69 custom beetle right now, I am trading a dude my beetle for his '71 squareback. Reason being is cause I have always wanted a squareback, but I have never looked into the technical stuff. As in, what kind of engine does it take? Where is the engine? Is the car easy to work on? Are there any good websites out there for square backs. If you guys can help, that would be awesome.

Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:24 pm

it is a VW an ACVW the motor is in the back like your bug same technical almost go for it you will love it

Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:36 pm

Good trade! I wish I could find someone willing to trade their Type 3 for a Beetle. :(

Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:04 pm

don't forget to read the FAQ and the Buyer's Guide at the top of this forum, plus the archives & tech sections...

Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:13 pm

What you're getting into, in a nutshell, is the best damn VW you'll ever own. Anything you need, tech or parts wise, you'll find right here on this site. Start with a Bentley manual. If there are none here, they show up on eBay occasionally. Russ Wolfe's classicvw.org has lots of useful tech info as well.
Welcome to the family, and don't look back. :wink:

Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:45 pm

Thanks for the info guys, I just bought a bentley manuel on ebay. I have been using this website for awhile now with stuff on my bug, then I saw the type III and fell in love again. Where is the gas tank? Is the engine the same exact as the one in my bug, or what? Are they straight, flat? What are they? Is stuff pretty cheap for this car to put into it?

Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:06 pm

Great trade. I'm new to the squares too. I moved from GTI's to a square. They are uber fun. I'm still discovering lots of smart engineering. One thing is the vent under the passenger seats. I know in the passats that people flip over is the (cold weather package) vents for the back seat, and now I found it's standard in these - ha ha ha ha. I love these cars!

Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:50 pm

Arn't these cars loud, it seems as though all pics I see is engine in the back but no cover on it so all the noise is in the car? If that is so, is it alright to make a box lined with dynamat and other sound proofing stuff to make it quieter ok to put on?

Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:40 pm

Wait a minute- Is this a stock squareback, or does it have an upright bug engine in it? It should have a suitcase engine that fits under the engine lid! It should be fuel injection. Does yours have a big carb sticking up into the back? Maybe you ought to take some pix and post 'em before you commit. "Engine in the car" sounds fishy.

Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:02 am

Your motor should lok more or les like this. (the picture is an early T3, but you get the idea)

With the cover on it you should almost never here the engine running. Welcome to the family!

Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:00 am

With the engine cover in place, a square should look something like this:

Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:04 am

No offense but if you've had a VW in the past...
Where is the engine??????
Where is the gas tank????

Sorry but pick up a magazine or a manual. It will help tremendously.

Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:14 am

6T5 square wrote: No offense but if you've had a VW in the past...
Where is the engine??????
Where is the gas tank????

Sorry but pick up a magazine or a manual. It will help tremendously. Well, I've owned a Golf, a Rabbit and currently have a Passat. Engines and gas tanks are not in the same place as a type 3. If a person has never dealt with a type 3 in the past, they may not know the differences. It might surprise you that many people do not know where the engine is on a notchback. If you open the trunk, you just see a trunk. Where's the engine.

Buts, on the other hand, yes, get a manual and read up. Also, look at the pictures in the gallery.

Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:49 am

6T5 square wrote: No offense but if you've had a VW in the past...
Where is the engine??????
Where is the gas tank????

Sorry but pick up a magazine or a manual. It will help tremendously.
Funny thing I was gassing up my Fastback the other day. A huge SUV pulls up damn thing was so long he could not get it close to the hose. Guy gets out asks me why I was putting gas in the front of the car when I told him thats where the tank was because the engine was in the back looked at me like I was l lying to him I guess he had never driven a VW

Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:41 am

Notchback, you're right, I looked at pictures, no engine in the front, no engine in the back. And all the pics that I saw on the samba were closeups so I couldn't really see anything. The same day I posted this topic was the same day that I laid eyes on a squareback...one the computer. I've never actually been standing by one. So I had no clue. This is my first time dealing with squarbacks. And there is a manuel in the mail, but you guys can always say more than a manuel...thanks for the help guys, I am sure you'll hear from me again.

Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:39 am

the engine block is the same(unless it's a Type 1 only case, then it has a different setup for oil dipstick). The cooling setup is different, different fan, different tin. A universal case long block from a bug will switch into a T3 , just a matter of switching to the T3 bolt on components.(manifolds, gen, oil cooler, tin etc)

Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:21 pm

Thanks Aussie01. I am 6'6", do you think the seat will go back far enough for leg room for me, or will I have to do some mods like I did with my bug? Is there leg room for people in the back, or is the space back there like the space in a bug...squished?

Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:27 pm

jeffreystarks wrote: I am 6'6", do you think the seat will go back far enough for leg room for me, or will I have to do some mods like I did with my bug?

I am 6'4" and can drive my type 3s comfortably. Bugs are a different story... Make sure you have a stock accelerator pedal too, the roller pedals make my knee hit the steering wheel.

Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:42 pm

jeffreystarks wrote: Thanks Aussie01. I am 6'6", do you think the seat will go back far enough for leg room for me, or will I have to do some mods like I did with my bug? Is there leg room for people in the back, or is the space back there like the space in a bug...squished? Im 6'2 my buddy is 6'6 neither of us have any problem with is our fastbacks I have 1 he has 2 fastbacks 1 square the only car he will have trouble with but not much is his bug vert

Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:08 pm

notchback wrote: 6T5 square wrote: No offense but if you've had a VW in the past...
Where is the engine??????
Where is the gas tank????

Sorry but pick up a magazine or a manual. It will help tremendously. Well, I've owned a Golf, a Rabbit and currently have a Passat. Engines and gas tanks are not in the same place as a type 3. If a person has never dealt with a type 3 in the past, they may not know the differences. It might surprise you that many people do not know where the engine is on a notchback. If you open the trunk, you just see a trunk. Where's the engine.

Buts, on the other hand, yes, get a manual and read up. Also, look at the pictures in the gallery.

where is the engine???? i just have 2 trunks...
those Germans with those enginless cars are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!