TheSamba.com :: View topic - Lucky find? --> 72 SB Resto Project

Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:03 pm

Hi guys. Long time lurker. First time poster.

I used to ride around in this beaut with my buddy early in college. She's a '72 AS and OG yellow shows though the black in some places. Been out of commission since the summer of '95 and since has been stored in a barn, in the woods under a tarp and, most recently, in an open garage.

Looks the engine compartment was a nest at one point.

and it's a bit mildewy

and has it's share of cobwebs

Wheels/axles/brakes kept it from rolling on the flatbed on it's last move. Body is great considering. Some rust behind wheels, but not bad for a car that lived in VT

before a long slumber in PA. My VW enthusiast friend that checked it out w/me says it looks to be pretty much all OG including rubber, radio and engine components. Chrome trim is painted red :roll:

My friend, the PO says a mechanic told him the engine needs "a bearing therefore new engine." No known accidents, but we couldn't get under the bonnet to see if there were any signs of repairs. But the only obvious damage is a quarter size dent behind the passenger headlight
and the front bumper is off kilter and looks to have dented the body

compared to

that is likely the result of the flat bed driver using the bed to push the car into the garage.

I'm 90% committed. Drawbacks? PIA's to consider? Looking to make this a daily driver. It would be my first VW.

Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:18 pm

Nice find, bug bomb it, cleen it out, and a running engine and its probably good to go.

Oh, yeah... and welcome to samba

Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:11 pm

Welcome...looks like that spot in the engine compartment is a common place for a nest. That's where one of the many nests in my '72 Super was. Shop-vac that sucker out :D Great find, looks like it will clean up really nice too.

Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:28 pm

well, if the price is right, its worth it. im not a fan of autosticks but they can be converted easily on the later models if you want to. engine will be pricey. count on at least a grand one a nice longblock.

have fun, good luck and welcome to THESAMBA!!!!!!!

Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:58 pm

welcome to samba, and that's quite a treasure all things considered. as far as the motor is concerned, if you can turn the crank pulley the motor will run again. a new seal doesn't necessarily mean a new motor. it depends on what you want to do with it. if before the seal gave out it ran well, i see no reason why you cant do a little research find out exactly what seal ur dealing with, and see what kind of life you can breath into your old friend. just my 2 cents. again welcome, and enjoy :)

Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:04 pm

Man what a mess to clean up. However glad to see the engine area like that with all of the generally missing stuff. It will buff out. keep us posted.
Oh what was the sale $$

Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:54 am

gt1953 wrote: Man what a mess to clean up. However glad to see the engine area like that with all of the generally missing stuff. It will buff out. keep us posted.
Oh what was the sale $$

I got the "friends for 20+ years, never going to get around to fixing it, need to get it off the property before closing" price. :lol:

I had generally been thinking about some custom mods, but it seems to be unmolested by anything other than rodents, so I may leave it stock - though I'm not sure about the OG yellow :shock:

Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:56 am

Nice find, just make sure you pull the engine tin and clean them before you try and start the engine. There is no telling how much of that nesting material is in the shroud and or on top of the cylinders. Good luck

Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:15 am

I like it. Lots of good stuff to work with. :)

Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:48 am

Looks pretty good overall. When you clean the rat crap out of there be sure to use proper masks and protective clothing. The hantavirus can kill you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantavirus

Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:05 pm

Yep I would remove the engine and tear it down to a long block...my gcar sat so long it had a huge wasp nest under the tin above number 1/2 cylingerd and would have burned up for sure. Keep it stock, maybe a number matching car.

Sun Aug 23, 2009 7:49 pm

Needs a bearing, therefore a new engine? Uh... that might fall into the category of overreacting. If it's been sitting there for fifteen years then it's probably going to need to be rebuilt. But actually needing a new engine is unlikely.

Looks like it's in pretty good shape, though, otherwise! Both the exterior and interior aren't in bad shape at all. New door panels would be nice, but at least you have carpet, and the dash looks pretty clean.

Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:40 pm

No engine #? Perhaps a Brazilian/Mexican rebuild?

Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:51 pm

Check your case numbers if they start with 000-xxx-xxx
it is a replacement case.

Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:57 pm

Aftermarket case....engine could have been built by anyone...clean the entire car and set a plan,every one of the cars functions will be addressed in one form or another before youre done if you see it through.Take care and have patience,use quality parts and you'll end up with a nice car.One of my supers is a lien car... I saved it from the scrapper after untold hours and about 2500bucks (give or take) its a dependable inexpensive form of transportation.

Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:11 pm

Congrats - that's a nice find. Regardless of what direction you go in with the project, make sure you get rid of the fuel filter by the carb. It's a major fire hazard.
Between The Samba, some good manuals (I use a Bentley, Haynes and the Muir book) and this link:
http://www.vw-resource.com/mihov_index.html
you should be able to do anything needed to rebuild/maintain your car.
Have fun with it either way.

Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:34 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions and encouragement.

The plan is to get it to Philly, clean out the acorn husks and give it a good power washing before breaking it down and taking inventory.

I want to check/clean/repair the pans and give the chassis a protective coating before rebuilding.

At this point, I'm planning on having the engine done by a local VW guy unless get terribly ambitious and find myself with a lot of free time.

Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:35 pm

Being an autostick I would imagine every vacuum and fluid hose for that trans will need to be replaced (along with all the other rubber).

Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:19 am

Finally got her to her new home and cleaned her up a bit. The flatbed driver couldn't back it down the driveway so he had to leave it on the street :( Rotted tires make it impossible to push on my own, but I've got muscle coming later to get her into the "shop."

Bonnet wont release. No tension on the lever in the glove box. Is there another method of getting it open w/out cutting the handle?

Passenger side door lack has been mangled and the knob isn't working from the inside. Any suggestions on how to get it open? First job is to get anything that may be mildewy out so I can work on it w/out triggering allergies.

Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:40 pm

Push the trunk lid down FIRMLY may need to actually push down jerk up several times. If the lock is adjusted properly (and not corroded) it will release when you overcome the plunger spring. It is a designed in fail safe.