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Tue Dec 27, 2011 1:50 am

This occurred by sheer luck. While returning home from a run to a distant VW shop, a friend of my Dad's called and told us about a VW for sale near his house. We quickly went there, and were greeted by an older gentleman who used to be in the hobby of building dune buggies. He had the car in a small barn on his daughter's property, and coincidentally, she wanted it gone. Apparently she had posted the car on Craigslist for $500, but we never saw the ad. The car had been in the barn for about 5 years, and had not been started since. Surprisingly, everything except some of the motor was intact. The owner had been working on the engine and left some of the tin off, but they kept everything under the bonnet safely. When asked for a price, the man claimed to have bought the car for $400 several years ago. The day after Christmas we showed up with a tow-bar and a battery and paid him $300 for it. All the electricals worked. I even found the original toolkit with all the tools, the jack, the owner's manual, every repair receipt for the car since 72', and the original title; not to mention we learned that the car had stayed in the same location for almost it's entire life! I gave the car a quick wash and wiped it down a little to get rid of the bird poop. The key was still in the ignition, and the engine turned over easy with compression. It has no endplay, and good oil pressure. The brakes work, and the fluid level is still up into the reservoir. All I have done is gotten the car clean so far. Can't wait to get it rollin' ! (which, oddly, sounds like my great-grandfather's name Roland, so it has a name now.)

Tue Dec 27, 2011 2:18 am

the bodywork appears solid and the whole car looks in good condish.
Nice find! :D
what you got planned for it?

Tue Dec 27, 2011 2:23 am

Gongrats, looks like a great find! Seems he was doing work to the exhaust system, since the rear tin is taken out? I guess you are itching to get that engine room cleaned and all the loose bits fitted again. I would suggest fitting the air cleaner and the distributor cap, and wash it down with degreaser. Then change the oil before you try to start it. If it starts, don't leave it running for too long without the tin. Good luck!

Tue Dec 27, 2011 3:23 am

Sweet find!!! and grate price!!!!! congrats 8)

Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:13 am

SWEET FIND! Wish mine looked that solid.

Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:16 am

Neat.
Rock it as long as ya can as is.

Tue Dec 27, 2011 9:00 am

65'1300Deluxe wrote: This occurred by sheer luck. While returning home from a run to a distant VW shop, a friend of my Dad's called and told us about a VW for sale near his house. We quickly went there, and were greeted by an older gentleman who used to be in the hobby of building dune buggies. He had the car in a small barn on his daughter's property, and coincidentally, she wanted it gone. Apparently she had posted the car on Craigslist for $500, but we never saw the ad. The car had been in the barn for about 5 years, and had not been started since. Surprisingly, everything except some of the motor was intact. The owner had been working on the engine and left some of the tin off, but they kept everything under the bonnet safely. When asked for a price, the man claimed to have bought the car for $400 several years ago. The day after Christmas we showed up with a tow-bar and a battery and paid him $300 for it. All the electricals worked. I even found the original toolkit with all the tools, the jack, the owner's manual, every repair receipt for the car since 72', and the original title; not to mention we learned that the car had stayed in the same location for almost it's entire life! I gave the car a quick wash and wiped it down a little to get rid of the bird poop. The key was still in the ignition, and the engine turned over easy with compression. It has no endplay, and good oil pressure. The brakes work, and the fluid level is still up into the reservoir. All I have done is gotten the car clean so far. Can't wait to get it rollin' ! (which, oddly, sounds like my great-grandfather's name Roland, so it has a name now.)

Nice! post pics once you get it in daily driving condition!

Tue Dec 27, 2011 3:21 pm

Is that at the train yard in mineral :D

Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:35 pm

yep. It's my other playground and has easy access for tools and such whenever I need them. My old man manages the place. The car needs a new exhaust and a good degreasing. It has no rust in the channels, pillars, or underside. It has the original undercoating on it. I'm going up at the end of the week to try and get it started. Can't wait! :P

Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:52 pm

Yea man im friends of marry so I know what you mean by playground

Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:01 pm

Got a locking decklid latch today, along with a new windshield, wiper blades, some sealing rubber and a glovebox knob. It's hard to have to stare at new parts for days without being able to use them... :cry:

Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:30 am

Out of curiosity... What are some (if any) one-year-only things for 72' Super beetles?

And on a side note, if you look closely in the interior pic you'll see the 8-track player that came with the car! :wink: hoping to find some Huey Lewis for that thing...

Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:44 am

There aren't a lot of noticable differences between the '71 and '72, but that steering wheel is probably the most obvious. Should have a wiper control arm on the right side?

My first Beetle was a '71 Super, same colour as yours.

Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:45 am

Congrats! Looks great and solid, I like the 72's myself :D

Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:58 am

Nice score!!!

Wed Dec 28, 2011 7:01 am

Since you have access to tools lifts etc pull the engine and clean it all up.
Clean and then clean some more. Like others have said replace all of the fluids, pull the brake drums and do an inspection of the barake shoes. Safety is free. Nice fine.

Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:33 pm

thanks guys! I love the color myself since green is my favorite. I'm planning to do a full degrease on the engine soon.

Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:18 pm

gt1953 wrote: Like others have said replace all of the fluids, pull the brake drums and do an inspection of the barake shoes. Safety is free.
absolutely replace all of the fluid asap. engine oil goes bad with age and so does brake fluid. brake fluid must be changed every 2 years, whether or not the car is driven! if its been sitting 5+ years it's well overdue. engine oil separates and decomposes. change it, run the engine for 30 minutes or so, change it again.

Fri Dec 30, 2011 9:39 pm

After removing the carpeting today...

Sat Dec 31, 2011 8:56 am

torsionbar wrote: gt1953 wrote: Like others have said replace all of the fluids, pull the brake drums and do an inspection of the barake shoes. Safety is free.
absolutely replace all of the fluid asap. engine oil goes bad with age and so does brake fluid. brake fluid must be changed every 2 years, whether or not the car is driven! if its been sitting 5+ years it's well overdue. engine oil separates and decomposes. change it, run the engine for 30 minutes or so, change it again.

Better yet, a trick my dad taught me is that after you drain the oil, fill up the sump with kerosene. Let it sit and turn the engine by hand. Drain, fill, sit, turn, drain and do so until the oil is relatively clean. Remove plate and strainer and soak that in kerosene. Let everything dry (like overnight) and fill with oil. I would then drive it for a week or so (maybe 50 - 100 miles) and change it.

It's a little bit of work, but does the job!!!