New 412 Owner. (Book ahead!)

[carguyray]

Greetings.

First of all, I want to sincerely thank EVERYONE who's posted here. I spent the last 3 days reading post after post going back many years and I can assure you all of 2 things. 1) I never SHOULD buy a 412 w/out looking through this site first, and 2) I never would have known what I was getting (and getting into) if I hadn't.

I know there are MANY of you regular posters, but I wanted to give a special 'shout out' to Ray for all the amazing info he's provided on here over the years. I probably noticed his posts most 'cause we share the same name, but everyone's info was just so valuable.

So... on to my book! (I set it up so you can just skip to the QUESTIONS below if you don't like my book)

THE INTRODUCTION:
I've been wanting a 421 for decades, and in the past 6 years I've amassed what's turned out to be a car collection that I refer to as "Unique and Forgotten". A few years ago I started seriously looking for a 412. I figured I'd look through a few and pick the one that was a perfect little old lady car (like I have with most of my others). Well, I know you're all laughing now, and it was a rude awakening for me.

So, fast forward through many disappointments (rusted, beat, dead, rodded, etc) to last Wednesday when I was laying in bed and something said "Go check CL for a 412}, so I did.

CHAPTER 1: The Car

THE BASICS:
It's a 74 wagon, orange, unknown total miles (more later) with very little body rust (2 tiny sections) some minor surface rust, and previously rusted floors that have been cut and re-welded, then sealed and the entire car undercoated. The engine was replaced 28K ago with a rebuilt '81 Bus FI engine, and all fuel lines redone at that time. The interior was great except for the front seats, so the last owners bought new covers and foam and had them redone. The carpet inside is great and the trunk carpet is as good or better than the best I've seen in any pictures on the web.

THE GOOD:
* The car runs great. It takes about 2 min. for the cold engine to stop 'loping' and then it idles smooth. It seems to shift a little hard, but not enough to think big problem.

* To my SHOCK (and what made me think BUY) was the font end seems good. It didn't have a lot of 'bounce' at a stop, and when you drive it and hit bumps it feels like it 'reacts' quickly... no long 'bouncy bounce' like some of my other cars needing struts. All in all it really surprised me.

* The seller said the windshield used to leak and she took it to a local glass shop and had it "resealed". In looking over the seal and chrome (I read ALL the stories on here about windshields and seals) I was shocked at how good it really looked. NO 'patch job' with goop, or anything like that. Just a very natural looking seal and chrome strip.

* Gas heater still works (I'll have questions for everyone on that in a separate post when I finish writing this book)

* Rear Defroster works.

THE BAD:
* The car had previously (many years I'm told) been hit in the Drivers door and a VERY bad repaint/match is still visible there.

* The RF Wheel well has been damaged in the back when a tire blew and the ensuing drama (tread flapping around) caused body damage to the back area and a bit inside/rear)

* There are multiple air hoses (ducting size) in the engine compartment that are simply duct tape holding together the skeleton of the hose.

* The brakes are a big 'hard' IMO. (The owners dad who'd done most of the work on the car over the years said it's one area he'd suggest looking into next). There is a receipt for brake work INCLUDING "Remanufactured master cylinder" I was shocked at this with all the stories on here about not being able to find anything. (FYI, the car was serviced by a local "VW-guy" mechanic who worked out of his own shop and prob. knows more on the topic than any normal mechanics would.

* No Power steering. (I thought it was standard, but maybe with the engine swap it got left off)

* The car seems to 'lope' a bit when stopped in gear.

* The Trans can't seem to decide what gear it wants to be in when doing city driving in the 40mph range.

* The steering wheel seems slightly 'loose'. This isn't like a log of play, but I was wondering about the gasket part Ray had mentioned before that could cause this.

CHAPTER 2: The Project.

So, since I have 19 other cars, I don't have to use this as a daily driver (nor would I want to being honest) so I'd like to get it into my rotation of work I have done to cars. Luckily my job is going very good and I have some money for this now. (although no time for the toys). First and foremost, I need to solve one 'BIG' problem (for me).

I'm 6'9" tall, and although I CAN fit in the car, it doesn't mean I DO fit in it. Up until the point I read that the battery is under the drivers seat I just figured I'd just do what I've done with some cars before and put seat extensions (solid steel bars) in to move the track back. Well, the battery is my issue here.

I'd like to replace the drivers door (this one's got a fair amount of surface rust and with it having been hit/repaired I figured it could be a good option. Does anyone have a lead on one in the Pacific North West?

I'd also like to replace the RF (pass) Fender. This one has been damaged pretty bad in the rear wheel opening. Any leads will be appreciated.




QUESTION
1) I've seen pix. of the battery in the front trunk. how much would be involved in this (and any comments would be appreciated)
2) The service manl. I have for this is in great shape... EXCEPT the pages that talk about the seats and track. they're all stuck together. Does anyone have a scan of that page they could email me?
3) Does anyone have leads on:
a) Drivers Door 74 412 Wagon
b) Pass. front fender
4) Are there any other 411/12 owners in the Portland Metro or Western WA. area?
5) If any of this info rings a bell I'd LOVE to hear from people who know about this car. It's in good enough shape, and I was told I'll be the 5th owner, that I figure someone may know something. Last owner, Vancouver WA, Prev. owner, Milwaukie OR.

I've got to get some pix. today so I'll try to post those up here by next weekend. I "commute" to Dallas every week for work so not a lot of time get play with the cars.

[Lars S]

Welcome carguyray!
Always nice with new 411/412 lovers and we would love to see some pics of your car!

Just one comment on the need for power steering, if you have close to stock tire dimension and at least recommended tire pressure the steering should be wery easy as it is.

Also on the battery location:
1) Why not move it to under the passenger seat? Lots of 412s had a battery under both front seats as an option from factory and re locating it should be easy....possible are some of the attachments already prepared from factory.

Lars S
_________________
Porsche 914 -72, Bahia Red daily driver
VW411 2-d -70, White, sold
VW412 4-d, -73, Gold Metallic, daily driver
Suzuki T500, -69, Candy Gold, sold
Suzuki K50, -77, Black, daily driver
BMW R69S -69, White, sold
Husqvarna 118cc, -47, Black, Sold

[carguyray]

Ah, Great info on moving the battery. I'll see what I can find in a few weeks when I'm back and able to get the car registered.

Thanks!

[raygreenwood]

Welcome!

A few items.

Post some pictures of your damaged fender and door. The right front fender will be hard to find a clean one without a the rust line that happens on the right front fender from the normal leaking that happens on many of the fuel vent hoses over time.

Take some time to check around on the mounting and welds of your replaced floor pans. They need to be done well.....as this car does not have a pan.....its a monocoque chassis or unibody....so the structure is important.
Also if the pans were replaced....it had rust. Pull the carpets and inspect carefully for rust.

The front suspension always feels pretty good on these cars. The springs are huge. But....inspect it carefully. If there has not been specific work done.....there are issues. Its better to find them now ao you can save from wearing out parts like the ball joints and tie rod ends.

Ray

[carguyray]

Funny you should mention the fuel vent lines, because I did my first fill up before I moved the car to my storage facility and ended up spewing gas everywhere under the car. Here in Oregon there's no self serve, so the attendant was as shocked as I was. Then the person following me said that as we were turning corners It was leaking gas out as well. Is this indicative of the hoses you're talking about?

Also good, but sad, to hear about the front end issues still being possible. I was really impressed with how well it drove and handled. I'll dig up your article about that and read through in great detail in a few more weeks when I have the car out next.

Thanks so much for the extra info And I look forward to sharing / learning a lot more.

[raygreenwood]

These are very rewarding cars...very underestimated in their quality and drivability. They can be fairly easy to work on......but i recommend taking it slow and going through everything. Dont just assume that if something looks ok and feels tight that it is fine. Remember that these cars and their materials were not perfect and they are now over 40 years old. Ray