'71 Australian Super Beetle

[Marco_VESS]

Hi everyone...introducing my car (and me, since I'm new here):

This is Olivia, an 11/71 Australian built Super Beetle (ie, 1302). For those unfamiliar, Beetles were built in Australia through to July 1976, and while generally the same as overseas models there were some local variations - for instance, paint colours were shared with certain Volvo and Datsun models which were also assembled in the same plant. This particular car is Moss Green, which I'm not sure was offered outside of Australia (and even in Australia now seems to be a fairly rare colour on surviving locally made VWs).

Bought her about three weeks ago and not quite sure what my plans are yet other than to fix what's wrong with it (some minor rust mostly), tinker a bit, take it to car shows and generally enjoy it. This is the oldest car I've owned and I've never had a VW before so this will be a whole new experience - but part of the point of this was to learn how to work on my own cars so starting with something older and relatively simple seemed likt a good idea.

Some more photos:

Happy to answer any questions about it, and no doubt I'll be asking questions of my own soon enough. Olivia shares garage space with a Holden Commodore SS (aka Pontiac G8 GT) and a Holden (aka Opel/Vauxhall) Vectra, so it's a bit of an eclectic collection

[cletus_zuber]

Your steering wheel is on the wrong side but other than that, looks good.

Post more pics, especially of the engine.
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1972 1302
HPMX 40's & 019

[Marco_VESS]

Here's a few more (although I don't actually have an engine shot as it turns out!)

Last photo there is the recently-added new exhaust; old one was rusted so looked terrible and sounded worse. Now it sounds like a VW should

[Eric Lundin]

What kind of wheels are they. those are rely cool

[Tim Donahoe]

Welcome! The car looks great. I especially like the color (colour).

What's that between the front seats? It looks like an aircraft ashtray?

Tim

[Globespotter]

Nice to see another 71 SB! Should have called her Meg no?
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1977 Westfalia - October 2015 - Current
1971 Super Beetle - May 2012 - Current
1979 Westfalia - 1986-1991
1971 Super Beetle - 1977-1980

1971 SB Survivor Story: https://globespotter.com/
Road Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511800&highlight=
My 77 Westy Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647114&highlight=

http://vw-mplate.com/mcode.php?lang=EN&id=30990
https://vw-type2-id.xyz/mplate/72067382

[Marco_VESS]

Thanks guys!

The wheels are CSA Bathurst Globe - pretty popular in Australia in the 70s and 80s (and I think available into the 90s) and more commonly seen on 70s/80s Aussie muscle cars. It looks as though someone's attempted to at least visually hot this car up around the late 70s or early 80s, with the wheels and the blacked-out chrome trim. Thinking of restoring the chrome that should be there but not sure what I'll do with the wheel as yet. The ones on my car are 14" and quite wide in that it has 205 width tyres on it. I guess I'll never run out of grip...

Between the seats - it's where you clip the seat belts into. I think this is one of those Aussie-specific things as I've read on another site that they are a Volvo part. There's probably other Volvo/Datsun parts used too if you know what you're looking for.

...and she's not named Meg as Meg is the previous owner's name and they're her number plates, but she named the car Olivia. I need to re-register the car soon as I don't live in New South Wales so those plates will disappear soon enough.

[docdanracy]

Nice car...I owned a brand new '71 SB back in the day....great score for you.
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Doc
1970 Sunroof Bug Yukon Yellow (L19K)
Custom 6.5x15” 914 Sport Wheels wrapped in 185x65x15 Contis
Empi shifter, full compliment of gauges, 1679 with mild cam, stock induction

SOLD: 1974 Marina Blue Standard Beetle undergoing restoration/preservation
1679 with Kadrons and header/QP
914 sport wheels 5.5" ET40 wrapped in 195x65x15 Kumhos

[Joel]

Obviously been well cared for, Moss green ages terribly when it isnt kept polished.
I have a real soft spot for the 71 Sbug, my first was the same but in white.

You'll probably find the reverse lights don't work unless someone went to effort of installing the wiring, switch and globes.

Aussie 71 Sbugs didn;t have reverse lights or highback seats originally.

[Marco_VESS]

It looked a bit chalky and faded when I picked her up, but a good polish and wax worked wonders. I saw a Moss Green Kombi a few weeks ago but no others so its hard for me to compare.

Interesting about the seats and reversing lights. My reversing lights work so someone must have wired them up.

[Marco_VESS]

Just reading elsewhere that those particular changes were for 1972 - maybe mine, being 11/71, was built to 72 spec?

[djkeev]

As a rule VW started the next model year at the beginning of the 9th month.

So an 11/71 production date makes yours a 1972 model year.

I assume you folk "down under" did likewise?

BTW, nice looking car! Beautiful Countryside to be photographed in as well!
Enjoy!

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Joel]

[Marco_VESS]

Uh-oh

Removing the driver's side running board revealed this - I knew there was some rust in the heater channels but it looks like it's bad enough that someone at some point has tried to lift the car from its jacking point and this has happened.

Some more pics of the rust problem in that side's heater channel:

Apart from that jacking point the sides of the heater channel are generally good, so I'm hoping the go is just to replace the underside with a patch panel and fix the area around the jacking point. This unfortunately is well beyond anything I can/want to do at home in my garage. I'll generally clean it up for rego and then come back to doing it properly when I've worked out what I want to do with this car long term (it won't be too many years, for example, before my kids are too big to sit in the back seat behind me). If I decide that I'll move it on in a year or two then it's probably not worth getting stuck into this level of work - but on the other hand I don't know what it will cost me - the patch panels I've priced at $66 each but labour is unknown.

Surprisingly not too annoyed about this - there's no way I would have spotted the jacking point problem without taking the boards off so I'm not really kicking myself about not having seen this when I bought the car, although I might not have bought it had I realised how bad the heater channels were. Still, the rest of the car is basically rust free other than minor surface rust which I'm well on the way to sorting out so it's probably the best that can be expected for a cheap 41 year old car.

Running boards are also pretty well shot, but look better on the visible side than underneath so they can go back on for now and I'll get new ones later:

[Marco_VESS]

Surface rust cleanup of the underbody is coming along nicely - finished and unfinished sections for comparison:

[oldPSUguy]

Interior looks nice. US models had a padded dashboard along the perimeter, and the dash itself was painted all a dull black color, which is less attractive than what you have.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1051358[/img]

[Marco_VESS]

Interesting - I think later build standard Australian bugs got that treatment but the Super never did here; just went straight from the body colour dashboard to the 1303 plastic one.

[Joel]

[Marco_VESS]

Well there you go, learnt something new

[Marco_VESS]

Looking much better after a coat of KBS Rust Seal (similar to POR15). Apologies for image quality.