Teach me: What to save on a 412 donor car?

[Mats W]

Hi guys,

My son bought a pretty solid 1973 Alaska Blue (?) Metallic 412 Variant back in October last year. We both drove it some 90 minutes back home and the car cruised home like a dream

Since some chrome trim is damaged/missing we were actually able to locate a RUSTY!!!!! donor car a couple of weeks ago. It has been sitting in the same spot behind a barn since 1982 and is no doubt way beyond rescue. Yesterday we brought the junk (my wife’s bizarre definition of this rare Texas Yellow car, hmm…) home with the goal to part it out immediately in order not to further annoy our neighborhood LOL .

Cancer?

Rotten to the core

The big issue right now is, what to keep and what to throw away and send to the crusher? I’ve learned that many parts on these cars are quite rare.

C’mon – teach me! I really could use some good advice on this one …

// Thanks

[glutamodo]

I gotta say - I hope you didn't pay much for that... heck I'd almost hope they paid YOU to haul it off!

Impossible to see much beyond the trashed body in the photos. about the only metal body part that looks OK is the gas flap. The glass looks salvageable.

Interior, electrical and drivetrain might be better but it's hard to say what bits from the photos.

-Andy

[ubercrap]

Glass, gas heater, drivetrain. Yank the front and rear subframes with everything attached. Gas tank if it isn't rotten. Everything else not rotten you have room for.
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'74 412 wagon
(2) '74 412 2dr. sedan
'73 412 2dr. sedan

[Mats W]

[Mats W]

[19super73]

Of all the glass, the windshield is the most important to save if it's good. NLA. All trim, wiper motor, interior fan, switches, seats etc. Pretty much strip all off it that you can and have room to store away. Sounds like all the extra parts you got in the deal was a lucky thing!

Oh, and if your neighbour is annoyed by VW's, tell them to move.
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1970 Campmobile [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-47260.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1970 Fastback 1600 TL
1971 Doka [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-14845.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1973 Super Beetle
1973 Westfalia [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-31892.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1974 412 Variant
1975 La Grande Bug
1984 Vanagon

[Stefan T]

This is one of most rusted out car i have worked with

i helped them to dissasembele it

[19super73]

[Mats W]

[Mats W]

Pictures

In fact, this isn’t the first 412 I’ve scrapped.

Back in 1984 me and my buddy Stefan T bought this 1974 Variant that had been hit in the front.

We saved NOTHING except for the drivetrain, which we put in a Type 3 . We ferociously chopped the car up and placed the remains in the woods at my grandparents farm. Later on I actually obtained their very farm and decided to bury the sad remains of the blue 412 and forget all about it … that is, until my son’s purchase of the Alaska Blue 1973 Variant pictured above.

Since I’m longtime into old Bugs, I’ve since long been a keen follower of theSamba and now – for the first time – I started to read. New expressions like NLA, unavailable made me remember I once had a car like it. Burried. But how deep? I took a strole to the sight where I dumped the car.

I almost immediately spotted the familiar rear end. But where was the front?

Could this be it? I started digging.

YES! Called my son and together we were able to pull the lot up above the ground

So after some 20 years in the ground I was earlier today actually able to jerk the front subframe off.

I must say it has been remarkably well preserved.

Even the gas tank is far better looking than expected

The “new” car has been pulled to the lift device for east access while retrieving the subframes and all other usable stuff.

Rusty?

Work in progress…

Voilá – TWO front beams

But hey – they don’t look alike on top of the shock towers?! 1973 to the left and 1974 to the right.

Are there more differences between the 73-74 front beams besides this?

[19super73]

I love it that you were able to dig up a dismembered 412 and actually be able still be able to salvage useable parts off of what you dig up.

For North America, there were changes between the '73 and '74 412's. Mostly the impact absorbing bumper struts, aluminum bumpers and also the larger engine changed to L-Jet. If the type 4 is anything like the Super Beetle, the front strut set up changed slightly for '74 but others who are better versed in the difference will have to confirm.
_________________
1970 Campmobile [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-47260.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1970 Fastback 1600 TL
1971 Doka [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-14845.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1973 Super Beetle
1973 Westfalia [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-31892.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1974 412 Variant
1975 La Grande Bug
1984 Vanagon

[Mats W]

Mission completed:

We stripped the car of literally EVERYTHING except for the sheet metal

We disposed of the cut down remains of the dismembered blue -74 too, in a serious effort not to annoy the neighbors any longer

[[email protected]]

Someone in the states would love to have that license plate hanging on their garage wall.

[Mats W]

[Lahti411]

All i could think was AsS seX... Hope i'm wrong...

Mats W, did you save also heater's fuel pump? They are very hard to find and difficult to replace with anything else.
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My cars: 1972 VW 411 Variant; 1973 VW 412 4d sedan

[[email protected]]

No nothing special with the letters. I have a large amount of plates some foreign but most from the states. Many of our state plates have pictures of what the state is famous etc. When I saw the stripped 412/411 it was the item I noticed first that I would have removed and added to my collection.


Terry

[Mats W]

[Mats W]

[19super73]

Great job of stripping the car. Nothing left that is useable that I can see. That puts you in a great position to keep the other one on the road. Someone once said that if you have a Type 4, you need about 2 extra for parts. I think that is pretty true with the lack of any aftermarket for these cars.
_________________
1970 Campmobile [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-47260.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1970 Fastback 1600 TL
1971 Doka [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-14845.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1973 Super Beetle
1973 Westfalia [url=https://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-31892.png]Click to view image[/URL]
1974 412 Variant
1975 La Grande Bug
1984 Vanagon

[Mats W]