Thing Owners Roll Call!

carfever64 · Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 6:39 am Post subject: New Owner

I just purchased my first thing last week. Its a 74 model from GA. We have already put 200 miles on it. Im hooked. Razz

nnocd · Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 8:19 am Post subject: 74 181 Thing

Bought it in Wilmington NC in January I cant stop driving it. Way TOO MUCH FUN!!!

joescoolcustoms · Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:11 am Post subject:

Picked this up last night

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'73 with Original Paint, Original top, have the tattered original side screens. Original interior, original engine and transmission. Bumpers and two fenders have been resprayed.

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I also got the original rims with it, (I will never run them, but they will stay with the car)

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The two front seat bottoms and rear seat bottom have been recovered. Both pans have been replaced and done very nicely.
_________________
The closer your tattoos are to your body holes, the crazier you are.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

Member of Wagenfolks
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/870707.jpg
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=479740

GI Joe · Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:37 pm Post subject:

Good find Joescoolcustoms!!!! Congrats!
_________________
FORWARD: forward is only a good thing, when you're facing the right direction!

'74 Thing, "Our Thing"....
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...p;start=60
www.NLEOMF.com
Respect, Honor, Remember

KillerFrogs · Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:20 pm Post subject: Howdy

I have a '74 that my dad purchased in '78. I drove it in high school and not that he has no space it is mine. Fairly stock condition. I was able to get THING on the license plate in Connecticut. I'll post some pix.

Miguelittle

I just purchased my thing in April and I am loving it! Here are a couple of pictureds of it!

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SeiferA · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 3:37 pm Post subject:

Name's SeiferA on the interwebs. My online friends call me Seif for short. But the locals around here call me Chris. Choose your poison. I've been lurking this forum for the past several days now, but I didn't want to get mine up until I was sure I was going to get it (ie didn't want to jinx myself).

Anyway, a good friend of mine sold me his 73 (We got a payment plan set up). He's moving more away from having a VW collection and he's had this Thing as far back as 93, back in Penn State. He's had a lot of adventures with it when he was younger: Painting it with a controversal color mix, driving down various terrains and even using it to meet his future wife from Penn State all the way down to Florida. The vehicle's really had a lot of history, and when I first met him back in 07, it didn't look like much to me. Wasn't until he asked me to use my drawing talents to make a mural-like design for the body did I slowly started to appreciate the vehicle more for what it is. And it wasn't until I repainted it again, with a lot of hard work and labor on my own will, that I really felt a lot for this Thing.

It's still got a few kinks to work out, such as brakes, a new top, etc, but in time, I'm sure I'll get it looking good. Maybe not amazingly fantastic like some of these other Things Ive seen, but good enough to be a great off terrain Thing.

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Here's a pic of myself with my new vehicle partner. Nicknamed him Django (Points to those who know the name refference). Paint job on it now was done by another friend of ours, which, I'll be honest, works out better than the last two I had on it before.

I got an exhaust that came with my old Bug that I use to have, so I might start by installing that (and the brakes as well too obviously).
_________________
73 VW Thing "Django"

Lettuce · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:34 pm Post subject:

3vwguy · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:44 am Post subject: My '74 Thing

Finally, I've started the body work. I have pictures but they are on a camera and I'm on and iPad and never shall they meet directly. I'll post them later today.

I'm a refugee from journalism and the west coast so there is no rust to speak of in either of us. Actually I know too many doctors by first name. I live in richmond IN now so if you are close....

I am truly excited to be doing the body and paint. I got a guy to do most of metal work then he didnt show up again so i found another shop to do the hood that is not flat.

I will put Black chip guard from the side seam down and sprayed with clear coat. Black fenders and pearl Monterey red for the rest.

Inside mostly truck bed liner except doors (red) and dash red.

I drove it to a place to have screw holes welded. Hood, windshield, top and doors were off so it was a scary but fun skateboard ride. And my wife says no Harley because they aren't safe.

How do you get the heater control wire off the flap that moves between heat and defrost?

Glad to be a part of the group... Topic search has been a great mentor.

Semper_Dad · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:59 am Post subject:

Welcome aboard.

The cables are joined together with a modified terminal connector. Should be two screws hidden by all the dirt, grease and paint. looks like this when new:

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Go to you local radio Shack and pick up a "European Style Teminal Connector" if you need a replacement. Just snip off what you need. Believe it or not it's what the factory actually used.
_________________
74 VW Thing - Walküre
78 GMC Motorhome - Valhalla
"Patina" my ass, that's rust
Recovering Split Bus Addict
World 181 Registry Map: http://www.zeemaps.com/394427 Gitm registared boys!
Officially, there are only 99 181s in the world

mtwrench540 · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 4:21 pm Post subject: thing

had this one for 13 years,when i worked for vw/porsche in the late 70's i said i want one. took a few more years to to acquire one.most dependable vehicle i own,now if ONLY i can get 87 vanagon head gasket problem fixed we can tow thing and go camping!

Willbass · Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:57 am Post subject: My 181

Just Bought my first car one hour ago. Guess what it is.

P.S. How do you post pictures? I'm to lazy to search for someone else asking the same question. Laughing

_________________
Volkswagen Things stand out in a crowd. But most of the time, that's it, they stand.

Van-go108 · Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:09 pm Post subject:

It's easiest if you post up pics from your computer to the samba gallery. I also have a Photobucket.com account. Read this too. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6 and welcome to the board.
_________________
"Okay, so there's 6 beers and 5 of us. You know what this means don't you? 4 of you are going to have to leave."

1983 1/2 Wasserbroken Vanagon(storage shed)
1973 Thing
1957 Continental Mark II Click to view image

joescoolcustoms · Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:43 pm Post subject:

dcketh · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:58 pm Post subject:

I've had this since May and realized I hadn't posted in this thread yet.
Its far from perfect, but its basically solid and I've been driving it every day for a couple months now.

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_________________
~ Dan ~
'71 Westy
'74 Thing

jjrannauro · Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:20 am Post subject:

Hello, my name is Jose Juan Gonzalez Rannauro, you may call me Johann (that's my rugby name) or just JJ. I'm from Cordoba, Veracruz, Mexico. I'm kind of new in this great site. It has been very helpful and fun. I own a 1977 Thing since the last 12 years, and I love it. I always wanted one of these great cars since my cousin's cousin got one in 1970, a caki zebra Thing. We had a great time driving around.
At the moment my Matraca (Rattletrap, as I affectionately call it) is at the body shop getting rid of the rust, some dents etc. I also got a new hard top from a neighbor, it had been lying for 13 years. It is already fixed and painted, but still needs some windows. Any way, here are some pics. Greetings.
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=129176649
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=132467125 http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135879729
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135879729
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=132467051
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135879730
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135885611
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135885613
http://www.vwsafari181.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=136664123[/img]

mising · Samba Member Joined: August 01, 2011 Posts: 22

I have been wanting a Thing since I first saw one in high school in the mid eighties, but every one that I had found was either a basket case or way too expensive. I had pretty much given up on owning one til my fiancee called me one day and said there was a 72 Thing on the lemon lot (nickname for car lot soldiers can put their vehicles for sale on post) for $4500.
I tried not to get too excited, because in the past, anything under about $8000 was a mess. After we eat dinner I call the owner to see if we can take a look at it and he said he will meet us in about an hour. Obviously, we get out there before he does and this is what we find
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Needless to say, I am floored at the first impression. I inspect it closely, and the only rust-outs I can find are a very small hole under the battery and about 6 inches of the trunk floor seam under the windshield washer tank. Inside the odometer only reads 88251 mi, the rear seat bottom has about a foot long tear in the vinyl and foam, and the front seats have been replaced by some GM bucket seats.
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The seller shows up and the car fires off on the first try and settles into a nice idle. We open the trunk to take a closer look at the rust spot, and to look at the VIN. It turns out it is a 73, and the rust has only caused the corner seam to open a bit. The heater is all there but stopped working a few years ago. Not bad so far, let's check out the engine
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A little dirty, but everything is there. I check the oil and it is good. We go ahead and take it for a spin, and it seems quite a bit peppier than most of the Beetles I have driven. I ask if anything has been done to the motor and he said it was just rebuilt about 20,000 miles ago and bored out to 1900. He is the second owner, the previous being his uncle in Arizona. I mention that explains the lack of rust, and he tells me the whole floor pan is rusted and that is why he is selling it so cheap, that and he is moving to Germany and can't afford to ship it. I just nod and make a mental note to re-check the floor pans. I thank him for his time and tell him I will call this evening with an offer. After he leaves, I scrutinize the pans again, and aside from a few patches of surface rust all I can find are the two previously mentioned spots. We go home so I can stew it over a bit, and my fiancee tells me "You better call that guy and make an offer or it is going to be gone." So I call him and offer 3600, and he said he just put it out the day before and the lowest he can go right now is 4000. Sounds good to me, so he drives it home the next day so I can pay him and pick it up. When I get there he has all of the maintenance records since new, the stock tow bar, all of the side-curtains (the vinyl is missing out of two of them), the carrybag for the curtains, and the original front seats (the frames are good, but the vinyl and foam is trashed). I pay him and take home my new friend.
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More to come...

joescoolcustoms · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:38 pm Post subject:

Super nice Thing missing!
_________________
The closer your tattoos are to your body holes, the crazier you are.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

Member of Wagenfolks
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/870707.jpg
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=479740

VW Addict · Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:54 am Post subject:

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Thing Owners Roll Call!
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