TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Dec 09, 2015 1:55 pm

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forum. I need help finding a great VW shop for my 1973 bay window. I want a shop that can make it a great daily driver, not show condition but a fun driver. I tried cookers but they wont work on anything after 1967. Any help would be great.

About my 73:
It runs but is in rough condition. I have a tow bar to transport. Wont run in 1st gear. It also needs rewiring. I am planning to do all exterior and interior myself but I need a good shop to make her a daily driver.

Again, thanks in advance for the help.

Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:24 pm

Hey,

I'm just in Falls Church and would be happy to be a resource...and I can help you with some of the tasks. The issue in our areas is that most of the shops that used to work on these things are long gone.

- I've seen some buses down the road from me at London Auto on Rt. 29/Lee Hwy before

- Paul's VW in Annandale used to be one of the local go-to shops (http://www.paulsautoservicerepair.com/)

For that tranny, are you sure it's not just a misalignment of the gearshift? If it's truly a lost 1st gear in the box itself then you might just want to invest in a rebuilt tranny for long-term reliability. I bet it's an adjustment or coupler issue, though.

How does the engine run? How about braking? Just wondering as anything you can do outside of a shop setting will dramatically reduce your repair bill. In our area the few shops that still do the work are going to charge quite a bit...and let's face it, you're going to need to do this stuff on your own anyway.

Sorry to ask the obvious question, but do you have the Bentley repair manual?

- Doug :-)

Wed Dec 09, 2015 3:46 pm

Valley Westies/ Complete Auto Repair. Staunton Virginia 24401 540-294-4142. Give us a Call and tell us what you need. Thanks Zach

Wed Dec 09, 2015 5:54 pm

Haven't used them but I've seen some nice examples of VWs come from Skyline restoration in Madison VA. They work with one of the local VW groups a lot.

http://www.northsiderestorations.com/aboutus.html

Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:45 am

Wow, Zach, I wasn't sure that there were any shops left in northern VA...Staunton is a bit of a haul from me, but for major stuff like a full or mechanical restoration the trip would be worth it. Definitely good to know that there are more options than I had known about before (which was basically very few if any).

- Doug :-)