Roy's Thang

[rjonas]

My first Thing. Never even drove one before.
Sold my street legal rail and bought this 1973 Thing from Oklahoma City, OK a couple months ago. Finally got it on the road 8/22/10 but quickly stripped it down for a temporary rattle can job until I have time to do it right. It's a very solid Thing from OK with very little rust that's limited to the battery tray. The body was banged up and a fair job of replacing the left front and right rear corners were completed by the PO that I'll address in the future when I restore it. But for now it looks a perfect "10" (at 10mph and 10' away) and is a blast to drive. My kids refuse to drive my '73 Westy but I can't keep them out of the Thing. I can't believe how many non-VW people around town know that it's "A Thing".

Here are some before, during and after shots....I know the top was not folded correctly...I've been schooled by Icekoffe here in Desoto, MO and I now have it folded the burrito way.

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1979 Type-2 Westfalia “Sandy”
1973 Type-181 Thing "Velma"
1956 Type-1 Beetle Patina Project “Rosie”

www.azbusclub.org

[It's a play thing]

Thats a pretty nice rattle can paint job! So guess the question people will want to know is How many cans of paint does it take to paint a Thing ?
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It's not the size of your shop, it's what comes out of it that counts.

I've been playing with my thing ever since I got it...

[blakeck2]

[rjonas]

Thanks, well....we used 34 cans but I still have (4) cans that are 1/2 full so essentially 32 cans total. 32 cans X $3.44/ea = $118 including tax. That was painting everything inside and out including the interior, hood, doors, etc... The Rustoleum Painters Touch "Real Orange" boasts 2X coverage on the label and it did cover good but had a small spray pattern so the hood looks a little stripey. There were five guys rattlin' at the same time for the cover coats and just two of us for the final bling coat. Turned out better than I expected. I'm the one in "the Stones" shirt on the right in the picture after the final coat was laid....we were quite high on paint fumes at that moment.

Still have stupid little things to do...
wiper arms & wiper motor wiring...
horn...
12V outlet...
heat/def illuminated strip (where do I find one of those?)...
patch battery tray...
seat belt hooks...
rear seat rod rubber hold downs...
find some more "edging" that was missing...
"O"ring or gasket in the oil bath??? leaks a little....
make the gas heater work...
find the intermittant working problem of the rear lights...
recover and repad the front seats...
fix the dent in the hubcap from a tree while bouncing through 4-wheeler trails last weekend.
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1979 Type-2 Westfalia “Sandy”
1973 Type-181 Thing "Velma"
1956 Type-1 Beetle Patina Project “Rosie”

www.azbusclub.org

[Bugshift]

Lookin good

[caseydenise]

Nice work. That Thing looks great!
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Central Jersey Volkswagen Society - President

[SgtSamy]

Can you please explain the step of the painting. Im curious. I was looking to paint my thing with roller but now I see that it work with paint. Thats cool!

[sixty9fasty]

Nice rattle can job.... thinking I'm gonna have to do something kinda off the beaten path to get my thing back to just "one" color

[vws-microcars4jim]

[rjonas]

Yea...I had a respirator and so did my friend Andy (who bought my rail to fund the Thing) the other guys were there for the sand & scuff party but opted to help lay some base coats and I offered the paper masks as they were going to do it in the raw.

Paint process...I started by taking the fenders, hood, deck lid, doors, rear seat pans and 20 cans of paint to Andy who spent the weekend painting while I was in Eureka Springs , AR for the VW show. So the following Tuesday he showed up at my house with those parts freshly painted and we sanded and scuffed the body with 220 grit and green scotch brites then blew off with compressed air and wiped clean 2 times with water dampened cloths. We taped off everything and did a final tack wipe with a microfiber cloth and laquer thinner. 12-empty cans later my Thang was orange. Couple days assembling and rebuilding the rear seat backs along with some wiring repairs...it was on the road.

Drove it to a BBQ party with some non-VW friends over the weekend...one of the ladies in her late 40's came in and said "I love your it" I promptly spit my rum & coke all over the place...she thought they were called an "It" instead of "Thing" guess I need to get the logo decal.

Anyway, the Thing is truely a unique vehicle and fun as hell. My youngest daughter is begging to drive it to school everyday...I told her once or twice a week is all I'd approve of. Really glad I opted for the rattle can job because if I spent a bunch of time and money on bodywork and paint there would be no way I'd let a 16 year old drive it without me in it.

This is the rail I sold to fund My Thang

My middle daughter and her boyfriend who drove it to BNNTA

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1979 Type-2 Westfalia “Sandy”
1973 Type-181 Thing "Velma"
1956 Type-1 Beetle Patina Project “Rosie”

www.azbusclub.org

[Yarkle]

my brother in law came huffing and puffing up the driveway the other day to tell me he saw an "IT" a few towns over for sale. HE calls things "its" too

[rjonas]

Almost 2-months on the road now and I've put over 2000-miles on it...sure glad I decided to sell the rail and get this Thing. Only casualties so far have been knocking out about five fuses while driving before I installed the fuse box cover and just last weekend after a 20-mile trail ride I found one of the cv boots are busted wide open. Decided to sell the hardtop I got with it to a local dual Thing owner as I can't see me ever using it...top down is how I roll.

Been trying to button up a few issues on it and after some searching I still can't find a source or even a good picture of a couple items.

I need the DEF/HTR selector light housing (next to #1b in the picture) I bought what I thought was it from the Thing Shop but it was only the red lens. I need the housing with light bulb socket.

I need the 12V outlet with flip up lid (#4 on the picture) kind of like a cigarette lighter outlet.

I'm guessing these are Thing only items and no one is reproducing them? Is there a salvage yard abundant with Things anywhere? The 2 dead Things I've found near me are both missing these items. Yep, I have a WTB add listed for these items too.

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1979 Type-2 Westfalia “Sandy”
1973 Type-181 Thing "Velma"
1956 Type-1 Beetle Patina Project “Rosie”

www.azbusclub.org

[icekoffee]

my thing will sure appreciate the hard top

thanks roy
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1953 Zwitter
1956 Dove Blue Kombi
1956 Oval Rag
1958 Patina Beetle EJ25
1958 Karmann Ghia
1959 23 Window
1961 Rag Beetle
1963 Doubleturd
1964 Lifted Mouse Grey Standard
1965 Standard Walkthru
1967 21 Window
1968 Double Bubble
1983 GTI

[yellow73kubel]

If anyone has a source for the accessory plug (#4 in that picture), I'd be interested in one too. I have a fancy VW hole plug in its place for whatever reason.

[edit] German Motor Works sells "a" cigarette lighter for the Thing. Doesn't appear to be the same flip top design though.

[vws-microcars4jim]

I don't know if all things came with the accessory outlet (#4), I have seen some that have it and some that don't.

If you are looking for the correct outlet remember it is not a typical jack, there aren't many items available to plug into it. I think someone on here found a trouble light from europe, but that's about it.


I would prefer a jack to run an MP3...

[Lettuce]

VW would sell you an adapter to use normal cigarette lighter powered stuff in that outlet.

I have a bosch one I think, I can take a picture of it.

[wes.outside]

Mine didn't come with the accessory outlet. I would love to see Lettuce's bosch one.
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'73 Thing
'86 Vanagon Syncro with Westfalia Poptop

[Semper_Dad]

PO replaced mine with a regular lighted cigarette lighter in mine. No one smokes around me or in my car. Use it to power up the GPS.
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Walküre Restoration Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737492

[Lettuce]

PO cut a hole in my dash where the socket was... have a volt meter there now, instead of a tach that didn't work. A 914 tach now lives on the glove box shelf.

I have a cigarette lighter just for an outlet, but tucked behind the panel for now because I don't want to cut any more holes. I use it to plug in my VW solar charger photo,photo ( the one used to keep Golf and Jetta batteries charged during shipment, but are supposed to be returned by the dealer).
I think my socket adapter is actually and old Hella, same as on ratwell's site, seems pretty common.

I am only guessing that the socket in things are the same as bay window busses. It would make sense if it was.

[rjonas]

Oh, so the 12V socket is some weird European plug....yes, I've seen them on buses before. But it looks like there is an adapter...hum...guess I'll just find a US lighter outlet to stick in the hole as all I need it for is to charge my phone or GPS. Thought the "flip" lid was a neat idea being Things get wet inside sometimes. I was checking out a buddys Yamaha four wheeler and noticed it had a 12V outlet with a flip up lid.
Edit...here's a BMW style and plug very similar to the OG Thing's
http://motorcycle.motorcycle-superstore.com/motorcycle/12%20Volt%20Outlet

Thats a neat idea Lettuce with the solar trickle charger, a guy in our club works at a VW dealer and always has a few of those for sale.

Thanks for the input ya'll...scratching a Thing 12V flip top outlet off my list and I'll check out the Yamaha store on my way home...wonder if a marine supply store might have a flip top one too?

Yea, Andrew the hardtop will sure look better on your Thing instead of on top of my '65 deluxe where it's collecting dust.
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1979 Type-2 Westfalia “Sandy”
1973 Type-181 Thing "Velma"
1956 Type-1 Beetle Patina Project “Rosie”

www.azbusclub.org