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bsairhead
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2008
Posts: 4561
Location: viroqua wi.
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 Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:57 am Post subject: Re: 73 Baja Super |
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| Whenever I see Baja and Super together it reminds me of Jumbo Shrimp or Military Intelligence. Just doesn't make sense. |
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2025 4:41 am Post subject: Re: 73 Baja Super |
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Got the car moved around into the driveway yesterday. Had to pull a stuck drum off the front passenger side to free up the wheel, but it moves.
With no key right now, we pushed it into the street and I pushed it sideways with a transmission jack.
It looks like I will need to do a ton of fab work!
Where we started
Moving with trans jack. Looks like some mounting points for the engine are missing.
Where it landed
She's happy so far!
Cleaning years off the windows. Don't worry, we didn't trash the louvers!
Car sat for years and accumulated some trash and odor!
Seats are decent, but not going to save them. Moisture has ruined the padding and covers.
Ants crawling inside, will be eradicated once the interior is stripped.
I can't explain what even happened here.
Trash. Shop-vac time!
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Baja restoration with my daughter
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=803429 |
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2025 7:27 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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I changed the title to the thread since I didn't do the title work and was going by what someone else could remember.
Ran the numbers from behind the windshield and it comes back as a 74.
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Baja restoration with my daughter
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2025 9:19 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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Hoping to find some information on this since I cannot find another picture anywhere.
Just in front of the door, towards the top of the pillar, is what I'm guessing is a mount for something. I'm not sure what would mount here. Any ideas from the experts?
I don't remember seeing anything inside, like an adjustment for an extra mirror or something, and it's only on this side.
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Baja restoration with my daughter
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NJ John
Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2007
Posts: 3034
Location: HdG, MD & NJ
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2025 11:54 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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I’m pretty sure that’s an old school folding antenna. There should be coax on the backside.
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1973 standard, yellow, lowered, 3” narrowed front, 1600 blo-thru turbo w/single dell 15.4@86, so far
11.41 et buggy. Long gone
Let’s go O’s! Let’s go O’s!
https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpooledGarage |
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cjsuner
Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2013
Posts: 513
Location: Bay area CA
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NJ John
Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2007
Posts: 3034
Location: HdG, MD & NJ
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2025 12:21 pm Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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Thanks for finding the pics of the antenna. My buddy’s Pinto had one, along with everything else in the JC Whitney catalog.
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1973 standard, yellow, lowered, 3” narrowed front, 1600 blo-thru turbo w/single dell 15.4@86, so far
11.41 et buggy. Long gone
Let’s go O’s! Let’s go O’s!
https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpooledGarage |
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 7:59 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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| NJ John wrote: |
| Thanks for finding the pics of the antenna. My buddy’s Pinto had one, along with everything else in the JC Whitney catalog. |
Thanks for the info guys.
JC Whitney! I think this car was built from the catalog itself! The wheels seem to have come from there, folding antenna, the front bumper i believe, as well as many more parts yet to have been uncovered.
The wife and I are going out of town to vintage motorcycle days this weekend, so no work will be done unless my daughter wants to call and ask a million questions. I may give her a few tasks to get done, but she has to work most of the time anyway.
More progress coming as we get it done.
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2025 9:25 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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So I had to remove the guts from one of the brakes to get the car to move into the drive where it is now, so brakes are definitely needed.
Is there a disc conversion that stays with the 4 lug pattern? Are there any other major issues I should check or anything to steer clear from when updating the brakes?
I may need to use other search terms, but I didn't find relevant information yet.
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Baja restoration with my daughter
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2025 7:24 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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I did find a 4-lug disc conversion, so I answered my own question.
Some more work getting done, and my daughter is finalizing a walkaround video for our youtube page to document this process.
Looks like there is/was a seat heater in the passenger seat.
It's gonna need floors. I'm not surprised at all, since we are in Ohio and it's been sitting for a looooong time. I don't even think the rear mounts were attached.
Passenger side will definitely need a full pan. It's looking like driver side will too.
This may be a custom console. If anyone has seen similar that is available, let me know, but my daughter will be learning to reupholster this one.
That's all gonna go, we will build an updated and modern sound system on Bluetooth.
It's looking like quite a bit more work than originally thought, but there's no need to rush. this will absolutely be a labor of love.
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Baja restoration with my daughter
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vamram 
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2012
Posts: 8242
Location: NOVA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2025 8:20 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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Wow, you guys have your work cut out for you, no pun intended. That will be a major salvage if you manage it, and I hope you do! Oh, and Bugs didn't have seat heat. Those wires and the attachments between the seat frame and cushion were for the key and seatbelt buzzer.
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"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition
to put moral chains upon their own appetites. -Edmund Burke
'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...we hardly knew ye. Sold 2025 for peanuts.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!! |
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 5:10 am Post subject: Re: 74 Baja Super |
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| vamram wrote: |
| Wow, you guys have your work cut out for you, no pun intended. That will be a major salvage if you manage it, and I hope you do! Oh, and Bugs didn't have seat heat. Those wires and the attachments between the seat frame and cushion were for the key and seatbelt buzzer. |
Major salvage is the biggest understatement of the year now that the seats are out...
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Rome
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 10787
Location: Pearl River, NY
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 9:57 am Post subject: Re: 74 Super "Bimbo" |
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| Whenever you reach the stage of body reassembly, remember that the taillamp housings need to have a small separate ground wire. A short wire with round "ring" end terminals that runs from one of the small taillamp housing studs over to the closest fender attachment bolt would be sufficient, though of course the contact surfaces would need to be clean and not rusty metal. Electrical current can't flow through the fiberglass fenders. |
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Pewpew82
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2025
Posts: 20
Location: NE Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 10:12 am Post subject: Re: 74 Super "Bimbo" |
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| Rome wrote: |
| Whenever you reach the stage of body reassembly, remember that the taillamp housings need to have a small separate ground wire. A short wire with round "ring" end terminals that runs from one of the small taillamp housing studs over to the closest fender attachment bolt would be sufficient, though of course the contact surfaces would need to be clean and not rusty metal. Electrical current can't flow through the fiberglass fenders. |
Thank you for that. Most, if not all, original wiring is inherently gone. If you look close, there is industrial SO cord throughout the rear of the car currently, so there's that.
I know we are a long way from reassembly right now. Pans are, in a word, GONE.
The front seats were mostly sitting on fiberglass 
I removed the terrible chrome sheet on the firewall, and found plenty of other issues. I'm quickly drawing a conclusion that we will need a donor for a bunch of sheet metal.
The original seats will all be offered up soon, since she is going to get some later model seats from a small car or something. The battery tray may be the only area that I don't have to weld, but I'm not counting on that yet.
Those rear fenders looked ok from a distance, but had already been patched up and "repairs" made. They got thrown out since we have a fresh set.
Next goal will be getting the front apart and the apron off to see how much damage there is.
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