Super Beetle Sunroof Adventure (maybe part 1).

[vamram]

32 v 71...dang, hope you can upload it so I can tag the correct pages!
_________________
"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!!

[raydog]

[illcomm33]

Here are the side by side differences.
Hopefully this helps others out down the road.
I messaged Jbugs to hopefully see if they can update their description of the plug. I don’t see any logical way that plug could work on a 74 SB.

[Tim Donahoe]

Try a WYB ad in the 1968 and Up Parts Samba Classifieds. Or maybe if you have a friend who owns a 3-D printer, he can make one up for you. But I'd try the WTB ad, first.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[Bugfan-MR]

[Tim Donahoe]

Congratulations on finding the part!

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[creative native]

[creative native]

Follow up:

I heard back from VW Classic Parts and they informed me that they do not post to the USA and referred me to https://www.heritagepartscentre.com/uk/#.
_________________
"The holy land is everywhere." ~ Black Elk
1979 Westfalia P27, California FI emissions spec. 100% VW fleet: '79 Westfalia, 2019 VW Atlas SEL Premium (Terra Brown/Shetland Beige), 2005 Passat GLX.

[illcomm33]

Looking for some insight on the curvature/or not for Super Beetle RAILS.

Was going to install these today since I finally got the plug and noticed they didn’t match at all.

Are they supposed the completely FLAT or should there be some slight bend/curve to them? Thanks everyone for your help.

[OTTO 1303]

The rail will have a slight curve, but very slight.

Yours appear erratically bent.
Recommend straightening as best as possible, then allow the rail to follow the curve of roof when mounting.

Good Luck
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74 Super Sun Bug - OTTO
74 Super - DANZIG
74 Super - HERZOG
16 R-Line

[illcomm33]

[Hayden74SB]

This thread appears to be a perfect match for the 74 Super Beetle we recently purchased. It has the sunroof panel which is in good condition. but is missing a bunch of the bits and bobs to get it working. The parts that are screwed down all appear to be here but none of the moving bits. I have no crank or associated hardware but those appear to be easy to get. The cables are both broken but I can find some for sale. Are the cables the same for all years or do I need ones that are specifically for the 74?

I do not have the front or rear slides. I also have none of the stuff associated with the wind deflector.

Any ideas on where to find these parts. In the meantime, is there any way to secure the lid into the car so that I can at least use it in the meantime?

[creative native]

I no longer own my Sun Bug, but I believe the Super Beetle cables are unique to '73 - '75.
You definitely want to get the left and right cable from the same supplier. I had an awful time with mismatched cables.

For the slides and related parts, perhaps check the classifieds section. Best of luck!
_________________
"The holy land is everywhere." ~ Black Elk
1979 Westfalia P27, California FI emissions spec. 100% VW fleet: '79 Westfalia, 2019 VW Atlas SEL Premium (Terra Brown/Shetland Beige), 2005 Passat GLX.

[illcomm33]

Congratulations on the 74 Super.
Slades VW Beetle YouTube channel will be your guide. Absolute legend.

“VW Beetle & Super Beetle Sunroof Cables Rebuild - Beetle New Sunroof Cables installed - DIY Complete”

I watched the video more times than I care to admit while rebuilding the sunroof on my 74 Super.

Buy the cables from the same supplier as noted above…West Coast Metric worked good for me for most of the parts I needed.

As for securing the lid/sunroof without all the parts…don’t use silicone or caulk unless you want to add a nightmare to your adventure.

[Hayden74SB]

[vamram]

I had a '75 Le Grande w/the sun roof completely disassembled. The lid stayed in place by having a tennis ball jammed/crushed between its rear-edge and the rear edge of the sun-roof opening. Held well, could drive it around town and short highway runs w/no issues.
_________________
"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!!

[Hayden74SB]

[Hayden74SB]

I tried to install the new cables today in our 1974 and the DS cable went in fine, but the PS cable will not fit into the cable guides. The spacing of the two pins seems to be correct, but the center block hits solidly on the inboard side. It seems like the molding of that plastic piece is not in the correct location. Does anyone know if we just get the wrong part number?

I ended up printing a couple of front supports and the pins to locate the rear end of the slides with my 3d printer. They turned out pretty well and now we can drive with the sunroof closed. I will cut a couple of wedges that can be lightly jammed into the gap at the back of the sunroof to hold it up in place which should lock it in place until I get the cable thing figured out.

[Hayden74SB]

The left and right tracks on our 74 SB had grunge and corrosion in them so that the new cables would not slide. I created a 3d printed tool for cleaning the grooves that has a couple of 4.8mm bulbs at the gauge of the track cable grooves. It was just loose enough to be able to move through the grooves with a bit of resistance from the corrosion inside. I then applied fine valve lapping compound and slid the tool back and forth until it moved freely with a uniform sound. After cleaning all of the lapping compound from the track, I proceeded to course cut and then fine cut compound and ended up with two clean and smooth groves. The same tool was used for both and they are identical.