'74 412 On the Way

[whobba]

Found this 412 on Craigslist, it's arriving tomorrow! Never had a 412 before, but I have always been interested in them.

It's always a gamble buying an old car sight unseen, but the seller was super cool and sent a ton of photos. Going to spend the weekend cleaning her up and taking a look at what needs to be repaired. Will probably take me all spring and summer to get it back on the road.

Glad it has the L-Jetronic fuel injection system, which is what I am used to on both of my late model beetles.
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[oasis]

Judging by that one pic, a very handsome four-door!

I wish you better luck than I had with sight unseen purchase, although part of that disappointment was the shop I relied on for decades switched owners, and the new and current owner distanced himself from being the gold standard of the shop's original owner.

I like all Type 4's but I think I'm drawn slightly more to the four-door models. Well done!
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Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI

[Longboardluv]

very cool, unloved but rare and unique. get it going again!

[Pepperbilly]

Welcome to the 411/412 club! If you like a challenge this fits the bill. Hopefully you got a cancer free example. Keep us posted on your progress.

Bill

[whobba]

The 412 is here, I spent the weekend cleaning it up and going through the paperwork that came with it. Turns out it's a two registered owner car, and it came with all repair bills since the 2nd owner bought it in 1980 - from the same VW shop in Reno, Nevada. I noticed that it had some past body repair, and the invoices from the repairs in 1982 and 1984 were in the paperwork.

Overall, it's a very nice VW and complete. Last on the road in 1998. The aesthetics of the car are just the opposite of the Beetle, where the Beetle is soft and round and well balanced in its design, this thing is so awkward, sharp in some places, round and soft in others. It's ugly, but I like it because it's ugly.

Under the sheepskin front seat covers are the original seat covers in great condition, the horse hair is crumbled and gone so it's like sitting on springs. Carpets are in great shape, and the headliner is perfect.

Looks like someone tried to get it running, and there are loose engine parts including valve covers and some valve rockers.

I've had lots of old VW's over the years, but never one that came with the VW touch up paint!

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[Pepperbilly]

Let the fun.begin! Looks like someone cared for the car somewhat…seat covers on the front seats. Almost looks like Michelin XZX radials which many of them came with originally. The bumpers look in good shape. The aluminum ones were so indestructible but very heavy looking. AFC standatd injection for ‘74. It all looks really complete. Nevada car so maybe not too much rot to contend with. Good luck with it.

Bill

[whobba]

Bill! Thanks! I see the work you did on your 412 Wagon, I'll need your guidance with this 412.
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[Pepperbilly]

Hey whobba,
Any questions you have I am here to help. Also you will surely hear from the type 4 guru Ray. I have leaned on him for many things. Above all make sure you uncover all the cancer areas. You will be taking fenders off at least if you want to do it right.

Bill

[whobba]

Hey Bill, Thanks. I agree about removing the fenders. Were you able to figure out where to find replacement fender beading? I can tell that I'll need to replace that when the fenders come off for rust inspection and repair. - Brando
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[ClassicCamper]

Congratulations! Looks like quite a find - and it also has dealer-installed A/C!
There are a lot of passionate people on this site, and you will find this forum is quite active.

I started on the Type 4 forums about 6 years ago and I can tell you that there are a bunch of experts here who are more than willing to help you out. My T4 was hardly running when I joined. Currently, I'm driving it at least once a week with all of the features it came with... working.

Looking forward to reading what you do with the car, and here to help as well. Welcome aboard. You bought one of my favorite cars!

Quick question -- How many miles are on the car?
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1973 412 Wagon
1976 Westy
1978 SB Vert

[Pepperbilly]

Brando,

Got my replacement fender beading from ISP West. Alex Pegado there is very helpful. I used the kit from a type 3 squareback which included all the profiles that I needed. They only come in black so you will have to paint them body color. My paint guy was up to the task. A slight sanding and a coat of adhesion promoter before the final color worked for me. I am very happy with the outcome.

Bill

[whobba]

[whobba]

Bill, thanks for the info! Much appreciated. How about a source for side trim?
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[KTPhil]

Alex and ISPwest are top notch, and are real enthusiasts. They restored the bodywork and paint on my Type 3 and it is better than factory. I'm not sure how complete their Type 4 parts supply is, but you can count on theM to support you and be honest.

Your car looks like a fantastic starting point. I've never owned one, but have admired them mostly from afar. Their position in the VW lineup and evolution is fascinating.

Others can chime in, but there are some key immediate repairs you should do in the steering and suspension to ensure it doesn't self-destruct and have an unobtainable parts problem. Search here and it will save yo lots of agony, I bet.

[Pepperbilly]

Side trim is the same width and profile as a type 3. Only the lengths are different. I ordered thru Alex Pegado at ISPWest a set for my wagon which he was willing to specially order. He may be able to make a special set for your 4 door. The other option is if you have all your trims you can have them repaired. I had this done to my fender arch trims by a metal polisher/restorer and they came out like factory fresh. Instead of buying new side trims I probably should have had them restored also. I had all the originals anyway.

Bill

[ClassicCamper]

[Lars S]

There is a thread about using late Type3 side trim on the 411/412:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646370&highlight=

/Lars S
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Porsche 914 -72, Bahia Red daily driver
VW411 2-d -70, White, sold
VW412 4-d, -73, Gold Metallic, daily driver
Suzuki T500, -69, Candy Gold, sold
Suzuki K50, -77, Black, daily driver
BMW R69S -69, White, sold
Husqvarna 118cc, -47, Black, Sold

[whobba]

I've been busy finding replacement parts, found most of what I needed here on The Samba; some replacement lenses for the front from precious parts (Joanna) and a head light bezel from Avery's Air Cooled up in Washington. One bezel was a plastic replacement from a collision back in the early 80's, so I got a nice metal replacement for that.

I dug through the random parts that came with it, and found a bowl of rocker arms - two had sheared off heads. I haven't looked to see if they're from this car or not - but come Saturday I will climb under there and look. Terrifying.

I bought some late beetle tail light lense to housing seals to make new seals for the front and rear lenses, hope that the beetle seals fit and work well. The lenses were full of dirt and crap since the original seals were toast.

Can't wait for the weekend to get out there and work on the 412, hoping for some dry days ahead.
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[whobba]

Worked on the 412 today, started dismantling the FI parts, intake, tin, muffler, removed the door panels and cleaned out the door bottoms (full of Nevada dust). Fixed some door seals. It was pretty dirty inside, so I have been wiping everything down and it's cleaning up well. The headliner is perfect, which is a first for any VW I have owned.

I like this VW because it basically sat for 24 years untouched. Still has the original muffler with a 1974 date stamp.

The bad; engine would not turn over a full 360 degrees by hand. Something is amiss with the internals. The whole thing needs to be broken down to the long block, cleaned, inspected, repaired and reassembled.

I've been cleaning it up and it seems to be pretty original and complete. There's a giant hole in the windshield, but it came with a brand new windshield.

Here's some photos from today:

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[Pepperbilly]

Looks as if it had some front end body work. Lots of overspray. The condition of the brake pedal cover is really good for a car with 100,000 miles. Mine was worn thru on the right lower corner.

I know next to nothing about these A/C units but this one impresses me. Installed with no holes cut in the bottom. Looks as if this style fits over the underside of the trunk…really clean installation. I could be mistaken though.

Bil