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Thing Owners Roll Call!
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terpheel
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Joined: April 21, 2015
Posts: 3

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you all for the fine welcome.

My Thing is in the resuscitation ward of a highly respected local VW service facility. http://hicksvw.com/ I've requested that the vehicle be made to run safely but while using the absolute maximum amount of factory installed original parts possible. So far we have had to replace soft brake hoses, master cylinder, and steering damper. Fortunately other consumable items like tires, shocks, muffler and heater boxes look OK for the limited use I envision over the next couple of years. Still haven't gotten into the engine compartment to look at hoses, lines and tubes but visually they look to be salvageable. I pulled the dip stick and the oil was clear as if it had been poured into the engine the day before instead of 33 years before. Based on an old style oil change sticker glued into the engine compartment it is likely the last oil change coincided with the car being parked in its storage tomb (garage).

The car has not been cleaned.

I'm still working on obtaining a clear title as the former owner has not been able to find her ownership documents. We've requested DMV in North Carolina to look through its microfiche records to determine if it can locate a copy of the original title we can use to easily effectuate title transfer. Otherwise I may have to pursue a much more complicated and expensive bonded title application route which will require a prolonged process including a state mandated vehicle inspection which I'm afraid could threaten the originality of the car to satisfy the State's concept of on the road safety and environmental protection (new tires, exhaust, lighting etc.).

The former owner also could not produce a set of keys. To work around that issue we pulled a door handle and obtained the key code and cut a set of working keys. Then following a lead provided by an enthusiast we tracked the fuel line behind the fan shroud and found this original, rusted but still serviceable duplicate key. Because I have a set of new working keys the original duplicate key is now back in its original location.

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The trunk looks good. The 41 year old spare looks to have never been on the ground. The storage bags are there but they are stiff. I'm not sure how practically useful they will be. The jack looks to have never been removed from its mooring.

The body seals, (doors, lids etc.) look to be in remarkably good shape.

The interior is near perfect. The fabrics and paint seem fresh and undamaged, but the seat cushions seem brittle; crispy even. For now I intend to keep the interior as manufactured without replacing anything. In a few years if I decide to more frequently drive the vehicle I might consider replacing the seat cushions but definitely not now.

We have not put a new battery in yet but the battery box looks solid and rust free. I'm looking forward to seeing the car electrified to determine the state of the ignition and lighting.

Hopefully this week I'll get to see the car run.
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ALANSD
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Joined: April 16, 2015
Posts: 341
Location: Woodstock, GA
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just bought a well documented great running 1973. It has a book of invoices, notes and pictures from the previous owners. Shows a lot of updates, repairs and redo.
That all makes it extra special.
Now has a 1.8 with some chrome appointments, and larger wheels and tires.
Original motor and wheel/tires included. No top, and maybe the roll bar will prevent it from having one other than a bikini.

Drives great, but a little loose in the steering...maybe normal but takes some getting used to.
Also the carb loads up a little when its real warm.
Maybe needs rejetting, haven't gotten to that point yet.

But overall it is sure fun to drive! This site and forum are terrific, been on here for a long time just as a lurker....
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VolsThing
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Joined: August 09, 2015
Posts: 6
Location: Central Florida
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought my 1974 in September of 2014. The previous owner said that her mother purchased the car new and left it to her in her will. The car had been stored in a garage for the last 16 years and driven once a month. I had been searching for a Thing for the last 18 years as my wife had one as her first car in high school. In my years of searching all I seemed to find was rusted out shells or completely restored cars. The car arrived to Florida on Thanksgiving and we started working on it immediately. The engine was dropped and every seal and gasket replaced. Converted generator over to alternator. New shocks and brakes on all corners. Installed oil temp, oil pressure and cylinder block temp gauges. The tires were dry rotted so they were replaced. I found a new tan top and frame - the guy had the tan side curtains and threw those in. What he didn't tell me was they were the glass side curtains from the Thing Shop. We had everything mechanically sound and enjoyed driving it around on the weekends.
Since then I have replaced all the cracked lenses on the tail and corners. Installed a thicker steering wheel and ordered a new interior kit for the car. The car was white with a white top and green interior when we purchased it. Looking in the engine bay I noticed green - turns out the car was originally Avocado Green. We are thinking of going back to a green but we can't seem to get on the same page. Avocado is too dark to the wife. Anyways, enough rambling for now. I will post some pictures of the tan interior once I get that completed.
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williamM
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Joined: August 07, 2008
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Location: southwest Arizona
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm going to have to read this whole thread- looks like some really super stuff here.

The title to my first thing showed up last week and another first was the wind blew the hard top off the shed a right across my tail lights. Empi to the rescue-

Next is the tangle of wires and the alt wired to the emergency brake light.

Let the repairs begin.

Did get loaded to the map.
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CRM114
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Joined: August 02, 2015
Posts: 34
Location: Sparks, NV
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 1:13 pm    Post subject: Hello everbody! Reply with quote

I was told if you want to know all things about Things head to this site - so here I am. Very Happy I have been doing a lot of reading and getting back into driving a manual shift - last time was in 1992. And it's true - just like riding a bike.

I picked up a 1974 Thing in OK shape, a good project car for sure. It was originally painted Avocado Green and I think that I may get it back to that color one day, right now it is wearing unassuming yellow! It has pea shooter exhaust and I'll probably go with a new one from Vintage Speed so I have a nice exhaust, and can use my heaters here in VA.

Right now, it runs, but I see a bunch of small things that will get me on an inspection - torn CV boot, some of the rubber on the tie rods look bad. The PO said there was shimmy and suspected the steering damper so I picked up one and will install it soon.

I'll replace a lot of the rubber on the steering/suspension since I don't know the history of this Thing, and what I can see is looking pretty unserviceable. There was a strong gas smell, and the fuel hose pieces were shot, got the kit from TTS and that took care of the problem. I think I have a headlight issue, and saw the rats nest in lieu of a nice orderly cable harness. As particular and dress right dress as the Germans are, every cable harness I see looks like the back of a old stereo lots of wires everywhere! I would think that all would be marked, and lacing thread keeping the wires all bundled up like what you see in military equipment. I was always told the British car wiring was horrible.

I think I'll move the fuel filter from the engine compartment and move it toward the front someplace. A service order indicated the PO smelled gas, and sure enough it was found melted. It was replaced and zipped tied higher, but the zip tie was in the wrong area so it drooped again.

And so it goes, more reading and research... Then off to gets parts so I can at least get this on the road before the weather starts to turn.

Oh, I meant to ask, was the key that was found in terpheel's post normal or just a PO thing?
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Rowens54
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Joined: September 13, 2015
Posts: 17
Location: Hillsboro, ND
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brand-new owner of the 73 Thing.'Im looking for help on many things, such as wiring. I am glad to be a part of this forum.
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GI Joe
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Joined: April 28, 2005
Posts: 2012
Location: Athens, TN
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome Rowens!!
Great looking Thing there... Welcome to the Thingdom!!

Uh, is t it about time to be putting it up for storage? I imagine ya'll will have a few feet of snow in the next couple weeks? Laughing (My Bro was stationed in GF, and Minot.... What a crazy state!)

Anyway, welcome..
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Rowens54
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Joined: September 13, 2015
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Location: Hillsboro, ND
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:51 pm    Post subject: Cold Reply with quote

It was 88 today. Drove my Thing around town and enjoyed the beautiful day. We tell people that it's cold just to keep the riff raff out.
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emersonbiggins
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Joined: February 18, 2003
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The car looks great. Get the gas heater working.
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JackJack65
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Joined: September 14, 2015
Posts: 11
Location: WA
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:59 pm    Post subject: 1973 Thing Reply with quote

My girlfriend just bought a 1973 Thing.

Of course, it's not without problems. I'm a car guy, but my experience wrenching on old VWs is limited. I had a '73 Super Beetle in high school/college (orange, auto-stick), but the girl is the one with the addiction - this makes old VW number 3. She's also got a '76 Super convert and a '79 Bus.

She looked a long time for a decent Thing, and it looks like she found one. I'm sure I'll be combing the forums as I dig into it.
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JLSylvester
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Joined: June 22, 2015
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Location: Iberia, MO
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just bought a '73 today. Needs a restoration. Body is mostly solid, no floor pans, and a seized engine. It's in line behind my current '65 Ghia project. Couldn't pass up the price of $250.
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JLSylvester
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Joined: June 22, 2015
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Location: Iberia, MO
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I finally got my Thing picked up. Actually my brother in law did it for me with his tow truck in the pouring rain. He is my hero. Here are some pics of it. It was originally white but someone did a horrible maroon paint job from a rattle can it looks like. And the color makes it look like it's covered in rust. I will get some better pics this weekend.

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oldthingguy
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Joined: December 02, 2007
Posts: 146
Location: California
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2015 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am back into a Thing - this is my 3rd one...they always seem to draw me back in. My first was in the 70's, many good memories in that one. Hope to be a little more frequent on the site now.

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73, 73 and 74 Thing - gone
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60 23 window - gone
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plus a few others I should have kept
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1madmanx
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Joined: August 13, 2007
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Location: Wilmington, NC
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 7:09 am    Post subject: Re: Thing Owners Roll Call! Reply with quote

After years of wanting and, dare I say begging, I finally joined the Thing army. The tipping point for my wife to say yes was the fact it was being sold by someone we knew and trusted. Lots of plans for it but first to put an adjustable beam in to raise the front end. I'll be asking lots of "new guy" questions.

Bud

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Nikkoleto
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 9:45 am    Post subject: Re: Thing Owners Roll Call! Reply with quote

Hi
Hi and greeting from Northern Virginia. Any local thing owner feel free to PM me. By way of introduction I am 64 I am the proud owner of my beautiful 1973 Thing - "Hilda Mae" I have owned her for 10 yrs and she is a constant project. My next project to lowering her some. Nothing drastic but not sure how to do it.

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[/img]
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donny1973
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 6:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Thing Owners Roll Call! Reply with quote

Just got this one owner 45k mile 1973. Rust free body with original paint and mostly unmolested except for the Mad Max front bumper. Been sitting for some years. Motor will run on bottle but I plan to rebuild it anyway. This will be an easy restoration. It will need pans, interior redone and paint. Also going to add a Thing Shop convertible top and frame. I'll be pulling the body in the near future.
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zaidigonzo
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:58 am    Post subject: Re: Thing Owners Roll Call! Reply with quote

New owner noob in kingman az

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Volksronnie
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Joined: August 04, 2010
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Location: Yorkshire England
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PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2016 4:00 am    Post subject: Re: Thing Owners Roll Call! Reply with quote

Hello Guys ! Very Happy
I have been on the Samba before with my old beetles, but now I have a German Wolfsburg built 181 Kurierwagen.
It's a civilian model, originally issued to the Dutch Post office, then it moved to Brussels,
before ending up here in the UK 13 years ago, where most of that time it has been in storage.
Just waiting for long the sunny summer days ahead Laughing

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my other bugs....(now sold) Confused

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...my son's 2.1 powered '65 Beetle ... Very Happy

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GI Joe
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PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2016 3:42 pm    Post subject: Re: Thing Owners Roll Call! Reply with quote

Volksronnie wrote:
Hello Guys ! Very Happy
...
Just waiting for long the sunny summer days ahead Laughing ][/URL]



Sunny summer days? All 4 of them? Laughing Laughing

Welcome, that's a Sweet wages you've got!!
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'74 Thing, "Our Thing"....Blue 181
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...p;start=60
'71 Beetle RPU
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8080337#8080337
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ALANSD
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Joined: April 16, 2015
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PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2016 11:06 am    Post subject: Re: Thing Owners Roll Call! Reply with quote

I was in Salisbury England, near the Stonehenge in 2011...got to drive a guys 70s MGB on a gorgeous Sunny day ...all around the curvy back roads... .. heaven!
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