Best Year Early Squareback opinions wanted

[jgerock]

I'm doing research for my next project vehicle and would like your opinions of the various squareback years in terms of versatility, parts availability and color combinations. My preference is the early pre-70 models that have the rounded hood and small bumpers. My parent's once had a new Red 68 Squareback with A/C but only had it about 1 year before something went very wrong and they got rid of it and then bought a new 69 Ford Station wagon.

I'm not new to the air cooled VW. My first car was a 66 sunroof Beetle, followed by a 75 Standard Beetle then a Cal Look 72 Beetle. A friend had a customized 72 Fastback so I know a little about Type 3's.

For exterior colors, I like Red and Green. If a 68 or 69, I'm ok with keeping the stock fuel injection unless there is something wrong with it.

Are replacement parts available for the FI distributors that have two sets of points?

Have the newer replacement parts improved any in quality? I have purchased my fair share of shoddy new parts over the years.

At what point did VW change the interior materials from cloth to vinyl? Are the early interior materials still available?

Can you easily swap the entire rear suspension from swingaxle to IRS?

Did VW use both long and short rear swing axle configurations as in the 66-68 Type 1?

I have a Bentley Type 3 manual for the later cars in my collection and just ordered the Workshop manual for the early cars so I can do more research.

Thanks for any and all help.

Here's a picture of me and my 72 when I sold it March 2012.

Jim

[ALLWAGONS]

Red is the way to go! but All other colors are beautiful!

here's my '65 sunroof variant.

Martin
allwagons
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I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

NON INFLUENCER APPROVED

[Mike Fisher]

I sold my '67 square with manual transmission, so I could buy a '69 square with automatic transmission. As a bonus it is a 1 year only early body style with automatic transmission,fuel injection & independent rear suspension. It starts/runs good with only 1 engine rebuild over the last 12 years.

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https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[jgerock]

Thanks Martin and Mike for the responses. I just completed the restoration of a 69 BMW 2002 so I do like that year and the gas flap, IRS and early body may be what I am looking for in a Squareback. I have driven VW's with both the full and semi auto stick but I want a 4 speed car. For now, I will look at the color charts to see what was available. I do like the early interior choices. Will have to see what TMI, West Coast and others have available.

[Donnie strickland]

You can get parts here in the classifieds, including FI distributor trigger points. Jim Adney can rebuild FI distributors, and can rebuild many other Type 3 parts, from brakes to FI components, among others. You can contact him at [email protected] with any inquiries.

Replacement part quality is all over the place, same as with Bugs. Some are total junk, but some are fine. ISP West sells good stuff, so you should bookmark their site. Generally it takes a little more searching to round up good Type 3 stuff.

I think all Type 3's came with long axles, but if not I'm sure some will confirm or debunk that.

The rear suspension can be swapped, but I haven't done that so I don't know how easy it is.

Also, don't discount the automatic cars. I drive one every day, and I originally got it so my wife could drive it too -- and she does -- but I will say that after having it for three years, I don't miss shifting. At all. And I've been driving stick shift cars, including seven VW's, since 1984. The VW automatic is a good reliable transmission.
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback

[ALLWAGONS]

I really love the simplicity of early type 3's, don't get me wrong, Disk brakes, FI and better suspensions are cool. But look how beautiful a '64-'65 type 3's are , especially when they have full fat trim, hood chrome, wraparound dashes, two piece door panels with trim that blends into the dash, wrap around rear reflectors and front wrap around turn signals. Just my opinion.

Martin
allwagons
_________________
I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

NON INFLUENCER APPROVED

[Erik G]

Nice - I used to have a roundie myself. Is this squareback to be a keeper? or a project to sell once done?

Personally I like the early cars. Martin is right, the fat trim, all the little details of the 66 and earlier cars. the nice interior knobs of the 66 and earlier are a must for me

having had a lot of cars and sold a lot of cars (I try to buy nice cars at a good price, make them better and sell them after enjoying them a year or 2) a type 3 is really easy to dump a lot of money into it that you will never get back. they just don't sell easily like other cars. For a keeper though, they are absolutely the best AC platform - like a 912 with more room
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[KTPhil]

'69 Type 3s are sort of the "'67 Bug" of the series... older body, newer underpinnings. I also favor the greater style of the older models, but parts are getting harder to find.

[raygreenwood]

Personally.....I like the last years of type 3. Larger this and that be damned....it was a much more refined in the little details car.....and are a reliahle joy to drive and easier to find parts for.

I don't care for the looks of the earlier models......especially the notch. They look too Eastern European to me.....too reminiscent of the Russian Lada, some of the fiats in some detail......all are sad little clown cars
Ray

[KTPhil]

[TommyBoyGomes]

I personally like the '69 for having the early body style and IRS. But I also like the white-roof style of the early-early models, low-back seats of the pre-68 models, and the wrap-around rear reflectors from 66-67... so my square is a bit of a frankenstein:

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1969 Squareback, 1776cc
1990 Vanagon Multivan

[Tram]

I think you have two real choices here if you are sticking with a first design car.

One would be a '62-63 early car in Ruby Red or Sage Green just for the early- early geek out cool factor.

The other would be a '69 with IRS and FI in Royal Red or Peru Green. There's Deep Sea Green as well, but I am a Peru fan all the way. Don't turn your nose up at a good automatic- they are a blast to drive.

I have one of each, only my '63 is Pearl White which I can't stand but it wouldn't be right to change it.

Get a sliding roof car if you can, and contrary to what the pundits tell you an air conditioner on the '69 will work just fine.
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[jgerock]

Now we're getting somewhere! Was afraid that my post would only start a firestorm of early vs. late. I have nothing against the 70-73 cars. I prefer the look of the earlier style.

The car would most likely be a keeper. I had my last VW for 19 years and wasn't afraid to mix and match the parts. Technically, it was a 72, with 68 rear lights, 71 decklid, 68/69 fenders, etc. I do like the wrap around marker lights and wonder why VW didn't just paint the later bullet-type marker housings rather then chrome plate them.

Are the push-button dash controls an issue? I see you can still buy new dash pads - but they may only fit the 68+ cars.

Does the Squareback have an inside hatch release similar to the release lever on the Fastback? Think I have seen a tube running behind the fender in some pictures here.

I like the earlier door panels but aren't sure replacements can be sourced.

Is this a 69 (Fastback)?

Here is my 69 BMW.

[Donnie strickland]

The push button controls weren't very durable. They had many small, fragile parts and VW went to regular knob controls.

The Squareback hatch release is a button on the outside bottom of the hatch. The tube you saw behind the fender is the wiring harness.
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback

[jgerock]

[jgerock]

[Tram]

That fastback is either a '68 or '69. The two giveaways will be IRS v. swing axle and whether the outside fuel door has a "finger divot" next to it or not. '68 opened from the outside; '69 had a release under the dash with a cable.

Your beautiful BMW 1600 tells me that you are good with cars that are a real challenge locating correct parts for, so this is good.

The replacement dash pads available new are the 1971-3 type and the fit is "interesting". One will do as a placeholder until you shell out mega bucks for a NOS correct one, which is a perforated speaker grille divided in the middle. Even better, WCM used to offer a repro of that- they are heavy duty and are not prone to cracking like the OEM ones. The only drawback is that the perforated speaker grill is fake- the perforations are on the surface only- which is part of the reason they don't crack!

If all you've ever driven is Type 1 and 2 you will be very impressed with a properly sorted Type 3 as they were, after all, designed to compete with your BMW and the smaller entry model Mercedes of the era... and they do it very well, actually.

Now... let me throw a monkey wrench in this and completely ruin it for ya... here's a type 3 that would look great parked next to that Bimmer:

"Oh, no you din't!!"
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[Tram]

[Donnie strickland]

[Tram]

The Samba is a magical place, indeed...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2007155

I know... "shaddup Tram"...
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Немає виправдання для війни! Я з Україною.