700 mile road trip in a 74 bug we've never driven.

[Xevin]

This should be fun

Xatie and I are flying down to the Bay Area to pick up a 74 standard my brother in law purchased at an estate sale. The plan is to take 2 days to drive back to Portland,OR. It's in pretty good shape and I had Robbie (asiab3) do a pre purchase inspection before I committed to buying it. He then went through it and did anything he felt needed to be done for the long hall. Including new fuel lines. (Not shown in pictures, that's all been fixed). We have a 72 and 76 bus. So the type 1 is new territory for me. This will be Xatie's little fun bug for around town and not a daily. She's been wanting one and had a type 3 as a teenager. I've ordered a Bentley and will be bringing a set a tools I normally roll with in the bus. Including timing strobe, multimeter, and dwell meter. Robbie picked up an extra belt and points/condenser for the ride up.

My question:
-What essential tools/ sizes to pack that might not used in a late bay to bring?
-Extra spares like fuses and spare bulbs. that differs from a bus?
-Any other tips traveling that distance in a bug to consider?

Yes, I could just ask Robbie for this info but I wanted the collective thoughts of the forum and introduce the newest ACVW to our fleet. We will hopefully have time to put together a road trip post when we pick it up in a couple of weeks. Thanks all.

Needs some love in here.

Robbie getting busy

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Keep on Busin'

[rockerarm]

Hi. Tire change tools present in the car and if they function. Condition of spare tire and transaxle oil. Spare throttle cable.
Nice looking type 1. Wonder why the rear bumper brkt's seem to be '73 and earlier?
Are the fresh air hoses hooked up to the heater boxes properly with the current exhaust?
On road trips especially I like to install my Berg oil dipstick sensor.
Hope this helps and good luck, Bill.

[Tim Donahoe]

Bumpers and front seats indicate that it's a '73.

Bring an extra condenser, points, engine oil. If recently tuned, you should be good to go.

Nice looking bug, by the way.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[irun5k]

[garyloos]

Looks good , enjoy the trip home!
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Gary Loos

1972 Super Convertible

[mark tucker]

might want to have robbie add some berrynmans carb cleaner/injector/fuel system cleaner and go for some long rides in the hills&whatnot. then change the oil&filter and fuel filters again before a day or so before you head out. be sure to check all tires and gear lube too. have fun!! ( dried fuel in a carb may run fine but it does change the jet sizes and you do not want to leen it out,thus the carb/fuel system cleaner. the berrymans is the best Ive found and it's about $3.17 at wally world.

also check all lights,if the headlights are dull put some good h4's in it and..leds in them instead of the halogone's.

[joey1320]

Nice looking bug.

Safety first. Make sure brakes work properly and no leaks. Make sure suspension components are good and safe. Make sure tires are not dry rotted and studs torque properly. Check oil, trans fluid and brake fluid for leaks.

You already went through the fuel system so that's good. Maybe take apart the carb and give it a good clean up.

Have fun!!!
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**1971 Super Project
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[sb001]

Can't wait to follow this one...

[labraynard]

You might want to carry a spare fan belt and a throttle cable...cheap insurance.
Also a fire extinguisher.

[calvinater]

AAA card.
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"Albatross"!

[Xevin]

Appreciate the tips. I totally would have forgot to check spare tire for air and an operational jack. Mechanically, I'm feeling pretty good about it. Robbie (asiab3) spent about 4 hours going through it.
This is the sort of "Spitballing ideas" I'm looking for. Keep them coming.

Just saw reply about throttle cable and extinguisher. Having these things onboard the buses, I knew I'd forget these basics. Plus l will pack my IR temp
gun to help learn the tendencies of the engine heat.


Thank you.
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Keep on Busin'

[jwp67]

[Pez]

[Cusser]

That VW looks like it has been well taken care of. The suggestions posted above are good, especially with spare tire tools, can of Fix-a-Flat, spare accelerator cable, maybe spare clutch cable (and nuts for both those cables), spare fan belt.

I think you're actually going to have a trouble-free return.

I was wondering why you don't get a VW tow bar and drive down and tow it back?
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Dwayne1m]

74 front fenders with a 73 front bumper, but 73 rear fenders with a 74 rear bumper. As mentioned earlier, those front seats are not 74. I'd be concerned about why this car has so many different year parts to it if it is titled as a 74.

[Max Welton]

Well, it's a 43 year old car. Lots of time for parts to be replaced with whatever was available and that fit.

Max
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1967 Type-3 Fastback
Under the Knife https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=151582
Home Stretch https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767836

[vwjetboat]

maybe move the fuel filter away from top of dizy...

[Tim Donahoe]

When I bought my bug back in 2012, I drove it a hundred miles through the mountains to get it home. My wife was behind me in another car, though.

The rebuilt motor was nice and strong, the transmission recently rebuilt; but the front tires and the front end--very scary (a thousand dollars cured that).

There is nothing so exciting as buying a vintage VW and driving it home. Seven hundred miles? Well, lots of excitement, no doubt.

Have a safe trip, and take some pictures along the way.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[Zundfolge1432]

I never could figure out why folks would do this, take off in a car they know nothing about. I've sold a few to folks that did it though. One fella took off in a 58 Ghia bound for El Paso, another drove to West Virginia. But the riskiest drive was at sub zero temps in a 62 bug with stale air heat wearing only a light jacket. My only advice have a cellphone and keep to they major roads. I'm betting you'll get there without incident. Have fun and build some memories

[Dwayne1m]