'73 Super Salvage Project

[vamram]

So I sold my beautiful '72 Super...and for 1/3 the price bought this '73 Super project...Looked ok...on the truck...

The 185/65/15s are low on air, but fill the fender well up pretty well. Need to be repainted.
Cranked right up w/out any issues, brakes are so-so, all electrical except the dash fan(there is none) work. Drove it a block to the house.

Then I started digging...and finding the surprises...The rug appears to be original and was well installed but semi-rotting, factory insulation was still on 3/4 of the floor.

I decided to start breaking it down right away since it's going to need major moon vent work on the passenger side - metal cutting and replacing. Took the interior out, ripped out the carpet and most of the headliner...turns out this green beast was originally Marina Blue . So that's a future decision...how much effort and $$ to I want to throw at it. Probably not enough to bring it back to its original color.

The driver side floor is good. The passenger side was fiberglass reinforced from the end of the seat rails back. It will need to be replaced front to back, including the battery tray. I'll probably get Buggy Man in Lorton to do that work since I can't weld, and don't have welders or space for that. Good thing is that both heater channels/rockers are solid, zero rust.

Electrical gremlins in this I'm sure. I'm hoping most of this is the radio that has 3 pairs of speakers.

Interesting choice of insulation where the wiring meets up under the driverside rear. The junction is run thru a piece of PVC pipe w/electrical tape holding it together. I will assess that after the floor's replaced.

Some of parts I'll need came w/the car - new rear bumper, all the door and windshield/rear window rubber, new chrome rings for the headlights...a few other items of varying usefulness. And an Empi 40 something-or-other center mount dual barrel carb on its manifold. Which I'll probably post for sale here since I have no interest in it. Oh and the new black door cards, again which I probably won't use. I'll probably go beige or tan for the interior.

Here's a bonus video of it running before I began the tear down. Crazy fuel pressure gauge, has an electric fuel pump. I can't tell if the heater boxes are ceramic coated or just unpainted steel. But there's some surface rust on them, so probably not steel. The alternator pulley is wobbly, can't tell if it's the pulley or the shaft, haven't examined it yet.

Link


A brief history of the car - belonged to a guy in NC who was working on it - put disc brakes in front, Mexi-stype oil pump w/spin-on filter, nice new heater boxes, was rebuilding the dash fan, had a lot of other parts collected to remove the body from the pan and replace all the rubber...then sadly he had a stroke and the car sat for the last 2 years. He and his family decided it was time to let it go.

Soo....here I am! Stay tuned....
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[Tim Donahoe]

Damn! That was quick.

I love the color. You already have a Marina Blue, so I’d keep the new one that green. It’s a cool color. Tan, or Saddle interior, goes well with green also.

Since I know approximately what you paid, I think you got a nice car for the money.

Let us know what’s in tha pvc pipe. Hopefully, it’s not as bad as the wiring you found under the rear seat in your 74’.

What did they charge to deliver it? Has to be cheaper than the Chico car .

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[AlmostHeavenWV_VW]

Another Super begins its rehabilitation!


Looks like a good starting point with that car. I agree, keep it green- even if just so you can have two different colors (its less work too).

Save time and money, keep the color and put that effort and resources into the functionality of the car.


I'll be watching this one, should be a good time
_________________
1973 Standard Beetle
1600DP AK case
Solex 34PICT3 Carb
Bosch DVDA 205AJ Distributor

[vamram]

Yeah, wife's lobbying for keeping the green as well. I'll do it for the reasons mentioned - I can use the money elsewhere (floor, c-pillar) and for variety.

Tim - $350 delivered. And the CA guy never called anyway, as you predicted.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[Tim Donahoe]

Good deal. $350 is very reasonable.

Yep, I didn’t think the guy would call. He didn’t call me back, or write back when I emailed him.

Obviously, something’s weird about the car. So much so that he didn’t want a thorough inspection. If he was being honest about it, he’d at least have called back. However, I think it all worked out well in the long run.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[Chris333]

I like the green color.

[vamram]

A bit more floor work tonite. Removed the rest of the factory floor insulation from the driver side.

I can see why this stuff may have done more harm than good. It looks like they didn't lay it fully in the dips in between the panel ribs. Those are the areas w/the rust. Fortunately it's only surface rust on this side. The passenger front may actually be salvageable. I'm waiting from my friend who welds to take a look at it before cutting any of it out. Btw - he's going to use this to teach me to weld w/his MIG welder, and I'm going to tackle the - gulp - death foam repairs on my own.

I also treated both sides w/prep and etch as a rust converter. Can anyone tell me if I have to rinse that stuff after it dries, or wipe it off w/a wet rag...? How may times should I treat it w/this...?

I don't have the little tool to remove the radio. Driving me nuts, I don't have anything thin enough to push the clip on the right side of the radio so that I can get it out of the dash to fully assess the wiring and ducting.

_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[Tim Donahoe]

Victor, try two thin steak knives. If that doesn’t work, call a car radio installer and ask if they have some spare removers for your brand of stereo.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[sshulk]

Following. This looks like a fun project! Not a bad price either!
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17 years old
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Filthy Buggers

[vamram]

Yeah, I'm excited about it! And it's going to be a [EDIT] slow (not sloppily) going one. Lot's of work needed in basically every chapter covered by bentley, and then some.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[joey1320]

That's a great project.

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

[vamram]

Tim - I was able to get the radio out. Used a big picture hanging hook, flattened it w/a 2lb sledge on the mini-anvil of the busted HF vise, and voila, came right out. Unfortunately, the radio gripper that these supers normally have is missing. Something else to search for in the classifieds.

Now...get ready for a picture bonanza. I did an assessment of the underside and it's much better than I expected and makes me a more optimistic. Except for the battery-quarter of the floor (and that damn moon vent...always the moon vent), it's really really very clean. I need to remove and inspect or repack/adjust the front wheel bearings as there's quite a bit of vertical play in both front wheels, but the tie-rods, struts, springs, inserts all look good. Idler arm bushing looks new as well. I'm going to replace all of the rear trailing arm bushings - the spring plate/torsion tube ones w/rubber from Wolfsburg West, the pivot w/the black urethane ones from Topline. Needs transmission mounts, but I already have a pair of those from when I replaced the '74's but went w/pre-'73 mounts. Hmmm...That's an idea for this one... I have an extra pre-73 carrier...

Anyway - to the pics.
No thermostat and flaps. Another classifieds search as i will DEFINITELY be adding those.

2-sided tranny...no idea what gearing it has though.

No-name pump w/external filter. I like these, and will probably ride w/it since it's obviously a relatively new addition.

Clean around the push rod tubes.

Disc brakes - a first for me. I'll have to learn how to correctly bleed these.

Battery tray - will be replaced or repaired.

Looks like an Empi electric fuel pump.

Victor
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[Tim Donahoe]

Victor, I have one of those Super Beetle radio grippers—the U-shape bracket, right?

Also, I’m assuming you have two bleeders on each front caliper. The upper bleeder is the one you use. They put two on because it makes the calipers interchangeable (left for right right for left).

The car looks pretty good, really.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[vamram]

Tim, that's exactly the bracket I need! I just PM'd you. Yeah, the car looks better than my initial buyer's remorse had me thinking.

Another thing missing which I'll have put together is the complete fuel evaporation system - the trunk evap canister, the lines, the charcoal canister, event the bracket for the canister has been cut off. I'll have to improvise a bracket for that.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[Tim Donahoe]

I’ve seen the brackets for those in the Classifieds. If none are currently for sale, just put in a wtb ad. It should cost no more than ten bucks.

I pm’ed you back.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[Vooduru]

Aren't those wheels from a '72 Baja Special Edition?

[vamram]

Yep, those are the Baja wheels. Now I have two sets. Nobody wants these things.

Picked up the evap can and charcoal canister today for 10 bucks, flaps and a working thermostat for $35, and a replacement battery tray. [EDIT] The ring where the rod attaches in the passenger side flap is in perfect condition.

Having trouble sourcing replacement sections for the moon vent. Buggy Man locally has a section for the passenger side, but cut it too small so it doesn't cover everything I need from it. He's got 2 other cars that would be perfect, but he doesn't to cut them up yet. They're going to continue rotting in his yard like they've been doing for 3 years at least now. And another guy on thesamba wants $90 for both sides shipped, but I can't get the guy to frame the picture in a way that I can see the whole thing. Very frustrating.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[Tim Donahoe]

You got some stealer-deals with the canister, expansion chamber, as well as the entire (?) thermostat system. Good deal!

Looks like you need a new thermostat rod, cap for the rod, and one of the clips for the doghouse bracket. And I don’t see the special return spring. A great start, though, and you already know how to restore the canister.

Keep us posted, and show some pics of the death foam damage. I couldn’t see any in the pictures.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[vamram]

Tim, I have clips but will be looking for the spring. I did get a great deal on these. Then there's this - embarrassed to admit it.

I already bought donor sections for both sides.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[Tim Donahoe]

There was a guy a while back in the Classifieds who was selling the springs. I can’t remember if it was General Parts of 1968 and Up. Check it out.

Edit: I just checked both Classified spots. Nada. Time for a WTB ad, because you can’t just put any old spring on there.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien