1972 Super Beetle “adventure beetle” summer project thread

[gilg]

Hey guys!

I thought I’d share my progress on my 1972 Super Beetle.

Bought this a few weeks ago since my wife has always wanted a Beetle, and I need a project. It will be her daily errand driver around town.

Visually it’s pretty gross, but the bones are good. Very straight, no rust, smooth running 1776 cc engine, good transmission.

The major problems I’m going to fix are:

- add dual 134 ICT Webers
- new gas tank
- replace the weird aftermarket seats with a pair of Porsche 993 seats I have
- replace rims & tires
- organize the rat’s nest of wiring
- cut out crumpled front apron and weld in new
- add Baja-style running boards
- fix surface imperfections & vinyl wrap the exterior in orange 3M vinyl
- redo the brakes
- redo the interior carpet & trim

The ultimate goal is sort of an “adventure beetle”. Not quite a Baja (still want it suitable for daily driving) but with a more aggressive look. We intentionally got a Beetle in rough visual condition since I won’t feel bad about changing it up a little bit.

Will be updating as regularly as possible![/img]

[Bama Dave]

The adventure is building the car. Driving it is cool, too. Have fun!
_________________
David Richerson

1970 Beetle
1971 Super
1972 Baja

[vamram]

_________________
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!!

[MickSz]

Subscribed!

[gilg]

To catch y'all up on the past two weeks, I've been stripping the engine and preparing it for a removal and cleanup (waiting on a big shipment of parts coming sometime in the next few days).

Also cut out the front apron. The old one was nasty - looked like someone applied Bondo like a toddler going crazy with a tube of toothpaste.

I'll be welding the new piece in, new rubber trim, prepping the body, and applying POR-15 on the underside...a lot to bite off and chew, but pretty much the worst part of the car is the front. I also need a new hood, but they're hard to find for 72 Supers and the nearest VW salvage yard is an hour away, so I'll save that for a nice weekend.

[joemama]

love this kind of project. I also have a bug im setting up for exploring. I will soon be retired, and will tow it behind our motorhome. Also started as a summer project, the summer before my son turned 16, to be his daily driver. He is now 29, and im almost done with the bug! Looking forward to see your progress.

[Rome]

Excellent that you picked a Beetle with no rust, and that it's already running.

Your front apron that you cut off should have a small ID tag to the left (passenger's side) of the hood latch. It's painted over in body color, and is embossed with at least 7 numbers. If you do have that plate, drill out the rivets and install it on the new apron. The numbers are a key to the exact date that your car was built, or at least when the bodyshell was built.

Do the Porsche seats that you have feature electrical adjustments? Are the seat track bottoms flat so that they should easily bolt to the '72's pan between the existing seat rails?

[gilg]

[gilg]

I am needing to update my carpet, door panels, and headliner.

Any recommendations on where to source these? I was thinking about buying the Jbugs interior package, but I don’t need the seat vinyl portion. Any other alternatives for purchase?

[vamram]

I've always used jbugs for those items, except Wolfsburg west for my '64's seat covers.
_________________
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!!

[gilg]

The engine is a 1776cc with dual port heads.

Would these Webers work on it? The title says up to '71 but I'm not familiar with the changes since mine is a 72 Super.

https://www.cbperformance.com/product-p/6428.htm

[Rome]

The description is not well written; it should state "Type 1 (comma) & Type 2 thru '71". The Type 2 used a Type 1-based dual port engine thru the '71 model year. As of '72 the US models used the "Type 4" engine on which the heads have a much wider intake port spacing. The Type 4 heads need different manifolds than a type 1 dual port.

The type 1 dual port engine could go all the way thru '79, whereby for '75 thru '79 the kit would be a replacement for the factory fuel injection.

[gilg]

[gilg]

Update - been working on the body. Finished welding in the new front apron, and sanding/painting the trunk and wheel wells with POR-15.

Then I've been sanding, cleaning, then wrapping the panels individually while I'm waiting for parts to come in.

It is very difficult to vinyl wrap a Beetle since it's so curvy, but it's doable. Very slow process. Eventually I'll want to have a proper paint job done, but that would cost more than I paid for the entire car...

I went with dual Weber 34 ICT carbs, they just came in today from CB Performance.

[Rome]

Be forewarned- with this ICT kit, the stock/original ignition coil must be moved. You won't be able to fit the hexagonal carb crossbar with the coil in place. I advised another Samba user recently who had the same kit, to try a coil relocation bracket that moves the coil farther down on the fan shroud face using a special mounting plate. He bought that, and turns out that on "his" ICT kit, the crossbar was so close to the fan shroud face that even that coil mounting plate would interfere with the left linkage arm for the left carb's "down rod". Another Samba person recommended that he relocates the coil to the engine case between the fuel pump and the shroud face, using a coil bracket similar to the one from a Type 3. With that Type 3-style bracket, the coil would sit horizontally with the terminals off to the left.

In the late 1980's I bought a new Dell'Orto 34 FRD dual carburetor kit, which included that coil relocation bracket for the shroud face. Since the linkage hexbar was farther away from the shroud, the bracket worked well.

[gilg]

[Dan the workingstiff]

Do you mind, how much did the wrap cost?
_________________
'69 Beetle
'66 FG buggy
My other air-cooled's
'76 IH 1200
'75 IH 1200

[gilg]

[Dan the workingstiff]

$450 is nothing compared to a paint job. Thanks
_________________
'69 Beetle
'66 FG buggy
My other air-cooled's
'76 IH 1200
'75 IH 1200

[omarmillan]

I love this kind of projects! Please keep us updated.

I'm just surprised because I've never imagined the spare tire spot to be there, never seen the trunk of a super. I drive a '97 Mexi, so it is just sitting in a vertical-like position at the top front so it's kind of a new thing to see. Pretty interesting, just imagine all that extra space in there