TheSamba.com :: 1965 Squareback

This is my daily driver 1965 Squareback.
It is an original 1500 S model, upgraded to a '66 1600cc engine.
I have accessorized with early Hella fog lights, an original roof rack, a parcel tray and finger guards.
I keep a log of my activities, as time permits. It can been seen here

Pictures

Nice original headliner

Local parking lot - lots of angles

Roof rack usage - Hauling a twin bed

Description
1965 Squareback 1500 S
6-volt
80% Original Sea Blau paint (passenger front fender replaced and repainted)
99% rust free including excellent battery tray
141K original miles
1966 1600 engine and transmission, factory dual-carbs.
Recent oil and tranny fluid changes
New distributor, cap, rotor, points, plug wires, and condenser
New fuel filter and fuel lines.
Original interior
Upgraded to '72-'73 4-lug front disc and rear drum brakes
Good tires
Original owner's manual
Sapphire III radio - professionally refurbished with new speaker and factory chrome radio bracket
Factory exhaust with chrome exhaust tip
Excellent rear seat handle (Rare!)
Everything works, everything is hooked up and there.
Good heater system
Recent door seal and rear hatch seal
Have all original 5-lug parts including full front beam and correct rims and hubcaps
Roof rack
Tow hitch
Finger guards
Parcel tray
60s German Hella driving lights
Original CA black plates and dealer frames
New battery and generator
Original VW keys (Make others jealous!)
Factory 3-point shoulder belts - Rare?
"Letter from Germany"
List of past 3 owners, in case someone wanted to try to track down the original owner
009 distributor with new everything installed in vehicle plus original distributor
NOS shift boot
Flat European taillight lenses
A few boxes of extra early Type 3 parts - seals, interior, etc.
Extra correct steering column and ignition switch
Recent shocks
Smog check exempt in most states

Used as daily driver for last year, over 6000 miles.

Parts Needed
1965-era passenger side mirror
NOS or perfect used rear mat - Grey
NOS or perfect used dash - wrap-around style
Front floor mat - 2-piece Grey (64-65 Type 3s only?)
Original tool roll - all or part

June 23,1998	• Set chokes.
June 21,1998	• Set points gap and timing
June 17,1998	• Installed new plug wires • Installed new fuel filter • Set idle and Synchronized carburetors
May 26,1998	• Reconnected starter solenoid bypass, rerouted wiring to be away from heater box. • Changed engine oil and filter • Checked and topped up transmission fluid
May 18,1998	• Disconnected starter solenoid bypass - it seems to have failed.
April 14,1998	• Added additional bracket to parcel tray to support sagging rear corner.
April 10,1998	• Checked adjustment and thickness of rear brake shoes - everything ok. • Adjusted emergency brake handle per shop manual. Nice!
April 9,1998	• Adjusted door latch/striker plate, it was loose. • Replaced driver's door outside seal
April 7,1998	• Reset mixture on dual carburetors to compensate for move to Arizona, Squareback warms up much better now.
April 2,1998	• Adjusted carburetor synchronization • Repaired broken carburetor linkage and oiled all linkage points. • Lubricated driver's door latch
January 24, 1998	• Changed oil, oil filter, air filter oil. • General clean-up of engine.
January 11, 1998	• Oiled door hinges, cleaned and polished hub caps.
January 10, 1998	• Adjusted valves, lubed front end.
December 17, 1997	• Installed parcel tray
December 14, 1997	• Traded Porsche 2.0L rims/tires for set of original 5-lugs rims, hubcaps, misc. parts, and cash.
December 13, 1997	• Raised front end up a notch to accommodate stock-size rims/tires. • Spray-painted 4-lug rims to obscure minor surface rust and scratches.
December 11, 1997	• Installed Wolfsburg mats.
December 10, 1997	• Installed 4-lug rims/tires.
December 8, 1997	• Bought temporary set of rims/tires to use while I sell my Porsche 2.0L rims and look for original 5-lug rims. • Bought original Wolfsburg floor mat - front and rear
December 7, 1997	• My points broke on the way to the wrecking yard, had to take a small walk in the rain to the nearby Auto Parts store for a new set.
December 6, 1997	• Installed pre-heater tube and chrome tip. • Sealed in new rear hatch seal using 3M adhesive. Good stuff! • Installed mat and handle on the back of the rear seat.
December 4, 1997	• Purchased new pre-heater tube and chrome exhaust tip.
December 3, 1997	• Fixed slow leak in passenger rear tire.
November 22, 1997	• Installed factory exhaust and heating components.
November 17, 1997	• Installed factory tow hitch • Installed new heater cable - passenger side was broken.
November 15-16, 1997	• Installed Sapphire III radio, new 4" x 6" dash speaker, and replacement antenna cable.
November 9-14, 1997	• Reconditioned original roof rack, consisting of: • Drilling out 2 rusted bolts • Disassembling, cleaning and degreasing all parts • Painting rack, clamps, and new hardware "Cast Iron Gray" • Dipping clamps in liquid plastic tool protectant to protect Squareback drip rails from scratches
November 10, 1997	• Went in a big wrecking yard circle around my house, found the following: • Rear mat and pull handle for the back seat • Remaining clamps and rubber connectors to return my Squareback to the original exhaust setup. • Passenger side mirror from a '71 - a little big, but good visibility until I find a '65 mirror.
November 8-9, 1997	• Reconditioned factory 1600 exhaust, consisting of: • Cleaning and degreasing exhaust and components • Removing as much surface rust as possible • Painting exhaust with heat paint • Reconditioned factory tow hitch, consisting of: • Cleaning and degreasing exhaust and components • Repainting additional bracing/hardware "Gloss Black"
November 5, 1997	• Replaced spark plugs and went back to 009 distributor, something is wrong with my stock distributor.
November 3-4, 1997	• Tried to adjust total advance timing with timing light, timing set but now it won't start? • Found out E-clip is missing from points in distributor, points (and thus timing) are way off.
November 1, 1997	• Returned to wrecking yard to get tow hitch support brackets • Pulled stock 1600 exhaust, tubing, and heater cables from wrecking yard • Purchased factory '71 roof rack from original owner. • Validated that the Squareback can hold a complete twin bed, per claims from original literature, when I returned a twin bed to my parents. • Spent the 2 seconds necessary to put the original VW emblem back onto the hood
October 25, 1997	• Pulled factory tow hitch from wrecking yard. • Pulled nice rear air intake bellows seal from wrecking yard, installed it. Noticed Single Quiet Pack exhaust had destroyed my old bellows, there's no heat shield to protect it like the stock exhaust!
October 25, 1997	• Replaced 009 distributor with stock distributor with new Bosch points, condenser, and cap.
October 20, 1997	• Cleaned transmission and undercarriage with engine degreaser - dirt and grime are no more!
September, 1997	• Worried about possible rain storms, I super glued my splitting outside window scrapers back together. It seems to have stopped the driver's door leakage but I'll have to spring for replacement seals soon. I guess I'm fortunate that no pieces are missing from the scrapers, like almost every other old Type 3 I've seen.
September, 1997	•Acquired the following from a local VW show: • Factory radio bracket from VW show, installed it. • Original owner's manual plastic holder with Type 3 mileage coupons.
September 24, 1997	• Hooked up horn ground so horn would work, used new wiring.
September 22, 1997	• Installed stock steering wheel
September, 1997	• Installed 6-volt to 12-volt converter inline to the aftermarket tachometer, since it's 12-volt.
August, 1997	• Intermittent hot start problems have been traced to an aging 6-volt wiring system. Installed battery to solenoid relay, a common fix for 6-volt vehicles. Power to starter solenoid now travels directly from the battery and the stock key switch only powers the relay.
August, 1997	• Found nice rear lid seal at wrecking yard, installed it.
August, 1997	• Found German Hella driving lights at wrecking yard, installed them on front bumper.
August, 1997	• Found original spare tire foam mount at wrecking yard, installed it. • Pulled original rear left overrider from wrecking yard and installed it, replacing my dented one. • Pulled nice original windshield seal and chrome from wrecking yard, keeping for later usage.
August, 1997	• Found decent original rear mat (1 small tear) and rear padding at wrecking yard, installed it until I find a NOS one.
August, 1997	• Hooked up tachometer
August, 1997	• Lubed front end - it was nearly empty! • Replaced fuel line hose from gas tank to body.
August, 1997	• Replaced shift rod bushing in center tunnel, shifting is much improved!
July, 1997	• While "lost" in San Francisco, came across a VW repair shop, purchased original Type III chrome finger guards, installed them. Noted that they had a wrecked '64 Notchback in the back, will pursue possible parts at later date.
July, 1997	• Found original late-model Squareback tool kit at wrecking yard, cleaned tools and placed in trunk for emergency usage.
July, 1997	• Located semi-decent original 2-piece floor mat set (missing piece around pedal assembly), installed it until I find a nice one.
July, 1997	• Attempted to straighten original owner's manual - it's been folded in half for years. Put it under some books, didn't work too well.
July, 1997	• Cleaned interior with Simple Green and toothbrush - looking good! • Attempted to buff out the paint by hand, I'm tired now and I have a lot of blue rags, but it does look better.
July, 1997 Day after purchase	• Replaced fuel lines, cap, rotor, condenser, spark plugs, oil, set timing and synched carbs. - running great now! • Red light on! Had a freshly rebuilt 6-volt generator sitting from times gone by, so I installed it. Examined old generator and discovered only the commutator was bad. Now I have a spare generator. • Battery not charging. Replaced 6-volt battery. Previous owner jumpstarted it too many times from a 12-volt battery.
July, 1997	• Purchased Squareback from local 3rd owner. It had been sitting for 4 years.


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