It all started a few months ago when I thought my eldest daughter was moving back to her home town (but not in with us) ... I got this grand idea that my 15 year old grandson and I would build/rebuild him a car.

I always wanted to build a VW Baja bug ... Had a couple false starts back in the 70's. Bought a car, got started but never finished. Lack of funds and life got in the way ... Got married, so priorities changed for a while ... Got on track again then the previously mentioned eldest daughter burnt the house down ... Well it was a brick house but all that was left was a shell (when she was in kindergarten) ... In the late 80's, got divorced, got on track again with a red 1960 ragtop ... Got a 2100cc engine built, but then life got in the way again and sold the project.

Back to the "Present Day"
Started looking for a bug and a buddy found this one locally online, and it has the bones of exactly what I've envisioned except it doesn't have an engine, and he wanted more than I was willing to pay.



So I found & bought this one, a 1972 Super Beetle that needs lots of love ... it has the basic engine I want, a 1600 dual port, but had been sitting in a field for at least the last 2 years.


Well, as it turns out, my daughter settled in a town that about 45min to an hour away ... and the grandson, despite his claim to want to build it ... Really doesn't like to get dirty, or maybe just doesn't have an interest in this car ... yet!

Initially I was thinking this would be a parts car, pull the motor and other 12volt components for the 62 blue ragtop. After tinkering with it for about a month, it's now running, but still needs a lot of love but I started thinking I'd make this my Baja ... I can get a ragtop kit, a 7 piece Baja Kit (4fenders, hood, rear engine trim and front apron), front and rear cage's, 1 piece door glasses ... basically every thing I'd need to make it sorta like my vision for around $2500, and a LOT of work ... Except for its a "Super" which has struts in the front instead of the torsion front end like a standard bug ... which is much more durable for Baja-ing

As you may have surmised ... I'm back on track. And the guy with the '62 Blue called me; his "buyer" backed out ... we came to an understanding ... now I have 2 bugs ... the Baja will need paint, something nice with maybe ghost flames?

For the '72, I'm thinking keep the original "patina" and clear-coat it but it'll still need a ragtop and one-piece Windows ... maybe a 4" chop? And of course repair the huge holes in the floor pan that used to be steel but was reclaimed by salt, rust and life in the mid-west ... I'm bot sure where the 62 came from but it's had much better care as evidenced by a solid floor pan.

Anyway, my "fun money" will be going a different direction for the next few years, but who knows what the future will bring

My uncle had the same color green bug in the early 80s. I remember being 8 or 9 years old and him taking us for rides.

Sounds like a fun project to me.

Looks like a lot of work and great fun

My 1st car was a '72 Super. Upgraded the motor as things wore out or broke.

I put myself through college repairing them.

I've built more if those engines than I've had birthdays.

Well, the insanity has begun ...

Ordered a pair of dual 40mm throat carbs, new rev limiting distributor with centrifugal advance, electronic ignition, Bosch Blue coil, blue wires, blue push-rod tubes, headers and exhaust & side rails ... oh, then there's the aluminum valve covers, degree'd crank pully and chrome air cleaners ... Can't forget the bling!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kimberkid,

I grew up with everyone in the family having a bug. I remember the flame thrower/heater on the floor. You couldn't kill those things.

Interesting thread for me. I was in the VW / import repair business for over 20 years and drove a bug from 1974 to 1991. The 67 was always my favorite for looks but the 73 was my favorite year. Never was a fan of the super beetle, except for customers because I made a lot of money keeping the front end going. I built motors for dune buggies, bajas, you name it. I will see if I still have my collection of dropped valves, which you in the VW business know all about.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
I grew up with everyone in the family having a bug. I remember the flame thrower/heater on the floor. You couldn't kill those things.

I'd love to have one of those heaters ... living in Kansas, which is now under a sheet of ice and typically pretty cold in the winter it would come in handy ... well, next year anyway!

quote:

Originally posted by hberttmank:
Interesting thread for me. I was in the VW / import repair business for over 20 years and drove a bug from 1974 to 1991. The 67 was always my favorite for looks but the 73 was my favorite year. Never was a fan of the super beetle, except for customers because I made a lot of money keeping the front end going. I built motors for dune buggies, bajas, you name it. I will see if I still have my collection of dropped valves, which you in the VW business know all about.

This is just a stock 1600 as far as I know, it sat for a couple years but after a new fuel pump and coil it fired right up ... I'm not going to have any big demands on it but I've always wanted a cool looking Baja ... I just hope my exhaust fits inside my rear cage!

Parts are starting to roll in ... I've kind of taken my time shopping, I've got high hopes for the EMPI carbs, I've heard a few say they are junk but those were mostly threads from around 2010, I doubt (at least I'm hoping) they wouldn't still be making them if people were unhappy with them ... these are a gen 4, the latest and greatest and supposedly all parts interchange with the Weber 40IDF ... this motor



Will go here ...



With these upgrades ...

Pretty cool project! I bought a show room new Orange 1972 Super Beetle in Spokane,WA for $2400. Harley(AMF) Sportsters were going for $2-400 more. Fresh out of AIT at Ft.Leonardwood, the little car was economical, but a real dog on the hills. Traded it in for a '73 Datsun 240Z

I learned to drive in my mother's 1963 Beatle. The first car I ever owned was a 1966 Bus. I wish I still had both of them. I am watching this thread, but I am not sure if I should. It makes me think of going out and buying an old VW. Good Luck.

quote:

Originally posted by TRshootem:
Pretty cool project! I bought a show room new Orange 1972 Super Beetle in Spokane,WA for $2400. Harley(AMF) Sportsters were going for $2-400 more. Fresh out of AIT at Ft.Leonardwood, the little car was economical, but a real dog on the hills. Traded it in for a '73 Datsun 240Z

I (with my parents) moved to Winslow AZ in '72 and my best friend in high-school had a old bug and had cut the fenders baja style ... we had a blast in that car out in the desert! My first car was in 73, a '65 Rambler American, its only positive attribute to a kid in high-school was the seats folded down flat (only because I had a girlfriend, and I worked at the drive-in)! Then after I graduated I got a 1973 Datsun 240Z in 1976! That car got me in so much trouble ...

quote:

Originally posted by Ironworker:
I learned to drive in my mother's 1963 Beatle. The first car I ever owned was a 1966 Bus. I wish I still had both of them. I am watching this thread, but I am not sure if I should. It makes me think of going out and buying an old VW. Good Luck.

Its too bad you don't still have them ... but back then, how were we supposed to know? At one time I had 3 beetles, a 59, 60 & 63 ragtop and a 66 bus all were given to me ... I didn't have the time or money to fix them up and after a while you just move on, I don't even remember what I did with them. Had I known that the ragtop Baja itch would stick with me this long I never would have gotten rid of the first one!
Best advise I could give you is that if you do get one, look in the south-west where its dry with little to no rust ... or I hate to say California ... but yeah, they have good solid cars there too. My poor little 72 SuperBeetle ... I feel sorry for it and had contemplated new floor pans etc and make it a Street Bug ... but welding is beyond my expertise and the cost to pay someone else would be excessive ... HOWEVER for some reason I find myself getting attached to inanimate objects (cars, guns, furniture). I don't see myself getting rid of it so that sad little bug may get fixed up someday; after I retire I may learn to weld

Do they have the "bug-out" shows in your area?

Aren't the dual carb set-ups supposed to be a pain in the ass to tune? I'm interested in a retirement project myself.

I haven't seen any bug-out shows around here but I'm just getting back into Vdubs ... We do have a monthly Cruise Night with a lot of American Muscle, Rice Grinders and just guys wanting to show off their cars ... Lot of Corvetts and British cars. It runs spring through fall weather permitting. Hopefully I can find some VW specific but my hopes aren't too high. I'd love to come across at least a VW show/swap meet if it wasn't too far away, even though mine has a long way to go I'd like to take it.

Multipal carbs really aren't bad if you have a vacuume guage ... I'd really like to have an old Sun machine too, maybe down the road.
My 2nd car was a MG B with dual Strombergs, then a '73 Datusn 240Z which I replaced their dual Strombergs knock-off's which were known for vapor lock with a Weber 40DCOE 6-pack (3 duals) ... Once you get them dialed in they're pretty nice for "old-school". There's several fuel injection set ups available if you're into that but there isn't any big advantage to them IMHO, but that's me.

Since this is a gun form, and keeping this a little "gun related" I did buy a Binary Trigger for my Scorpion ... Which should arrive today!

To kimberkid, don't be offended but that is a pretty sad looking dual port 1600 you have there . I notice the generator is clocked 90 wrong, and some thing looks strange about the fast idle adjustment screw, which doesn't matter any way. Do you know how many miles are on it? I would say go ahead and rebuild it while it is out. I've been out of the business for a long time but if you have any questions I will try to answer them.

quote:

Originally posted by hberttmank:
To kimberkid, don't be offended but that is a pretty sad looking dual port 1600 you have there . I notice the generator is clocked 90 wrong, and some thing looks strange about the fast idle adjustment screw, which doesn't matter any way. Do you know how many miles are on it? I would say go ahead and rebuild it while it is out. I've been out of the business for a long time but if you have any questions I will try to answer them.

Thanks for the offer and I may take you up on it!
I'd thought of rebuilding it while it was out but decided to get the upgrades that I can move to the next engine ... Besides, pinching pennies isn't the way to build an engine. If I'd sell my 72 Corvette I'd have a bit more cash to play with but wanting to wait until spring to hopefully get a bit more for it - So, I hope to enjoy this engine one for a while.

I'm really not even sure if I'll build the next one or just order a long block, maybe just an 1800 as I don't need anything exotic It's just going to be a daily driver, there won't be any heavy demands on it anyway.

I don't have any idea how many miles on it, the odo shows 86000, but I'm not even sure how many owners it's had. It runs OK, or seems to but it's got 115-120 pounds of compression across all 4 cylinders so I decided to gamble on it ... Who knows, when I get it in the Baja I may end up regretting not rebuilding it but $600 for new 40mm valve heads, another $400 for pistons & cylinders ... Well, it all adds up.

Hey kimberkid, I understand about not having the money to spend right now. To really take advantage of those 40mm carbs you will need big valve heads ported and polished and a performance cam. Of course with more horsepower you also have more things
in the drive train to break like spider gears in the tranny and you will need an 8 dowel pin flywheel. It can be a vicious circle but hot rod bugs can be fun.

The only time I get to work on cars is if something is broken. It's jaded me a bit, but that still looks interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by hberttmank:
To kimberkid, don't be offended but that is a pretty sad looking dual port 1600 you have there . I notice the generator is clocked 90 wrong, and some thing looks strange about the fast idle adjustment screw, which doesn't matter any way.
<snip>

Today I put the EMPI distributor with centrifical advance and electronic ignition in the 1972 dual port 1600 and made sure it was working correctly.

Then pulled the engine ... While I had it out I rotated the generator clockwise 90 and noticed the ground strap screw had been pinching the acceleration pump ... Correcting that made it run much much stronger!



And then put it in my '62 Baja Ragtop


The dual carbs are standing by along with a degree'd crank pully, new wires and aluminum valve covers but I'm still waiting for my headers/exhaust to show up before installing them ... Maybe next week, I'm planning on pulling the engine to do all that and paint the tin while its out. New tin is down the road ... <heavy sigh> If I'd just win the lottery, but with my luck it seems I'm ahead by not playing!