Restoring Mama's Beetle

[dreadnut]

'67 VW jsut home from being re-painted. I inherited this car from my brother and had it towed back here from L.A. Still has the original bill of sale from the VW/Porsche dealer in Hollywood, CA and I still have the license plate frame from the dealer as well. My brother bought it from the original owner in '02, then he passed away shortly thereafter. Of course, having lived it's whole life in Southern CA the paint job was kinda chalked out but there was absolutely no rust. We will continue to store it during the Michigan winters!

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Sweet! As any VW fan knows, '67 is the year!

 

[gjmalcyon]

'67 . We will continue to store it during the Michigan winters!

Our first car was a '70 Super Beetle, brought into our marriage by my lovely bride. No car is more fun in a empty snow-packed parking lot as long as you mind the light stanchions. Jersey winters and road salt eventually rendered the car unsafe to drive: We had the rusted-out frame welded and repaired once. The second time I brought it back (after noticing the door-to-roof gap changing as motored down the road), our VW specialist mournfully told us there wasn't enough left to even weld.

Miss that car, I do.

 

[dapmdave]

Oh, yeah! My first car was a '66. Lot of memories in that little red Vee-Dubb.

Dave

 

[adorshki]

'67 VW jsut home from being re-painted. Still has the original bill of sale from the VW/Porsche dealer in Hollywood, CA and I still have the license plate frame from the dealer as well. My brother bought it from the original owner in '02, then he passed away shortly thereafter. Of course, having lived it's whole life in Southern CA the paint job was kinda chalked out but there was absolutely no rust.

Nuthin' I like in cars better'n seein' something more than 10 years old look like it did when it first rolled out of the dealership, with just a little bit of honest patina.
Awesome coolness factor.
And when they're that old it's just off the scale.

 

[dreadnut]

Yeah, this was the first year of 12 volts. Before that they were all 6 volts. (Watched a couple buddies in the high school parking lot jump starting one of their dads' VW's and the wiring in the VW started to smoke...not good, they got the jumpers off in a big hurry.) Anyway no one ever jump-started these - you'd just give 'em a little push and pop the clutch!

Back-up lights must have been an after thought on this one, there are chrome backup lamps bolted to the rear bumper with free wiring running to them. It does have lap belts too. Total price new with a couple extra options, $2,080.00, she kept it for 45 years and sold it to my bro for $1,000.00, it only cost me $400.00, that's what I paid to have it trucked here from Hollywood. Then I gave it to mama; good move, that. Yeah, I believe that was right after I bought my DV-52... :^)

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Here's a photo of my '73;

It had a 1835cc engine with a Weber carb, '69 front turn signals, Porsche 914 Alloy wheels, fresh air hood scoop, a half roll cage and a filled in back seat. I sold it to a friend of mine and he's still driving it!

Before this one I had a '69 that rusted away!

 

[davismanLV]

My dad had a '66 that he bought new. '67 must've been the first year with the straight up and down headlights. I remember he paid just under $2K for that car. Like $1998 or something. He drove it for 260,000 miles and then sold it for more than he paid for it. That was a great little car.... if a bit underpowered. This is a fun thread......

 

[killdeer43]

I had a '63, which I've shown here before, and I'd love to have it back....sort of like a few guitars I've owned.
That sweetheart was a cross-country trekker and just the best little ride with the slightly-oversized tires it had.
Great memories from snowstorms in New Mexico to elk encounters in Alberta.

Joe

 

[Bikerdoc]

My first new car after I got back from Nam was a '68 Bug (Empi GT) with a wood grain steering wheel and wood interior accessories like glove box, nob shifter, etc. I abused it but it was a great car. Still wish I had it today. BTW, they really didn't float back then. LOL
Also, had a '74 automatic....not a bad car either.

Your VW looks great!!! And, you'll be surprised how the body handles the Michigan winters; better than most American made cars.

Peace

 

[dreadnut]

Yeah, doc, they're great on snow but this one isn't going to be seeing any of that!

I learned to drive in a '62 Corvair Monza, that car was great on snow too, flathead six motor over the rear drive wheels. Like a VW it wouldn't plow through snowdrifts, it would go up and over them.

 

[Bikerdoc]

Yeah, doc, they're great on snow but this one isn't going to be seeing any of that!

I learned to drive in a '62 Corvair Monza, that car was great on snow too, flathead six motor over the rear drive wheels. Like a VW it wouldn't plow through snowdrifts, it would go up and over them.

The army missile site on Selfridge AFB outside of Mt Clemens was in a small corner of the base behind the golf course. Use to fly down that road in the snow and pull up on the parking brake lever coming into a curve at the golf course parking lot. Great fun that was until I slid right into the water hazard and through the ice. Didn't hurt anything but the floor remained covered with ice the rest of the winter; except for about 6" next the heater vents. Put some carpet squares on the floor to keep my feet warm. There were a lot more memories associated with that little bug that's for sure.

Peace

 

[killdeer43]

Your VW looks great!!! And, you'll be surprised how the body handles the Michigan winters; better than most American made cars.

Mine was great in snow! It seemed to come alive with all that traction on the rear end. Drove almost 50 miles through a whiteout in northern New Mexico and it just purred the whole time.

Joe

 

[gjmalcyon]

My recollection was we could run our '70 Super Beetle through snow with no problems until it got so deep that it packed underneath and lifted the whole damn car off the ground. Once you got them going sideways, you could throttle-steer them with impunity. Nothing ticked off the Power Wagon Sno Commander guys more than having to share the road with a Beetle going like a bat out of hell.

 

[jthrel]

So, its VW from our history!

My 1966 (6-volt) VW Beetle fresh from a paint job (photo taken in 1976). My eldest daughter was a year old at the time:

And who could forget the intrepid 1976 VW Camper outfitted for a vacation trip from Kentucky to Arizona in June of 1987:

Al

 

[6L6]

Congrats on your resto of a GREAT car! As noted above, '67 is the best year of all and always commands the most money from collectors. You got a 12Volt electrical system, 50+bhp, and a car that was still built in Germany. I'd LOVE to have a nice '67!

I was in college at the Univ. of Colorado in Boulder from '64 thru '68. My drive was a '61 VW Beetle and it never let me down. I bought it used for $700 in 1965 (35,000 miles on it) and sold it in '68 for $795 (80,000 miles). Here's a pic of me and my car taken at Vail, CO in December, 1965:

Behind the car you can see a wall of frozen water with some spray coming up. They had a nozzle that they fired up into the air every winter and let it run and freeze. By the end of the ski season that wall of frozen water was HUGE! All gone now, though.

I would LOVE to have that car back and fully restore it. I'd drive it every day!

I eventually added an EMPI extractor exhaust system, Chevy 2 barrel carb with special intake manifold, and EMPI anti sway bars, front & rear. It would corner like water through a hose!

And, from the JC Whitney catalog I bought brackets for both front seats that would let you fold them down flat. On ski trips I'd remove the back seat backrest, throw in my sleeping bag, and that was my hotel for ski trips! At Vail I would park in the lot of the Vail Lodge and use their restroom to shave and clean up.

BTW, that's a $19.95 Earl Schieb red paint job. Not bad and it actually held up very well!