The Bugshop FAQ pt4

www.geocities.com/MotorCity/4000/bsfqbyng.htm

Part 4 of many of Bug Shop's guide to buying a Beetle (many of its parts apply to any aircooled, or indeed any car), is reproduced by kind permission of the author, John S. Henry of the Bugshop USA.

Vintage Considerations

Ok, you're in MY camp now. Completeness and correctness counts, but to what extent really depends on what you want to do with the car. We should have passed the "solid" tests above and/or be prepared to deal with whatever shortcomings that were found. Look "past" dirty things, but make note of things dented, destroyed or missing. Definitely look for the collision damage above.

the 1949 standard (non export) Beetle

Below I have attempted to list the "very hard to find" parts and the years that they were used on. This is because I don't want someone to pass up a solid vintage candidate because the glove box door is missing- they are the same on a wide variety of years and are plentiful in the junkyards. On the other hand, I wouldn't want someone to pay top dollar for a '67 with a bashed-in decklid and missing door handle thinking, "I'll just stop at the junkyard on the way home and pick up these things", it ain't likely to happen. See? So this list (built with a little help from readers of rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled) is not complete. But these are the "Oh wow, where did you find one of THOSE" parts, and I tried to list them in approximate order of scarcity:

'51 and earlier:

you better know what you are looking at

'53 and earlier:

the 1953 Beetle - oval rear window replaces the split screen

þ Semaphores (complete? working?)

þ Taillights ('52-'53 and earlier "hearts")

þ "W" Decklid with triangle spring mount plate (if you are really picky)

þ Correct steering wheel

þ Correct and complete 30 or 36hp engine

'57 and earliers:

þ "W" decklid (easily confused with the '58 and later lid)

pre 57 indicators

þ "Bullet" turn signals (on front fenders, '55 through '57) see opposite

þ Oval dash speaker grille ('53-'57, although I think Koch has a nice repro now)

þ Oval dash grille w/clock (an option)

þ Correct steering wheel

þ Correct and complete 36hp engine

þ Single tip muffler ('54)

'67 and earliers:

þ '67 decklid

þ '67 rear apron

þ '67 Door handles

þ 36 hp heater boxes ('61 and earlier)

This is not a complete list, just what pops into my head right now as the very first things I would look for. In the really early Beetles, there are lots of rare and hard to find parts. As a general rule, the older something is, the harder it is to find. In the 60s and newer Beetles, only the '67 stuff seems to be an exception. Once you go back to the very early 60s and into the 50s, stuff like correct interior parts, seats, some door hardware can be pretty tough to find.

Documentation on the car can be very valuable too. Original owners manuals, invoices, window stickers as well as maintenance records of any kind will add to the value.

Mechanical Stuff- Vintage considerations

You might think that "vintage" and "mechanical" are two words that don't really go together. Well in the case of the Beetle, they really do. Going on the assumption that you are somewhat (if not very ) interested in the vintage aspects of a pending purchase, let me offer what I think are some special mechanical considerations.

Mechanical Stuff- Vintage considerations, Engine

In "The Years" article I "classed" the engines used in the Beetle, back to 1949. There was an earlier still engine that was never appeared in a U.S. Market car, and that was the 25HP engine. There are many folks who know these engine aspects much better than me, so I will only offer what I am sure about. Basically, the "correct" engine for a vintage car increases its value. As you may well guess, it is easy to pop a 1971 dual port engine into a '63, maybe for driveability reasons, and this is done often.

The 1600 engine ('70 and up in US models), in all of its forms, is really the "bread and butter" engine of the Beetle crowd. You will likely find it in many bugs that originally came with a different (and smaller) engine.

The 1500 ('67-'69) was actually only offered in U.S. markets for 3 years, 1967-69, and isn't easily distinguishable from the 1600. It has single port heads and comes within 3HP of the later 1600 and many enthusiast feel it was the "best" and most reliable engine.

The 1200, 40HP engine ('61-'66) has some special attributes of its own and, I would say, having correct vintage 40 horse in your '61 - '66 bug is an important vintage consideration.

Now going back one further, we had the 36HP motor ('54-'60, was still 1200cc's though). This engine has some unique (and hard to find) internals. An original 36HP engine is a real perk, but rebuilding a tired one might be a little difficult and expensive. Parts for these engines are available but expect to have some difficulty finding them and to pay 2-3 times more for the same part as in a newer vintage engine. So keep that in mind. A quick way to spot a 36hp engine is that the generator stand is part of the right engine case half and is not a separate unboltable casting like it is on the later versions.

I really won't get into the older engines because I really believe if you are going there, you better know what you are looking at BEFORE you read this. Summary: old and correct is valuable.

Mechanical Stuff- Vintage considerations, Other stuff

As I said many times earlier, when it comes to vintage, correct and complete is everything. Mechanically speaking, the things listed below are things that I would "OOooohh!!" if I saw in a "for sale" car:

þ Perfect doors in a pre-'66 bug. Close perfect, original panels good and not warped out at the bottom, window cranks tight and smooth. Not a hint of rust anywhere. To me, the doors are sort of the "odometer" of abuse; pristine doors means the car must have been taken car of.

þ A complete (I mean everything) interior that just needed a good cleaning. See filth can be good. It will turn a lot of people away, but if you can see past it and have some good cleaning products, you can do well. Seat and interior panel upholstery, headliner, dash, even carpet that is "cleanable" but otherwise complete and damage free is nice.

þ A truly "original" Beetle. This means NOTHING missing, NOTHING modified. Original paint, interior, maybe some dealer options and an owners manual. Wow.

þ Perfect or almost perfect mechanicals. I said how I tend to overlook certain aspects of wear and wobble because I can fix them in my sleep. But especially in a pre '68, if everything is tight, working and smooth, it IS a real plus. A sweet sounding, barely dripping engine; smooth tranny with no grinds; tight wobble and wander free front end, smooth clutch. You usually find these from the real "caring" owners" or somebody who has just spent big bucks in this area.

þ A solid, complete 36hp engine. These are going the way of the dinosaur. It has always been just too easy to pop a 40 horse or 1600 in there (years ago, when we were all less savvy). At a glance, identify this engine by a generator stand that is not "unboltable" from the top of the case, in the 36hp it is all one piece with the case.

continued next month