My brain has been spinning around with pretty severe AADD lately, and today the wheel stopped on Type 3 VWs. I like the look, and while I haven't owned an ACVW before I grew up riding around in my parents' Type 4s - a 411 and then a 412 (Type 4s seem incredibly rare, so I'm not going down that road). Aside from the obvious (rust), what do I need to know about these cars? Are these worth pursuing, or do I just spin again and hope for something better to come up?
The joke is that "411" wasn't the model name, it was how many VW were able to sell...
Funny how much it looked like the Passat that replaced it.
I had a type 3 squareback and I loved it. Rust doomed it. The strut towers were bad and the floor wasn’t much better. If I had it again I would fix it they’re so cool. They drive pretty well too.
My understanding is that rust is worse on the facelift 70+ cars; I guess there were some new moisture traps added when they changed the body. I'm sure they all rust far too easily in any case.
There's a fastback not too far away that I'm thinking about calling on. Looks fairly solid, but there are two issues: it's not running, and it's an automatic. Does the hive have anything to say about just how horrid a slushbox in one of these might be? I'm assuming it's D-Jet rather than carbs based on the year - I've got the Bosch FI manual, but any thoughts on what to expect from this very early EFI setup?
The type 3 used a full automatic which worked very well stock , no idea what happens if you put 150hp to it.
1968 started the Fuel injection in the USA , same type as a 914 had , most of the problems were bad grounds and fuel hose that got hard from the heat , cracked , and shot fuel all over the motor , 914s did the same and also caught on fire ,
Change the fuel hoses !
Very simple FI system compared to todays models. From what I understand, software parameters are set in stone. Any modifications made the engine run lean. But I have to admit, I have wondered how well you could make one of these run with Mega Squirt.
In reply to dculberson :
Strut towers ?
californiamilleghia said:The type 3 used a full automatic which worked very well stock , no idea what happens if you put 150hp to it.
1968 started the Fuel injection in the USA , same type as a 914 had , most of the problems were bad grounds and fuel hose that got hard from the heat , cracked , and shot fuel all over the motor , 914s did the same and also caught on fire ,
Change the fuel hoses !
My parents had a 1971 fastback when I was about 13 and we lived in Australia. First car I ever drove, I think. And yeah, it popped a fuel hose once but failed to burn to the ground. Very memorable.
So I'm not hearing anything that says run away (but then I can't recall the last time this group didn't wholeheartedly endorse someone else's ill-conceived potential project, so...), but I just called and it looks like somebody else got there before me, so it's not likely to happen.
I would have no plans to modify this car (if I get it) other than possibly very slight lowering, and maybe not even that. I'm just trying to get a sense of whether it's something that will be interesting enough to keep me motivated long enough to get it sorted (and obviously how difficult that sorting process might be, hence this thread). Part of me wants (or perhaps needs) a project, but I not sure how long that part can remain dominant, so the quicker I can fix it the better.
iceracer said:In reply to dculberson :
Strut towers ?
Shock towers? Whatever the top of the shock absorber mounts to, I could put my hands in there from the frunk. (bonnet? front boot?)
I've had a couple, they are really neat cars. The engine is basically a beetle engine so hot rod parts are available and inexpensive. It seems like most of the later cars I see have a center mount 2 barrel carb that doesn't fit under the engine cover. Both of mine came with that set up.
02Pilot said:So I'm not hearing anything that says run away (but then I can't recall the last time this group didn't wholeheartedly endorse someone else's ill-conceived potential project, so...)
Look for the 3000GT VR4 thread. It was several pages of near-unanimous "RUN AWAY!!!" peppered with anecdotes, trivia, and tales of heartache.
dculberson said:iceracer said:In reply to dculberson :
Strut towers ?
Shock towers? Whatever the top of the shock absorber mounts to, I could put my hands in there from the frunk. (bonnet? front boot?)
I am no expert on these, but I think he is trying to say these cars dont have strut towers as the shock attaches to the front beam. Like on a beetle.
Maybe the inner fenders rust?
No struts. So no strut towers.
But they do have inner fender wells. That rust. lol
Still called shock towers. They rust out but replacements or full replacement beams are available for not too much or if you're handy then fabbing replacements or reinforcements shouldn't be too tough.
As far as I know there are not stock Type 3 replacement front beams ,
They are not the same as bug / ghia.
At least out here there are still junkyards that have them....
02Pilot said:There's a fastback not too far away that I'm thinking about calling on. Looks fairly solid, but there are two issues: it's not running, and it's an automatic. Does the hive have anything to say about just how horrid a slushbox in one of these might be? I'm assuming it's D-Jet rather than carbs based on the year - I've got the Bosch FI manual, but any thoughts on what to expect from this very early EFI setup?
I've had a '69 Fastback and '70 Squareback, both automatics. The D-Jet and automatic make for a great daily driver. I drove the '70 daily for a couple years, took it on a few roadtrips also. The '69 I built a mild 1776cc for, and it ran good with the D-jet. The D-jet is pretty simple to work on, but if someone was in there that was clueless about fuel injection it might be a little bit more difficult diagnose and try to put things back to where they should be.
Knurled. said:02Pilot said:So I'm not hearing anything that says run away (but then I can't recall the last time this group didn't wholeheartedly endorse someone else's ill-conceived potential project, so...)
Look for the 3000GT VR4 thread. It was several pages of near-unanimous "RUN AWAY!!!" peppered with anecdotes, trivia, and tales of heartache.
Do it. They look sweet and parts are not crazy. I'm a bit biased towards air cooled german stuff though.
barefootskater said:Do it. They look sweet and parts are not crazy. I'm a bit biased towards air cooled german stuff though.
I wish I could, but as noted above, someone beat me to it.
I once had a chance to buy a type 3 sedan, but passed as I was not aware of what it was at the time. I kick myself for that.
D-jet is not bad.. K-jet can be problematic. I would think that Megasquirt would help both systems immensely.
I always liked the shark nose on the 412.
Megasquirt would be easy to D-jet, but not at all to a K-jet conversion, as the K injectors have no electricity, and different seal sizes . D-jet uses its own dedicated points to make a signal. They seem to last forever.
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