'66 VW 1300

So a guy at work has a '66 Bug with a 1300 motor in it that he is looking to unload. My dad and I had always talked about doing a Bug project when I was growing up mostly doing a Baja type rig and with his recent passing I found all the books he had collected over the years to get ideas for the project. Even in his diminished mental state those books were still sitting on his shelf while hundreds of others were packed away in boxes. Finding these kind of make me want to bring those old ideas back up and make them a reality. Thing is I know the '66 is a bit of an odd duck and more collectable in its stock form than say a '69 on Bug.

The guy wants only a couple hundred for the bug and it is in rust free unrestored condition. It had been owned by a family out here since new then sat for 20 some odd years with I believe 60k on the clock. Body is straight except for a dent in the door from a cow resting its butt on it. Looks like an easy pop out.

So if you had said Bug fall in your lap what would you do with it? Restore? Baja it anyway? Or some other setup other than leaving it stock?

Clean it up and drive it? They say they are great in the snow, except for a marginal heater. Of course, if you want a baja, do it. Or, if you can clean it up and sell it for enough to finance a baja on a 69-up, that's an option too. Fixing up that 66 will give you experience on the vehicle type.

If it is all there and in decent shape, I wouldn't cut it up to make a baja. Personally, I would keep it mostly stock. Maybe a larger engine, and definitely convert it to 12 volt, but not much else. They are actually going up in value quite a bit.

Yeah, please don't cut it up. There are plenty of people who will buy it for enough money to put you in a nice baja or trade you a nice baja outright.

Get it put it up for sale on thesamba.com Share pics here and we can help you with a price determination.

Dr. Hess wrote: marginal heater

Bwah ha ha ha!!!

Marginal??

But they are good in the snow. I just always found it a little hard to shift with a blanket wrapped around my legs, and ice on my hootus.

Clean it up and drive it. Restore it when you can, or pass it on to someone who will.

I think the 66's have 66 only parts.

It may be worth keeping it on one piece.

chili_head wrote: I think the 66's have 66 only parts. It may be worth keeping it on one piece.

Nope, its the 67 with all the weird 1 year only parts. 66 shares with its predecessors.

Yeah Baja bugs can be had fairly easily, but "as driven" 1966 bugs are getting scarce. Get it running and see what you can get in trade?

JThw8 wrote:

chili_head wrote: I think the 66's have 66 only parts. It may be worth keeping it on one piece.

Nope, its the 67 with all the weird 1 year only parts. 66 shares with its predecessors.

^This. It's been a long time since I've messed with bugs but I think the only thing that's really different in 1966 is that they got defroster ducts at the base of the windshield.

The 67s have early style bumpers and tail lights, with sealed beam headlights. I never really liked them.

68s are oddballs too. Manuals had the old style swing axles with Z link rear swaybar.. while the automatic Stickshift cars got the full IRS

LopRacer wrote: Yeah Baja bugs can be had fairly easily, but "as driven" 1966 bugs are getting scarce. Get it running and see what you can get in trade?

This is kinda what I was thinking. I seem to remember hearing that the 66 was quick for a bug because of the engine and gearing. Any truth to that? I am going to talk to the guy this week see what we might work out.

mad_machine wrote: 68s are oddballs too. Manuals had the old style swing axles with Z link rear swaybar.. while the automatic Stickshift cars got the full IRS

Oddball yes, but the parts swap with other cars. The 67 has quite a few 67 only parts that make it difficult to restore.

'66 was the one-year-only 1300 motor and the last year for 6V electrics. For whatever its worth, the '67 is considered by many to be the high water mark in the evolution of the Beetle. First year for 12V, two speed wipers, 1500cc motor - last year for metal dash, bumper overriders, wide-5 bolt pattern.

The hateful auto-stick came along in '68 along with headrests, ugly bumpers, a fuel door and a rubber dash. Swing axles stuck around until '69 on cars with three pedals.

Here's how I see it. Cut it up.

You are not getting this to preserve the car, you are getting it to preserve your memory of your dad, who wanted to make a cool VW project.

Make the car you and your dad wanted to make.

Besides, how much of the Baja mods are just bolt on? Which means they are just as easy to bolt back off again.

Yes, Bugs are getting valuable and rare, but your opening paragraph was about your DAD's interest in modifying the car, not your interest in VW. Seems to me more about a cool project than preservation.

he said they wanted to do a bug project, not necessarily this bug, I go along with getting it running decent and sell it off to find a more desirable donor. Keep it as original as possible, don't do any upgrades, keep it 6V, originality is what it has going for it. with the bank you can make on this you should be able to find a donor, 12V, dual master,etc and get all the parts you want to do a Baja bug....

Supercoupe wrote: he said they wanted to do a bug project, not necessarily this bug, I go along with getting it running decent and sell it off to find a more desirable donor. Keep it as original as possible, don't do any upgrades, keep it 6V, originality is what it has going for it. with the bank you can make on this you should be able to find a donor, 12V, dual master,etc and get all the parts you want to do a Baja bug....

So what bug should it be??

This one is baiscally free. Why get another one? It, too, should be pretty solid....

Get it running and rinsed off, new tires, go through the brakes, maybe drive it a while, list on The Samba and get more than enough money to build a nice baja from a 70s bug that still isn't worth much.

Proper working heater boxes, no rust holes and adjusted right along with non rusted out heater channels, the heat can be called adequate. Biggest problem is that the engine cooling fan also supplies the heated air. Low rpms, low heat.

Been there, done that.

One quick note. If you decide to clean and flip (and flip on the Samba) DON'T touch the paint if it's all original. Those guys are maniacs about the "patina" look and saving as much as the original paint as possible. A car showing some original paint vs. one that's been prepped or repainted will probably be worth more.

-Rob

I'd do what I have.

Subaru 2.2L swap.

In reply to JohnInKansas:

OK now if I find a Baja with no engine that will be on the list of engines to go in

JohnInKansas wrote: I'd do what I have. Subaru 2.2L swap.

a fenderless beetle with big tires is number 357 on my list of things that i need in my life

You can do the swap and keep the fenders. That was just the direction the slippery slope slid me.

OK well I talked to him a bit more. At this point things are up in the air as apparently his girlfriend got tired of the car sitting in their drive way and promised it to her uncle. If that falls through I have dibs on it. Talking to him a bit more there is some rust that he has found that the original owner at our company seems to have ignored. If that is the case I may end up just Bajaing the thing anyway. It does run which is a plus and will make the wife happy if I drag it home.

On a side note there is a '53 Willy's Jeep up the road from me for sale as well. They are asking $2500 on that.