Itinerant Air-Cooled

I am thinking about buying this, replacing all the fuel lines, tuning it up, and driving it back with me about 7 hours to Arizona. I want a type 3 badly. Am I stupid?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... ?id=450132

I have talked to the owner. The tires are new. I am going to reinstall the glass before taking off (done it before, piece of cake). I am not real familiar with the fuel injection, but I have done just about everything else that could give me trouble (on my overboard project of a bus). My wife will be driving my bus also, so we won't be travelling very fast.

Just need a bit of a check to see if I am out of my mind.

jeromeaircooled wrote:I am thinking about buying this, replacing all the fuel lines, tuning it up, and driving it back with me about 7 hours to Arizona. I want a type 3 badly. Am I stupid?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... ?id=450132

I have talked to the owner. The tires are new. I am going to reinstall the glass before taking off (done it before, piece of cake). I am not real familiar with the fuel injection, but I have done just about everything else that could give me trouble (on my overboard project of a bus). My wife will be driving my bus also, so we won't be travelling very fast.

Just need a bit of a check to see if I am out of my mind.

I am curious about the hood's position in the picture. Otherwise, if it actually runs and stops and steers, you can budget for the things you don't know about, $100.00 is hard to go wrong with. You could unload it at any time and not lose your shirt so long as there is not rust. Life is to be lived.
Colin

Probably the hood was taken off during bodywork and hasn't been properly aligned & reinstalled is all.

You're no crazier than anyone else who owns (or is considering owning) a Type 3. Hell, these are the cars that got me "into" Volkswagens.

Thanks. My wife wanted the bus. We got the bug for free, but I have always wanted a squareback. I have always had a fetish for station wagons to begin with (I've had a subaru and a honda wagon). An old cult-car station wagon is too much for me to resist.

Also, in talking to the owner he said he would sell it to me for $20. Just wants to get rid of it.

My reason for asking is the eight hour drive. Not that you guys can see the engine or anything. Just curious if anyone thought I was really stupid. I think I'll give it shot. I'll be in Santa Barbara in about three weeks. I'll post an update of how things go. If I do end up getting it we'll sell our only water cooled car and go all air cooled. Who-hoo, no more $700 bills for water pumps or master cylinders.

jeromeaircooled wrote:My reason for asking is the eight hour drive. Woo-hoo, no more $700 bills for water pumps or master cylinders.

Master cylinders? VW has one. . . . . .

If the engine runs around the block OK, is not terribly filthy, has clean oil, and some pep, does not get hot at your first interstate exit-to-exit test, go fer it. Take pictures. Have back-up vehicle with some tools.
Colin

I'll have the bus and the tool kit I always take in the VW's. Only show stopper on the road would be the F.I. According to some of the Guru's over at the Samba, it gets blamed for a lot more problems than it actually causes.

Oh and master cylinder for the VW $80 and I can install it in an hour or two. Master cylinder for the Honda Civic I used to drive (last car I replaced it in) $700 installed (or a weekend to install it myself). That as much as anything is why I love VW's.

jeromeaircooled wrote: Only show stopper on the road would be the F.I. According to some of the Guru's over at the Samba, it gets blamed for a lot more problems than it actually causes.

My squareback dropped dead in an intersection. Dead, dead, dead.
I did not panic, it is a light car to push to the curb.
Went straight to grounds, then connectors, then found loose wire at the connector just in front of the manifold pressure sensor. Not a lick o'trouble since.
Colin

then found loose wire at the connector just in front of the manifold pressure sensor.

funny how Bosch went away from the whole MAP sensor based FI. My 91 Volvo has an oddball f.i. system: Rex Regina...it has no AFM or AMM...just a MAP sensor and a couple of temp sensors (intake and head). Runs surprisingly well for such a simplified system...plus its easy to play with fuel mixture by tweaking the voltage refernce to the MAP

Of course, hopefully none of these things happen to me until after the squareback is safely home here in Jerome and I can get completely comfy with the F.I. while it's working

Ironically, my Isuzu overheated for no apparent reason (sitcky thermostat). I think it warped the heads and wouldn't start this morning. What a POS. Friggin aluminum heads.

Damn! The owner sold it before I could get there. I will have to keep looking. I really would like one of these cars, and I am particularly interested in a F.I. car. My wife has even agreed to getting one. Just have to wait until a good deal comes my way.

What kind of price range are you looking at? I can keep an ear to the ground here in the northwest, but might have to battle Martin at the DDB if a really *smokin* deal came along.

Probably the $500 to $1000 range. I figure that I have had to completely rebuild my bus and bug from the ground up I might as well do the same on the square. Makes it so I really know the car when I hit the road.

Just got a lead on a complete Orange (my preferred color) 73 square with complete F.I.!!! $500 obo in phx. The body needs to be put back together but the guy is willing to deliver it to Jerome (two hours) for the price of gas. My sources tell me that the late F.I. is the best. Supposedly V.W. got it right at the end of production. I am going to go look at it this w/e. If all goes well I guess I will be posting up questions very soon for the list. Are there any D-jet experts over here? The vibe here is soooo much better than the Samba, but there are a few guys over there that know their stuff.

jeromeaircooled wrote:Are there any D-jet experts over here? The vibe here is soooo much better than the Samba, but there are a few guys over there that know their stuff.

I know some stuff about D-jet. I also know some stuff that D-jet gets blamed for when it isn't the problem.

There's a good vibe on the vwtype3.org e-list and the guys over there know their sh*t better than most of the Samba guys do .. except Russ Wolfe who's in both places.

jeromeaircooled wrote: Are there any D-jet experts over here?

Ahem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . other than mis-attributing a wire connector over there once, I might be able to help you here.
Colin