Itinerant Air-Cooled

Hello everyone,

Wow, I've never been in this forum before. I usually hang out in the Type 2 forum.

What new and wondrous things will I find?

To the point: So I've got my girl friend hooked on air cooled VWs. She loves helping me work on my bus, but I thought we would find her a project car. We both really like the square backs. We aren't ready to buy just yet, but I'd like to start doing some research now. So what can the experts tell me about the best year to buy? Any trouble spots I should look for when I'm buying that are specific to square backs? Are there any Ratwell type sites for square backs?

The Type 3 forum on the Samba is a good place to start.

www.type3.org

Die Dritte Baureihe (The DDB): http://www.theddb.com/new/

Type 3 Detectives: http://www.typethreedetectives.com/

Type 3 Registry: http://www.type3registry.com/

The 1500 Club (I just became a member): http://www.the1500club.com/

The Type 3 Selecta: http://beta.truegarage.com/t3d/selecta.asp

Enjoy!

What's the best year? The earlier, the better!

MeyerII wrote:What's the best year? The earlier, the better!

Why?

First, my credentials. Since that post I have acquired a '71 Squareback as well.

Next we should realize that there are perhaps three ways to divvy up Type IIIs into early and late. There's the styling change that divides at 69/70 where the nose gets sharper (trunk space increases too) and the blinkers get bigger. On this score, some would say the earlies have it, and I'm in no position to disagree.

Then there's the change at 67/68 which separates (dual) carburated from fuel injected. You knew that Type IIIs were the first mass-production cars to get electronic fuel injection, right? Prevailing wisdom is that fuel injection is about the best way to aspirate the four-stroke internal combustion engine. I've also heard tell that Bosch D-Jet fuel injection has never really been seriously improved upon.

Lastly the swing axle rear end was replaced by IRS for the 1969 model year. A little Ralph Nader imp always sat on my shoulder, whispering hateful words in my ear when I drove my '67, so I was careful and never had any trouble. But, maybe it colored my opinion that my lates were better drivers.

So if looks are important to you but you also want the (alleged) safety of IRS and the (non-alleged) awesomeness of fuel injection, 1969 is your only choice.

Keep in mind that early-specific parts are generally a little harder to find and/or more expensive.

whc03grady wrote:First, my credentials. Since that post I have acquired a '71 Squareback as well.

Next we should realize that there are perhaps three ways to divvy up Type IIIs into early and late. There's the styling change that divides at 69/70 where the nose gets sharper (trunk space increases too) and the blinkers get bigger. On this score, some would say the earlies have it, and I'm in no position to disagree.

Then there's the change at 67/68 which separates (dual) carburated from fuel injected. You knew that Type IIIs were the first mass-production cars to get electronic fuel injection, right? Prevailing wisdom is that fuel injection is about the best way to aspirate the four-stroke internal combustion engine. I've also heard tell that Bosch D-Jet fuel injection has never really been seriously improved upon.

Lastly the swing axle rear end was replaced by IRS for the 1969 model year. A little Ralph Nader imp always sat on my shoulder, whispering hateful words in my ear when I drove my '67, so I was careful and never had any trouble. But, maybe it colored my opinion that my lates were better drivers.

So if looks are important to you but you also want the (alleged) safety of IRS and the (non-alleged) awesomeness of fuel injection, 1969 is your only choice.

Keep in mind that early-specific parts are generally a little harder to find and/or more expensive.

Great info. Thanks for your wisdom and experience. I did want a fuel injected year, but I so also like the older body style. Trying to save funds now, but it doesn't look like I'll make a purchase until next fall. When I do, you guys will be the first to know.

Did I say that I love my 73 SB? Just sayin...

One advantage of the 73 year, now that I have the correct ECU, is that the ECU has a knob on it to allow air/fuel adjustments. No other year has this option...

The DDB's site seems to have been taken down. Anybody have any info?

Cheers,

Duke

Huh... Not sure what is up with that

Shop phone for DDB is 503-249-5256...

I'll hafta PM aircoolednut or call Martin and see whats up with the website .. or if they even know it's offline.