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1972 Volkswagen Classic Super Beetle Convertible, Fresh Restoration - No Reserve on 2040-cars

Year:1972 Mileage:32529
Location:

Burlington, Illinois, United States

Burlington, Illinois, United States
Advertising:

LISTED WITH NO RESERVE.  1972 Classic Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible, nice looking car, very well maintained.

Much has been updated and upgraded on this car, to include:

  • New convertible top and roof liner, installed 11/11/2013
  • New heater components consisting of
  • New heat exchangers (heater boxes)
  • New ducting in front to improve defrost functionality
  • Installation of two heater blowers inline with the heater boxes, which are surrounding the exhaust manifolds - these blowers
  •  were purchased from a dealer who represented spare parts off of NASCAR
  • racing cars, and these units were originally designed as blowers in the engine
  •  compartments of large yachts to ventilate any fuel fumes, but were later re-
  • designed by Roush Racing to cool their NASCAR brake systems.  These blowers
  • have 'RK 191' written on them, indicating one of Roush Team race cars, but I can't determine
  •  which one, maybe somebody else with Roush Racing team info can determine this.
  • New exhaust system
  • New engine dress up components to include fan shroud, engine tin and other misc. parts
  • Recent low profile directional tires, giving the car a low slung modern look (for a 41 year old car)
  • New carpeting and floor mats, both inside the car and forward trunk areas
  • New seat belts
  • New correct spare tire and rim, fully inflated, lug wrench
All mechanical components have been checked for reliability, including all brakes, CV joints, engine, transmission and clutch, electrical system.
Too many other minor parts and components have been replaced to mention without leaving something out, please ask if you have questions.

NOTE: there are several systems that were engineered by the German VW teams back in the 1940's through 1972 when this car came off of the assembly line, and some of them were just plain lousy engineering, and I replaced them, namely the windshield washer system and the heater system.  Both were just barely functional even when brand new, and in my opinion unacceptable.  

Heater system: in line with the heat exchangers but before the flapper valve running into the passenger compartment, I have installed two 12 volt electric blower fans, than when engaged blow perhaps as much as a 500% increase in air flow than the original German system.  So much heated air is generated by these fans (formerly installed on NASCAR race vehicles), that I had to install a rheostat to control the fan speed so that the interior compartment does not get too hot (nobody ever said that about a convertible VW Beetle before).  This unit, when the levers are set to defrost, generate a healthy heated air flow to the windshield ducts, and the system works as it should have been designed 50 years ago, but wasn't.  Because the car is air cooled, no water is used in the heating system, and accordingly the heat exchangers start putting out heat after only about 30 seconds after the car has been started from a stone cold engine left over night in a cold garage, and once just a minimum amount of heat is available, the NASCAR heater pumps force warm air into the drivers compartment almost immediately.  Any other car takes several minutes to warm the coolant that provides heat to the interior of any standard car, but this VW has heat right away, regardless of how cold it is outside.  

Windshield washer system: the original German system on these cars had the spare tire providing pressure to the washer fluid reservoir, and then plumbed up to the windshield wiper control inside the car, then on to the windshield washer nozzle on the hood.  Each and every step along the way, leaks could occur through normal wear and aging of the rubber components, and failure anywhere along the line would depressurize the tank along with the spare tire.  Any failure anywhere in the system would ensure not only no pressure to the windshield washer, but also ensure a flat spare tire.  Terrible engineering, in my opinion.  I removed all of this, and simply installed an electric washer pump designed for a 1981 Toyota Camry at the bottom of the washer reservoir, and wired a control button to below the dashboard, where failure of this system is extremely low: no chance of losing your spare tire air, and virtually no chance of losing pressure to the windshield washer nozzle on the hood.  

The condition of the car is very good, but the car is 41 years old, after all.  Relatively rust free Colorado car now in Illinois, but there are some minor areas with surface rust but nothing structurally significant.  The older paint job on the car still shines nicely, but there are many areas that had touch up paint applied, and some cracks and checking are apparent on the hood and elsewhere, but it does not really affect the generally nice appearance of the car.  


PayPal deposit of $500 required within 48 hours of eBay purchase, balance due within 7 days of purchase date via certified funds.  Shipping at buyer's expense, but seller can provide shipping quote and assist loading.  Car will be released for shipping only after all funds have cleared sellers' bank, perhaps 7 to 10 business days.   If it appears that the initial successful buyer does not intend to live up to the terms of this posting for any reason whatsoever, seller reserves the right to cancel the transaction and relist the car at any point after the listing has ended, and block the recalcitrant buyer going forward.  
  

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Z & J Auto Sales ★★★★★

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Auto blog

Which will Dieselgate hurt more, Volkswagen or US diesels?

Tue, Sep 22 2015

The most damning response to the news Volkswagen skirted emissions regulations for its diesel models may have actually come from the Los Angeles Times. On Saturday, the Times published an editorial titled "Did Volkswagen cheat?" The answer was undoubtedly yes. When you can't drive down Santa Monica Boulevard without seeing an average of one VW TDI per block, the following words are pretty striking: "... Americans should be outraged at the company's cynical and deliberate efforts to violate one of this country's most important environmental laws." VW has successfully cultivated a strong, environmentally conscious reputation for its TDI Clean Diesel technology, especially in states where emissions are strictly controlled. A statement like that is like blood all over the opinion section of the Sunday paper. The effect on VW's business, even Germany's financial health, was already felt Monday when the company's shares plummeted 23 percent in morning trading. The statement on Sunday from VW CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn says "trust" three times. That probably wasn't enough in nine sentences. Writers over the weekend have compared VW's crisis to one at General Motors 30 years ago, when it was the largest seller of diesel-powered passenger cars until warranty claims over an inadequate design and ill-informed technicians effectively pulled the plug on the technology at GM. In a sense, VW is in the same boat as GM because it has fired a huge blow into its own reputation and that of diesels in passenger cars. And just as automakers like Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and, ironically, GM, were getting comfortable with it again in the US. VW of America was already knee-deep in its other problems this year. Its core Jetta and Passat models are aging and it needs to wait more than a year for competitive SUVs that American buyers want. The TDIs were the only continuous bright spot in the line and on the sales charts. Even as fuel prices fell and buyers shunned hybrids, VW managed to succeed with diesels and show that Americans actually care about and accept the technology again. Fervent TDI supporters might actually lobby for that maximum $18 billion fine to VW. I've personally convinced a number of people to look at a TDI instead of a hybrid. Perhaps not so much for stop-and-go traffic, but I know buyers who liked the idea that a TDI drove like a normal car and wasn't packed with batteries.

Volkswagen Golf Variant Concept R-Line puts the sport in SportWagen

Wed, 06 Mar 2013

With the introduction of the newest Volkswagen Golf Variant, we get an early look at what will most likely be the next-generation Jetta SportWagen here in the US. To further wet our appetities, VW is now teasing something a little sportier with the Concept R-Line. Looking the part of a GTI wagon (or a stretched Golf R), the Golf Variant Concept R-Line has a production-ready appearance that has us hoping we'll see this sporty wagon sooner rather than later.
The R-Line starts off with a new fascia that isn't quite as aggressive as the recently introduced GTI, but it gives the new styling some extra punch. Below the fascia is a lower splitter that visually carries back into the rocker panel extensions, and the rear of the car gets some bright exhaust tips and a rear diffuser. The Lapis Blue Metallic paint job probably does enough on its own to add a sporty flair to the Golf wagon, and it's all finished off with 18-inch split-spoke wheels. Inside, the Concept R-Line shows off sport seats wrapped in carbon leather featuring blue nappa inserts in the middle.
Rightfully so, VW brought the Concept R-Line to Geneva with its TDI and 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. A sporty, all-wheel-drive diesel wagon? Yes, please. Scroll down for the full press blast with all the details.

The super-sized Atlas isn't the three-row VW should build

Fri, Dec 2 2016

In the late '50s and early '60s the Volkswagen Beetle wasn't ubiquitous in my hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, but it came pretty damn close. Fords and Chevys dominated, but beyond the occasional MG, Triumph, or Renault the import scene was essentially a VW scene. When my folks finally pulled the trigger on a second car they bought a Beetle, and that shopping process was my first exposure to a Volkswagen showroom. For our family VW love wasn't a cult, but our '66 model spoke – as did all Volkswagens and most imports at the time – of a return to common sense in your transportation choice. As VW's own marketing so wonderfully communicated, you didn't need big fins or annual model changes to go grab that carton of milk. Or, for that matter, to grab a week's worth of family holiday. In the wretched excess that was most of Motown at the time, the Beetle, Combi, Squareback, and even Karmann Ghia spoke to a minimal – but never plain – take on transportation as personal expression. Fifty years after that initial Beetle exposure, and as a fan of imports for what I believe to be all of the right reasons, the introduction of Volkswagen's Atlas to the world market is akin to a sociological gut punch. How is it that a brand whose modus operandi was to be the anti-Detroit could find itself warmly embracing Detroit and the excess it has historically embodied? Don't tell me it's because VW's Americanization of the Passat is going so well. To be fair, the domestic do-over of import brands didn't begin with the new Atlas crossover. Imports have been growing fat almost as long as Americans have, and it's a global trend. An early 911 is a veritable wisp when compared to its current counterpart, which constitutes – coincidentally – a 50-year gestation. In comparing today's BMW 3 Series to its' '77 predecessor, I see a 5 Series footprint. And how did four adults go to lunch in the early 3 Series? It is so much smaller than what we've become accustomed to today; the current 2 Series is more substantial. My empty-nester-view of three-row crossovers is true for most shoppers: If you need three rows of passenger capacity no more than two or three times a year – and most don't – rent it forgawdsake. If you do need the space more often, consider a minivan, which goes about its three-row mission with far more utility (and humility) than any SUV.