Michael Riley's Blog: Hemmings Find of the Day

Friday, May 27, 2016

Hemmings Find of the Day – 1969 Volkswagen Beetle

Prices for driver-quality Volkswagen Beetles have been on an upward swing in recent years, as a once seemingly endless supply has dwindled dramatically. Worse, many surviving examples have been customized by past owners, meaning those who wish to drive a stock Bug need to source both starting point and the parts needed to return it to as-delivered form. This 1969 Volkswagen Beetle, for sale on Hemmings.com, appears to be in (mostly) stock form, and benefits from a recent restoration designed to keep it on the road for years (if not decades) to come. A few liberties have been taken with the car, but it's likely the next owner will appreciate the added sound deadening and the Retro Sounds radio. If you miss the Beetle you left behind in the 1970s or 1980s, this might be the weekend driver you've been looking for. From the seller's description:

1969 Volkswagen Beetle (Bug) in Diamond Blue (1540 cc Engine)
This Bug has been through a complete body off rebuild, too many new parts to list but I have all the receipts, here are the major items:

The engine and transmission were rebuilt less than 3,000 miles ago by the previous owner and the engine runs really strong
List of things that were done to the engine:
Reground crank, rebuilt connecting rods, replaced main bearings, replaced rod bearings and cam bearings, camshaft w/gear, scat shifters, CB filter pump, pistons & cylinder set (905 forged), barrel shims, push rod rubes, gasket set & seal (German), Factory rebuilt heads (VW), Used pulley (Degree), fan belt, plugs, plug wires, Used German F&S clutch plate, points & comp. 009, fuel line, and filter. Aligned bore & thrust cut. Opened heads to 90.5 bore.
A new oil cooler was installed as well.
Empi Short Shifter installed (that really improves shifting performance.)
Brand New Tires (including the spare), New Brakes

A new Gas Tank (and all of the filler neck hoses and vent hoses were replaced), a heavy duty rear sway bar with urethane bushings was installed as well as urethane bushings on the front anti-sway bar.
New battery from Costco.

When the entire front end was rebuilt, track rod arms, steering damper, ball joints & steering box, the steering couple were also replaced. The new steering box makes a big difference in how the car drives.

Cosmetically, the running boards have recently been replaced, as well as the sun visors and interior and exterior mirrors. The car has the Original VW steering wheel and the dash is not cut up or mangled. New Glove box. The body was completely removed from the frame, and the floor pans were replaced, along with the luggage shelf, all from Wolfburgs West, and all were coated with POR-15. The body was sanded down and dents were hammered out to reduce the need for filler. The body was coated 4 times with primer and sanded down in-between coats, and then received 3 coats of Diamond Blue base coat and 2 coats of clear. All fenders, hoods, and miscellaneous pieces were painted off the car, for a complete job. The underside of the fenders received Wurth undercoating to reduce the chance of rocks hitting the underside of the fenders and producing a "star" chip that shows up on the top side of the fender. The interior received all new padding, new upholstery, new carpets and headliner. The floors, door panels, roof and rear shelving also received sound and heat insulation, to reduce noise and heat in the interior. Most of the switches are original, as is the speedometer, but with new center caps on the switches. I installed a new wiring harness and a new "Retro Sounds" radio. The car received a lot of new stainless steel fasteners when putting it back together, to reduce rusting of the bolts. It also has all new rubber and felt throughout. The car retains its original CA black plates. It comes with the original jack and tool kit as well as the original owner's manual.
The car has had a final tune up, carburetor, clutch and brake adjustment from Fred's Garage in Redwood City, CA.

This car was originally sold in January of 1969 in San Jose, CA, and has spent its life in California.