Team-BHP - 1966 VW Beetle 1200A Restoration

Nothing new from me, and as always another VW to get back on its roads to glory.:thumbs up

To begin with, this car belongs to a very good family friend KIRAN who lives at Chennai. His tyrst with a Beetle search took us to Hyderabad, and finally my favorite place gifts him a GOOD 1966 Beetle in a fairly decent condition and a fantastic price to begin with.

The moment he finished his buying formalities, it was well understood that i stand to restore this BUG (Deep inside me i was dying to do it:D) It got loaded and off comes and lands up at my house.

Work in progress to follow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM (Post 2494745)

Glad to see another Beetle coming on road. Good luck with the restoration.

Interesting to see the 3 spoke steering wheel and no fuel guage - if original, this car could be a 'Standard' version - does this car have a non-synchro 'crash' gearbox?

Are you sure the car is a 64? The front windscreen looks like the larger one, plus it has later wheels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by karlosdeville (Post 2494858)

Are you sure the car is a 64? The front windscreen looks like the larger one, plus it has later wheels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM (Post 2494745)

Work in progress to follow.

Good to see work commencing on this Beetle! :-)

Karl is probably right. I had not noticed it earlier.

1. Front Windshield and vent windows are a sure indicator of the era since they are non-interchangable between eras. Vent windows on this Bug seem to be of the 1965 - 67 era.

2. The rims seem to be the '1966 and a half' to 1967 type.

3. This Bug has a 40hp 1200cc D-series engine. This engine was introduced on Standard Beetles only in 1966. Earlier Standard Beetles had the 36hp engine (with integrated alternator stand, and fuel pump to the left of the distributor)

Excerpts from the manual of a 1964 1200A Std Beetle with the 36hp engine.

1966 VW Beetle 1200A Restoration-comb.jpg

Excerpts from the manual of a 1966 1200A Std Beetle with the 40hp 1200cc engine.

1966 VW Beetle 1200A Restoration-combo.jpg

Nonetheless, irrespective of the year, it's good to see another Bug.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebulletboy (Post 2495070)

1200 A means Deluxe model,standards were designated as VW1200 only

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajay99 (Post 2495103)

1200 A means Deluxe model,standards were designated as VW1200 only

Nope. The opposite is true !

Upto 1965 The economy Beetle (also known as the Standard Beetle) was powered by a 36 horse engine and a non-synchro gearbox.
During this time the Deluxe Beetle was powered by the 40hp 1200cc engine and a full synchro gearbox.

In the 1966 model year the sparKaefer, or the economy Beetle was upgraded to the 40 horse engine and full synchro gearbox, and renamed the VW 1200A.

More info over here :

TheSamba.com :: View topic - The oldest 1200A survived?

Also, here's the company literature to back me up. Excerpts from the 1966 1200 A Manual show all the features (or rather the lack of) that are unique to the economy Beetle. This confirms that the 1200A was in fact the Economy/Standard Beetle.
Pls note the 3-spoke steering wheel, the lack of assist straps, the lack of fuel gauge, and the last page also confirms that the 1966 sparKaefer had a full synchro gearbox.

Regards,
Pankaj

Nice work Pavan. Good pictures of the ‘Bug’. The body seems to be in a much better condition still.

Update us more on the engine and gearbox condition. Keep us posted.
Have you made a plan already on how to start the restoration? It would be nice if you share that too.

Can you check few things on the BUG.
- Is there a catalytic converter
- Passenger side RVM.
- Locks on the door.
- Is there a rear split seat arrangement.
- Reverse lights.
- Armrest on driver side (not seen in photo)
- Additional levers for heating control near the central handbrake.

This should give us a fair idea on which model this bug actually is?
:thumbs up Good luck...

-UB

Quote:

Originally Posted by UB_007 (Post 2495514)

Its already ratified, its a 1966 1200A.. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rk206 (Post 2495546)

Hello Mr Kadam,
Congratulations on the acquisition.

I was wondering what are the costs associated with such a restoration. Whether it makes sense to buy a Rust-In-Pieces and to restore it fully or whether to just get hold of a running one.

Thanks a lot.

I would suggest to buy a Beetle in any state, they are becoming hard to get cars off-late.....:D

Restoration is not difficult after that...

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebulletboy (Post 2495285)

Nope. The opposite is true !

Upto 1965 The economy Beetle (also known as the Standard Beetle) was powered by a 36 horse engine and a non-synchro gearbox.
During this time the Deluxe Beetle was powered by the 40hp 1200cc engine and a full synchro gearbox.

In the 1966 model year the sparKaefer, or the economy Beetle was upgraded to the 40 horse engine and full synchro gearbox, and renamed the VW 1200A.

More info over here :

TheSamba.com :: View topic - The oldest 1200A survived?

Also, here's the company literature to back me up. Excerpts from the 1966 1200 A Manual show all the features (or rather the lack of) that are unique to the economy Beetle. This confirms that the 1200A was in fact the Economy/Standard Beetle.
Pls note the 3-spoke steering wheel, the lack of assist straps, the lack of fuel gauge, and the last page also confirms that the 1966 sparKaefer had a full synchro gearbox.

Attachment 605181

Regards,
Pankaj

as far as my info goes,the VW1200(Euro) came with fuel tap upto 1969,
the assist straps ,passenger side sunvisor,rear ashtray, etc were also not there in the standard model.I have seen the original instruction manual of the 1968 Euro models(VW1200/1300/1500) and it is clearly mentioned therein that 1200 was the economy version.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rk206 (Post 2495546)

I do agree that buying a running bug is quick. But the feeling and satisfaction one gets after successful restoration is priceless.

All the hard work and dedication towards restoration is completely paid off when people start eyeing this BUG on the streets.
Good work Pavan. Keep the tempo going… :thumbs up

-UB

Hey Pavan, that's a nice muse you've got there.

I've gone thru' quite a few of your threads on restoration. Been curious about quite a few things :

- once restored, are the cars fit/capable for daily use or are they used occasionally.
- how often do they naturally breakdown after that and what about spares then?
- during a ordinary restoration, how often would you have to open the engine/replace it?
- how long does a typical restoration last? as in, when do you have to
next overhaul the car?
- how is the ownership cost like for such an example?

Understandably, only an enthusiast would have a car restored!

Good luck with the restoration!

Quote:

Originally Posted by libranof1987 (Post 2495605)

Hey Pavan, that's a nice muse you've got there.

I've gone thru' quite a few of your threads on restoration. Been curious about quite a few things :

- once restored, are the cars fit/capable for daily use or are they used occasionally.

Its my constant endevour that each car i've restored till date is as good as a daily runner, and most cars are a standing testimony. If restored well, the cars do serve you well. You cant build a skyscraper without a strong foundation, its as simple as that

- how often do they naturally breakdown after that and what about spares then?

Aircooled VW's are very simple by design, there are not many parts that wear up easily, they would only breakdown if you dont run them, or maintain them as per the standard procedure- But tell me, which Automobile does
nt..? Air-cooled VW spares are not tough to come by.

- during a ordinary restoration, how often would you have to open the engine/replace it?

Once the Engine is RESTORED with Standard procedures, there is no reason you might have to open the engine for ages, But again, you must adhere to its standard service procedures. I would like to tell you. These engines are THE MOST RUGGED ENGINES for longer runs

- how long does a typical restoration last? as in, when do you have to
next overhaul the car?

I keep a bench mark of 12 months to Restore any kind of Air-cooled VW, This also depends on the fund flow, infact the White 1961 VW Beetle on this forum was restored in 7 Days Flat... AND as long as you maintain the cars as per standard procedures, it will outlast your lifetime before the next overhaul.

- how is the ownership cost like for such an example?

I own 3 Air-cooled VW's and maintenance costs are pittance, all i need to do is change oil every 6 months, or maybe spark plugs every 25000 kms.

Understandably, only an enthusiast would have a car restored!

Good luck with the restoration!

Too much of questions man...:D

I have answered within my abilities in BOLD

Thank you for your post and hope i have answered your queries>:thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajay99 (Post 2495569)

I have seen the original instruction manual of the 1968 Euro models(VW1200/1300/1500) and it is clearly mentioned therein that 1200 was the economy version.

Yes, I have a 1970 manual (VW 1500/1300/1200) which mentions the same thing.
The 1200A notification was introduced only in the early 60s, to avoid confusion with the 1200cc Delux version.
The 'A' notation lasted for only a few years. Probably there was no delux 1200 manufactured after 1968. So any 1200cc Euro Beetle manufactured after 1968 would be a Std Beetle. Since there was no scope for confusion, the 'A' notation was probably officially dropped from company literature.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajay99 (Post 2495569)

as far as my info goes,the VW1200(Euro) came with fuel tap upto 1969

My 1970 manual mentions a fuel tap for the VW1200 standard Beetle.
And I have seen a 1972 Std Beetle with fuel gauge integrated in the speedo. If that was original, it would mean that the fuel tap was probably discontinued in 1971 or 1972.

BTW, I remember us having a discussion sometime ago, where I mentioned that the Std Beetle was a Euro specific thing. This turned out to be false. There was also a Canadian version of the 1200cc Std Beetle, officially known as the VW Beetle Custom.