Itinerant Air-Cooled

Bookwus wrote: Yes. The fan actually lived inside the fresh air box located in the trunk on the other side of the dash. Replacement parts are pretty easy to locate although the smaller hoses for the fresh air box outlets can be problematical.

"Hiya" back at you, kind Bookwus. I have new hoses on each side- roughly 1" in diameter; made of paper. I cannot locate the larger hoses which are on either side of the air box and connect to the black plastic dash vent pieces.

I didn't mention it, but this car was restored decently. I'm not pleased with the wrinkled headliner, bulging door panels, and choice of carpet kit, but the price was right and I've been wanting a type I daily driver while the sunroof bus goes under the knife (headliner replacement if Mr. Kellogg is up to it this year). The 1302 seems to be a little more rare than other SB cars.

Hiya VWB,

VWBusrepairman wrote:....I cannot locate the larger hoses which are on either side of the air box and connect to the black plastic dash vent pieces....

Yep, they're the pesky hard-to-find little buggers.

....The 1302 seems to be a little more rare than other SB cars....

Indeed! They only appeared for 2 years (71 and 72) in the US market.

VWBusrepairman wrote: headliner replacement if Mr. Kellogg is up to it this year.

See: 2009 Itinerary; appointment interest. customer, prospective - post

How have I missed this thread up to now? Congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the flat windshield Super Beetle club! Mine has no little plastic vents on the rear quarter panels though as it is a convertible!

Bookwus, are you sure the "flow through ventilation" vents replaced the rear window defroster? I recall the '71 Super Beetle that I drove in college having both (and a working gas heater too!).

Hiya Don,

Man, I've been wrong so much lately that it wouldn't surprise me at all. I'll check into my Garwood and let you know one way or the other.

Bookwus wrote:Man, I've been wrong so much lately...

That makes two of us!!!!

Back again Don,

Starting in 1971 VW produced both Standards (which they referred to as Customs) and SuperBeetles. The rear window defroster was continued in the SuperBeetle line but eliminated in the Customs.

Your gas heater (an all-new unit that year) was offered as an option in the SuperBeetle line in 1971.

So what makes a Super Beetle a 1302 or a 1303 and what would my '79 convertible be classified as?

dtrumbo wrote:So what makes a Super Beetle a 1302 or a 1303 and what would my '79 convertible be classified as?

I think the 1302 is inclusive of 1971 and 1972 models.

The 1303 is 1973 and later super beetles, yes? I've been wrong about as many times as the Bookwus and Don this week, so can someone verify?

The strut front end makes this a very nice road car, in my opinion.

VWBusrepairman wrote:The strut front end makes this a very nice road car, in my opinion.

Yes it does! I've been driving mine to work and home all week... AND LOVING IT!

Yup, the hoses and the fresh air fan under the hood can be a pain. I never could get the ones in my '72 Super to line up right. I was able to get the fan to work to push "fresh" air around, though.

I sold mine a few years ago after seven years of ownership. Decided I couldn't keep both VWs going ('69 Westy and '72 Super) and kept the Bus.

Bartoli wrote:I sold mine a few years ago after seven years of ownership.

That was a good looking car.

The flow-through ventilation was introduced across the model run in 1971. It is independent of rear window defogger presence or lack thereof. What a sad testament to their lack of courage and initiative to just de-content these cars to the point of cheesy cheap in their later years. The BodD bus, for example, has no passenger side door interior light switch, yet it cost twice as much as my 73 bus which did have that switch and a real fuel filler door and those cool heater illumination lights.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote:The BodD bus, for example, has no passenger side door interior light switch, yet it cost twice as much as my 73 bus which did have that switch and a real fuel filler door and those cool heater illumination lights.
Colin

It may have been a westy or other bus that I snagged the wiring and switch so that my 78 bus would have the passenger lighting! I too, find disappointment in such lack of quality.

(I'd still prefer these cars to others of modern times)

Some recent photos:





I'm hoping to have located a parts car that will yield the correct tail light assemblies, fresh air box missing parts, etc.

This car has proven itself to be a reliable daily driver and is the closest thing I've had to a new air-cooled Volkswagen. Tight steering, smooth acceleration (with vac. distributor) and it cleans up nicely.

This car has front disc brakes as well- that wasn't an option for the '72 super beetles, was it? Someone did a good job of restoring this car!

The cheapening of the VW is a barometer to gage the cheapening of the world, which continues to this day.
Who do you blame, the supplier or the consumer? Buyer beware but it's become a jungle.
Will the proles ever wake up? Is society possible without a working/consuming/follower class?
I don't know. Hopefully we'll never have a Chinese style Cultural Revolution in our lifetimes. Although the Native Americans would argue that point.