Alright, so some of the information I've already done is mostly an overview of what's needed. What sort of body work, body parts, which side curtains I want, what to do with the motor.
For those who were around in the early years of Hubert know that he has a fender problem. Me and Natasha were on a date and driving down O street in Lincoln. When we were just about at 64th street, Hubert chose this to be one of those random moments where he would leak all brake fluid from Eagle (approx 10 miles). The light turned red and the car in front of me stopped, I started to brake early. Noticing almost immediately that there was something wrong, I started to use the hand brake. This was helping just not quick enough, knowing that I would hit that car in front of me. To avoid this I turned the wheel and went up the curb and hit a fire hydrant. Fortunately for me it didn't break off and cause some sort of fountain like what you would see in cartoons. The cap of one of the ports of the hydrant hit directly on the headlamp. The head lights on these and other VW's of the time were sealed beam, which means the entire thing is glass with filaments inside and reflector on the back. Miraculously it did not break the glass but merely scratched it. It did however fold the fender back to where it was touching the tire and bent the bumper.
Shortly after this happened I had ordered a fiberglass fender from The Thing Shop in Arizona, you'll hear more about them as time goes on. This new fender is 4" wider to accommodate wider tires. However if you do not replace both renders at the same time, they will not match as the housing for the headlights won't match up. In my case this round I am going to see if The Thing Shop will take back the fender on credit for a steel original. If they can't or I can get more from eBay, then so be it.
One of the other items I am eye balling is the motor in its entirety. I started looking up info on these motors online and found some interesting stuff. Several sites say that my motor was a re-manufactured motor because the motor ID starts with AM. You see the Thing's motor was also used in several other models at the time and can fit a lot of different dubs. The AM is usually the factory replacement for beetles and ghia's, however I found a site that had a lot of information. It had said that the AM motors used as replacements had the old number machines off and thus had a sort of relief. Then the VW shop that would install it would stamp the same numeric digits from your original motor. Hubert's motor does not have this machined relief. This tells me that He either has his original motor or another thing's motor.
So I once heard of a place that would verify the motor number of your VW at a certain fee. Through some research I found it is a historical museum in Wolfsburg Germany for 50 euros, or approx $63 by today's prices. So I put in my application and have the return e-mail saying so. I will pay them sometime next month as a Christmas gift. This report says everything there is to know about Hubert. They even call it a birth certificate. It will have the date it rolled off the line, color, motor #, all specs.
The place to get this information in case you are doing the same:
For the museum:
Motor numbers:
It is important to note that the VIN or chassis number will not match exactly the motor number!
In my endeavors I have contemplated several times which side curtains (windows) I might want. In the case of the thing the side windows are attached to the door with pegs that are riveted to a vinyl jacketed steel frame. This vinyl is sewn together and a clear vinyl is sewn to it. This makes for interesting stops at a drive-thru. With the new Hubert I don't have many plans on doing much eating in the car. However it also makes it hard to ventilate any smells or temperature quickly. If it starts to rain and you have them off you have to stop and put them back on. So I have choices of side curtains that open, original style vinyl with flaps that snap, glass that slides, font and back or just front? Way too many questions! I have come to the conclusion that I would like the glass as they are much easier to maintain without scratches.
I am most likely going to go The Thing Shop's sliding glass side curtains, the shakiness in my voice is because of the price: $1,360, and that's before the sleeve you put them in when not in use!
There is another interesting fact with Hubert, he has the gas heater that is located in the trunk (front) that's uses 1 pint of fuel every hour to heat the cabin. Let me tell you from experience, the old style of heating in the classic dubs use air blown across the exhaust then ducted up to the front through metal tubes. All of this has losses, in fact the ducts are usually the first to rust out. So this gas heater was a standard on the '74's but just an option on the '73's. So whoever bought Hubert in '73 bought him with the hard top and the gas heater. These are the two most sought after items for these cars. That gas heater gets so hot that when the thermostat got stuck on mine one day on the way to work, the plastic duct work under the dash had gotten soft and malformed and fell out of the dash. Needless to say I didn't use the heater after this.
Also in looking over Hubert and what should be original, he has carpet that was glued down in the floor boards and doors, and just about everywhere. Thankfully not that shag carpet, but it is still very colorful and flamboyant. Not stock item for sure! This causes parts of the car to rust very fast, most of it was removed the first year I owned him, however there is still some left over. Needless to say this is not something I want in my car!
On a last note, one of the other first things I plan on getting to help me through this is the original dealer service manual. The Thing Shop also supplies this:
Well in closing, I am going to start with taking the motor apart and seeing what major parts are going to need replaced. This will most likely be the cylinder heads, cylinders and probably the pistons/rings/crank. I have seen parts on e-bay, some even stock VW. So we'll see how it all goes. Thanks for tuning in! Please leave a comment or questions below, even subscribe if you would like updates!
Thank you for your encouragement!
James
