1974 Volkswagen Vw Thing on 2040-cars

Reluctantly up for sale is my 1974 Volkswagen Type 181 “Thing”.  This is one of only two vehicles I’ve owned twice in my life, and if it’s not sold far enough away from me here in West Texas, I’m afraid I’d try to find room for it again and own it three times!

I bought it from a friend who’d given me “first dibs” when he was ready to replace it as his tow-behind-the-motorhome car.  He’d remembered our agreement and strong-armed me into buying it from him.  I kept it for only a few months once I realized I was out of room for my other projects and toys. 

I sold it to another friend who had the time, money, and determination to make it look like it does today.  He went for the “blacked-out/olive drab” look and I think he was quite successful.  He also added a locking glove box door.  Great for a windowless car!  Keeps honest people honest.  The car was originally off-white-tan-ish, but it’s not an Acapulco Edition Thing.

My buddy Reggie not only had it painted, he replaced practically everything he thought was wearing out, looked tattered, etc., to include the top and frame, various labels and stickers, tail lights (back to those in a minute), gas tank, wiper motor, rubber parts all over, side mirrors, seat belts, wheels and tires, brakes, shifter, shift rod coupler, and engine.  Reminds me of the old hammer story:  the handle has been replaced three times and the head twice, but it’s still the original hammer!

The tail light mod is one of those “eye of the beholder” things.  He used lenses from a late model Bug.  Advantage: bright and clear.  Disadvantage:  Not original.  The original lenses are included in a box of parts, spares, etc. that’ll come with the car.  These originals are cloudy and old-looking, but new ones are available on the aftermarket for those purists who don’t like this look.  I actually like the new look.  It’s even cuter!

Body:  It’s always been a southwest car, so you won’t find it rusted out anywhere.  Only the area under the battery tray was rusty enough to require surgery, and that was repaired by a local independent VW shop.  That same shop sprayed the car the OD green you see here, and supplied Reggie with the leftover paint.  He even put some of the paint in aerosol cans for quick touch ups, as necessary.  It really looks good everywhere.  I’d call it a “20-footer” from all angles, but closer than that almost everywhere.

Wheels and tires:  Reggie didn’t like the dune buggy wheels that the earlier buddy had on the car, so he replaced them with original Bug wheels, painted them black, and then found some original black-from-the-factory hub caps to complete the look.  I admire his dedication:  he actually had to buy new hubs, brake drums, etc., to do the job right, since the aftermarket dune buggy wheels required Chevy/Ford/whatever bolt pattern hubs.  My older friend who’d owned it before was really upset when he found out those custom wheels had been cast off like junk!  He’ll get over it someday.

Engine:  I admit my ignorance about VW engines, but let me do my best.  Reggie had the engine replaced with a larger one, 1800cc or so, added an aftermarket ceramic exhaust system and twin carbs.  The original carb/intake/oil bath air box are all included in the sale, but the carb will need to be rebuilt.  I don’t much care for the exhaust and had planned to replace it with a more original through-the-bumper one, but now I’ll leave that up to you.

Side windows:  good frames, but not really good overall.  With some elbow grease they would be passable, but it looks like at some time or another the Plexiglas was replaced just by stitching in new panels.  Not up to par with the rest of the car.  I never used them here in Texas for obvious reasons:   Too hot when it’s warm enough to drive (think sauna) and ineffective when it’s cold outside.  It doesn’t have a heater, so if you’re a polar bear and like wiping the inside windshield to see out, then windows are available (They’re really proud of them, though.)

How does it drive?  It has new tires, brakes, shocks, and front sway bar, but you’re still busy when you’re behind the wheel.  It’s a 40-year-old car!  Non-power-assisted drum brakes have you planning ahead if you’re wise.  If you jump on the brakes HARD, it’s a little darty, but a brake adjustment and front end alignment will help.  Reggie didn’t drive it much and lived with its idiosyncrasies much like I’ve done since I bought it back.  The engine makes it quite peppy, though, at the expense of your ears (think hard about a quieter exhaust.).  I got the shifter out of adjustment and thought it needed a new shifter.  After buying and installing it, I think it was just the adjustment.  It’s a LOT better, but still a little balky going from 4^th to 2^nd gear.  Upshifting through the gears is just fine if you take your time.  Old VW mechs will probably have no trouble fine-tuning this.  I guess I should add “new-old” shifter to the spares list.

What’s it like to drive around?  This is a separate paragraph for good reason.  You’re going to be late wherever you go, not because the Thing can’t get the job done, but because everyone is going to want to visit with you about it.  Old farts like me are going to want to reminisce and youngsters are going to stare, point, smile, and even engage in conversations like “WTF is that?”  I even got smiles from a couple of cute young ladies who are even younger than my daughter!  My advice is to try not to gross them out; just smile and wave back.  Added bonus: You get to tell “thing” jokes at work and you can use plausible deniability when people get the double entendre and try to act offended.  That never gets old!

Spares:  I’m still going through that stuff, but it all goes with the car.  I found the original oil-bath air filter system, carb and intake, another distributor, some cables, brand new tie rod ends still in the box (Hmmm, maybe that’s why it’s a little darty.), the original steering wheel (cracked, of course), and the piece de resistance : a complete front and rear seat rebuild kit in a LARGE box.  Reggie had plans to reupholster the seats and bought the kit, but realized that the seats don’t really need it yet.  Also, there’s a tow bar that attaches to the front axle, if you want to flat tow it somewhere.  The bumper tabs you might have noticed in one of the pictures were for a tow bar that I never had.  The one Reggie gave me is the way to go, though.

Why am I selling it, since it’s obvious that I love the thing?  No room.  My two-car shop has another project in there that’s taking up the majority of space, a motorcycle, and very probably another motorcycle soon, as well as a motorcycle work table and all the various other pack-rat stuff garages accumulate over the years.

What does it still need?  I’d like to have the front end aligned and replace any front end part that shows any wear.  I have the tie rod ends in the spares already, but I’d take a close look at the steering box and replace if necessary.  There’s a bit of play there.  Steering boxes are only a couple of hundred dollars.  I’d monkey with the horn.  It’s intermittent.  I’m almost positive it’s in the steering wheel.  Maybe I’d just replace the steering wheel altogether, although I admit it’s been easier to get my 60+ year old frame in and out with the smaller wheel. 

Price:  These are getting rarer, but there seems to be an uptick in their availability, either as original-condition or deterioated survivors or resto-mods like this one.  NADA lists these at $8200/$16,700/$25,800, Low to Average to High Retail.  I was astounded!  I’m going to start bidding at a modest $10K with no reserve, realizing it’s no longer original but hoping you’ll like the color choice and appreciate the work done already.  The odo shows 79,449.6 miles today.  I have no reason to doubt those miles.  Keep in mind that those miles don’t reflect the condition of the car, since so much has been done in the last 2-5,000 miles. I do drive it some, so the miles will increase a bit over the duration of this sale.

If you wish, you may pick it up locally and trailer or flat tow it home.  I can also help arrange shipping, but that’ll be at your expense, of course.  If the shipper you choose won’t accept parts stuffed in the car, I’ll box it all up and ship those things to you at my expense.  It’ll definitely be more than one box!

Apparently, Ebay makes you use their drop down menus for engine type, etc.  I hope I cleared up any discrepancy in this description.  Any questions, feel free to contact me and I'll clarify, of course.

Thanks, happy bidding, and PLEASE be far enough away that I won’t be tempted again someday!