I picked this 1974 Volkswagen Thing after being Donated to a auto museum. they did not have a use for there display so it was put up for sale, guess who bought it? ME!. so let’s see what we got ourselves into,
26 thoughts on “Junk or Jewel? The 1974 VW Thing Charity Car Purchase.”
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i just bought a 73 and it’s arriving today !
I just seen on 2 days ago. Wow, what a sight
First off, you bought one with a perfect body. That is all that counts today. All the rest can easily be fixed or replaced. Not many of these are left with good bodies.
There are tons of parts for air-cooled VWs, just like there are for Ford Model As, and old flat-fendered Jeeps.
There are also many good YouTube channels for working on air-cooled VWs. I subscribed.
Rolls downhill fine can hardly make it up the next hill😎🤪
Wow it’s a Rollscanardly
Mustie you mentioned that in the US they were sold only for 2 years, do you happen to know how many years it was sold here in Canada?
It would be a vehichle to have if you like sand dunes like Provincetown, Mass.
I haven't one of those a Thing around, i live in Boston, (suburb).
Veni, vidi, vici
I would convert it into a kubelwagon.
Honestly, I would fix the engine seal 100%. Yes, it's a bit of a pain in the a** To remove, but it's worth it.. And?
Considering you don't know when the valves were last adjusted and whether it needs a valve job. It's good overall maintenance to just do the rear end. And get it done, however, on the paint I would recommend. Getting rid of the bubbles sanding it and repainting it with some rust oleum white to stop the rust spots 100% And I would recommend Recoating the floor With some truck bed liner. The reason why is amazing first? It gives you a waterproof bed inside the cab of the thing. The second thing is, it will take a s*** ton of abuse. And the nice thing is with the carpet.S it will look amazing.
the original exhaust tips would come out through the round holes of the rear bumper…so looks like your exhaust originally is from a standard VW beatle….
Ausgezeichnet!
It’s a Kabal Wagon..
The thing has always been ugly, but looks slightly better with bus tail lights – as sold in Europe. Most of them were dark green and went to German Army in the 70s
MY favorite air-cooled VW that I never owned yet! I've built a few in my day, some were resurrections, but always thought a Bright Orange or Yellow Thing was the perfect cruiser.
Great work, and I love your opening scene.
One of my weaker moments was when I sold the one I had. I’ll have another someday 😊
The Thing is the ONLY VW made after 1967 that I would EVER consider buying. They are beyond cool.
Take it to the junkyard 😢
I would enjoy a follow up on the clutch replacement.
The heater in the Thing was a gas fueled option in the front that had one outlet – directly above the accelerator pedal. In freezing temperatures, your right foot would be burning and your left foot freezing. Defrosting? None!
Bleach does NOT kill black mold. Use Hydrogen peroxide. The strongest you can get.
these cars can fech a pretty penny
Love it.
pure junk- but so damn cool. From the day when you could get cheap basic transportation at a reasonable price without all the tech and still have a cool ride. We've let government regs do us a huge dis service. Fucking do gooders ruin anything good with all their great intentions