When was the first time you had anything to do with a

[GOPAPA]

Voltswagen Bug ? I never owned one ,,but a guy years ago was wanting to give me one for carpenter work he needed done on his house as a tree clipped the corner off of it.. I think it was a 67
Here is a photo of the first ones to arrive new in my area I lived at in Portland Oregon That year was even before my time of knowing what one was.. .and I wonder what people thought as we had just got done fighting the very people who made this car.. ?

photo from 1953

[Keith Seymore]

Well - it's been almost 50 years.

My wife's first car, and the first car I ever painted. '65 model IIRC. No heater, no radio. Only gage was a speedo and a gas gage.

It was so rusty that the bumpers would fall off. Her dad wouldn't let her drive it without bumpers so I would weld 'em back on. People would be standing around, chatting, and put their foot on the bumper and down it'd go. I'd yell "hey! I just put that back on there!"

I'm still finding red overspray on stuff. I'm surprised my dad didn't kill me for painting that in his back garage.

K

[Boog]

My dad was a car salesman from the 50's on so I got to see and ride in all kinds of cars including early 60's VWs. Then when I was approaching driving age he and I built my 1st car, a Manx style dune buggy on a VW pan. We don't have sand dunes in Arkansas but I had an awful lot of fun in that car on the streets.

[DeadheadNM]

Thirty years. I drove a 72 bug that I bought for $500 in the early 90s. It was a reliable ride and I did all the maintenance myself. The springs were exposed on the driver seat - I added a cushion to sit on. Volkswagen interiors had a distinctive smell, not sure if it was the vinyl used for the upholstery or maybe the filling used for the seats.

[Stocker]

In a couple months or so, it will be 57 years ago. I bought a '62 Bug from a friend in 1967. Everyone said it's underpowered and the engine was understressed, so drive it foot to the floor and shift when the speedometer tells you. A few months later it had good compression in one cylinder, about 12-15 pounds in two cylinders, and the fourth was totally dead. It was very hard to start on cold mornings (gee, I wonder why?). Heater & defroster were virtually nonexistent. But with snow tires on the back, it would go just about anywhere. If you could tolerate the frozen interior. One time along the Columbia River, struggling to maintain 45-50 mph against a strong gusting headwind, it actually shot from the right lane into the left lane, while I held the steering wheel straight. I know a lot of people love their Bugs, but that was the poorest excuse for an automobile that I ever drove.

[farmall]

My dad bought my mom a 66 squareback whe he left for Vietnam.
I learned how to drive in that. 2 engines and many clutch cables.
I have had my 72 914 for 25 years now.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by Stocker

In a couple months or so, it will be 57 years ago. I bought a '62 Bug from a friend in 1967. Everyone said it's underpowered and the engine was understressed, so drive it foot to the floor and shift when the speedometer tells you. A few months later it had good compression in one cylinder, about 12-15 pounds in two cylinders, and the fourth was totally dead. It was very hard to start on cold mornings (gee, I wonder why?). Heater & defroster were virtually nonexistent. But with snow tires on the back, it would go just about anywhere. If you could tolerate the frozen interior. One time along the Columbia River, struggling to maintain 45-50 mph against a strong gusting headwind, it actually shot from the right lane into the left lane, while I held the steering wheel straight. I know a lot of people love their Bugs, but that was the poorest excuse for an automobile that I ever drove.

That was a common problem. Cheapest fix was a 90# sack of concrete mix in the trunk!

[GOPAPA]

The Volkswagen Beetle was banned in the United States in 1977 due to its inability to meet safety and emissions standards.

I believe it was banned by the big car companies that wanted it off the market first and foremost ..just my opinion

[Gotenntitans]

I had two friends in high school who drove VW Bugs. I'm talking 1985-1987 here. Dave's was mustard yellow and Joe's was dark chocolate brown. I remember riding in both at one time or another........awfully small, but fairly agile little cars.

The yellow one blew an engine and probably never moved again. The brown one stayed on the road a long time.

Then, I met this ole crazy girl in 1988 (wife since 1991) whose parents had two of them. Mother-in-law drove an orange one, very clean cared for little car. Father-in-law drove a black one as his work vehicle. It was a beater.

I remember my Uncle Milton & Aunt Bobbie drove an orange VW Bus all through the '70's. They had 5 kids........I remember them showing up at Grandma's at holiday & at summer time. They lived in North Arkansas in West Fork and Grandma lived in South Arkansas in Bearden. It's about a 5 hour trip.......maybe longer in that beetle bus.

[Shifty One]

I had a 69 Baja bug, and it kept breaking accelerator cables. It happened 1/2 mile away from my step-brothers house that I walked to. We jumped in his truck, and drove down to fix it, and it was stolen in less than 20 minutes, never to be seen again.

[57taskforce]

I’ve never messed with them, but The company I’m getting ready to leave used them exclusively from the late 50s-late 60’s for getting around in the oil patch. They apparently would go anywhere necessary with the right tires on them. They’d put the oil and tools, etc. necessary for pumping the wells/wrenching on the locations in the trunk and have at it. I’ll have to see if I can round some pictures tomorrow.

[67C10Step]

My one and only brush with the beetle was a buddy of mine had what was I believe a 1969 model with a Baja kit on it. Big knobby tires in the back with the turned up pipe like many of the time. Hold on, about to tell one of the most memorable stories of my misspent youth.

So, it's mid 1980's and arcades, cruising, and hanging out in parking lots was at its peak in the area I grew up in. At the end of the parking lot of the local arcade was a hill affectionately known as Dope Hill as all the stoners would hang around up there and blaze up. The hill sloped gently up the back so most any vehicle could get up there but the front was rather steep and was very popular for the 4x4 crowd to try to climb in their jacked up trucks. The problem was the rather deep and short ditch at the bottom that would catch a trucks rear bumper.
So, my buddy and I were cruising around in the bug with the moon roof cranked open and enjoying being young and alive. A group of 4-5 trucks were up on Dope Hill and my buddy looked at me with the look on his face I had grown to know well. I just grabbed on and wondered what was coming next. We hit that ditch at a high enough rate of speed that when we cleared the top of Dope Hill all four wheels were off the ground and we landed pretty much in the middle of those 4x4's. To add insult to injury, my buddy did a couple of donuts and left in a cloud of dust. I was laughing so hard it hurt and still makes me smile to this day about 40 years later.

[A1971Blazer]

I had a '72 Super Beetle....we had an ice storm and other cars couldn't make it into the neighborhood I lived in.
The entrance had a slight grade to it and that little beetle chugged right up with no problem.
I kept it in the garage, otherwise it wouldn't hardly warm up on my drive to work...

[GOPAPA]

Some great stories from you all ..sure would go over in a Volkswagen forum,, because it sure is some good reading here.. keep em coming I read them some time more than twice

[CG]

I had a 57, two 66’s. Kept one of the 66’s as a daily, sold the others Ended up building my first engine on the living room floor of a tiny rental house. Redid the interior and got a paint job from Miracle Paint shop. No gas gauge, used a stick to see how full the tank was. I do t remember what happened to it, probably traded it off for?

I got a pretty cool old school dune buggy with gold metal flake paint, a hard top with side curtains, and original style torque thrust five spokes. Looking back I wish I could have kept it over the panel but too much money had been sunk in to the panel. My car/truck hobby funds are limited.

[RustyPile]

In 1965, My girlfriend at the time was given a new 1965 VW beetle for graduation by her father.. She drove that thing everywhere, had 3 clutches replaced while still under warranty.. We got married about 18 months later and that VW became our 2nd car.. A few years later, we traded it in along with my '64 Impala on a new Plymouth Satellite.. We still have the original 1965 license plates from it.....

Fast forward about 15 years.. Using the suspension, steering, engine and transaxle units. I built a dune buggy.. My kids were youngsters and we towed that buggy to the beach all the time, had a blast with it..

When I got out of the Army, my first dealership job as a mechanic was at a VW dealership.. Google Bear Barrilleaux, he's very famous in the world of Volkswagens.. He was my mentor during those days.

[GOPAPA]

I did google it Rusty and it was quite the read.. Did the Bear request being put in a Volkswagen for his last ride ?

[GOPAPA]

I do not why WHY I kept this photo but I did ?

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by GOPAPA

I do not why I kept this photo but I did ?

Attachment 2363202

[GOPAPA]

This is can answer I got from another group pertaining to the first Voltswagens in the USA.
No names mentioned .just a cool old story I figured you on this forum would appreciate reading....

My parents owned one of the first Beetles imported (legally) to the US back in the early '50's. From what mom and dad said (and my Dad was a Navy veteran of the Korean War), there were some people who spoke derisively of "those darned Hitler cars..." but generally they were considered as curiosities more than anything else. When they encountered another Beetle on the road, both cars would pull over so everybody could meet and look at each others' car.

Dad worked for Hamilton-Standard in Windsor Locks, CT and there was an active sportscar club there. They joined with their VW's and were considered as much a sportscar back then as the Austin Healeys and Corvettes that appear in my parents' photo album of their HSSCC activities. They mainly did road rallys and gymkhanas. I have Mom's trophy she won in 1959 -- she won a gymkhana ... in a Beetle ... with the parking brake on. Its fun to see the pictures from back then -- all the sportcars of the day, including the VW's.

After a couple of Beetles, Mom and dad graduated to a Porsche 356 and had two of them (the last one was a cabriolet ... talk about cars I wish were still in the family ... smile ) They gave that up about the time I was born (1963). Dad's story is that when Mom went into labor with me, he whisked her to the hospital in the 356. Which could explain my life-long love of German air-cooled, rear-engined cars ... smile

Kids ... they ruin everything!

smile

[dmjlambert]

My Dad had a red bug in the early 70's he used as a commuter car. I don't know what year car it was, perhaps something from the 60's. It was in good condition and ran well. I remember the interior odor and the distinctive sound of the engine when he came home from work. The radio was permanently dialed in to Paul Harvey. The heat worked very well. The turn signal indicator on the dash was a single bulb on a double-sided arrow that indicated when either right or left was turned on.

[yuccales]

Bought this as a body and pan only, but it did have a current title. Built it as a street buggy. 1600 sp, 009, etc. The first time I took it off road and saw what a VW would do, it had a transformation. Transform type one transmission with ring gear swap so I could hang bus boxes, upright not layed back. Loved that low first gear. One piece skid plate from the front of the trans to the back of the engine cage, also protecting the pushrod tubes. Fan driven oil cooler inside the tub for protection. Air filter was in the tub also for those occasional water crossings. Kingpin adj front beam. This buggy never once broke down on me. Had some awesome camping trips in it. Used to flat tow it, set up base camp, take off for the day. Fun little machine.

[tutone]

My last one was 42 years ago. We had a 70 when we got married. Vapor locked at the worst times ever. I sold it to a preacher and let him in on the issue. It didn't seem to bother him. 850 bucks later, I never looked back. Before that, I owned a couple of 60s models. I yanked the bodies off of them and cut 12 inches out of the tunnel and shifter rod, then cut the floorboards and fill in with expanded metal. On one I used an old bed frame for the roll bar. Wired em up and drove them and sold them. A couple of Baja buggies around that time and I guess I got my fill. I never wanted another VW but I still have a passion for Jeep CJs.

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by GOPAPA

I did google it Rusty and it was quite the read.. Did the Bear request being put in a Volkswagen for his last ride ?

I'm a Texan from Beaumont and met Bear when I started working with him at the VW dealership in 1966. Around 1969 he left the dealership and opened Bear's Bug Service. That's when he built Gold Rush, the E/Gas record holder for a number of years. He also built that VW powered Econo Dragster.. Bear left Beaumont and moved to Dallas around 1979 or so. He later left Dallas after his wife committed suicide, and "went home" to Hawaii. He brought all his racing stuff with him and set up shop in Hilo. Bear continued racing his VWs and worked as a consultant with some Arizona boys building a VW powered dragster. This was in the early 2Ks. The target speed was 200 mph. With Bear's help, they got there.. Engine was VW based 3200 CC, twin turbo.. Hot VW did an article about the development.

Bear developed a large family and following while in Hawaii. The VW organization has a class called Pro Stock and Bear's final efforts were in that class. His Pro Stock VW was part of the funeral procession.. I wasn't part of the funeral, but I would not be surprised if he was inside..

https://www.facebook.com/bear.barrilleaux

[joedoh]

I had a 66 with an 1835 when i was a kid. always been a german car fan.

as co-inky-dinks go, this weekend i picked up a 63 sedan and a 64 vert. I was there to pick up my 56 chevy i bought from the same guy and my neighbor had agreed to buy both bugs. as the pick up date approached he started wavering, and on the night before leaving to nebraska (6 hr trip) he finally let the intrusive thoughts win and talked me into buying his position.

when i got there, he had pulled a full 3 truck beds worth of parts out that were included with the deal and I had no idea existed but I am glad they did. everything from new patch panels and new pans to brand new firestone bias tires.

of course my neighbor, kept updated on the trip through texts, tried to reverse his sale. first for just the convertible, then for the whole lot. nothing doing, sleep in the bed you made, van winkle.