1973 VOLKSWAGEN THING Convertible rebuilt original engine & trans, RV tow behind

1973 Volkswagen Thing THING BY VOLKSWAGEN Description

This is a Fixed Price Auction for a work in progress. I recently purchased this 73 Volkswagen Thing for my daughter because it was a good deal but she has a couple ofyears before she can drive and my wife's not real keen onthe carsitting in the car port while we pay insurance on it. Sowedecided tomake it a Father Daughter project and a Fixed Price Auction witha best offer option. We'll be upgrading to disc brakes adding a fewsuspension mods andmaking the engine more reliable with things likesolid rocker shafts, perhaps a set of 40 X35mm big valve heads and definitely a Sync Link carb linkage. As the pile of parts adds up the cost will too need to go up some toobut we'll toss in the labor.

I am a mechanic with+40 years of experience,ASE Triple Master Mechanic, factory trained GM World Class Mechanic and Ford Senior Master Mechanic basically I've been doing this sort ofwork for a very long time.When I purchased this Thing the sellertold methe engine and transmissionhad recently beenrebuiltusingonly German parts; he didn't have receipts but upon close inspection I see no reason to doubt him. Doors close with the nice soft "click" one expects from German autos, bothtop latches are new Thing Shop lifetime warranty, forged stainless steel. In addition she has arecently installedRobbins Convertible top and a brand new set of The Thing Shop glass front windows withtheir customstorage bag (the windows alone were $750). We just installed $400 worth of rubber plugs, body seals and misc. soft parts. Tires are excellent, past owner had recently installed4 KYB HD gas charged shocks and a new battery. New front seat upholstery with high density foam padding and new Thing Shop CoCo mats and optional Duk boards. The registration is paid to April 2017 and we added a personalized plate; so if you live in California we'll throw in a brand new DMV issued pair of "THINGY" back plates and you'll only need to cover transfer costs and use tax.

All new brake shoes and the rear hardware and completely flushedthe entire system. Stops quickly with nice pedal feel, no fade and no pulling. I adjusted the valve lash and corrected the timing curve in the distributor.Distributor isa Bosch 009 with a Compufireelectronic conversion and all new Bosch secondary components.The 40mm WeberIDF carburetors are the highly sought Italian versions. They were just overhauled andare excellent with no shaft wear. They arecorrectly jetted for this engine. I just purchased the top of the line Sync Link dual cable linkage and it will be installed before the sale. Thisengine does not burn or leak oil. Let me clarify that: the engine design is 70 some odd years old so it does "sweat" some oil just due to the design of the engine and the dissimilar metals involved; it does not leak oil. The exhaust is a new Thing Shop dualexhaust systemthat isjet hot coated. Fuel pump, hoses and filter are all new anda newauxiliary, external fuel pump was added under the fuel tank for the refurbished gas heater. This Thinghas the original Thing only transaxlethat shifts perfectly, does not grind or pop out of gear. I changed thegear lube; it didn't need to be based on the condition of the lube, but I wanted tolook for signs of wear; I dobelieve the trans was recently rebuilt as the previous owner had said. New headlight switch and the turn signals and warning indicators and wipers work correctly. Wiper arms and blades are genuine Bosch. Below is what the previous owners ad stated about the engine:

Rebuild details (as per PO):

AH Case was line bored then matched with new main bearings

New German crankshaft

New German rods, polished and balanced.

New German pistons and cylinders

Matched and updated rebuilt heads.

New heavy duty oil pump

New Bosch generator,

New fuel pump

New 009 distributor with CompuFire ignition

New Bosch ignition coil and spark plug wires.

New Germans Sachs clutch, pressure plate and throwout bearing.

The transmission was completely gone through as well.

The front beam is original and has no signs of damage. All the VW factory Thing reinforcements are in place, CV joints and boots are new German Lobro GKNandare Thing only, not the economy bus replacements. All the old style chassis lube and oils were completely flushed out and replaced with thehighest grade synthetics.

This Thing is basically original paint with some touch up spots; it does havea spot in front of each rear fender in the rocker box where there is somerot and would be a relatively simple repair sincethey areflat panels. The jacking points are also solid.It was hit in the left quarter once and repaired nicely. You can't tell at all from the outside but if you look closely at the inner fender apron one can tell it had been straightened. Just mentioning this to be open. This car is very presentable with an excellent pan that does not appear to have ever been off roaded. Factory installed Thing skid plates are included.

The original gas fired heater isall thereand a factory manual for the heater is included. Has the optional, original Sapphire AM radio and rare VolkswagenThing speakerwith enclosure. Someone installed an antenna in front on the fold down windshield not realizing the windshield folds over so I'llprobably change that or throw in the correct antenna before you pick her up.

This caris turn key and very reliable. I drove her last week as my daily driver, 45 miles one way to work. We have driven her to the beach a few times now and done a couple of highway trips.She's actually growing on us a bit.