1968 Volkswagen Type III

4

Manual

318146068

This is an increasingly rare 1968 Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback with a sunroof, and an exterior color of Lotus White and interior color of India Red. Clean title, from Virginia and then Maryland, though I have my doubts that the mileage listed on the title isn't short by 100,000 miles, and it just rolled over at some point between title changes. But who knows, maybe it sat in a barn for 20 years. See a video walk around of this car and a short drive (sorry, I'm shifting with my camera hand while driving so it's a bit seasick inducing) here: http://youtu.be/9j5D5G0d0Ik The engine has just been recently rebuilt by Steve of VW Performance in Phoenix. I am moving out of state soon and will not have any place to store this car (something I didn't know before I had the engine rebuilt), so as much as it bums me out, someone else will have to enjoy this VW! If someone wants me to list all of the things done to the engine, just ask, but is almost a new engine. It took a couple months to find high quality heads for the engine, and I was told the engine is now strong enough to use regular unleaded gasoline...it should last another 40 years! The original electric fuel injection is still in place and working (no cheesy replacements). Also replaced was the exhaust, with an over the top exhaust from ISP West. The heater boxes have been removed and replaced with J-tubes, but the new muffler will work with boxes if you want to install them. The engine starts great (cold start takes a few key turns to get the injection going), but it does leak some oil when first starting. Once the seals heat up it stops after a couple minutes and doesn't leak at all while driving. I've sat and watched it for 30 minutes and haven't seen any leaking once running. This car is ready to be a daily driver. It does not have plates on it right now, since I can't get any more temp plates this year to take it through Maricopa County emissions (and I'm selling it anyway). If you are buying local, it should not have any issues passing emissions at this point...the rest of the country, it won't be a worry as this seems to be the only place in the country that requires emissions on 1967 and newer autos. I've driven this car short distances for about 20 miles since I've gotten it back, and the shop drove it probably 50 miles after rebuilding the engine. if you are looking for a Fastback without the hassle of an old engine, this is the one! It is amazing how much speedier it is than before the rebuild. It shifts and accelerates like a pro! This is a 4 speed with the wooden gear shift option. The owner before me said he had the transmission redone, and it shifts smoothly with no grinding or popping out of gear. He also replaced the gas tank, so that is new and free from corrosion. The battery is not quite two years old. I put new tires on and the spare is intact. All four hubcaps are present and I have an extra hubcap and one or two rings. I was planning on painting the rims red to match the interior. The previous owner also said he had the brakes redone. The overall body is clean and solid, with some spots of rust. The one area that the rust has eaten through the the passenger side rocker panel. There is someone selling new rocker panels on eBay for around $70, you would just have to have someone weld it in. All other body rust is surface, with some bubbles under the paint. I tried to show all areas in the video and photos. Original paint on the car. Other than the rusty spots, it is in excellent condition with no scratching or dents. Replace the rocker panel and the rest is so minimal that it just adds to the character of the car. chrome is mostly clean except for a rusty spot on the front driver side. I scrubbed it shiny last year. The floor pan is almost solid, with the rusty area being under the rear passenger side. It is still "complete", as you can't see through it, but it is pretty mushy in that one area (I wouldn't stomp on it). The front passenger part of the pan and the entire driver's side pan is solid and rust free. There is someone that makes pans for Type 3s, believe it or not, and he was offering quarter panels. I wasn't particularly worried about it since the rest of it is okay and I wasn't planning on hauling people around much. And, yes, this Fastback has the rare sunroof option (the main reason I chose this car). It works, but it takes two people to open it...someone has to push down on it from the roof at first, then it cranks fine. I have the inside panel unclipped so I can push the sunroof tight to avoid junk collecting along the edges. Someday someone might want to replace the inner workings, but it works so that's good enough for me. Interior looks to be all original and in excellent condition. Seats are free of tears and clean, but have just enough surface aging to make me pretty sure it is all original. Headliner is original and intact, with some staining but overall in excellent condition. Some mild warping on the dashboard, and at some point someone put some nice looking screening over the speaker. I replaced the visors and clips, and the originals will be in the trunk. Original radio works great! AM and FM. Gray carpet looks to have been replaced at some time, definitely not original but not new. All glass is original and intact and open and close great. The passenger side door only opens from the inside, something I didn't have time to inspect. All electrical systems work, headlights, windshield wipers, brwake lights, turn signals, license plate light, etc. No idea if the windshield fluid works, but I wouldn't be surprised if it needed cleaning out. Odometer is working, as well as the gas gauge and speedometer (though sometimes you have to tap the speedo to unstick it at first). The clock does not work. Also included is the official service manual and various bits and pieces. I will include all engine rebuild info in case you want to take it back to Steve for adjustments. He did ask to see it back in 500 miles for follow up and to reduce the richness a bit. Check out the video and pictures. http://youtu.be/9j5D5G0d0Ik Any questions, just ask! Compared to other Fastbacks I've seen, for a mostly unmolested car it is in excellent condition, particularly for an originally East Coast find. Most have ripped up interiors or no/frozen engines. Buy this for a ready for the road VW! Will be great for shows, a rarity for sure. And I prefer the bumpers and shape of the pre-1970s Fastbacks! Seems so much more "VW". I don't expect to get what I've put into it with the engine rebuild, so I'm starting bidding at a reasonable price to encourage interest! No outrageous $10K starting price that I see some people trying to do after putting a little work into the machine. Someone should enjoy this car if I can't! I'd rather sell the car for a bit less than pay to ship it across the country and then pay to store it...I would just end up losing more money. Buyer to arrange and pay for shipping or local pickup. $500 deposit required, and payment by cash, cashier's check or money order.