1965 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Beetle Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

Gasoline

Nice, original, not wrecked or rusted, factory European delivered, 71K mikes, 1965 VW bug convertible with quite a bit of work done to make it a good driver. EXTERIOR Overall the body is in very nice condition. The exterior paint was redone the original color a few years back and still shows well. Everything was removed before the re-paint so it was thorough. All of the interior paint is still original including the door sills, doors and dash which have some minor nicks and such since its from 1965. I wouldn't repaint this interior paint since it is original. The fenders are the original German ones and the doors line up nicely and close properly, no sagging or poor alignment. The hood closes and locks with the correct, original convertible-only hood lock. The US bumpers front and back are new and the bumper brackets front and rear are still original paint. The running boards are in good shape and the molding, both left and right is in excellent condition. There are typical tiny road chips on the front from driving the car but nothing major. There are also a few cracked and chipped paint spots (which have been filled in with matching paint) on the deck lid, by the door hinge and the drivers handle which I tried to show in the photos. The rear right fender has a crack in the center of the arch and the front right fender has a small dent in it, this is the extent of any body trouble. The hub caps are new with the VW logo painted in the centers and the rims were sandblasted and powder coated. Four new radial tires (with Atlas portawall white walls) were fitted, balanced and aligned. It looks like the rear deck lid has been replaced (with a correct convertible one), because the inside is partially red. The headlights are original US spec and the tail lights are original Hella European ones. Front turn signals are original VW hella. The car also has accessory 1967 back up lights with correct brackets but not hooked up. The car has original VW accessory mud flaps too. The side moulding is good but the hood piece has a ding in it. The license light bracket is the original aluminum one too. The license light is not hooked up, but I will try to re-wire it before the end of the auction. The only rust is a small spot on the left and right longitudinal rockers toward the back portion. Both of the rockers are original and do not need replacing just a patch where the two holes are. NO RUST in the battery area and none in the floor pan. Front apron/ spare tire well is excellent with all original tabs in tact and no dents from trying to jack up the car from the apron and no accidents. The front apron/ spare tire well is a bit dirty but original paint. Rear apron is also good. INTERIOR The interior is a mix or original and replaced/restored parts. The seats have been recovered and the door panels are new. The seats tracks are both good and the seats slide forward and back as they should. The carpet was replaced too, but should be replaced with a higher quality kit like the seats. The carpet is thorough and nicely installed but could have been done with the high quality German carpet- looks good for a driver though. The back of the rear seat is exposed wood and I think it should have carpet or cardboard on it, it looks un-finished to me. The seat frames are original paint. The car still has its rare, VW accessory Hickock seat belts. The steering wheel is original and in pretty good shape as well as the un-broken horn ring and button. The radio has been replaced with a cassette stereo but still has the original VW trim plate. The original fuel gauge works and the glove box has an accessory door pull with the original perfect VW cardboard glovebox inside. The speedometer was working when I drove it last week but started making squealing noises and bouncing so I replaced the cable and that didn't fix the problem. I think the speedometer needs rebuilding. The mileage showed 71,099 miles. There are replacement rear hinge covers with the car but I think they are from a different year because I can't get them to fit. They are vinyl covered wood and I think these are supposed to be moulded plastic for 1965? The new black vinyl convertible top looks great except for a small 1 inch tear by the rear right on the tack strip above the rear window. The rear window seal was replaced too. The headliner is not original and is in one piece with no rips but it is dirty. The frame folds up and down nicely with no rust or repaired parts and is still original paint. Both left and right top pull down clamps and aluminum handles are original and in good working order with decent chrome. The visors are from a sedan. The rear view mirror is original too. It still has its ORIGINAL, WORKING, LOCKING, EUROPEAN IGNITION with original VW KEYS. It never had the US ignition lock in the dash- its a factory original European delivered car. The door check straps are original and both work keeping the doors open properly. The lower heater vents are NOT rusted and the slide covers both work too. Window winders, door handles and escutcheons are all original and in nice condition with very good chrome. The windows are all original except the windshield which has a 6 inch crack in it. All the windows roll up and down properly and sit at the right height in order to open and close the convertible top- imagine that. No easy feat on an early convertible. The A pillar upright left and right rubber should be replaced. The car needs the inside window scraper moldings which are faithfully reproduced now. MECHANICAL The car has had much recent work done and runs well. Pick it up and drive it home if you like. The engine was replaced with a rebuilt 1600 dual port long block. Unfortunately I do not have a receipt for the engine so I can't prove it on paper. However the following was recently done to the motor: rebuilt Solex 34 pict 3 carburetornew automatic choke with wiringnew coilnew 009 distributornew capnew pointsnew rotornew spark plug wiresnew Bosch spark plugsvalves adjusted .006 new valve cover sealsnew fan beltrebuilt fuel pumpnew fuel linesnew rear left brake drumre-packed rear bearingsnew(er) brakesoil and filter changefuel tank cleanednew fuel filternew tiresbalancingalignment This beetle is a solid, un-molested, decent driver, looks nice and runs well. It is not perfect, nor am I claiming it is. It would be a good car to slowly add small upgrades and make even nicer a little at a time like on weekends or ?? It would also be an easy first car for a teenager/ first time classic car owner because the majority of the big tasks are done. For example, the hood seal should be replaced- @$20 and easy to install with no experience needed. The license light gasket needs replacing-$8 and 10 minutes to replace. Re-paint the bumper brackets silver again to make them look nicer- easy to do, etc, etc. The car is located in San Fernando, 30 minutes north of Downtown Los Angeles if you want to come take a look, drive it, have it inspected or what ever you need to do to feel comfortable about it. Its good enough to fly in to Los Angeles and drive it home. But be realistic, it is 45 years old and I can't and won't guarantee a flawless journey; however it is a simple car and easy to get parts for. I will help with any shipping logistics I can if you want to send it overseas. I would recommend getting the Wolfsburg West Vintage VW catalog for all of the exciting reproduced parts available for the bug. The title is clear and I have the original owners manual and original keys too. If you want detailed photos of the car let me know and I will send them to your email address. Do not include your email address in your question as I will try to post all of the questions and I don't want to give out your email address. If you would like to go over the car on the phone in detail as I walk around it for you, that would be no problem either.