VW Volkswagon Super Beetle Convertible 1978 Triple Black NO RESERVE

Description

I want to make room in my garage for a new winter project, so I'm sell my 1978 Super Beetle convertible. This is a nice daily driver with a solid body, nice paint, good interior, strong engine and new disc brakes. The odometer shows ~52,000 miles. These old VWs only have 5-digit odometers, but I think that might be the actual mileage. I have the original owner's maintenance book, and the last recorded dealer maintenance was on January 10, 1986 when the mileage was 28,106 (only 3500 miles per year during its first 8 years!). Here are some of the important details (also see pics):Mechanical / electricalEngine is not original to the car. It's a 1600 cc with dual Solex carburetors, an EMPI Premium header and a brand-new EMPI muffler – starts easily, runs smoothly and has nice pickup. I just did a full service on the engine including balancing the carbs, oil and oil screen change, valve clearance adjusted to 0.006 mm, new spark plugs, and new valve cover gaskets. EMPI chrome trigger shifter – shifts smoothly, no noises from the transaxle. The original front drum brakes have been replaced with a front disc conversion kit from Kustom1 Warehouse. When I did the front brakes I also installed a new Beck Arnley master cylinder. Rear brakes have plenty of material left on the shoes and the drums show no signs of scoring. Head lights, signal lights, brake lights all in good working order; new “aooga” horn! Needs a bulb for the interior light. Aftermarket Pioneer AM/FM/CD with aux input and front kick panel speakers – nothing fancy, but sounds OK. Fresh air blower fan was not working – I've removed it but haven't been able to find a replacement. Don't really need this with the top down :)Body / convertible topThe driver's side floor pan looks great – it's so clean I think it was replaced at some point. When I got the car, the passenger side floor pan had rust holes at the rear, under the battery (common problem) – this has been patched. The rear inner wheel wells show signs of past rust repairs, but they are holding up well. Heater channels are solid – no rust. Top of the strut tower are solid, as are the struts Fenders are surprisingly good – scratch on driver side rear, and rust bubble on passenger side rear, but all are solid. The top is in very good condition with the exception of a small patch covering a hole on driver's side rear – this is common as it's at the point where the top material creases the most when it's down. Additional patch material will be included in case the same thing happens on the passenger side. Front windows work very well, rear quarter windows work OK with a little help – they tend to stick in the up position.CosmeticsThe car was re-painted black at some point; kind of a bummer, since the original color was Chrome Yellow. Some stone chips and rust bubbles, but nothing too bad. Definitely NOT a show quality paint job, but looks good – a “10 footer” in collector's parlance. Very nice EMPI alloy wheels with 175/65 R15 Continental tires with >50% tread left. Wheels are missing the center caps, but you can get these for ~$16 each on eBay. Seats are solid with just a minor tear at the bottom corner of the driver's seat and an odd cut (which has been patched) at the top back of the front passenger seat. Dash has typical cracks over the speedometer, but otherwise OK. Brand new carpet. When I replaced the carpet I covered the floor pans and rear compartment with sound-deadening material (not Dynomat, but similar). This make the car considerably quieter at highway speeds. Chrome trim is all there and in “B+” condition – e.g., some pitting, but still shines.
In addition to the pictures, I've posted a YouTube video of the engine on start-up and running, plus a short test drive (and watch me stall it about ~1 minute in – doh!): https://youtu.be/MdjL4kyeCqs https://youtu.be/DRbizCXxESc
Include with the car are the original owner's manual and service book, jack, lug wrench, full size spare, carburetor airflow meter ($40 tool used to synchronize the dual carburetors), and a Jimmy Buffet Greatest Hits CD. $500 deposit required within 48 hours of auction ending.If you want to ship, you will have to make the arrangements, but I will assist by making myself available when it's time to load the car.
If you are interested in the car and within a reasonable drive of Frederick Maryland, feel free to contact me to arrange a test drive.