Submitted by Jesse Kendall – A couple of weeks ago an employee, who knew I was into old Beetles, told me that a farmer friend of his had his son’s old Beetle sitting out in a shed that he was getting ready to scrap. So, I went out to the shed and sure enough there was this sad little Beetle sitting there on blocks. It was covered in a 1/4” worth of dust and dirt, the mice and raccoons did a number on the inside. It had the typical rust but for the most part looked straight, so I took a picture of the vin plate to figure out what year it was.
When I ran the numbers I found out that it was a ’67, and at the time that didn’t mean a whole lot to me. But when I went to start looking for parts, I kept running into the problem that most would fit up to 66 or 68 and up. so I did some research and found out this is the “One Year Beetle”.
Here is a list of what is specific to that year:
- Body molding
- Window winder
- Rear fenders
- The doors
- Dash knobs
- Seat belts
- Rear bumper
- Vent wing latches
- Back-up lights
- Brake reservoir
- Oil bath air cleaner
- Air cleaner bracket
- Push on generator connections
- SB-12 headlight rings
- Front ash tray
- First year of 12 volt
- Low back seats
- Door handles
- Front hood
- Front fenders
- Decklid
- Rear apron
- Sapphire V radio
- Sapphire V radio knobs (Black safety)
- Engine preheat tubes
- The rear z bar
- Hazard switch
- Plastic cage for generator
- Decklid latch dust cover
Well needless to say I gave him scrap price ($150) and loaded it up and took it to my shop. A week later and to my surprise he showed up with the title. So I hope to have it on the road next year!
It looks like this little Beetle made it into good hands. Thanks for sharing and please keep us updated on your progress!
Having owned foreign car shops in both Germany and the US, the mid 60’s beetles were about as good as they get. Still simple cars, pre smog, no silly struts or heavy safety equipment. The 1600’s were great motors and if you could get a dual port they were wonderful. No high back seats, or automatic transmissions, lightweight. These cars were still what Dr Porsche in visioned in his original design….soon they became complicated and heavy. I must have owned hundreds of them. Looks like a fun project…….good luck.
Back in the day, the ’67 was considered the best beetle ever made. most importantly because they were pre smog.
I still do not understand why people think enough of an old car to put it in a barn or shed and THEN leave the windows down or door open. We see it all the time. Not sure that’s the case here though. But i was reminded.
Also great info on the “year one” beetle. I think I had a 67.back many years ago.
Its true that the ’67 did have those “one year only” parts, but as you’ve probably discovered by now, there were a sufficient number of them produced for the global market, that parts are really not that hard to find thanks to reproduction parts on the aftermarket and the availability of parts cars. After your finished with it’s restoration, you’ll be able to enjoy one of the most popular aircooled Beetle models! Most Beetle enthusiasts always have a soft spot for the ’67 models since it has “old” Beetle looks with “new” Beetle mechanicals, its considered to be the best of both worlds!
The left outside mirror identified it as a 67, yes many unique parts! Good find!
Hubcaps unique too I believe
Wow… Makes sense. Transition year for electrical, safety mandates starting to kick in, but I had no idea it was so unique. 68 Porsche has a lot of one year only, but I don’t think nearly this much. My oldest brother had a light blue 67 bug with sunroof when he got married so I KNOW there are pics of that car around.
BTW, I just noticed the 5 min window to edit…. Cool. Wish other similar sites had that.
good story ,, keep everybody posted on the progress
Great story and neat little car.
@ DonM – A lot of different brands were similarly affected during those two years.
Looks like a great project! A $150 start isn’t bad at all, either! Are you planning a full restoration, or just getting it running? Either way, you’ll have a ton of fun with this. Good luck!
At the moment I just want to get it running and fix a little as I go. It has typical pan and quarter panel rust, but it still is a solid car.
I’ll bet getting that car started is as easy as turning the key. They always started. http://youtu.be/Ctin21yrfcA
67’s were popular. Late 66 they went to 12 volts. 67 was the 1st year of the 1500 engine. Last year for seats with no headrests. Cases were of superior alloy to 68’s which tended to pull their studs out.
Correct on all points, Somer. The ’67 Beetle also had a different rear suspension from the ’66 and most importantly, was the last year before the smog control bits and pieces were layered on top of the engine. The ’67 is the best Beetle to drive for handling and power, unless of course, like most of us did, you disconnected the smog control pieces on the later models. I had several Beetles and the ’67 was my favorite.
Wonderful find & great price, but & that is a very big BUT, one year only cars are always very expensive cars to rebuild, however I must say that at the price you paid for her, I wouldn’t be able resist buying it myself, good luck with the “new” toy……….
i see a lot more then $150 in parts so you are ahead already. i hope the floor pan is good or repairable. all the parts you need to turn it into a daily driver are for sale. as stated above the 1967 was the best year for the beetle. does the motor turn freely? great find.
My father owned a white ’67 and it was terrific. I believe it had the 1500 cc engine which was a huge improvement over the 1300 cc from 1966. Basically, the best of all worlds.
Glad you saved it.
I’ve seen some conversation amongst air-cooled freaks on the Flat screen/curved screen debate and I worked with a cranky guy who was restomodding his heart light model. For a car that looked so similar year to year, there’s an intense dependence on the detail differentiation amongst the hardcore. Nice find and good luck on the resto, Jesse.
Also look for rust-through at the ends of the torsion tubes and towers up front. Not too hard to deal with as part is a body-off restoration, but a pain in the butt after you’re done.
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to save a perfectly original 1967 Volkswagen that had been untouched in my grandparent’s garage for 25 years. (You can read my story at http://1967beetle.com/rees-klintworth/). At the time, I knew nothing about Bugs, let alone the special 1967 models. They are a great combination of the older styling with updated electronics and power. Enjoy it!
Rees, enjoyed the write-up, and the way you’ve kept the car as original as possible. Nice work!
Im not a VW guy, but this car came with a 1500 motor in 1967,in 1966 they were 1300’s and in 1968 they were 1600’s,first year for 12 volts,they are considered the best year by some people,I like the 1969’s they had 1600’s and improved transaxel
We used to change engines so often that most all wound up with 1600’s………we would change an engine on the side of the road in less than an hour if the new one was complete. We never rebuilt a 1500 that didn’t become a 1600.
had 1 also,1968 but odd 67 bumper mounts ,and 68 4 lugs but some other items that were strange ,compared to the 68 I had way before. sold it for 500 (bought it for 50).
New Subscriber here from a BaT link…
I met my wife in 1970, she had bought a new ’67 Beetle in ’68 after the ’68’s came out. A friend told her ’67’s were better and against her better judgement she bought a year old model paying $2,100. She named him Gerhardt.
I was a VW mechanic in college so understood what a VW needs and took care of it…oil changes, valve and brake adjustments. Put 125,000 miles on it and thought it should be overhauled. When I spit the case I found the crank measured out in spec, even the clutch disc was serviceable, I put in all new parts, pistons, barrel, clutch, overhauled the heads, wider oil pump and drove it another 100,000 trouble free miles before it started to develop rust in the cowl under the windshield.
Where we lived there was a highway with a steep grade, a VW that could maintain 60 in 4th was possible but most failed that test. Gerhardt maintained 60 plus a mile or two on a good day. Sold it for $2,300 in 1985, my wife is still pissed and wants another.
Great site, looking forward to my future daily email
This is the kind of story that makes BF the greatest place on the ‘net to spend a few minutes reading and dreaming. Thanks so much for posting!
I didn’t realize the 67 had so many one year only parts. I always assumed it was a mixture of 66 and earlier components with just a few 68 and later parts. A year of overlap if you will. Not so apparently. Thanks
great save. you have a fabulous project ahead of you.
In 1969 I got a speeding ticket in my ’62 going down a long hill on rt 84 returning to college in Boston….78 mph on radar….automatic 3 month suspended license (CT). What fun cars they were….
For my entire life, there was a 1967 Beetle sitting in my grandparents garage. I knew nothing about it, and I really didn’t care about cars so it continued to sit. When I was a senior in high school, I decided to start fixing it up. After 25 years of being untouched, it has been my daily driver for the last two years. Old Beetles are great cars, and the 1967 model year holds a special place in my heart. Such a great mix of the older styling (large chrome bumpers, etc.) with newer technology. Enjoy it!
Great BF! I’ve owned, driven, and sold 5 ’67’s over the years and realize I was stupid at least 5 times. The ’67 was the best IMHO and so easy (ie cheap) to maintain. Most had the H 1500cc engine but the swap to 85mm jugs was so common. The last ended up with an 1835 that made it scary but crazy fun to drive. Good luck and have fun with this one:)
My Dad had the first VW convertible in Rochester NY back in the early fifties’. Wonderful car that al lthree of us kids learned to drive. Perfect city car back then as you could park it anywhere. Salt ate it so Dad bought a ’67 beetle with the sunroof. So much improved over the ’55, especially with the syncro 1st and bettter vision. I got caught in a wind shear on glare ice that put both of us in a ditch and totaled it, but not a scratch on me. Tough car. I still have the factory shop manual for the ’55. In five minutes you could draw the wiring diagram it is so simple. Good, fair price on your ’67 that leaves you room to buy what you need. Best wishes with getting it back on the road.