How To

I will be working on a 1973 Super Beetle in this series. From the windshield forward it is a “Super Beetle”; Behind the windshield, it is just like a regular Beetle. The “Super” has a curved windshield, larger trunk area, different trim, and a strut based – redesigned front end. So this means, as far as the engine and rear focus areas of the car, you can use this for a Beetle of similar years.

Volkswagen designed the Super Beetle for the 1971 production year to keep Beetle sales going, while at the same time, trying to design a vehicle to replace it. They produced the “Super” in Germany for the US market all the way up to 1978, selling off the remainder in 1978-79; then shifted production to Brazil and Mexico, where it continued to be produced until 2003.

The “’73 Super” is not a desirable Beetle, and now I know why. It was a “one-off” year for VW as they tried new things that did not stick around to the next production year. This means that parts are hard to find, and if so, they are either really cheap or really expensive. I would recommend the ’75 and up Super Beetles, but you’d have to smog it in California, to which, Beetle engines are not environmentally-friendly. Do your research before buying a vehicle…

Though out the How To’s in this section, we are going to turn the Beetle on the left into the Beetle on the right, hopefully making a profit along the way. The table above is my recommended order of restoration activities to turn the project out properly and quickly. The table below breaks out the procedures by section and focus. Click on the focus element to go to that How To

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