Greg Minuskin recently reached out to 1967beetle.com to take a look at a ’67 Beetle he was considering purchasing. As it turns out, it’s a numbers matching L282 lotus white sunroof. After looking at a few photos, I advised him to purchase the car before someone else did! It makes me happy to know there are a handful of quality ’67 Beetles still out there; forgotten under layers of dust in barns, garages, etc. 1967beetle.com will continue to find and showcase their unique stories.
Well, I recently acquired this ’67 VW Beetle from a long time Mercedes Benz collector friend. He had acquired the car from his neighbor who passed away some time ago. I believe the car is original to California, for it sports the Trans Ocean license plate frames from the Pasadena VW dealership in that area, and black plates, making me the third owner.
After some discussion with my friend (for buying a car from a friend is always a tricky business, don’t want to mess up the friendship you know) we agreed on a price, and I had the car towed to my VW dealership for inspection/roadworthiness. I found that the car was very, very sound, no rust, original engine/matching to the car, although rebuilt, but with a Brazilian carburetor. The radio is not correct, but old/correct to the car. Surprisingly the car needed very little with the right rear wheel cylinder rebuild, new shoes that were ruined by the brake fluid, and a steering dampener. Had the oil changed new drain seal, which solved the slight oil leak, and also a new replacement spare tire fitted as the original was rotted out. It was missing just the jack, which I am sure I can get somewhere. I had never driven a VW Beetle before, so this was my first experience, having always had manual/stick shift modern cars, even today as my daily driver is a 2003 VW Jetta TDI. I found the car easy to drive, actually fun, and my wife finds the car cute as well. I received 7 sets of keys, two truck full of new parts from Wolfsburg West never used, three repair manuals, and also a receipt for $2,700.00 dated about 3 years ago; which lists a new clutch, rebuild of the transmission, and other components.
So, there you have it! The sun roof has never been opened, but Eric tells me, with his friends, that the gasket/repair of the sunroof can be done to make it work/functional.
Greg Minuskin
greg@gregminuskin.com
www.gregminuskin.com
Comments are closed.
Nice 67! Enjoy!
Very, very nice car! EXACTLY like my girlfriend’s in high-school. I had a Zenith Blue ’67 and she had a Lotus White ’67, she had a sunroof, but I didn’t, we both had in-dash eight-track players. Really brings back memories, thanks for sharing it with us. Nice!
Thanks guys! Yeah, it’s a really nice car. ’67 Beetles just keep exploding my inbox! It’s really fun to see this site grow so much.
Nice car Greg, good luck with it.
As for the sunroof, everything that it needs is being reproduced. This was not the case even just a few years ago. By looking at the photos it looks as though it’s closed properly, meaning the cables and gears should be ok.The felt seals are easy enough to replace, just get good quality ones from someone like Wolfsburg West. Usually a sunroof won’t leak because of a bad seal but because the drains are blocked. You will see four holes in each corner once the roof is open. These are the drains. Make sure they aren’t blocked or clogged.Compressed air will work to clean them out, then test them by pouring a small amount of water. They should drain through to the bottom of the car. Look under the rear of the front fender and the bottom of the rear quarter in the area of the jack placement for the drained water. Any questions let me know, I’ve rebuilt a few sunroofs.
’67 community! I love it.
Thank you Jody! You are the person to contact for sure on the sunroof repair, and if I can contact you directly, I would be very happy. Let me know. Greg Minuskin
Just want to thank so far all the great comments from those who have posted about my new Beetle. Eric was really instrumental in getting me to purchase this car before someone else did, and I appreciate it very much.
I will post updates on repairs, if I can/via Eric, when I do something on the car. Thanks again and Happy Motoring!
Anytime Greg! 1967beetle.com is here for you.. We all are.
Okay, was able to crack open the sun roof about 4 inches, quite stiff, did not push it, but I am able to open it, and close it perfectly so I can drive around with it closed. Now, I need help for sure! Can you contact me directly Jody at greg@gregminuskin.com? Thanks.
Nice! Feel free to post back what you learn for the rest of us. Ron over at Wolfsburg West is a great source for info as well..
Man that is clean!!! I like it!! Great find. -Louie
It seems all the good ’67 Beetles are coming out to be showcased!
Thank you! It is a really clean car, and I will keep you all updated, if I can, on the sunroof! Thanks again Eric for being there for us!
You’re welcome!