Buying a 76 Mk1

[Grommit]

Hi all, I am about to spend $800 on a 1976 Mk1 for my daughter to learn in, its been stood for over six months and have witnessed it running once when the battery was changed. The bodywork is solid with a few minor rust spots, the wheels, tyres, exhaust and engine all look in good shape however the interior is well worn. It will also need the brakes looking at as there is was no fluid in the bottle. There is no air filter and one rear light cover needs replacing. Is $800 reasonable and am I letting myself in for a big job??

[mikinoz]

Hi there, I bought a similar car for $1k. I have since spent on repairs for getting it registered, registration, and other bits around another $1500.

You may want to look at something around 2.5/3K registered and running that is potentially in better nick.

That being said they are fun to restore and I get a kick out of a car I have worked on.

Welcome and I hope that you find the forum full of useful information. Maybe filling in your location will help!

Mick

[Grommit]

Thanks Mick, the car was last registered in October 2008 so I am told it will not need to be tested but it will obviously need registering. If it proves to be a good runner then hopefully the repair bill will not be too much, however a full restoration would not be a viable proposition, it would need seats and interior trim etc.. btw the front quarter-light windows seem to be sealed up with black mastic, should there be handles to secure them? The door window rubbers are in a poor state also. I said I would buy it subject to it running and by that I mean with working brakes!
I am located in Adelaide so I assume there would be limited parts locally.

Thanks again

Dean

[AUC-05L]

Thanks Mick, the car was last registered in October 2008 so I am told it will not need to be tested but it will obviously need registering. If it proves to be a good runner then hopefully the repair bill will not be too much, however a full restoration would not be a viable proposition, it would need seats and interior trim etc.. btw the front quarter-light windows seem to be sealed up with black mastic, should there be handles to secure them? The door window rubbers are in a poor state also. I said I would buy it subject to it running and by that I mean with working brakes!
I am located in Adelaide so I assume there would be limited parts locally.

Thanks again

Dean

i bought a very original car for 1k about 6 months ago. had big problems with the carby, i just managed to get it home. gear linkages were also messed up so i had no 1st gear, but after some tlc it has been a bullit proof daily....awsome little car, and easy to work on.

i was looking to get rid of it and buy something more modern, ie with aircon, but i cant bring myself to sell it....

ps, if the carby is rooted, just buy a 32/36 weber and manifold for it, its a waste of money trying to fix the original carb.

cheers
john

[dub be good to me]

Yep, good carbs the webers. From memory there's one in the for sale section
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=28452
(bit of shameless self promotion )

[Peter Jones]

Nothing too hard in that list.

Later seats can be adapted easily, a good pair of Cordoba or MK3 seats will set you back around $100.

Brakes are simple and cheap to fix yourself, all the parts are available new. Sounds like a leaky master or rear wheel cylinder. Either is a simple weekend job to swap out.

You'll need the air filter for registration, pop up an ad in the wanted section, there should be heaps of those lying about. Alternatively bung an aftermarket one on there.

The rear lenses are still available new too try the local VW repair places or pop a wanted ad up on here.

Good luck with the project.

Pete

[jets]

Welcome Grommit. If you buy the car I recommend Imparts for any parts that you might want. Ph82603667.

[keto]

this the yellow golf from ebay? from a few days ago?

[Grommit]

Yes it the yellow one on Ebay and I've picked it up today. It was checked over my a mechanic who said there is nothing that can't be easily fixed. I drove it home and was suprised how quick it was, also the have a spare webber carb thrown in so all is good. So it turns out the brakes will need bleeding, the thermostat needs replacing and the carb needs setting up for it to run better, other than that its just cosmetic bits to fix.
My daughter is over the moon.



Thanks all

Dean

[greasykitchen]

Sweet! Another '76 in Adelaide. Keep us updated on it.
Cheers

[SpeciP3]

well worth it especially with those nice chrome bumpers

[16v_kid]

looking good man.