T3: Intro and SB questions...

[Douglas_Brashear@mail.amsinc.com]

Hello all...first I want to introduce myself:  Doug Brashear, located in
Arlington, VA (USA), a new T-III owner (see story below)

So I went to take a look at a 69 squareback on Saturday and it looked good
and ran well...unfortunately it was pouring rain so I wasn't able to get
underneath and give it the thorough underbody inspection I wanted to, and
from the few glances I could get everything seemed in order, so I bought it
(price undisclosed, but it was over $1K)...so of course yesterday I was
looking at this thing and finding all kinds of problems, some big and
annoying and others small and inconsequential.  The thing that really irked
me is that the guy I bought it from, a really nice guy who seemed
straightforward, made it sound like he'd put his blood, sweat and tears
into the car and fixed it up right.  Unfortunately that wasn't the case.
Not to stereotype deadheads or anything (and no offense intended), but
everytime I've seen a head's VW it's always a mickey mouse
resto...something that looks good in the parking lot outside a stadium but
is held together by tape, and the free money is spent on exotic herbs (heh
heh) rather than to keep the car in good shape.  I'm sure I've stepped on a
few toes here (sorry)...just my personal experiences (though I'm obviously
a bigger idiot for buying the car ;-)

This thing looks good on the outside except for the old window seals...new
paint job, thoroughly undercoated and protected in most areas, and running
well.  A check underneath reveals a very rusty rear bumper mount (right
side), half assed patches at the top of the front wheel wells, and other
assorted mickey mouseness.  Inside there's moist floors (maybe from the
old, cracked window seals, maybe from something else I haven't found yet),
a front floor section (small) patched with a No Parking sign (yeah, its
strong, but...), and a sticky gas pedal (!!, but I can handle this...I
think its getting hung up on the SO's gerry-rigged speaker wire).

The engine also shows signs of neglect...the guy wonders why there's no
heat in the car...maybe its because the hoses from the air blower to the
heat exchangers are missing!  Bad t-stat (fully extended at cold temps),
air intake bellows patched with duct tape (though this part is cheap), and
other signs of neglect.

I'm a little bummed out about the purchase, but now I'm gonna deal with it.
The engine stuff is easy...but I'm wondering about the window seals...any
idea where I can find good window seals (preferably the kind that accepts
the C-section aluminum trim)?

Does anyone make repair panels for this rear bumper mount section?  What
about repair panels for the front section of the floor?

Does anyone have an extra cover for the top of the housing that covers the
fan belt?

Just wondering...any info you can pass on would be most appreciated!

-Doug
74 super
69 squareback
douglas_brashear@mail.amsinc.com