UR12 wrote:Those turn signals that popped out of the door pilars were called Semiphores. They were pretty cool and a little expensive to find now days if you need to replace a missing one.
I have an NOS pair in my bureau drawer under the socks. I have a dozen odd ones, some need repair. If you need a batwing steering wheel for your pre-'54, a horn button for your Split... I don't know if I'd part with them but I have them.
UR12 wrote:Seems like a lot of the old parts are drying up and getting expensive since they quit making aircooled beetles down in Mexico back about 2000 (IIRC)
Old parts are drying up for the same reason tubes are "drying up", there are people who buy and hoard every old part they can find. I used to see a couple sheep farmers from New Jersey at swap meets buying up all the Split parts. They're keeping a low profile but they have a stash you wouldn't believe.
VW made 5,000,000 Beetles by the mid-'50s so they're not as rare as VW enthusiasts think. It's harder to get parts than it used to be but the parts are still cheap and plentiful compared to any other enthusiast vehicle.
It's also an East coast / West coast thing. Good mechanical parts are available on the East coast because the bodies fall apart before the mechanicals wear out. In California the bodies go on forever but the engines, transmissions and suspension are thrashed. Everyone seems to lose the engine tin and lots of small parts. It's also a popular car to ruin with inept repairs and ill-advised mods just like a lot of old amps.
UR12 wrote:My Notchbacks have side marker lights on the front fenders. In Europe, you would park your car and turn the key off and if you put your turn signal on for the side of the car that was on the street they would light up these little side marker lights to show other drivers where the side of your car was.
I may have a set of NOS Notch side marker lights. They're not just Notch, they're pre-'65 Euro Type 3 in general aren't they?
I got rid of most of my Type 2 and Type 3 stuff. I sold the Ghias. I'm keeping my '65 Kombi and enough stuff to keep it going. Ghia parts are expensive, I don't like that if you ding a Ghia the fenders are welded on. It's just a Bug with a fancy body so why not drive a Bug?
UR12 wrote:Old VWs birings a smile to everyones face, young or old. I don't think I have ever met anyone, while out in one of my cars that don't have a fond story to tell about a VW in their past.
And it's up to us to keep old aircooleds in the future.
