Thread: Its the Simple "Things" in life!

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I have been working on and off of Mr. Customers 60 something international pick up truck for a few years now. Ive bagged the front end and installed a mustang ll suspension, Installed a SBC with a 700r4. So I get a call out of the blue. He wants me to check out a VW Thing. So I go over to check the thing out thinking he needs some work done on it. I've never really looked these little guys over very closely only because I just thought they were ugly little nothing cars! come to find out he wants to do some barter work for his thing! My first thought is you got to be kidding me. So I go into the garage and he starts pulling all kinds of things off of the car that have been stacked , piled, and stored up on it for years. With my flash light in hand I peek at the engine and its sparkling clean? Trans axle was the same? I noticed new trailing arms on it as well as a body lift. The front end has been lifted with an adjuster welded on the front beams. This little guys is pretty cool! Come to find out he has been building it for years but just ran out of gas on it. He has it sanded down to the point where it needs some color put on it, rubber door seals installed, fenders put on and its ready to go. Everything is fresh and new! He is just over the whole THING? So now I'm anxiously waiting to get after his truck again in a few weeks, soon after that I will take position of the Thing. I cant remember being this excited about a car for a long long time? Go figure. LOL Ugly little thing... cant wait. Oh and it comes with a mountain of spare parts. It should be a blast! anyone here ever had one?

I've never had one but seen some at a lake show years ago that were driving in the water. They must have been converted for this? Good luck with it, it definitely sounds like it'll make a cool THING!

Back in the mid 70's one of my first cars was a little 68 bug that I lifted and did a bunch of work to. I drove the wheels off that thing and sold it to my brother in law as he just had to have it! Im hoping this little Thing is half as much fun as what I remember...10-30-2014 9;47;40 PM.jpg10-30-2014 9;47;33 PM.jpg10-30-2014 9;47;55 PM.jpg


Think I want to build something like one of these:
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WHAT no surfboard??? Cool pics MT

No I finally gave up the long board a few years ago. Decided the water was too cold for my old bones. Id surf for a half hour or so and couldn't feel the toes or fingers. Kinda takes the fun out of it! LOL

That will be cool like either of those two.

I hate those THINGS, and with just cause!!! Many moons ago while bracket racing one of my little Mavericks I was dialed in at my usual 10.50. A couple clowns decided to run their Dad's VW Thing in brackets. It was a Gambler's race, so anything at anytime could run. The Thing was dialed in at like a 26. and change, and I came up against him in the semi's. Well, I finally ran the clown down after his almost 16 sec head start, and then bad of all bads, I broke out by .02!!!! This was on a Friday night of a 3 day event so I of course caught flack about getting beat by a THING all weekend! Every since then I've hated those dang THINGS!!!!

Like I said it the simple Things in life! I promise never never to drag race it!

Gotta admit I've never seen a THING lifted on bigger meats for off road. They were only offered in 2WD (rear), and I assume that the big front tires are for looks and ground clearance vs being converted to 4WD, right?

These are just VW's with different bodys. Developed in ww2 for the German army to transport its officers. Its just a rear engine VW air cooled engine with a VW trans axle. 4x4 is out of the question for these vehicles but they are very off road worthy due to the weight distribution and gearing. Air cooled makes running the desert nice not worrying about H2O for cooling. The larger tires give better ground clearance, better grip on the dirt, and better flotation in the sand. And a nice by product of that is they look meaner as well. They are really well suited for our needs, oh and not bad gas mileage either.

Of course you can go LS1 and water and rule the world!

You definitely have big plans for this THING. Will this THING take priority over the model a?

007.jpgActually the Thing is already set up like this. A cage, paint, and some little re assembly after paint is all that is needed. So for all intents its a driver now. I think I might slide it in on a few weekends while still working on the model A. I can build a cage in a day so that wont be much of a distraction. My neighbor the painter owes me a few favors so I'm sure he will shoot it for me.

Speaking of cages I should be done with this one soon.
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