Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1977 Vw Beetle Rat Rod on 2040-cars

US $3,000.00
Year:1977 Mileage:100000
Location:

Oak Park, Illinois, United States

Oak Park, Illinois, United States

If i had a good place to store and work on this, I wouldn't be selling it... but I don't so I am.  This is a completely ridiculous VW rat rod.  It currently runs and drives fine, but the brake lights stopped working so I haven't driven it far in a couple of weeks.  About two months ago I grove around 500 miles in a weekend.  I'm not going to claim it was comfortable, but the car had zero problems.

If you're looking for a reasonable daily driver, you should absolutely not buy this car.  It has one seat, no interior, no heat, questionable wiring and really requires ear plugs for long drives.

If you're considering buying a bright yellow Lamborghini to drive slowly and get attention, I promise this will attract more (and more positive) looks.  You will get used to having your picture taken.  It literally caused an accident while parked as someone drifted across the road while looking at it.  I had an approving, positive conversation about it with a 1%'er at a gas station.

I bought the car mostly as is from a local guy who worked on it with his two sons.  It has so many unique touches I don't even know where to start.  Sanded down to bare metal, rusted, then sealed with epoxy.  Road sign fenders (and the beginning of an interior).  License plate inner fenders.  License plate dash.  Raised coil-over suspension and brand new all-terrain tires.  Headlights are apparently from some 1920's truck.  Chopped & snubbed nose front end. Trimmed engine cover.  Welded roof rack with snowboard bolted on. Stinger header.

Beyond the rat rod nature, major issues are: Floor is solid, but has some riveted in patches and could stand to be replaced.  I have a quote of $1400 including labor from a very reputable VW restoration shop.  Heat channels are solid & in good shape.
Boots on the axles are in rough shape and work but should be replaced eventually.  I have a quote of $490 to replace both axles including labor from the same shop.
The brake lights just stopped working.  It's been very cold, and it's possible one of the switches froze up.
The fuel gauge just stopped working but is likely just a bad connection.   Working on getting that fixed before it leaves.

Other than that, it runs strong, shifts fine, stops fine, and drives straight.

Additional Parts not yet installed:
1920's horn & chain pull switch.
Lots of additional road signs.
Miscellaneous mirrors and other bits that could be welded on.

If it doesn't sell in the next couple of days, I'm taking it in to get the floor, axles, and electrical issues addressed.  I just thought I'd see if someone was interested that might want to do the work themselves.

Auto Services in Illinois

Zeigler Chrysler Dodge Jeep ★★★★★

New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers
Address: 2311 Ogden Ave, Darien
Phone: (630) 241-5500

Walden Automotive ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Tire Dealers
Address: 1508 S Main St Ste A, Holder
Phone: (309) 828-3366

Twin City Upholstery Ltd. ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Seat Covers, Tops & Upholstery
Address: Heyworth
Phone: (309) 829-3839

Truetech Automotive ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Accessories
Address: 410 E Northwest Hwy, Elk-Grove-Village
Phone: (847) 299-8783

Towing Recovery Rebuilding Assistance Services ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automotive Roadside Service, Towing
Address: 1835 High Grove Ln #103, Eola
Phone: (630) 200-2731

Tony`s Auto Body ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting
Address: 157 E Kensington Ave, Burnham
Phone: (773) 928-4670

Auto blog

J.D. Power customer survey of dealers counts Cadillac, Buick as big winners

Mon, 14 Apr 2014

Cadillac and Buick have taken the trophies in J.D. Power's latest Customer Service Index Study examining satisfaction with dealer service. Surveying more than 90,000 owners and lessees of 2009-2013 model-year cars, the study found that those with pre-paid maintenance packages were ten percent more likely to buy their next car from the same brand.
Dealer satisfaction scores have improved overall, Cadillac nabbed the luxury segment ahead of Audi and Lexus, taking the crown that Lexus held last year. Buick keeps the mass-market dealer satisfaction win in the family, finishing ahead of Volkswagen and last year's winner GMC. The study also found that service department use of tablets increased customer satisfaction, as did "best practices" like "providing helpful advice." Who knew?
You can find details on those and more findings in the press release below.

Silverado HD, Touareg V10 TDI face off in diesel tug-of-war

Sun, 30 Dec 2012

A couple weeks ago, we watched a Chevrolet Silverado get dominated by a Dodge Ram Heavy Duty in a fullsize pickup tug-of-war, but in that truck's defense, Chevy's Vortec gas engine was no match for the torquey Cummins turbo diesel. For our next round of vehicular tug-of-war, a Duramax-powered Silverado HD takes on Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI.
Now, on paper, putting the Duramax V8's 365 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque up against the V10's 310 hp and 553 lb-ft looks like an easy win for the Bowtie, but unfortunately, this battle has a similar result as the Dodge versus Chevy video, with the Silverado smoking its tires trying to move forward as it gets pulled backwards. Put another way: YouTube 2, Chevy Silverado 0.
It just goes to show, though, that big tires, bolt-on fender flares and goofy smoke stacks don't improve your towing abilities. Besides, what did the Silverado driver expect when the Touareg V10 TDI has towed a Boeing 747 in the past?

VW previews retouched 2014 Touareg for Beijing

Wed, 16 Apr 2014

Volkswagen is in New York this week showing off its new Jetta and Golf TDI SportWagen concept. But in less than a week, the German automaker will be off to China for the Beijing Motor Show, where it will showcase the revised Touareg you see here.
A subtle update on the Touareg that's been on the market in its current form for four years now, the facelifted model features reworked styling front and rear, an updated interior and a host of new technologies to keep it current in the highly competitive SUV market. Among those new features are larger bi-xenon headlights, coasting function, Google Maps integration and a post-collision braking system designed to prevent a second crash.
VW will offer the new Touareg with a variety of engines around the world, but in North America it'll carry over the same six-cylinder powertrain options as the outgoing model: a 3.6-liter V6 with 280 horsepower, a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 with 240 hp (though torque isn't listed, we'd expect around 406 pound-feet, same as last year) and a hybrid that marries a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 to an electric motor that combine to deliver 380 hp.