more of a swap

[mrhash]

might be under wrong thread but what the hell, i've been looking for a og beetle steering wheel forever now and i don't know what happened to the one @ndrew was going to send me?(if your reading, dude??? )so i'm trying plan B now, if anyone is interested in swaping one for a napier racing steering wheel-black n silver-let me know!!! it's still in perfect condition i bought it out of necessity i'm just not the racing interior type of guy...i'll post pics on request

[fig]

Just off the top of my head I can think of no fewer than six styles of steering wheel fitted to Beetles over the years.

Please be specific re style of wheel and year model, so we know if we can assist you. Pics wouldn't hurt either for clarity.

[mrhash]

would make sense, i'm not too fazed about what model or year it's from but i have a 74 super so anything that'll fit would be great...will post pics in the morro

[fig]

74 Super? Do you mean 1600S? I thought that first arrived later, 75 or 76?

So you need the late style of steering wheel with the flat safety boss instead of a horn button. You should be fussed about which year you get; they are not necessarily interchangeable.

[Blitzkrieg]

Do you need a thin spline or thick spline steering wheel?

[Muderick]

74 Super? Do you mean 1600S? I thought that first arrived later, 75 or 76?

Super beetle is common nomenclature abroad for late model (70's beetles) and not related only to a specific model run. It is used to descibe early to later 70s models... also the 1600S was a later 70's model but the body changes were already evident, along with the 1303 launch in 1973 with the first padded dashboard models, shorther, stubbier bonnets et al...

Muds

[bugspray]

The guys needs a late model beetle steering. Thick spline. Help him out. Easy

[fig]

74 Super? Do you mean 1600S? I thought that first arrived later, 75 or 76?

Super beetle is common nomenclature abroad for late model (70's beetles) and not related only to a specific model run. It is used to descibe early to later 70s models... also the 1600S was a later 70's model but the body changes were already evident, along with the 1303 launch in 1973 with the first padded dashboard models, shorther, stubbier bonnets et al...

Muds

Super Beetle was actually the 1303, not all 70s Beetles. Our version of the 1303 was 1600S. No other Beetle is correctly referred to as "Super". The Super name belongs to curved windscreen Beetles; all the other stuff you refer to is irrelevant.

If we all have our own definitions for things, language will cease to be a communication tool.

[mrhash]

74 Super? Do you mean 1600S? I thought that first arrived later, 75 or 76?

So you need the late style of steering wheel with the flat safety boss instead of a horn button. You should be fussed about which year you get; they are not necessarily interchangeable.

i meant 76, but yes i need the type with a flat safety boss...had no idea about the difference between steering wheels on different years...noob alert

[mrhash]

The guys needs a late model beetle steering. Thick spline. Help him out. Easy

now thats what im talking bout

[Muderick]

Like I said... nomenclature abroad (even though its incorrect).... not SA.

I know a 1600S from my 1600 SP and 1303 and 1302
I was merely trying to stress the reason many people locally and more abroad confuse the term Super... even though the supers, or 1302 were offered in 1971 and 1972 and 1303's were offered from 1973 to 1976...

1971 and 1972 1302's were also known as supers even though they did not have the curved screen like the 1303 and 1600S.

Then again when Mr Hash said 1974 super, you knew he was not referring to a S beetle...

[Blitzkrieg]

From TheSamba dictionary...

Super Beetle - A variation of the Beetle. Characteristics include a big-nose front hood, larger trunk space, McPherson strut front suspension, curved windshield ('73-later), and modern dashboard (also '73-later). '71-72 (and '70 overseas) will have a flat windshield and typical Beetle dashboard.

[Muderick]

ok...

Wikepedia...

In 1971, alongside continued production of the "standard" Beetle, a Type 1 variant called the Super Beetle (also known as the VW 1302 from 1971–1972, and VW 1303 from 1973 onwards) featured MacPherson strut front suspension and a redesigned front end. The new stretched nose design replaced the dual parallel torsion bar beams which had compromised trunk space and relocated the spare tire from a near vertical to a low horizontal position. The redesign resulted in a tigher turning radius despite a 20 mm longer wheelbase, and a doubling of the front compartment's cargo volume. As with previous models, air pressure from the spare tire pressurized the windshield washer canister, in lieu of an electric pump.

1972 Super Beetles had a slightly larger rear window, larger front brakes, and four rows of vents (versus two rows previously) on the engine deck lid. The tail lights incorporated reversing lights. The "four spoke" steering wheel and steering column were re-engineered to the "energy absorbing" design for better crash safety. A socket for the VW Dealer Diagnosis was fitted inside the engine compartment.

In 1973, the VW 1303 introduced a curved windscreen, pushed forward and away from the passengers, allowing a redesigned, "padded" dashboard to replace the pre-73 vertical dash. A 2-speed heater fan, higher rear mudguards, and larger tail lights were added. The changes to the heater/windshield wiper housing and curved windshield resulted in slight redesign of the front hood, making the 1971 and 1972 Super Beetle hoods unique.

For 1974, the previous flat steel bumper mounting brackets were replaced with tubular "self restoring energy absorbing" attachments, effectively shock absorbers for the bumpers, on North American market Beetles. These cars also got stronger "5mph" bumpers that added an inch to the length of the car. The steering knuckle and consequently the lower attach point of the strut was redesigned to improve handling and stability in the event of a tire blowout. This makes the struts from pre-74 Supers not interchangeable with 1974-79 makes.[30]

1975 brought the replacement of carburettors with Air Flow Control (AFC) Fuel Injection on U. S., Canadian and Japanese Beetles, a derivative of the more complex Bosch fuel injection system used in the Volkswagen Type III. The fuel injected engine also received a new muffler and the option of an upstream catalytic converter required on some models (e.g. California), necessitating a bulge in the rear apron sheet metal directly under the rear bumper, and replacing the distinctive dual "pea shooter" pipes with a single offset tailpipe, all of which make the fuel injected models easy to identify at a glance. Other changes were rack and pinion steering replacing the traditional worm and roller gearbox on Super Beetles, and a larger license plate lamp housing below the engine lid. The front turn indicators were moved from the top of the fenders into the bumper bars on European models, a portend of the "Euro look" style years later by Beetle restorers.

In 1976, the Super Beetle sedan was discontinued, and just the standard sedan and Super convertible remained. The optional "Auto-stick" transmission was dropped. 1976-on Super Beetles saw no significant engineering changes, only a few cosmetic touches and new paint options, including the "Champagne Edition" models (white on white was one example) to the final 1979 "Epilogue Edition" black on black, in salute to the first Beetles produced in the 1930s.

[fig]

I stand corrected ...

[forcecooled]

In South Africa, the 1967 1500 beetle was marketed as the "super beetle"

I am sure I have seen , or even somewhere have copies of ads depicting this.

Anyway, I was at the launch of the '67 1500 at Beachway Motors in Durban, purely by accident -- was driving past in my '55 beetle and saw all the commotion and ra-ra going on and stopped in to have a look.
--Was offered R35.00 trade in on my bug for one of those gleaming Super bugs------! By lady salesperson that was dressed like the story book character Heide