I have a very stock looking '66 sitting in a storage unit. Your video makes me want to finally get around to restoring it!

I have a 1966 beetle that has 1967 door handles which I thought were wrong for the car. While reading in the Bentley manual it states that that some very late 1966 production cars had 1967 door handles. Being a one year part makes them more difficult to find. Luckily I started collecting VW parts in the 1970s and have been able to buy several over the years. I still have the 1966 sun roof car that I bought in1990. Some of the less common parts (pop out windows for one ) have gotten pricey.

I have a all original 66 beetle with red leather interior, she's beautiful. I get alot of thumbs up when driving her.

Thanks again Chris, for your world class videos. I just picked up a 66 last week and this vid in particular is a massive help. Thanks so much, keep up the amazing work.

Hi. Congrats for your video. I have been a VW enthusiast since I was 15 years old and I have restored several Bugs, including a ‘66. In addition, I a big fan of THE BEATLES. I will be 67 years old in October. VW’s and The Beatles will never die.

I have a restored 66 Beetle. It is worth mentioning this is the last year with the 6 volt flywheel. The 6 volt starter does work with the 12 volt conversion, however they can burn out under heavy cranking. The 12 volt flywheel has more teeth (bigger), so the transmission case would have to be machined to manage a 12 volt flywheel and starter. The 6 volt starters are sometimes hard to get. There are trade offs when trying to keep it "original". Thanks Chris. Great videos.

Great coverage of the 66 model. I had an F code 1300 6V in my 57 when I was 16 years old and later I owned a 66 beetle in what I called toothpaste green- (Bahama Blue). The F code 1300 had more than 40 hp, I always like to believe it had 50 hp due to the angled intake manifold flange meeting the new style heads. F Codes Rule!

Hi Chris, Cool video like always! My dad had a '66 bug equipped with dealer a /c , he purchased the car way back in '72. I have owned my '66 bug sunroof for over 30 years. It was the pigalle model in L87 pearl white with red upholstery :seats , carpet , seat frames and floor mats rear floor kick panels. The front heater foot well slide doors came in red aswell ,car featured a walnut shift knob and a spare tire chain lock which was a '66 option. This car is an October '65 production so it still has the early pedal assembly and square push button door handles . The '65 and early '66 outside door handles are actually wrapped in a stainless steel cover unlike the chromed plated '60-'64 types. This early production also featured the center dash defroster & 4 way flasher unit with solid red "88" knob & black steering wheel & slotted wheels with flat hub caps.

The 66 is really nice year! Thanks for sharing Chris! =)

I bought a 1966 VW in Fresno California in Jan. 1966. It was Panama beige, had beige interior and cost $1965. Having one just from the factory was a great experience. The car was unfortunately totalled with less than 5,000 miles on it in a triple highway rollover. Amazingly my passenger and I were uninjured. I always regretted losing that car in brand new condition. Great to see you guys doing such high level restoration on these cars.

Volkswagen beetle was favorite car of Pakistan's army officers in 60s. My uncle was captain he bought 67 model beetle brand new then I was 9 years old.

Excelent Chris i am rebuilding a 66/67 australian beetle and a lot of my work has been learnt from you. Thanks

The thing i love the most on the 66 bug is, the ball joint beam and the 1300 engine which you can easily swap in a 1600 or those strokers

Thanks for sharing Chris!

Thank you, I have a 66. Your video is very educational.

Thats a really great looking 66! Good work, Chris!

Very helpful Chris. Thanks!

Wow! Beautiful 1966 Beetle!

Chris I appreciate for posting your many video. Wish Your Tube was invented in 1960’s when I was young.. it would save my time and fix where it needs to be fixed or replaced. I ALWAYS ENJOY every video. Million thanks!!! 👍🏼

Thank you Chris. your videos are awesome!!! you are the best!! just a couple of things, the seat frames has handle like lever to push the top portion of the seat front, the in dash hazard, and the last year of the round front fenders, in 67 the go more flat. last year of the 6 volt.

Great video. Thanks Chris

Also ‘66 was the first year with the center defrost vent on the dashboard. Might even be 1 year only on the rear bumper mounts as I could not find any that resembled my stock ones when I replaced mine. Nice video & info, Chris! 👍🏽

Wonderful video, informative and interesting!

Great information. Thank you for sharing

Great video! Always good info!👍

Mines a June 66 it has the factory round knobs I have been daily driving mine for 10 years now love the videos

Thanks Chris for sharing your experience.... great to see the VW beatles still being restored....I purchased a new 1966 model & I think it was the first model I Australia to have synchromesh in 1st gear....also the fuel gauge was new from my older 1959 model....best car I owned but sadly sold it because family size increased ..... cheers from Australia 😀

That pearl white with all red interior looks damn good 👍

Very helpful, thanks, Chris, now I know mine is '66 (but on a 71/72 floorpan)

In Germany this model came out in November of 1964. I bought one on December of 1964 in Fürth. The Models sold in Germany were one tear ahead of the exports.

I totally agree about mounting the voltage regulators. Seeing them “tacked” somewhere under the hood just drives me nuts! I also install them under the seat, but I like them on the other side (near the battery). Doesn’t really matter; just like having all the electrics on the same side!

Hi Chris - Great job you're doing there - I'm Sathi from Malaysia - have my dad's bug handed to me - strangely in Asia at that time it was a real mish-mash of the 65 and 66. The car was manufactured in 65 - It already had the flat hubcaps and the wheels you mentioned- and the towel rack bumpers - 1300 . No 4 way flashers though - Pearl white with those uniform red seats. Another this is these seats had the 3 piece mechanism for the front seats leaning forward mechanism as you've shown but most cars don't have them now. The owner's manual you flashed is the same too as in 65 - Guess they experimented on us Asians before going all out in America

I remember the 66 Bug when it came out, and thought it was pretty nice. However, I never saw a 66 with that horn ring, only 64s and 65s. The 66, I thought, went back to the 60 - 63 style half circle horn ring. Also, while carpet was an option in 66 and 67, not many cars had it. The vast majority of Bugs had rubber floor matting. Also, there is no need to convert to 12 volt. Just use thick enough battery cables. For this small 4 cylinder, 2 gauge is big enough. You can not use chain auto parts store 4 gauge battery cables with 6 volts. You just can't. There are also 8 volt batteries available. They are available in the same group sizes as 6 volt batteries. The only thing you will have to do is re-calibrate the voltage regulator. Everything else will work fine on 8 volts.

That body with a 69 IRS chassis and you are suddenly civilized! Love those headlights. 1600 with twin Weber's and you have a poor man's 356!

When I had my ‘66 the headlight switch was really expensive, I’m guessing it was a one year only item also. Great video by the way.

Thanks for the ‘66 video, I mentioned my ‘66 Frankenbug on one of your oval window videos the other day. It’s nice to see a more stock’66 as a reference even though I’m going in a different direction. I do wish I had 15 or 20 K lying around to get that gun metal gray paint job!

I thought the '66 air-cleaner was a one year only too. A forrest green '66 was my first car. Can't believe you forgot to mention the center windsheild vent. That vent, and the ball joint front end, were the two best upgrades for that year. The '66 was the best combination of old and new.

Red interior also called as pigalle. Great videos as usual. Also early 1300cc engines had a stepped crankshaft next to the flywheel end.

I didn’t get the chance to read all the comments, so just in case it’s been mentioned, I apologize for repeating it….mine has the red interior that you show, but where the seat back release lever area is, I have a red cover over the whole seat frame area on the outboard side, which hides it all pretty nicely….might have been an option, but I’m not sure….I also have an ivory knob cigarette lighter,(6v), on the right side of the ashtray, which also might have been an option, as it matches all the rest of the knobs and retainers….my parents bought it,(I was with them), when the car was turned in by an older couple who wanted to trade it for a type three only after 3mos, we were there, and my parents grabbed it, and it’s been mine now since 1979….

My first new car was a 1966 red Beetle. I'll always remember what I paid for it, sticker, $1966. Currently, I just purchased a new red Arteon SEL R-line. It's a long way from $1966. My youngest son owns a '67 Ghia convertible in great shape with a '73 1600 dual carb conversion to go along with his Tiguan and Atlas.

Hey Chris, I’m bidding on eBay on a one family owned bug from December 65, which is what you explained, ball joint etc, sat in a garage since 92 the interior is all red, pigalle im told, and mint! Body has lots of bits of surface rust but solid! Fingers crossed!

First year for the 30Pict-1 carburetor. I think it was the last year for the short axles also.

Also, good that you pointed out the late 66s had the exterior door handles with round push buttons like the 67, but I have seen 67s with the square buttons. Maybe they had 66 doors?

TMI carries the correct door panels as well, and they look really nice. I ordered mine through JBugs, plus you can select non standard colors. I went with a saddle color vinyl which compliments the Bahama Blue nicely. You can buy the chrome door panel trim from Wolfsburg West as well. Also, I don't think your hazard flasher is correct, that looks like a later model knob used. I believe 66 is one year only and are not cheap and hard to find.

Nice...

My late father was Volkswagen mechanic and service manager at dealership in western Pennsylvania he all so work for Packard dealerships that sold them through Hoffman importers we had a 56 beetle and 3 1966 beetles the first 66 had 500 miles on when bought it was bought wrecked and he put a new frame head on it and from fire wall out body panels he like the 1300cc throttle response .

Love these model year videos. You've got your hands full when you do '67. One year everything(almost).lol. Check the Samba for a one year only items '67 bug thread for a thread. Looking forward to it.

I really miss my '66 especially after watching your video!! May be time to start lookin' for another one?? ;>)

66 my fav

❤️ the 66

I'm currently rebuilding a 66. I had to cancel my order with jbugs because of a long backorder wait and I reordered everything from cip1

Also the query i have, regarding the flat hubcap that fits into the inner 3 lobes… is that cap beetle specific (i.e. protruding further out to accommodate the axles), or the same type of cap with the ridge as per the type 3. I have tried fitting the caps onto the correct 5 lug slotted rims - but the caps are just too shallow by about 5mm - whixh makes me think the beetle caps were “taller” than the type 3 ones

66 first year with the centre vent slot cut out on the interior dash Chris

Is there a video on how to replace sunroof seal? For a 74 bettle

In 1966 all new cars sold in the US had to have 4 way flashers.

Big windows on the '66. Lots of glass!

If you were building a 66 that needed a wiring harness, and want to go 12v, would you use a 67 harness then?

Is it possible to make a video of a stereo and speaker installation?

We Germans pronounce Volkswagen as folkswagen , v is sometimes a f in the german grammar .

Isn’t that a 1965 steering wheel horn bar?

Hey just wondering can you do a rundown on a 64 Sunroof

Hi from scotland,fixing up a 1965 at the moment and would like to know if the balljoint beem from a 66 can go on a 65,or did the spacing on the framehead change.great vids from you allways

Hey Chris have you done one of these videos for a 65? Love your work 😊

Nice video! How comes some '66's have turn signals mounted on top of the front fenders? I think my dad's '64 had them.

One year only flasher switch. But guy in Sacramento may still have correct one for sale(thesamba.com) search will show. I have one uncracked but goes with car NFS. Another man in Monterey CA makes 6volt generators converted to 12 volt excellent units $300+.

Didn’t the horn ring make a return in 66 as well?

Interesting. You should compare US bugs to Europe, as we didn't get a lot of those features until 67. And if you have 67 1200 (as I do, incidentally it's a never welded UK car, near mint condition) it kept the floor dip switch, 6v electrics, reserve tap (no fuel guage), etc.

Chris my motor does not have identification numbers at the generator mount. Obviously a new case. How can i identify the size of my motor?

Got a 66 with crouch coolers

Hey Chris do you have a video like this one but for a 67 vw bug

Hey chris. Ive seen almost all your videos, jus wanna say Thanks for a newbie like me, starting, been getting my hands greasy and tackle my own problems, now, although bigger issues i still hit up the mechanic. Hey, need ur advise. I have a 72 ghia, it idles fine, but it boggs when i take off on 1st, or even at gear change to 2nd. Requires more gas squirt to keep it from dying. Wasnt like this before. What can be a reason? Wut u think i should do so that it doesnt quit when i take off...thanks!!!!

Thank very much for the info in this video. I have a question dou. Is the cooler of this beetle in the video the correct grey for a 1966? I own a 66 and is blue but title says grey. Please let me know thank you.

yep i had 1300

I don't mind basecoat clearcoat non stock colors on full custom beetle with big engine yadayadayada but when doing a full resto should be single stage original color IMHO.

Chris, I’m looking at a 66 I found online. The antenna is on the passenger side. Is this correct? I love your videos. I have learned a great deal from you and I go to your channel often when researching beetles. Thanks!

What year beetle would be your favorite and why. Thank you

You van find the relays in 6v on werk34.de 😊

I got one

Hi Chris.. I've learned a Couple of things from this Video.. I have a 66 Beetle. Any Changes to the Bumpers? I have the Overriders on my 66.. Let me know. Thank you again.

Hey Chris what's the best rear main seal to get for my type 1? I'm getting oil on my flywheel causing bunny hop in first gear

Every time he said “motor”, my mind overwrote motor with engine. Every time he said “block”, my mind overwrote block with crankcase.

My 63 beetle has the same type of door handles. Was that a feature for the 63?

good old folkswagen

Quick question, is this paint color the original for 66 models? I own a 66 vw bug and like to paint it the correct color. I really like this dark gray. Thank you for the video.

I’ve an August 65, and it has the same 1300 emblem on the engine lid, and has slotted alloy wheels (with flat hubs). Is this period correct for an August built 65? It also has an F engine block, 1300. U.K. The spare wheel well has been replaced and the identification plate is missing. I’m not sure if my registered 65 is a pure 65, or at some point maybe had a 66 body put on it with donor engine? I suppose a birth certificate might answer a few questions.

👍 I am curious about about the difference in the engine lid vents. Which years and position of the vents was the most optimum for cooling. I have a 74 sb It runs and operates reasonably well. I think it gets a little to hot on long drives though.

Did any 66 bugs come with the old 1200cc as a option or did they all get the 1300cc engine

Interesting information about the 1300 engine. My '72 has a 1300 (1276cc) but it is an AB case. Do you have any idea if this can be increased to 1600 without machining the case? This is a car built for the German market.

Can you make a video like this about 1963

Good luck finding a signal flasher box in 6 volt .

Chris my 66 has the high beams on floor, it’s a 6 volt 1200, and it also has another pull nob (with a black center, what is this for... a choke?) to the right of the ash tray... can you respond to these 3 items? Also, the license plate deck lid light is a smaller “nipple” shape, not the more big 1/2 round shape? It is a Canadian bought VW from West Vancouver. ( I also have the OG warranty and owners manual :)

Only yr to have red hazard knob too

Somebody forgot the break lights...

Is that a factory color paint?

With 25% more power and the 4.37 gears, the '66 was zippy compared to '67

66 /67 models

The Beatles...

Alternator is muh easier !