Provided there is a factory installed clutch cable tube in the tunnel, it's a pretty straight-forward, exchange.  Just unbolt and remove the auto-stick stuff and replace it with manual stuff.  I may miss a few things, but here are the main changes.

Remove the engine and tranny.  Replace the engine's oil pump with a regular pump (the auto-stick uses a special pump . . . pumps oil in the engine and tranny fluid on the outside).  Remove the flex plate and replace it with a flywheel (change your main oil seal and set your end play while you're there).

Remove the vacuum canister from under the left rear fender and the transmission fluid reservior from under the right rear fender.  Remove the vacuum control valve from the rear firewall.  Remove the shifter and the shift rod.  Remove the pedals.

Put it back together with manual transmission pedals, shifter, shift rod, a manual tranny, and your "manualized" engine.

SAVE ALL THE AUTOSTICK STUFF!!!  There aren't too many of them around anymore and someone will need something you have to keep theirs on the road.

IF you don't have a factory installed clutch cable tube and the autostick is working . . . don't mess with it.  :wink:  To install a tube, you have to cut the tunnel open in three places, install and tack in the tube, and weld the tunnel back up.  It's not an impossible job, but you have to know what you're doing and be a pretty good metal fabricator or you might end up with a real hack job.

From what I've been told, prior to 1972 it's kind'a hit and miss if you have a tube from the factory.  From 1972 on they all had tubes.  Originally the factory had one assembly line dedicated to autostick.  No chassis off this line ever had a clutch tube installed.  But sometimes the autostick chassis line would fall behind production and they would pull manual chassis to catch it up.  In 72, they droped the dedicated autostick chassis line and put tubes in all of them.  I don't know if that's really the way it was, but it's what I've been told and from all of the autosticks and former autosticks I've seen over the years, it seems right.  Ret.Bugtech can probably shed some light on this and straigten me out if I'm way off . . .

By "manualized" I meant that while you have it out, you need to change out the autostick oil pump for a regular one and remove the flex plate and bolt on a flywheel.  Other than that, the engines are the same.

Thank you for all your information. I looked and only found just two tubes, assuming one is the accelerator cable and the other the emergency break cable. One is larger than the other.

The bug was given to me by my grandmother. It is a 71 superbeetle that has been very well maintenanced. While searching for the clutch cable tubing I noticed an extreem amount of, which appears to be, grease underneath the right rear section of the bottom. I'm assuming it has something to do with the transmission. Even though the transmission really does work quite well, it only occasionally sticks in gear. My quick remody for that, especially at a red light, is turning off the engine, popping the gear into neutral, and then turning the car back on. It works just fine after that. It works pretty good for being close to 37 years old and wanted a more reliable transmission. I know that the manuals don't have as many problems. Plus they are fun to drive.

Sir,

Thanks for the help. The transmission is not noisy. My dad has kept a good eye on the gear oil level and ATF. To be honest it has worked for my grandmother for 36 years. It only has 125,000 miles on it. Garage kept in Chattanooga TN. My Dad just recently drove it up here to St Louis from Chattanooga with no problems. It runs great at 60-65 mph. He drives it back and forth to work because it's great on gas. I'm hoping to find a good VW Bug mechanic around here to swap out the trans. I turn 16 in December and I hope my dad will pass it down.

The car is worth alot more in original condition.

In more ways than one!  Don't mess with a good thing!  You WILL regret pulling a working autostick the first time you are stuck in a traffic jam on the interstate.  I spent 2 hours going 13 miles on I-285 in a 75 Super Beetle convertible a few years ago . . . my left leg hurt for three days!

Once you learn how to get along with it, an autostick is a BLAST to drive!

If the tranny is shot and you have a clutch tube, going to manual is a pretty smart alternitive to fixing the autostick . . . but if the autostick is working, just take care of it and drive it.  

I wonder why it is that the older and "crapped" out you get, Automatic anything is wonderful.   Thank God for "remotes". I use to get tickled watching my "elders" flound around.  It ain't so funny now.  Gezz !! I asked a Uncle of a friend of mine how things were going in the bedroom now that he was in his 80's. He told me that it was like shooting pool with a rope