Newbie bought a lemon

I bought a 1974 super beetle and after driving away discovered the carburetor was royally f… um,fixed. Regally glued together with JB Weld. I found a new Brosol replacement online that says it will likely fit- how can i be sure it’s right before i order? The garage will charge 2x more to order their replacement, and i’m poor and/or cheap as well as ignorant…

I proudly own a 70 convertible and browse The Samba daily. The forums on that website will provide a wealth of knowledge. Now, as for your carburetor: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?submit=yes&keywords=34+pict+3&type=text&stype=all&username=&yearfrom=&yearto=&pricefrom=&priceto=&model[]=&section[]=&wanted=show&zip=&zipdist=0&state[]=&usaregion=&country=&sort=date&sort_order=DESC&submitButton=Search

There is also a guy who rebuilds carbs on the late model beetle forum. His advertisement is: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=429441 This should help you. Also, search the late model forum for “rust issues.” Mechanically, a bug is very very inexpensive to get running. The true mark of a fixer-upper is the rust issues you may encounter.

It should fit. My memory is fuzzy but this VW should use the PICT 34 carburetor I think, although many are interchangeable.

Where did they JB Weld this one; around the electrical solenoid on the side?

Well you have a choice, learn to replace and fix, or have a mechanic do it. Chances are if the carb was jb welded you have more surprises in your future, I would look at it was jbwelded because the guy did not wish to buy a gasket, and in the olden days a cereal box was a really good source for creating a gasket. Figure out the problem and get your hands dirty.