Hi there from California,
If your mate comes back around I can very well help him or any one else across the pond out. I haul vehicles for a living and that puts me all over the place looking over back fences. Just last week I sold a 69 for $2,800, NO rust, no engine/trans, perfect nose. It is going to land in Germany if his transport company ever gets around to picking it up.
At the moment I have a 71 on The Samba for $2,400 that needs a little rust repair at the bottom of the windscreen. This one too has no other rust and yes you can even jack it up from the jack points. No engine/tranny but for $3,000 total I well give up my engine/ tranny that I just took out of my daily driver to do a Subaru/Subaru transplant. Those Pic's are on The Samba.
And for some one that would want a perfect and original 74 panel with about 75,000 US miles on the clock!!! $5,000!!!!! Meet it at the boat and drive it home or to work the next day. End of story.
West Coast Shipping in Richmond, CA well stuff it in a container and a few weeks later you well have you bus for about $1,300 landed over there. Plus about $300 to get it to West Coast Shipping.
Ain't life grand.
From the mountains of California,
Steve