what kind of radio do I need to fit it? He has had no radio in the vehicle since he purchased it. So I wanted to surprise him for Christmas. He has been riding with no radio for 2 years! He can install it himself. I just need radio suggestions.
Check the JC Whitney catalog. It used to be that radios for '70 VWs were real common -- you could get a faceplate to fit almost ANY radio/cassette deck/8-track (!) they made, but now that's somewhat different.
There are other source, of course. But you want to find out how much room you have in the dash (the opening AND the depth behind it) -- the faceplate itself will probably be easier to come by than the radio with the features you want (just AM/FM ain't enough, is it? Go for a CD player and an iPod jack!).